Fans may only have just seen the return of Doctor Who for its brand new 15th season, but thoughts are still very firmly on the show's future beyond that, given that no further runs have yet been confirmed.

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The show's future will in part depend on a decision from Disney+, as the BBC has a deal with the streamer to finance and produce the series.

We have been told for some time now that no formal decision will be made until after season 2 has finished airing.

However, showrunner Russell T Davies has just given fans some positive news, revealing how far ahead he is in planning, should he and the team get the green light to produce future seasons.

Davies told Parade: "We'll always look ahead to the future if we get the chance to keep running. I've got ideas. 'I think I'll do that near [season] 4 or 5.' And that's always the way I've worked on things.

"So yes, I could promise you amazing stuff at the end of season 4. There are things we've already mentioned that are going to bear fruit a long time into the future. So that's just the fun of it. That's the fun of Doctor Who. But, to say again, it's the pit stops along the way."

The current season of Doctor Who is being referred to as season 2, given it is the second to be co-produced by Disney, meaning Davies is planning episodes we wouldn't see for some time to come.

Russell T Davies in a denim jacket and chequered shirt
Russell T Davies. Channel 4

Davies's mention of "pit stops" refers to something he had spoken about earlier in the interview, noting that "Doctor Who is at its best as an anthology show", and that while there is "an overarching story", along the way "all those pit stops are what Doctor Who is about."

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He continued: "The different planets, going to Miami in 1952, going to Lagos, going to The Interstellar Song Contest, going to a terrifying planet called 6767, 500,000 years in the future. That's the heartland of Doctor Who. And that's the best in the series, I think."

Recently, Davies admitted there could be "a pause" ahead for the show, and referred to the last time the show ended back in 1989, before being revived for a TV film in 1996, and again for a full new season in 2005, that time by Davies.

Speaking to Newsround, Davies said: "I kind of know that the Doctor’s reached the status of, like, Robin Hood. Sometimes there might be a pause, and during that pause, the viewers of Newsround now will grow up a few years and start writing stories and they’ll bring it back.

"So I have absolute faith that that will survive because I am living proof of it and that’s what happens to good ideas. No good idea ever dies."

Meanwhile, Fifteenth Doctor star Ncuti Gatwa was recently asked about the show's future and whether he would return for another season.

He told Variety: "My head is only full of season 2, because it’s been so epic. It’s very ironic that in a show about time travel you can’t talk about the future, but I can talk about season 2 and how brilliant it is and how brilliant Varada [Sethu] is."

Doctor Who season 15 begins on 19th April 2025, coming to BBC iPlayer at 8am and airing at 6:50pm on BBC One.

Dive into our Doctor Who story guide: reviews of every episode since 1963, plus cast & crew listings, production trivia, and exclusive material from the Radio Times archive.

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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