Doctor Who: Finally Ginger! Rupert Grint is the Doctor in New Mini-Series Era
Press Release:
The BBC is delighted to announce an exciting evolution for Doctor Who, beginning after the 2026 Christmas special. The show will move into a new format of 3×60 standalone mini-series, each featuring a different Guest Doctor and a distinct creative team.
The first of these Guest Doctors will be played by Rupert Grint, marking another historic first for the series, a genuinely, unequivocally ginger Doctor. And it’s about time!
The 2026 Christmas special will serve as a narrative bridge into this refreshed approach, opening up a universe in which the Doctor’s ever-changing identity allows for bold, distinct incarnations. Each mini-series will bring its own tone, style and storytelling flavour, with a new showrunner invited to take the helm for each era, ensuring the series remains vibrant and unpredictable in a fast-moving television landscape.
The first mini-series will see the return of Steven Moffat as showrunner, marking a homecoming for one of the programme’s most influential storytellers.
Steven Moffat said: “I’ve waited years for this! The Doctor’s been banging on about being ginger for so long it always felt like the universe was deliberately winding us up. Well, the universe has finally caved in. And it’s not a hint of ginger. It’s the full, blazing article. The hair, the fire, the attitude. It shifts the whole flavour of the show.
The Guest Doctor format lets us play with ideas like this properly. And giving each mini-series its own showrunner means every version of the Doctor can feel completely new. For this one, I wanted something joyful and properly mischievous. Rupert walked in and it just clicked. Like he’d been loitering in the background all this time.”
Rupert Grint said: “It’s a bit weird, isn’t it? There’s always been that joke about me and the Doctor, so it feels strangely fitting in a way.
I’m not one for getting too carried away, but this version is really fun to play. He’s got his own energy, completely his own person. And yeah, the ginger thing isn’t just the hair. It’s part of the character. I think people are going to get a kick out of it.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of Drama, BBC, said: “This represents a creative evolution for one of the BBC’s most treasured dramas. By introducing a rotating Guest Doctor format, alongside a changing roster of showrunners, we’re opening up bold new storytelling possibilities while staying true to the spirit that has made Doctor Who so enduring.
Steven Moffat’s return brings one of the show’s most distinctive voices back to the helm for this first chapter. We’re excited to see how future creative teams will build on this approach in their own unique ways, engaging both existing fans and new audiences around the world.”
