More like “Doctor Where-Do-I-Stream-This,” am I right?
Not only is Doctor Who a convoluted mess, but you’ll go insane trying to stream the show’s many iterations, revisions, and remakes. The BBC says that new Doctor Who episodes will stream exclusively on Disney+ for viewers outside the UK and Ireland. But older Doctor Who content is stuck on rival platforms.
Let’s see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense. The BBC just completed Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Thirteenth Doctor. Taking his place is David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, who will return for a three-episode special to play the role of the Fourteenth Doctor.
These three episodes, starring David Tennant, will be the first to debut on Disney+. Future episodes starring Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the Fifteenth Doctor, will also stream on Disney’s streaming service outside the UK and Ireland. (Note that this craziness is in celebration of Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary.)
Here’s the rub; if you want to watch the “Old Doctor,” you need to join a different streaming service. Doctors Nine through Thirteen are only on HBO Max, while One through Seven are on Britbox. And that’s ignoring the lost episodes, some of which are available as animated remakes on AMC+.
As for the Eighth Doctor—I don’t know, good luck.
Of course, Doctor Who fans in the UK or Ireland can watch everything on the BBC iPlayer. It’s interesting to see how poorly the BBC has handled licensing outside of its corner of the world, but to be fair, Doctor Who fans may be rabid enough to deal with this nonsense.
The new season of Doctor Who kicks off this November. New episodes will arrive on Disney+ as they air. Note that these episodes won’t debut on BBC America.
Source: BBC
