Following the recent announcement that beloved British sci-fi series Doctor Who will be heading to Disney+ for non-UK/Irish audiences worldwide in 2023, it has just been announced that Disney won't just serve as a platform for the show, it will co-produce the show as well. The deal between Disney and the BBC is now being referred to as a "co-production deal," with Disney having "a creative input" in the series, but with BBC and returning showrunner Russell T. Davies retaining "ultimate editorial control," according to Telegraph.

This is only one of a handful of recent surprises regarding Doctor Who, including the first announcement of the show heading to Disney+, the surprise twist at the end of the most recent special (which saw the farewell of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor), and the announcement that Doctor Who will not return until at least November 2023.

As of now, there have been no announcements or promises yet about the level of control that Disney will have over the show, though Russell T. Davies has said about the situation, “I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds – with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK.”

As to whether or not the classic series will retain its low-fi British charm, it looks like Doctor Who fans will simply have to wait and see.

Want to get into Doctor Who and don't know where to start? Check out Popverse's guide on how to watch Doctor Who.