Doctor Whos Christmas Special Filmed in Secret!

The Doctor Who Special has already been filmed in secret with the actor set to play the titular Time Lord, a well-placed fan of the show has claimed.

The hit's future has been plunged into doubt in recent weeks after it was reported that the upcoming festive episode could be scrapped, as bosses struggled to find an actor willing to take over the iconic role.

Last year's series finale concluded with making a surprise return to the Who franchise, after 's regeneration, and questions have risen in recent weeks about when production on the festive episode would begin.

But now Rich Johnston, the editor of comic book news site Bleeding Cool, has claimed that he's learned the episode has already been filmed, with the actor set to play The Doctor set to feature.

Rich, who previously broke the news of 's casting weeks before its unveiling in 2009, added they learned from a 'friend of a friend' that the episode was filmed in an extremely small production using 'left-over sets' from previous series.

Writing on his Substack, he said: 'No location shooting. Small cast. Small crew. A dialogue-focused episode with long takes, minimal effects, minimal editing, minimal everything. 

'When talking about the future of , Russell T Davies said there's a version of the show in which all the money disappeared, and it was all just filmed in a cupboard. He wasn't making a joke; he was telling you exactly what he was planning to do. But there's more...

'On Christmas Day, it will air on BBC One with an insane amount of speculation, and people having to watch the damn thing live. If only to see what the fuss is about. And everyone is going to watch.'  

'I am told that a tiny number of people at the BBC know any details of what's coming, Bad Wolf wants to keep it that way, and they have the agreement of the new Director General and Doctor Who fan, Matt Brittin. 

'He knows and is very keen to keep it a secret.'

 Daily Mail has contacted a representative for the BBC for comment.

On Monday, Russell T Davies hinted that an announcement about Who's future was imminent, following a sea of speculation around the Christmas Special. 

Asked whether fans will get an announcement about a new Doctor soon', Russell told BBC Radio 2's Gary Davies: 'You will get an announcement.

'There is a press release lumbering through the BBC which, as you know, is like the Jurassic period and 57 people have to sign off on every single word.

'I promise you in about a week, two weeks, there will be some sort of press release, and yet I can hear the gears slowing down even as I say that. You know this place!'

Regarding his role as showrunner, the Tip Toe writer offered some insight into his job.

He explained: 'It's scripts, actors, casting, when you're finding Ncuti Gatwa, who had just come out of Sex Education, keeping your eye on business, like who's the next upcoming star? Oh my god, Ncuti - what a meteor of a star he is.

'It's also the other end of it with the budget and the schedules and what's on location where, and the writers, of course, and getting directors in.

'It's kind of running everything, but helped by a vast team of people - please don't think it's just me, as much as I like to claim otherwise!'

There has been some speculation about Doctor Who following recent reports claiming the festive special could instead air at Easter 2027, with the search for the new Doctor still ongoing.

While Russell didn't directly address the report from The Sun newspaper, his comments suggested more news is coming.

The show last aired in May 2025, when Ncuti Gatwa's tenure in the TARDIS ended in the Reality War episode, when he appeared to regenerate into Billie Piper, who previously starred in the show as Rose Tyler.

However, she wasn't credited as the Doctor at the end of the episode, and some fans have speculated that there is more to come.

In a statement, at the time, she teased: 'It's no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there.

'So to be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse, but who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see.'

Doctor Who has been paused for an extended break after ending its big budget partnership with Disney+ amid criticism about recent plots involving non-binary , incels and even a pregnant male extra-terrestrial.

Disney+'s investment in Doctor Who was colossal and the platform is reported to have . 

Broadcast reported at the time the budget per episode could have increased from £1 to £3 million to as much as £10 million.