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Former Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall reacts to show's hiatus: "Definitely disappointing"

“I feel sad for the kids who are not going to have a Doctor for a little while."

Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor in Doctor Who, wearing a white shirt and trousers and stood in the TARDIS.

BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon

Published: Tuesday, 21 July 2026 at 2:35 pm

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Former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has reacted to the show’s uncertain future.

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The future of the sci-fi series has been left up in the air after its previously planned 2026 Christmas special was cancelled last month, while showrunner Russel T Davies also confirmed that he was leaving the programme.

It was also confirmed in June that the show would be put out to competitive tender, meaning it will be offered to other platforms.

Speaking with BBC Radio Wales in support of his new novel, Chibnall shared that it was “definitely disappointing” that the pause button had been hit.

He added: “I probably had the same reaction as everybody else did. I think it’s a shame that it’s not going to be on for a while."

However, Chibnall still holds out hope for the future of the programme.

"I hope they’ve got good plans to bring it back," he added.

"It’s an amazing idea. It’s an amazing series. Hopefully, they’ll find people who, you know, reinvent it for the next generation of kids."

He continued: “I feel sad for the kids who are not going to have a Doctor for a little while because I think that’s always the amazing thing, when you work on the show, you cast a Doctor and you know that that Doctor is going to be quite a lot of people’s first Doctor.

Chris Chibnall wearing sunglasses and a blue shirt standing outside and smiling at the camera.

Chris Chibnall. Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images

"And your first Doctor is a bit like your first love. I think if you watch Doctor Who, it’s a real connection and it’s there for life.

"So I think it’s a shame it’s not going to be on the air. It’s not the best thing but hopefully people are going to be working to bring it back.”

While the BBC announced its intention to put the show out to competitive tender in June, it's possible that the series could continue to be made very close to home, with BBC Studios recently confirming that they will throw their hat into the ring.

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BBC Studios CEO Tom Fussell told Deadline: “We’ve been the producer for 60 years and we want to be the producer for another 60 years, so we will be going for that tender with gusto. We are in it to win it.”

However, he did not reveal which BBC Studios label will compete, adding: "We’ve got the full breadth of our studio to look at that and we will do the best for an absolute adored brand.

"As the distributor and commercial licensor [of Doctor Who] we understand those fan relationships and can build on that. Doctor Who is something that people in this organisation care passionately about.”

Read more:

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.

Add Doctor Who to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

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Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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