Doctor Who is coming back… but with a catch. While the main series is currently on hiatus and has entered a competitive tender process to find a new producer, the franchise will return to television for a different audience and perhaps in a separate continuity. If you still want to watch The Doctor on television, this show might be for you, even if its style and writing are different from the main series.

Doctor Who is a long-running science fiction franchise that began in 1963. It follows a time-traveling alien who calls themselves the Doctor and the companions who join them on their adventures. The Doctor’s first companions included his granddaughter and two of her teachers, while his most recent companions were humans he met on Earth. The show was originally intended as an educational children’s program, but as it evolved, so did its audience, and it eventually gained a cult following. Last year, the BBC announced a new Doctor Who spin-off aimed at a different audience, and after more than a year of waiting, it has unveiled full details about the project.

​​​​​Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew is an upcoming animated Doctor Who spin-off targeted toward preschoolers. The show will consist of 52 11-minute episodes in which young audiences and their families will embark on “unforgettable journeys where friendship, teamwork and quick thinking can change everything,” while introducing new viewers to the Whoniverse. The show’s synopsis reads:

“Created for CBeebies viewers, the series follows the Doctor, a young Time Lord, and his friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE as they embark on extraordinary adventures through time and space. Travelling aboard the iconic TARDIS, they encounter incredible creatures, discover amazing new worlds and come face-to-face with legendary Doctor Who foes, including the Daleks.”

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew was co-produced by the BBC and the multi-Emmy and BAFTA-winning animation studio Blue Zoo, known for producing titles such as The Adventures of Paddington, LEGO City: No Limits, and Wonderblocks. Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew has no definitive release date yet, but it’s scheduled to premiere in late 2027 or 2028. It also hasn’t been confirmed whether the series will receive an international release.

What’s Going On With The Main ‘Doctor Who’ Show?

Doctor Who aired its most recent season in 2025, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Varada Sethu as companion Belinda Chandra. Gatwa eventually left the show, citing the role’s physical and mental demands, and it was recently revealed that Doctor Who had to change its ending because the show’s future was uncertain at the time.

Eventually, it was announced that the Disney+ partnership had ended, and Doctor Who would enter a hiatus until a new producer was found. Recently, the BBC has closed submissions for initial proposals from interested producers, and a new update is scheduled for sometime in March 2027.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew is scheduled to air between 2027 and 2028 on BBC iPlayer and CBeebies. Details about its international release have not yet been announced.

 

via Collider