Man, someday we’ll look back at how major franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, Ghostbusters (almost) and Doctor Who were so poorly handled that they destroyed decade-long legacies and alienated tens of millions of fans in a matter of years, months, and sometimes days.
But for right now, I’ll be looking at Doctor Who, which has been so derailed that the 2026 Christmas Special – something that a few years ago was a highlight for fans – might not be happening and, if the rumours are true (and in recent years they almost always have been with this show), the BBC can’t even get an actor to step into the role, again, one of the (previously) most iconic and sought after in TV.
Man, oh, man. How far this show has fallen.
Anyways, here’s the story…
With it already being almost June, time is running out for filming on a new Christmas Special for 2026, although we know that Russell T Davies has already written several different scripts to follow up the really weird finale to the last series, where Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerated into… Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), according to series composer Murray Gold.
Tidbit:
While not specifically talking about Doctor Who, but rather about his new show Tiptoe, showrunner Russell T Davies, whose current disastrous run ends with the next episode (previously the Christmas Special), has said in a new interview: “I won’t be back filming anything until next year, really.”
The use of the word ‘anything’ here is telling, seeming to support the rumour that the 2026 Doctor Who Christmas Special isn’t happening in 2026.
So, at this stage, it seems that no one is even sure what direction the story is going to go, presumably because showrunner Davies has written several different outcomes, depending on who they manage to get to come back and/or play the new Doctor.
So, as of now, it seems that the Christmas episode will now be an Easter episode in 2027 and, according to the rumour mill, Billie Piper will be the Doctor, at least for this one outing.
According to an insider: “Despite reassurances that the show would be back on our screens with a new series, there’s been no confirmation from execs about when that will be.
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“They proudly announced that the Doctor would be making a comeback in this year’s Christmas Special. Now, with less than seven months to go, that looks like it’s hanging in the balance too.”
However, with Piper now looking to lead the episode as the titular Time Lord and being a very busy and in-demand actress, it seems that the BBC are looking for the next actor/actress to fill the role.
And therein lies the next problem.
“They [The BBC] have found it difficult to find anyone who’ll take on the part of the 16th Time Lord, partly because it now feels like a role that comes with all the baggage of the most recent series,” the insider goes on.
“There are fears that even if they do manage to pull something together, it is going to be a poor cousin to previous Christmas specials, which have always been adored by fans.”
The BBC iPlayer still has the legend that Doctor Who will return Christmas 2026, but at this stage, it is beginning to look like this is unlikely to happen and, there’s no other way to say this, but after the shambles that Doctor Who has been in recent years, if it is to survive, they need to start looking at what the fans, the real fans, want and they need to come back strong.
There’s a lot of that going around.
Honestly, it’s so hard to comprehend just how we got here, but sadly it just seems to be a plague of sorts, where big studios have developed this suicidal desire to alienate fans and destroy their franchises, though hopefully it’s not too late to be turned around the way Sony managed to save Ghostbusters by, crazy as it sounds, listening to the fans.
Anyway, Doctor Who Christmas Special now set to become an Easter Special, providing they can find someone to want to pilot the TARDIS… thoughts? I know you have them and I wanna hear ’em all.
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Source: DoctorWhoTV
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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