Doctor Who on the Brink After Ncuti Gatwa, Writer Warns
Doctor Who hits a crossroads as Ncuti Gatwa departs after just two seasons as the Fifteenth Doctor — and even former writer Robert Shearman says he’s pulling back, fueling fresh doubts about the show’s next era.
Well, that escalated quickly. After two seasons, Ncuti Gatwa is out, the Season 15 finale handed the keys (maybe) to Billie Piper, and the show suddenly feels like it is waiting on a bunch of decisions no one is ready to make. The people running Doctor Who say everyone needs to calm down. Some former Who creatives say the opposite. And the business side is not helping.
What actually happened in the finale
Season 15 wrapped on May 31, 2025 with Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper. Yes, Billie Piper. The credits did not call her The Doctor. They went with the very non-committal 'introducing Billie Piper,' which is not how this show usually does it.
Because that ambiguity was not enough, multiple industry tipsters claim her material was shot separately on green screen in London and dropped in later, supposedly to juice interest while production was in flux. That is unconfirmed, but it would explain the secrecy. Fan theories are everywhere: Maybe she is playing the Bad Wolf entity, maybe she is The Moment from the 50th, maybe she is Rose Tyler again, or maybe she actually is the Sixteenth Doctor and the show just did not want to say it out loud yet.
Gatwa’s brief run and why he left
Ncuti Gatwa’s stint totaled 19 regular episodes across two seasons, which puts him on the shorter end for modern Doctors. He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that the relentless schedule had left him 'physically, emotionally, mentally' exhausted after months of seven-day weeks. Bottom line: he is gone, and for the first time since the 2005 revival, the show ends a season without a clearly identified Doctor waiting in the wings.
How bad is it? Depends who you ask
Writer Robert Shearman, who penned 2005’s 'Dalek,' is not feeling optimistic. In Doctor Who Magazine, he laid it out like this:
'The show is probably as dead as we’ve ever known it.'
His argument: after the 1989 cancellation, there was still a 'current Doctor' in the wider ecosystem (novels, audios) to keep the flame alive through that 16-year gap. Right now, with Billie Piper’s role undefined, tie-ins cannot even pick a Doctor to write for. He even pointed to the closing moments of 'The Reality War' as a kind of full stop for the expanded lore. That is a deep-cut way of saying the ambiguity is freezing everything.
Not everyone agrees. Executive producer Jane Tranter swatted that doom talk away on BBC Radio Wales:
'As dead as we’ve ever known. That’s really rude, actually. And really untrue.'
Tranter also put some numbers on where the BBC-Disney deal stands: 21 of the 26 contracted episodes have aired, with the final five locked for a 2026 spin-off called 'The War Between the Land and the Sea.'
The business cloud hanging over everything
Disney will not decide whether to re-up until after that 2026 spin-off lands. The current 26-episode package gives Disney a clean exit if it wants one, and yes, the streamer is cutting back across the board. BBC content boss Kate Phillips said in August 2025 that Doctor Who will remain on the BBC no matter what Disney does. The catch: industry folks quietly admit the BBC cannot pay for the show at its current scale without a partner.
To make things spicier, Bad Wolf Productions warned in October 2025 that its future in Wales is 'by no means certain' because US money is thinning out. The BBC has been sniffing around for other streaming partners just in case.
Ratings: the uncomfortable part
Season 15 averaged 3.2 million UK viewers across its eight episodes, down from 3.9 million for Season 14. Overnights bounced between 1.5 and 2.6 million. These are among the lowest figures of the modern era. For context, Jodie Whittaker’s final run averaged about 5 million.
The Billie Piper debate (yes, again)
Former Sixth Doctor Colin Baker did not mince words, calling the Piper regeneration 'a load of old malarky' and arguing she cannot be the Doctor. The creative team has not clarified anything since that finale card, which is either a bold plan or a hostage situation with spoilers. Possibly both.
Where things actually stand
- No Sixteenth Doctor announced. Billie Piper’s on-screen arrival is real; her exact role is not.
- No Season 16 greenlight yet.
- Five episodes remain in the BBC-Disney package: the 2026 spin-off 'The War Between the Land and the Sea.'
- Disney will make a renewal call after that spin-off airs.
- The BBC says the show will continue on BBC One either way, but financing at current production values likely needs a co-funder.
- Ratings dipped in Season 15 compared to Season 14 and to Whittaker’s final season.
- Bad Wolf’s long-term base in Wales is uncertain amid shrinking US investment.
So... does Doctor Who make it through this?
Probably, but maybe not quickly, and maybe not in the same form. If Disney stays, the next era snaps into place. If Disney passes, the BBC will have to rebuild the funding stack and, potentially, the show’s scale. Either way, 2026 is the decision year. Until then, the franchise is in a weird limbo where story and business are knotted together.
Where to watch
Doctor Who streams on Disney+ outside the UK and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.