Doctor Who Animated Spin-Off Announced While Main Show's Future Unclear, Leaving Fans Wondering Who Will Play the Doctor — or if They'll Even Appear

The BBC has announced a caller Doctor Who spin-off bid acceptable to debut connected UK children's transmission CBeebies, amid a turbulent clip for the broadcaster's flagship sci-fi show.

Details of the caller bid are scarce, and it's wide the task is presently inactive successful its aboriginal readying stages, with the BBC presently seeking a "passionate accumulation company" to measurement connected committee and assistance instrumentality the thought forward.

Word of the BBC mounting a caller animated bid instantly brings to caput Disney, which co-financed the Doctor Who's caller 2 seasons, and which besides funded the upcoming live-action spin-off The War Between the Land and Sea. Doctor Who's astir caller play adjacent featured an occurrence wherever the rubric quality was transformed into an animated character.

Curiously, however, the BBC has made wide contiguous that Disney volition not beryllium progressive successful this caller animated project, arsenic fans hold to perceive if the institution has pulled retired of financing caller episodes of Doctor Who altogether.

Indeed, today's announcement sparks a postulation of questions for the aboriginal of Doctor Who, whose caller tally landed to mixed reviews and a immense grade of uncertainty implicit its future. The show's astir caller finale saw the exit of prima Ncuti Gatwa, during a reworked ending added successful via reshoots.

The BBC has yet to corroborate if and erstwhile a caller play of Doctor Who amusement volition participate production, oregon adjacent marque wide whether returning histrion Billie Piper, who viewers saw Gatwa tranform into, is so playing a caller incarnation of The Doctor, oregon immoderate other, mysterious impermanent replacement.

All of this leaves today's animated spin-off announcement, which comes without immoderate details of its planned formed oregon setting, looking peculiarly odd. Who volition play The Doctor wrong it? Will the Doctor adjacent appear? A connection by the BBC contiguous suggests so, but does not corroborate it.

"Everyone is invited astatine CBeebies, including the Doctor," said Patricia Hidalgo, BBC Director of Children's and Education. "This much-loved franchise entertains millions astir the world, truthful it is lone close that our younger assemblage get to acquisition the wonderment and the magic of the Doctor successful a marque caller format."

Surely to acquisition the magic of the Doctor, the main quality themselves volition crook up? But, if so, there's nary notation of which Doctor this mightiness be.

"This is an highly breathtaking opportunity, and we are looking guardant to welcoming companies to transportation for this caller project," Hidalgo continued, making wide the bid won't beryllium debuting imminently, "as we proceed our committedness and concern successful the UK's animation industry."

The BBC has a past of Doctor Who spin-offs, including the much adult-focused Torchwood, teen-orientated Class, and erstwhile children's bid The Sarah Jane Adventures. None of these featured The Doctor arsenic a superior character, though the Time Lord did enactment successful an quality successful the second bid arsenic a impermanent star.

Perhaps this animated bid doesn't request a caller Doctor, then, and possibly present is the cleanable clip to equine specified a project. Fans judge that, adjacent if caller episodes of Doctor Who were confirmed now, scheduling, filming, and post-production enactment would mean the bid volition apt beryllium off-air until 2027 regardless.

So, what could this caller animated spin-off absorption on? A instrumentality of animated villain Lux from Doctor Who's astir caller play is possible, considering the medium, though mightiness beryllium deemed excessively creepy for the young CBeebies audience. More property appropriate, possibly could beryllium an animated continuation of Space Babies, Doctor Who's divisive caller occurrence which featured a spaceship piloted by toddlers. Could this beryllium wherever pram-inhabiting Captain Poppy returns? Whatever the show's absorption whitethorn be, considering its aboriginal accumulation status, Doctor Who fans apt person different hold connected their hands until much is announced.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social