Will Disney+ Subscribers Get to Enjoy ‘Doctor Who’s Entire Back Catalog?
As the premiere of Doctor Who season 14—or “season 1,” as it’s now being called—approaches, anticipation is at an all-time high. After Ruby Sunday’s (Millie Gibson) fun and musical introduction in last year’s Christmas special, which also marked Ncuti Gatwa’s first full episode as the Fifteenth Doctor, Doctor Who has never been more popular.
That, of course, is partially because of Doctor Who’s new distribution plan. The BBC and Disney+ now have an exclusive agreement, which gives Disney+ subscribers access to the latest Doctor Who episodes as soon as they drop on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. Though this new distribution model has caused some strife, particularly where episode drop times are concerned for loyal British viewers, on the whole, Disney’s involvement marks a new start for the series. Never before have new Doctor Who episodes been so easily accessible on such a massive scale. Thousands of new Whovians are certain to join in on the fun in the coming months and years because of this transition.
So far, Doctor Who’s three 60th anniversary episodes and last year’s Christmas special are available to stream on Disney+. The new season will stream weekly starting May 10 in the U.S. and midnight on May 11 in the U.K. on BBC iPlayer. Viewers will be treated to two episodes when the new season premieres, with individual episodes dropping after that. If you’re as excited as we are to see more of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, you can watch the trailer for the upcoming season below.
Will the rest of Doctor Who be available on Disney+, too?
However, if you’re interested in doing a deep dive into Doctor Who’s long and storied history, those of you in the U.S. will have to look elsewhere.
In October, Inverse confirmed with Disney+ that the streamer would only have access to the show’s latest episodes, starting with the 60th anniversary specials. Though this makes marketing Gatwa’s upcoming season as “season 1” much more understandable, this will no doubt still be an annoyance or even a hindrance for new and older fans of this legendary British franchise.
As it stands, there are currently three different places to watch three different eras of Doctor Who in the U.S. If you want to watch “NuWho,” otherwise known as the rebooted series that started in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and ended with Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, all 13 seasons of the series are now available to stream on (HBO) Max.
If you really want to dig deep and sink your teeth into 800+ episodes of Classic Who, you’ll have to turn to BritBox, which currently boasts 26 seasons of this groundbreaking vintage sci-fi series, as well as numerous specials and documentary features.
In the U.K., all eras and episodes of Doctor Who are currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
(featured image: BBC)
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