The BBC has unveiled the next iteration of Doctor Who, but it might not be in the form fans are expecting, with the franchise receiving a child-friendly animated spinoff series, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew, designed for younger viewers.
Unveiled via the franchise’s official social media pages, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will follow the adventures of a young version of the iconic character, with its teaser image showcasing the Time Lord rocking spiky blue hair alongside a girl with a pink cap, a walking toaster, and an adorable piggy bank-like creature as they face cartoonish versions of the franchise’s iconic villains, the Daleks.
“Created for CBeebies viewers, the series follows the Doctor, a young Time Lord, and his friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE as they embark on extraordinary adventures through time and space,” reads a blurb for the show. “Travelling aboard the iconic TARDIS, they encounter incredible creatures, discover amazing new worlds and come face-to-face with legendary Doctor Who foes, including the Daleks.”
The animated series will be produced by Blue Zoo Animation Studio, which specialises in children’s television series and previously worked on shows like 2010’s Alphablocks and 2019’s The Adventures of Paddington. Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew is projected to launch in late 2027 or early 2028, with the show consisting of 52 bite-sized episodes, each roughly 11 minutes in length, and is set to feature “preschool-friendly stories”.
As a cornerstone of British pop culture, Doctor Who has continued to revolutionise the world of TV science fiction since its debut in 1963, with its unique concept of regeneration allowing unique interpretations of the iconic Time Lord over the years, such as David Tennant (2005 – 2010), Matt Smith (2010 – 2013), and most recently, Ncuti Gatwa (2023 – 2025). For now, it’s unclear if Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will be set in the franchise’s overall canon, or if fans will see the other Doctors appear in cameos.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
Natalie
