Amid uncertainty over the future of Doctor Who, one spinoff is still moving forward, and production has just gotten underway.
The Doctor Who revival most recently aired in 2025, with Ncuti Gatwa in the starring role for what ended up being his final run as the Doctor. Disney ended its deal with the franchise amid diminishing ratings that couldn’t justify the high production costs. The BBC will begin a competitive tender that will allow companies to bid on Doctor Who.
In the meantime, the franchise just began production on an animated Doctor Who spinoff marketed towards a pre-school-age audience, according to Radio Times. Dominic Minns has been hired as creative director and series director after working on shows like Supertato, Mojo Swoptops and Tee and Me.
After being hired, Minns said that he plans to “capture the epic scale and wonder of the series, while making it delightful, funny and relatable for pre-schoolers” and added that “it’s an honor” to be a part of the Doctor Who franchise.
Dominic Minns: “My goal is to fully utilise the full talents of both Blue and Brighton Zoo to capture the epic scale and wonder of the series, while making it delightful, funny, and relatable for preschoolers. It’s an honor to be here.”
Animation studio Blue Zoo is developing the series, which will air on the BBC-owned network CBeebies. The spinoff does not have a title yet, but Blue Zoo is producing 26 episodes that will air during the 2027-2028 TV season and another 26 episodes during the subsequent season, for a total of 52 episodes.
Blue Zoo co-founder Adam Shaw praised Minn and explained that everyone at the studio is “hugely proud to have his creative vision” involved with the project. “We can’t wait to see how he breathes life into this show,” he exclaimed.
Adam Shaw: “We are hugely proud to have his creative vision at Blue Zoo, and specifically on our exciting next project, an animated Doctor Who for CBeebies. We can’t wait to see how he breathes life into this show.”
According to Patricia Hidalgo, the director of the BBC’s Children’s and Education department, the bidding process for the Doctor Who spinoff was “exceptionally competitive,” and the series is proof that the network is committed to investing in the “British animation industry by championing homegrown productions.”
Patricia Hidalgo: “We can’t wait to welcome the Doctor to CBeebies, introducing this beloved family favourite to our youngest audience for the very first time. This new series further strengthens our commitment to the British animation industry by championing homegrown productions with the potential to travel the world and, perhaps even through time and space.
“The bidding process for this project was exceptionally competitive, and we would like to commend all the shortlisted producers for the outstanding quality and depth of their proposals.”
The upcoming animated spinoff is the latest extension of the long-running sci-fi franchise. Over the years, other Doctor Who spinoffs have aired, including Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, K9 and The War Between the Land and the Sea.
The latter series aired in the UK in December 2025 with cast members Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, Colin McFarlane, Alexander Devrient and Ruth Madeley.
A U.S. release date for The War Between the Land and the Sea hasn’t been announced yet, likely due to the dissolution of Disney’s deal with the BBC. Reports indicate it will stream on Disney+ at some point, but there haven’t been any updates lately.
It will likely be at least a few years until the live-action Doctor Who series returns to the air. Until then, fans can get their Doctor Who fix by streaming the revival on AMC+ and Disney+, and tuning in to the animated spinoff when it eventually premieres.
- Release Date
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2024 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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BBC One
- Directors
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Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Ben Chessell, Julie Anne Robinson, Jamie Donoughue, Amanda Brotchie, Dylan Holmes Williams
- Writers
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Steven Moffat, Pete McTighe, Kate Herron, Inua Ellams, Juno Dawson
- Franchise(s)
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Doctor Who / Whoniverse