First Look: 'Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew'

It has been a tough year for fans of the iconic British sci-fi show Doctor Who. The world's longest-running sci-fi series has been left in limbo since the falling apart of the production and distribution deal between the BBC and Disney+. Back in the summer Whovians finally got an answer when the Beeb issued a statement on the future of the franchise. Despite the way some chose to spin it, the show was not "cancelled". However, showrunner Russel T Davies and production company Bad Wolf have parted ways with Doctor Who and the planned Christmas special that Davies was supposed to be writing had been scrapped. The BBC would be putting the series out to "competitive tender", the legal process in which outside production companies are invited to pitch for the right to run the show. Assuming they are able to find a suitable partner, the series will be regenerating and be back on the air with a new actor (or actress, but probably actor) in the lead role, by 2028 at the earliest. But before that, the next time the two-hearted timelord will be back on our screen in animated form.

Last year, the BBC announced plans to make a preschool Doctor Who animated series. The series would introduce the youngest of viewers to the Doctor and his adventures, and maybe set them up as fans of the future. After a search by the BBC for UK animation studios to partner with, Blue Zoo Animation won out. And now, we have the first look image and details of the forthcoming series.

This isn't the first time that the Doctor has been animated. He has featured in a couple of animated mini-series, and animation has been used to recreate lost classic episodes. This is, however, his first full-length animated series, and the first to be aimed at a preschool audience.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will air on CBeebies, the BBC's preschool channel. It will feature a new, younger incarnation of the Doctor, with spiky blue hair. No word of who will be providing his voice as yet. The Doctor travels aboard the iconic blue police box the TARDIS, with new companions Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE (who appears to be some kind of sentient toaster). They will embark on adventures through time and space and encounter some of the Doctor's most notorious foes, including, of course, the Daleks.

The series will run (initially, at least) for 52, 11-minute episodes. The episodes will be action-packed, preschool-friendly stories that combine the excitement and wonder of Doctor Who with the trusted storytelling and learning-through-play values of CBeebies.

Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning for CBeebies, said: "The TARDIS is ready for its youngest crew yet. Packed with imagination, humour and adventure, Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will inspire children to be curious, courageous and kind as they explore incredible worlds across time and space. It's everything families love about Doctor Who, wonder, excitement and endless possibility, reimagined for CBeebies' youngest explorers."

The series is currently in production at Blue Zoo Animation Studios. Dominic Minns is serving as series director, after previously having helmed CBeebies series Supertato and Mojo Swoptops. The rest of the creatives involved have not been named as yet, but the folks at Blue Zoo are certainly a talented bunch.

What older fans will think of it is anybody's guess- it's been said that nobody hates Doctor Who more than a Doctor Who fan. Those who didn't like the direction the show has taken over recent years are unlikely to be won over by a kids' cartoon. Those with more open minds, however, may be able to appreciate this for the fun romp this looks likely to be.

Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew will air in the UK on CBeebies and iPlayer in late 2027 or early 2028. International releases will be announced at a later date.

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