Key Takeaways
- The BBC is launching an animated series of Doctor Who for the pre-school audience on CBeebies.
- The show will feature the Doctor and companions traveling spacetime, solving mysteries and facing challenges.
- The BBC is also preparing for a Whoniverse spin-off titled 'The War Between the Land and the Sea'.
This image is imaginary, and does not reflect any actual production by or sponsored by the BBC. Just so we’re clear.
The Doctor and his TARDIS are heading to BBC pre-school channel CBeebies as an animated series.
The BBC has announced the next stage in the expansion of its Doctor Who universe, a pre-school animation version of its big-selling IP, which just wrapped second season under returned showrunner Russell T. Davies. The show will feature the Doctor and companions traveling spacetime for the pre-school audience, solving mysteries and facing challenges along the way.
The BBC has opened it up for pitches from UK production companies to produce the series, which will run independently from the main show. Disney, which co-produces the Bad Wolf and BBC Studios-produced main version, will not be involved with the animation. The deadline for pitch submissions is July 10, 2025.
Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s and Education said: “Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor. This much-loved franchise entertains millions around the world, so it is only right that our younger audience get to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format. This is an extremely exciting opportunity, and we are looking forward to welcoming companies to pitch for this new project, as we continue our commitment and investment in the UK’s animation industry.”
The BBC and Disney+ are also prepping their first Whoniverse spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea. This won’t be the first time a spin-off has been attempted. The BBC has produced three so far, the first being The Sarah Jane Adventures (2008-2011), the wildly popular Torchwood (2006-2011), and an eight episode mini-series called Class, which ran in late 2016.
Doctor Who just wrapped its second season under Davies to mixed reviews and ratings, with Gatwa regenerating and exiting the show, replaced at least for now by Billie Piper, a former Doctor companion. “Just how and why she [Billie Piper] is back remains to be seen…,” said the BBC at the time.
There is currently no timeline as to when we might see some of these new animated Doctor Who stories, which makes sense given they haven’t selected production companies yet, but it’s officially in the BBC pipeline, and they have a way of making things happen despite challenges.
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Doctor Who has seen many incarnations. But even though I’d been a Whovian for ages and worked with preschoolers, an animated version for preschoolers hadn’t occurred to me.