Doctor Who is officially moving to Disney Plus

The new era of Doctor Who is still more than a year away, but it's clear that the BBC wants the show to go bigger and reach more of an audience than ever before.

In an entirely unexpected move, Disney and the BBC have announced that Doctor Who will be moving to the Disney Plus streaming service. While Doctor Who will of course remain exclusively on the BBC here in the UK, a press release confirms that the Disney Plus is now the exclusive home for new seasons of the sci-fi show outside the UK and Ireland.

"Today the BBC and Disney Branded Television - two giants of entertainment - have come together to transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world," reads a post over on the official Doctor Who website.

"Under a shared creative vision, they will deliver this quintessentially British show to future generations on an unprecedented scale.

"Both partners have aligned under returning showrunner Russell T Davies' bold vision, who takes control of the TARDIS in 2023. He was responsible for Doctor Who's revival in 2005 and is credited with propelling the show into one of TV's biggest hits."

It's a time of huge change for Doctor Who. Last week saw Jodie Whittaker hand over the TARDIS keys in an explosive finale that ended with her turning back into David Tennant. Except the former 10th Doctor is now the 14th Doctor, which means Ncuti Gatwa's previously announced Doctor is the 15th. How does this all work? We'll find out when the show celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, with Gatwa expected to make his debut during the 2023 "festive period". This means Doctor Who fans are in for a hell of a wait, but between Tennant, Gatwa, and a partnership with Disney? It's clear big things are coming.