CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO TO REMAIN ON BRITBOX UK

Classic Doctor Who will remain on BritBox UK for the long-term, TV Zone understands.

It follows speculation about the future of Doctor Who and its associated titles on the platform after BritBox Australia announced the show was to leave its platform this month.

A BritBox spokesperson told TV Zone: "There are no plans for Doctor Who to leave BritBox UK." The platform's offering includes over 600 pieces of content, as well as documentaries and spin-offs. All will remain available for the foreseeable future.

There's a total of 129 complete stories on the platform - that's 558 individual classic episodes - which span the first eight Doctors from William Hartnell to Paul McGann, 1963-96.

As well as being available on BritBox UK, the episodes are now available via ITVX when you purchase a premium subscription to ITV's streaming platform. It was announced last year that ITV had bought out the BBC's share in BritBox to allow them to better integrate it with their plans for ITVX.

An ITV spokesperson previous said: "To give ITV greater control over BritBox U.K. and enable its integration into ITVX, the BBC has ceased to be a shareholder in BritBox UK. They will continue to be a strong partner for BritBox U.K. and BritBox International, and we have agreed a new long-term content supply deal with the BBC."

In October, it was announced that the BBC had partnered with Disney Branded Television to "transform Doctor Who into a global franchise for UK audiences and the rest of the world". Part of the deal would see new episodes premiere on Disney+ for audiences outside the UK.

Charlotte Moore, BBC's Chief Content Officer, said of the Disney partnership: "We are thrilled to announce this exciting global partnership with Disney who are the perfect partners to bring this very British show to the rest of the world. Russell T Davies' vision for Doctor Who has always been out of this world and we are committed to ensuring that audiences across the globe get the opportunity to enjoy the Doctor's epic adventures with the scale and ambition that they deserve...

She continued: "Joining forces with Disney will elevate the show to even greater heights and reach new audiences so it's an extremely exciting time for fans in the UK and across the world."

Doctor Who returns this November on BBC One.