Netflix’s Rumored Doctor Who Partnership Finally Gets Official Response From Executive

A Netflix executive just revealed if the streamer has any interest in bidding on Doctor Who when the BBC begins its competitive tender process.

The current iteration of Doctor Who has been around since 2005, when the BBC revived the long-running sci-fi franchise after it went off the air in 1989. In recent years, Doctor Who has been experiencing some turbulence, including underwhelming ratings and critiques about the quality of the show.

With Disney’s partnership now over, the BBC will be looking for a new partner to continue the beloved property. An executive at Prime Video expressed a willingness to consider submitting a bid during the competitive tender, but Netflix is telling a different story.

Netflix UK’s VP of Content Anne Mensah said during an interview with Radio Times that “Doctor Who belongs on the BBC.” This is confirmation that the popular streamer isn’t interested in the franchise and also a possible dig at the way Disney handled Doctor Who these past few years.

Mensah worked at the BBC when Doctor Who returned to the air in 2005 and is “obsessed” with the series. “Anything that stays brilliant this long will have many, many lives,” indicating that she has no doubt Doctor Who will continue on in the future, despite its current hiatus.

She loves former showrunner Russell T. Davies’ work and would “love to work with [him] because he’s a freaking genius.“

“I love Doctor Who. Anything that stays brilliant this long will have many, many lives.

“I was obsessed with Doctor Who. Okay, so in complete truth, like Russell T. [Davies] is like my person most missed in my life. I love Russell’s work. So, yeah, the better question would have been, but would I love to work with Russell T. Davies? Yes, I would love to work with Russell T. Davies because he’s a freaking genius.

“I think Doctor Who belongs on the BBC, and I think all of its iterations. I was there when Jane Tranter [former Controller of Drama Commissioning at the BBC and Bad Wolf co-founder] relaunched it. It’s a really special show, but it belongs on the BBC. We’ve got Supacell!”

Davies was the showrunner from 2005 until 2010, when he was replaced by Steven Moffat and, later, Chris Chibnall, before returning in 2018. Several months after Disney and the BBC parted ways, Davies stepped down as showrunner, and production company Bad Wolf exited at the same time.

Despite her love of Doctor Who, Mensah made it clear that Netflix won’t be one of the companies taking part in the competitive tender, a process that has been reported as getting underway sometime this year, but with four months left in 2026, no official announcement has been made on that front.

Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker and Ncuti Gatwa have all played the titular character on the Doctor Who revival.

On the show, the Doctor, along with his companions, uses the TARDIS to travel across time and takes part in grand and epic adventures. The two most recent lead actors made history as the first woman (Whittaker) and first Black and openly LGBTQ+ person (Gatwa) to play the lead.

Until the tender process begins, there’s no telling when the show will come back. Reports have indicated that 2028 is likely the earliest that fans will see the series on their screens again, and it’s now been confirmed that Netflix won’t be the new home for Doctor Who.