‘Doctor Who’ Universe Expanding With New Animated Series
The Whoniverse is growing.
The BBC has announced that the world of Doctor Who will be expanding with a new pre-school animated series. It will see the Doctor’s adventures come to CBeebies (a British TV channel aimed at small kids) for the first time ever. A production company to create and produce the series is being sought. It’s unclear if it will be available to U.S. audiences.
This new series is going to “run independently” from Doctor Who, though it does still include the Time Lord. In the new kids’ show, the Doctor will travel “through time and space for the pre-school audience, solving mysteries and problems alongside their companions and other friends,” teases the BBC. “And, of course, they may come up against one or two challenges on their way…”
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s and Education, said in a statement, “Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor! This much-loved franchise entertains millions around the world, so it is only right that our younger audience get to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format. This is an extremely exciting opportunity, and we are looking forward to welcoming companies to pitch for this new project, as we continue our commitment and investment in the UK’s animation industry.”
Doctor Who recently aired its Season 2 finale in the UK and in the U.S. (on Disney+). In it, Ncuti Gatwa‘s Fifteenth Doctor sacrificed himself to bring back the daughter he had with his companion, Belinda (Varada Sethu), in a wish world; after, she was only Belinda’s. The Time Lord then regenerated and a character, who has very notably not been outrightly called the Doctor by anyone, played by Billie Piper appeared. Piper played the Ninth (Christopher Eccleston) and Tenth (David Tennant) Doctors’ companion, Rose. We’ll have to wait to see what exactly is going on there.
Also coming up in the Whoniverse and releasing on Disney+ in the U.S. is the new spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea starring Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, and more. In the five-part series, when a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war.
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