The new season of Doctor Who is coming to Disney+ in 2023, as has been rumored since the summer.
Doctor Who landing on Disney+ was confirmed today by the BBC via the official Doctor Who account on Twitter.
A new logo for a new era! Doctor Who returns in 2023 on the @BBC in the UK and @DisneyPlus in the rest of the world 🔷✨
Read more here ➡️ https://t.co/X7Z4Lfzr6J pic.twitter.com/FlGCp6GA5a
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 25, 2022
The long-running British sci-fi series, which has seen a steep decline in viewership under showrunner Chris Chibnall, is seemingly trying to course correct as it enters its 60th anniversary year.
The first “NuWho” showrunner, Russell T Davies, returns as showrunner and he’s brining the 10th (or is it 14th?) Doctor with him — David Tennant. In addition, Catherine Tate returns as popular companion Donna Noble, and the series will introduce us to the next new (?) incarnation of The Doctor, Nchuti Gatwa.
"I don't know who I am anymore…"
Doctor Who returns 2023. Read more here ➡️ https://t.co/RTBWn0CHbp #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/67fPU46DTc
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 23, 2022
From Variety…
“I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds – with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the Tardis all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the U.K.,” said showrunner Russell T. Davies.
Charlotte Moore, BBC’s chief content officer, added: “We are thrilled to announce this exciting global partnership with Disney who are the perfect partners to bring this very British show to the rest of the world. Russell T Davies’ vision for ‘Doctor Who’ has always been out of this world and we are committed to ensuring that audiences across the globe get the opportunity to enjoy the Doctor’s epic adventures with the scale and ambition that they deserve. Joining forces with Disney will elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so it’s an extremely exciting time for fans in the U.K. and across the world.”
Not only is The Doctor a throwback to a previous incarnation, but the logo is also a throwback to the classic ‘diamond’ of the 1970s.
The shakeup in the series follows Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor inexplicably regenerating into a previous incarnation (Tennant) at the end of “The Power of the Doctor.”
While there might be some ‘Wibbly Wimey Timey Wimey’ reason for this that showrunner Davies has in mind, it’s already been hinted at that The Doctor is capable of returning to previous incarnations.
In the 50th anniversary special, The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) runs into The Curator, who is played by Fourth Doctor Tom Baker. Baker’s character strongly suggests that he is a future incarnation of The Doctor that just happens to look like The Fourth Doctor, and that in Smith’s future he will revisit old faces… but just the favorite ones.
And there’s no denying that Tennant is, indeed, a favorite face for many Who fans.
With other science fiction series like The Orville finding new audiences on Hulu and Disney+, it’s a smart move for the BBC to try and rebuild the franchise’s fanbase.
Once again, Clownfish TV was right.
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