DOCTOR WHO 2026 Christmas Special Cancelled, BBC Moving Forward Without RTD & Bad Wolf

 
Welcome back to the Wilderness Years, Whovians.

It wasn't the announcement Doctor Who fans wanted, but the BBC has FINALLY provided an update on the status of the world's longest-running science fiction TV series. In short, the planned Doctor Who 2026 Christmas Special has been cancelled, showrunner Russell T Davies and the Bad Wolf production team are out, and the series is being put out to bid for a new production team.

Here's the official statement from the BBC...

As part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year. Doctor Who remains an important part of the BBC and this tender underpins the BBC’s continued commitment to Doctor Who ensuring audiences will enjoy the show for years to come.

After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode. 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 previously announced new Doctor Who animation series for CBeebies is currently in production.

Details of the tender will be announced in due course.

The BBC retains all IP in Doctor Who. BBC Studios will continue to lead the global distribution of Doctor Who as well as licensing, consumer products, digital and immersive experiences on behalf of the BBC. 

Russell T Davies confirmed the news on his Instagram account with the following post...

And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show, as the BBC announces it’s putting the show out to tender. As a result, there won’t be a Christmas Special - we only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there’s no need for it. You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it! For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor. You may disagree; fine, sit in that chair and wait to be proved right. You’ll wait a lonnng time 🪑 Now I’m as excited as anyone to see what comes next! Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future, vworp vworp 

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 371: "Meglos" Is Up!

 
"I think you're a fraud and a liar."
"Well, that makes even less sense."
"Oh? Why?"
"Well, I just don't do that sort of thing."
-- Lexa and the Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Meglos"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I discuss "Meglos", the second serial from Doctor Who Season 18 in 1980, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as the Second Romana, John Leeson as the voice of K9, and Jacqueline Hill as Lexa!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse finding out his Dallas Mavericks coach was sacked, the Cleveland Cavaliers making it to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Terence Dudley directing instead of writing, being in the mood to enjoy Classic Who, Jacqueline Hill returning to Doctor Who as Lexa, Frederick Treves appearing in David Lynch's The Elephant Man, Jesse spoiling the frustrating ending of Outlander, Tom Baker becoming the third actor to have played both the Doctor and one of the main antagonists in a story, Jacqueline Hill regretting her appearance in "Meglos", this serial being the only use of a camera-linking system called Scene-Sync, Brotadac being an anagram of "bad actor", Bill Fraser only agreeing to take the role of Grugger if he was allowed to kick K9, Tom Baker being the only person to have appeared twice in Madame Tussaud's wax museum, Tom Baker's announcement that he was leaving the series, Romana being horribly underwritten, the sequence where the Doctor and Romana are stuck in a Chronic Hysteresis time loop, K9 being written out of most of the serial, Tom Baker being in cactus makeup as Meglos, feeling bad for Zastor having to deal with the Tigellans' religious and scientific castes, Lexa and the Deons trying to sacrifice the Doctor by squishing him with a big rock, the decision to have a cactus plant as the villain, wondering how Meglos found out that the dodecahedron could be used to destroy planets and why he wanted it, Brotadac coveting the Doctor's coat, wondering how long the Earthling was traveling with the Doctor and Romana before he finally got home, Jesse cooking bacon the oven instead of on a griddle, our favorite quotes of the episode, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Sandi from Oregon, Dave Proctor and Holly Mac, talking like a pirate in our next episode, Jesse deserving to listen to Jason Isbell, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I are joined by special guest Holly Mac as we discuss "The Curse of the Black Spot", the third episode of Doctor Who Series Six from 2011, featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and introducing Hugh Bonneville as Captain Henry Avery!

THE FANDOM ZONE 350: "One Last Kill" Is Up!

 
"You made your bed, now rot in it. And when that final moment comes, know it was the Gnuccis who did it. You didn't finish anything, Frank. I'm the one who's doing the punishing now."
-- Ma Gnucci to Frank Castle, The Punisher: One Last Kill

