Doctor Who viewers won’t be getting a Christmas special this year, unfortunately. However, a festive episode is planned for 2026.
The 2026 Doctor Who Christmas special will feature a new Doctor, played by Billie Piper, after Ncuti Gatwa’s time as the Fifteenth Doctor ends in ‘The Reality War’. This means Gatwa’s Doctor will regenerate into a new form.
This episode marks a new era for Doctor Who, as it’s the first one released after the show’s two-season deal with Disney concludes, along with their spin-off series, ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’.
Details about the Christmas special are still limited, but we’re starting to learn a little about what to expect from this exciting new episode. Here’s the latest information!
Why is there no 2025 Doctor Who Christmas special?
There hasn’t been an official reason given, but there are a few factors at play.
There won’t be a Christmas special in 2025. The agreement with Disney only allowed for 26 episodes, which were used for two full seasons and a short spin-off series, meaning there wasn’t enough space to create a special for 2025.
A Christmas special planned for 2025 was likely postponed so the BBC could focus attention on its new weekly series, ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea,’ which is being released throughout December 2025.
It’s unclear exactly when the agreement with Disney finished, but the BBC revealed the news in late October 2025. This timing would have made it very difficult to produce a Christmas special this year.
When will the next Doctor Who Christmas special be?
Although it hasn’t been officially announced, we expect the 2026 version to be released on December 25th, 2026.
The Doctor Who Christmas special usually airs in the early evening slot on BBC One.
We might be jumping to conclusions, though – the show’s creator, Davies, hasn’t begun writing the script yet.
Davies hasn’t revealed much about the special yet, but he assured fans that he has the entire story planned out. “I know exactly what happens,” he said.
What could the 2026 Doctor Who Christmas special be about?
Although details haven’t been officially revealed, Russell T Davies hinted that he’s shared the plot for the 2026 special with BBC executives, and they were very impressed – reportedly left completely amazed and enthusiastic.
Davies also recently shared a few cryptic clues with Doctor Who Magazine, writing in his latest column that the Christmas 2026 episode will feature the words “Bafflers” “Winternox” and “village”.
I’m really hoping Piper comes back for the Christmas special! I’m dying to know more about that crazy regeneration thing – it totally caught me off guard. Honestly, with Doctor Who, anything could happen, so who knows what they’ll throw at us!
Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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2025-12-09 20:09