New Doctor Who Animated Series Officially Reveals First Details

Published Oct 6, 2026, 11:16 AM EDT Elijah is a freelance news writer at Polygon. He was an associate editor at The A.V. Club and Paste, and has been featured in outlets like Game Informer, Fanbyte, Unwinnable, and more. He loves media in all forms, from fighting games and horror flicks to slow cinema and visual novels. He's from the Greater Boston area. Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew is a spinoff TV show of the legendary sci-fi series Image: Disney, BBC BBC just revealed a first look at a new Doctor Who spinoff series, and it probably isn’t what you’d expect. Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew is an upcoming animated show meant to “introduce younger audiences to the wonder, adventure, and endless possibilities of the Whoniverse,” according to its press release. The series will air on the British broadcast channel CBeebies and on the video-on-demand service BBC iPlayer. BBC offered a first look at the show and its art style with the following screenshot. Image: BBC, Blue Zoo Animation Studio The news release provides the following description of the series: 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. Traveling 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. Bursting with imagination, humor, and adventure, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew brings the excitement of the Whoniverse to a new generation of fans. Through action-packed, preschool-friendly stories, the series celebrates curiosity, courage and kindness, encouraging young viewers to explore new ideas, solve problems and embrace the unexpected. The show will be delivered in 52 eleven-minute episodes, and is meant to combine the “wonder and excitement” of Doctor Who with the “trusted storytelling and learning through play values of CBeebies.” Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew is coming out sometime in late 2027 or early 2028. It’s currently in production at Blue Zoo Animation Studio, with Dominic Minns serving as Series Director. What’s the current status of mainline Doctor Who? Image: BBC Doctor Who's latest run was ostensibly canceled last year. Ncuti Gatwa portrayed the fifteenth incarnation of the Doctor from 2023 to 2025 — for those unfamiliar with the premise, fourteen actors have portrayed this character (David Tennant did so twice), a Time Lord who regenerates into a new body when near death. Disney dropped its partnership with the show in late 2025, allegedly because of its "large budgets" and "poor ratings." Insiders also said Disney leadership considered the show "too woke" for Trump's USA (a claim that aged poorly, given the GOP's tanking approval ratings). BBC gave a big update on the series on June 10, 2026, announcing that the previously planned 2026 Christmas episode was canceled so they could focus on the next incarnation of the story. “This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory,” the BBC’s announcement reads. Most significantly, the BBC revealed that the series was “being put out to competitive tender,” meaning that several production companies will get a chance to pitch new angles for the series. Former showrunner Russell T Davies and production company Bad Wolf announced they were leaving the show at the same time. While there have been large gaps between seasons of Doctor Who in the past, the series has been quite consistent since its comeback in 2005. That streak is unfortunately coming to an end. The competitive tender process is expected to take years, meaning there won't be a new season until mid-2028 at the earliest. The deadline for competitive tender submissions closed on Oct. 1.