Doctor Who 2025's Release Date Just Got Accidentally Announced by the BBC

Doctor Who is coming back to Disney+ and the BBC in 2025 for Season 2, and its premiere window may have been accidentally revealed.

Disney+ began its collection of Doctor Who episodes in 2023 and has expanded regularly since with new specials and seasons. Star Ncuti Gatwa will soon be back to pilot the TARDIS once more in 2025 with another new round of sci-fi antics.

Doctor Who's 2025 Season Release Date Announcement

After Doctor Who premiered its 2024 season in May, it seemed certain the show would follow suit and return at the same time in 2025. But it now appears fans can look forward to seeing the Ncuti Gatwa back to exploring time and space a bit sooner.

According to a promo that aired live on the BBC and was shared on YouTube by Thom Curley, Doctor Who Season 2 will premiere on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

The Direct was able to independently verify that the promo aired on the BBC on Friday, February 21. It played during the half-time break as England and Scotland faced off in the Under 20s Six Nations Rugby tournament.

As has been the case with Doctor Who's other recent episodes, they are expected to be released weekly, coming to BBC iPlayer and airing on BBC One in the U.K. and Ireland while streaming on Disney+ in other territories.

On the same day Doctor Who's premiere date was seemingly accidentally revealed, the BBC confirmed Slow Horses actor Christopher Chung will appear in Season 2 and "one of the darkest, toughest episodes" in the show's history.

As casting confirmations heat up as a premiere date is revealed, Doctor Who news should dial up in the coming weeks, with a trailer likely to follow soon.

During an appearance on The One Show (via Radio Times), showrunner Russell T. Davies hyped up Doctor Who Season 2 as "sensational" with trips to a terrifying far-future planet and the U.S. city of Miami. He also cryptically teased it will be "coming sooner than you think:"

"It's coming... it's sensational. There are a lot of scares, there's a planet in the far future that's absolutely terrifying, there's a trip to Miami, it's very, very, very good, and it's coming sooner than you think."

Fans have been well aware for a while that Doctor Who will be back in 2025, with Davies telling The Big Issue as far back as November 2023 that he had "just this morning delivered a Doctor Who script that will be on air in May 2025."

The Doctor Who veteran was referring to an episode of the upcoming Season 2, which began production in October 2023 and wrapped in May 2024.

Doctor Who's Fate After Season 2 Looks Confusing

Once Doctor Who completes its 2025 season, next up for the Whoniverse will be The War Between the Land and the Sea, the first spin-off of the Disney+ era.

The spin-off confirmed a "fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean" and "UNIT steps into action" against it. The five-episode tale will bring back classic era monster the Sea Devils as its main antagonist:

“When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war.”

Being Human actor Russell Tovey and Loki star Gugu Mbatha-Raw will lead the spin-off as new characters despite having appeared in Doctor Who before. UNIT veterans Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), Colenol Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient), and Shirley Ann Bingham (Ruth Madley) will return.

A release date for the Doctor Who spin-off has yet to be confirmed, but as it wrapped filming in December 2024, it may not debut until 2026.

Speaking in Doctor Who Magazine Issue 613, Russell T. Davies confirmed the show was originally picked up for "the first order of three Specials, two seasons of Doctor Who and a five-episode spin-off, 26 episodes in total.”

Davies began his second journey in the TARDIS in 2023 with the 60th-anniversary specials, having previously helped revive Doctor Who after a 20-year absence in 2005. The showrunner has been brutally criticized by former star Christopher Eccleston who called for the BBC to sack him and his team.

As the three 60th-anniversary specials, two eight-episode seasons, two already-aired Christmas specials, and upcoming five-episode spin-off combine to reach the promised 26 episodes, Doctor Who's current order will end with Season 2.

It's currently unclear whether a Christmas special has been produced to air in 2025, but it seems unlikely at this time. Going forward, the fate of Doctor Who is still up in the air as the BBC confirmed to Deadline a decision on Season 3 will come "after Season 2 transmits:"

“As we’ve said previously, the decision on Season 3 will be made after Season 2 transmits and as always we don’t comment on speculation.”

As Doctor Who has been a British staple for decades, the show will almost certainly continue on the BBC into future seasons. What is less clear is whether Disney+ will continue its partnership to co-finance and produce the series, renewing its original two-season deal.

A potential pull-out from the House of Mouse would leave the BBC funding Doctor Who solely once more, leading to a significant drop in budget from recent episodes, or, possibly, searching for a new streaming partner. 

Regardless, as Season 2 will begin in April and finish in May, a decision on Doctor Who's Disney+ future ought to be made over the summer, possibly opening the doors for more episodes to shoot in late 2025 or early 2026.

Doctor Who is streaming now on Disney+ in most territories except the U.K. and Ireland where it can be found on BBC iPlayer.