We already could tell just from the way things went from the last few months that Disney and the BBC’s two-year partnership for Doctor Who‘s latest era wasn’t going great—and that was before we really started getting a picture of just how messy things were behind the scenes. But now we’ve just got our latest example of just how bad things seemingly broke between the two studios: the last few episodes of Doctor Who material commissioned as part of Disney’s era will actually air on the BBC well before they hit Disney+.
Although the BBC’s initial statement on the conclusion of its deal with Disney already noted that The War Between the Land and the Sea would release on BBC broadcast channels and the iPlayer streaming service this December, today the corporation confirmed that the series will officially launch December 7 with a two-part premiere in the UK, before rolling out the remaining episodes weekly throughout the remainder of the month. It also further reiterated that War Between will not see a simultaneous broadcast outside of the UK on Disney+, with the series still set to release on the streamer at a currently undisclosed point in 2026.
io9 has reached out to Disney for clarification on War Between‘s international release, with a spokesperson for the streamer only reaffirming that the series will broadcast on Disney+ in 2026.
Regardless of whether international audiences are left waiting weeks or months for the miniseries—which follows UNIT dealing with the return of the Sea Devils, a race of ancient precursor beings who have lived in Earth’s oceans since before the dawn of humanity—the current exclusive release of War Between in the UK strikes a broad contrast with how the past few years of Doctor Who have been broadcast both there and abroad on Disney+.
Controversially for UK fans, Doctor Who‘s broadcast times for the past two seasons were switched to favor streaming-first releases to accommodate better premiere times for US audiences watching on Disney+—a decision that likely contributed to the past two seasons’ diminished audience figures, which was repeatedly noted by Disney as a crucial factor in its consideration over whether or not to renew its partnership with the BBC.
Now the BBC is taking its proverbial TARDIS-shaped ball and going home, and while every Doctor Who fan now has eyes on Christmas 2026 to see just what the future of the main show looks like, international audiences will be left waiting a little longer for any slice of the Whoniverse they can get.
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