Doctor Who Christmas special scrapped as Russell T Davies exits show

The Doctor Who Christmas special has been cancelled and the show’s returning showrunner, Russell T Davies, is leaving the programme, Sky News has learned. The surprise move comes just over a year after Davies took back control of the long-running sci-fi series in 2021, having originally departed in 2010. His return was met with jubilation from fans who credited him with resurrecting the show in 2005 and turning it into a smash hit. In the intervening years, successive showrunners had diluted the formula, but it was the most recent incumbent, Chris Chibnall, who brought the series to the brink of cancellation with what critics described as atrocious scripts, an unlikeable lead in Jodie Whittaker, and an insufferably preachy tone that earned the show the “Doctor Woo” jibe. The Christmas special was expected to be a cornerstone of the BBC’s festive schedule, but its axing, coupled with Davies’s departure, leaves the future of the Tardis uncertain. The BBC has not yet announced a replacement showrunner or confirmed whether the series will continue.