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we celebrate our 350th episode and discuss The Punisher: One Last Kill, the Marvel Special Presentation TV Special, featuring Jon Bernthal as The Punisher/Frank Castle, Judith Light as Ma Gnucci, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like my getting to meet Twin Peaks actor Michael Horse, Nik hoping his Montreal Canadiens will advance to the next round of the NHL playoffs, One Last Kill feeling hollow and more like a first-person shooter videogame, the Punisher as John Wick, Jon Bernthal needing to stick to acting instead of writing, the purpose of this TV special, wondering if the TV special was intended as a pilot for a new Punisher TV series, One Last Kill putting any doubts about Disney+ watering down the Punisher to rest, some comics background on Ma Gnucci, Frank killing Tony Gnucci in the series premiere of The Punisher (2017), Jon Bernthal's real-life daughter Addie playing Frank's dead daughter Lisa Castle, Jon Bernthal being really good at grunting and rubbing his scalp, Mickey the punk's dick move to kill Johnny the Old Veteran's dog, Frank trying to put the Punisher behind him, Frank being checked out and tuning out the violence around him, the ghosts of Frank's family still wanting Frank to continue as the Punisher, Judith Light as Angela Bower on Who's the Boss?, Ma Gnucci's trauma about her family mirroring Frank's trauma about his family, Maria's ghost speaking to Frank through a hallucination of Karen Page, the Punisher teaming up with John McClane from Die Hard, Jon Bernthal's fire stunt, the great use of Louis Armstrong's version of "La Vie En Rose", One Last Kill being the most metal Marvel production ever, Frank rescuing Dre and his family, Frank's decision to continue being the Punisher, Mickey the punk being the Punisher's last kill, wondering if we'll see Ma Gnucci again, Frank being the defender of Little Sicily, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fan Mail from Aaron Case, our upcoming discussions of the Prime Video series Spider-Noir, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in two weeks when DJ Nik and I discuss "Step Into My Office", the first episode of the Marvel series Spider-Noir, introducing Nicolas Cage as The Spider/Ben Reilly, Brendan Gleeson as Silvermane/Finn Byrne, Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy, and Jack Huston as Sandman/Flint Marko!

THE FANDOM ZONE 349: "The Southern Cross" Is Up!

 
"You and I both know who Daredevil is. He's the man who knows exactly what happened on the Northern Star. He knows exactly what happened in my apartment, and he knows exactly who the real criminal in this courtroom is, isn't that right?"
"You are a fool."
"No, I'm not. I am Daredevil."
-- Matt Murdock and Mayor Wilson Fisk, Daredevil: Born Again -- "The Southern Cross"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "The Southern Cross", the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like the Cleveland Cavaliers avoiding being swept by the Detroit Pistons, Season 2 sticking the landing, some comics background on Matt Murdock being outed as Daredevil, Matt going to prison, and Luke Cage, Season 2 having bookending episode titles, why Jessica Jones came back after confronting Mr. Charles, Matt destroying Heather's credibility on the witness stand, Mayor Fisk not being fazed by Buck's news about Daniel, Bullseye taking out the AVTF officer posing as him, the Kingpin's entrance into the courtroom accompanied by a bunch of armed AVTF officers, Matt having a plan for the Kingpin's testimony and sticking to it, the recorded testimony from Christofi Savva identifying the Kingpin as the one who ordered the sinking of the Northern Star, Governor McCaffrey entering the courtroom with Jessica Jones, the big moment when Matt publicly reveals that he's Daredevil, Matt sacrificing his secret identity to free Karen, not knowing if Buck survived his gunshot wound, BB Urich revealing that she's "Mayor Kingpin", Cole North taking out Powell and allowing the mob to enter, the Kingpin finally being unleashed, the insane corridor sequence, wondering if the Kingpin's deal included the bodies he just killed, the Kingpin being annoyed that Daredevil is offering him grace, wondering if there was a nod to Colin Farrell's Bullseye from the 2003 Daredevil movie, BB Urich taking Ben Urich's office at the New York Bulletin, Heather finally putting on the Muse mask, Matt being in the same prison with Powell and Cole North, the Kingpin realizing he's alone in his exile from the United States, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fan Mail from Aaron Case, Dave Proctor and Jesse Jackson, Marvel having another phase, our upcoming 350th episode, the various actors who've played the Punisher, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I celebrate our 350th episode and discuss The Punisher: One Last Kill, the Marvel Special Presentation TV Special, featuring Jon Bernthal as The Punisher/Frank Castle, Judith Light as Ma Gnucci, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 370: "Doctor Who: The Movie -- Regenerated" Is Up!

 
"Gallifrey! Yes! This must be where I live. Now, where is that?"
"I've never heard of it! What do you remember?"
"A meteor storm...The sky above us was dancing with lights! Purple, green, brilliant yellow... Yes!"
"What?!"
"These shoes! They fit perfectly, yessssss!"
-- The Eighth Doctor and Dr. Grace Holloway, Doctor Who: The Movie

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I celebrate the Eighth Doctor's 30th anniversary by regenerating our discussion of Doctor Who: The Movie, the 1996 TV movie, introducing Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, and featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Eric Roberts as the Fourth Master, and Daphne Ashbrook as Dr. Grace Holloway!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse having to give up on a Bruce Springsteen concert, originally discussing Doctor Who: The Movie in our 20th episode eleven years ago, Jesse not caring for the TV movie less the second time around, the TV movie being the 30th anniversary of the first Doctor Who story I would've missed if I had died on the operating table, my getting new Doctor Who for the first time in seven years after the original series was cancelled, Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni in The Dark Knight, Will Sasso as Curly in the 2012 Three Stooges revival, crediting executive producer Philip Segal for insisting on Sylvester McCoy instead of Tom Baker as the Doctor in the opening of the movie, BBC One Controller Alan Yentob and executive producer Jo Wright being dicks about Sylvester McCoy returning, Fox's stupid decision to schedule Doctor Who: The Movie against the series finale of ABC's Roseanne, the Eighth Doctor continuing through Doctor Who Magazine comics, novels and Big Finish audio dramas, the TV movie being the first time the Doctor is shown kissing a woman, the return of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, the Seventh Doctor being different from the last time we saw him in "Survival", my being glad that the Seventh Doctor got an ending and a regeneration scene, the TV movie using "Un Bel di Vedremo" from Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly and making me an opera fan, Grace unintentionally killing the Doctor and performing surgical manslaughter, the moment Paul McGann truly became the Doctor, Jesse's loving of Hallmark TV movies, the Master's new serpentine abilities, wishing a stronger actor had been cast as the Master instead, wishing Grace and Lee had the chance to continue as the Eighth Doctor's companions, our favorite quotes of the episode, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new listener feedback from Dave Proctor and Holly Mac, giving Jesse his props for powering through our recording, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

We have a NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic right HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "Meglos", featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as the Second Romana, John Leeson as the voice of K9, and Jacqueline Hill as Lexa!

THE FANDOM ZONE 348: "The Hateful Darkness" Is Up!

 
"What is followin' his orders gonna do for you? How long till you're on the floor with a gun pointed at your head?"
-- Daniel Blake to Buck Cashman, Daredevil: Born Again -- "The Hateful Darkness"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "The Hateful Darkness", the seventh episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, and Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like Nik's Montreal Canadiens and my Cleveland Cavaliers both getting forced into a Game 7, our theory of Daniel Blake being the Kingpin's son going nowhere, a refresher on how Karen Page's brother died, original plans for Daniel Blake to survive the episode, the return of Royce Johnson as Brett Mahoney, BB Urich needing to go underground, that awkward moment when you try to recollect someone you're supposed to remember, Karen being visited by the Kingpin while in jail, Mr. Charles being awakened by Jessica Jones, Jessica and Cherry probably hitting it off as friends, wondering if we'll see Squirrel Girl as Danielle Cage's nanny, waiting for Bullseye to turn on Matt, Matt always finding a way to save his enemies, Mayor Fisk gifting Heather the second of his dead wife's earrings, wondering if Heather Glenn will marry the Kingpin on TV instead of Typhoid Mary in the comics, Matt's dramatic entrance into the courtroom for Karen's trial, Kirsten calling out Cole North for doing a "welfare check" on a blind man with a ridiculous amount of weapons, Bullseye saving Governor McCaffrey as a favor to Daredevil, Karen getting under Heather's skin during her psychiatric evaluation, writer Heather Bellson really enjoying writing Karen, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fan Mail from Aaron Case, Dave Proctor and Jesse Jackson, what we might expect in next week's season finale, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "The Southern Cross", the Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page!

THE FANDOM ZONE 347: "Requiem" Is Up!

 
"This fight...It is poison. It destroys everything -- the city, the...the people we love. Nobody wins. We have to end it now, because I am not gonna stop. I don't know how...and I don't think you do either."
-- Daredevil to The Kingpin/Mayor Wilson Fisk, Daredevil: Born Again -- "Requiem"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Requiem", the sixth episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, and the return of Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like my wife and I socializing in downtown Hilliard on a beautiful day, "Requiem" being a transitional episode, Nik not being more of a happy camper if he tried, some comics background on Jessica Jones and Danielle Cage, the shot of Daredevil's shadow over the Kingpin's head being a recreation of the painting drawn by former Daredevil artist Alex Maleev that was commissioned by Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio as a surprise gift, Dr. Merati's really bad decision to comfort the Kingpin, Jessica Jones taking a live grenade away from her daughter, wondering how Mr. Charles' story plays into the larger MCU narrative, the Kingpin hanging up on Mr. Charles, Jessica's problematic weakness of occasionally losing her superpowers, Daredevil and Jessica Jones vs. the AVTF, Daredevil having to stop Karen from killing Bullseye, Karen deciding that the Punisher's treatment of criminals is more grown-up than Matt's, Buck Cashman reminding Daniel Blake that he's in the secret club, Heather Glenn's weird moment of stealing one of Vanessa's earrings, Cashman encouraging Heather to recreate being choked by Muse with him, BB Urich and Daniel Blake going out to Staten Island to visit Daniel's mother for his birthday, Daredevil's brutal fight with the Kingpin in the Kingpin's secret dungeon, Karen projecting the Red Hook testimonies on the side of the City Hall building, Daredevil supporters channeling Spartacus, Officer Powell capturing Karen, our favorite quotes of the episode, new Fandom Zone Fan Mail from Aaron Case, Dave Proctor and Jesse Jackson, our thoughts on next week's episode, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on X/Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Show your Fandom Zone fandom by posting a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "The Hateful Darkness", the seventh episode of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Vincent D'Onofrio as The Kingpin/Wilson Fisk, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, and Michael Gandolfini as Daniel Blake!