The TARDIS is getting a younger crew, as BBC Children’s and Education unveils the first look at ‘Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew’, a new animated preschool series heading to CBeebies and BBC iPlayer. While we’re still waiting to see who takes the controls of the main show, this corner of the Whoniverse is preparing to introduce some considerably smaller viewers to adventures in time and space.
Produced by Blue Zoo Animation Studio, the series follows the Doctor, described as a young Time Lord, alongside friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE. Together, they travel aboard the TARDIS, discovering new worlds, encountering extraordinary creatures and getting themselves into adventures where friendship, teamwork and quick thinking make all the difference.
And yes, the Daleks are coming too. Apparently, even a preschool trip through the universe cannot entirely escape those particular wheelie bins of doom.
The BBC has commissioned 52 eleven-minute episodes, giving the TARDIS Crew plenty of opportunities to explore. The stories are designed around curiosity, courage and kindness, encouraging children to investigate new ideas, solve problems and embrace the unexpected. It’s the familiar appeal of a mysterious blue box that can take you absolutely anywhere, adapted for an audience whose bedtime probably arrives before the main series would usually start.
That preschool focus is central to the announcement. The BBC says the series will combine the imagination and excitement of the Whoniverse with CBeebies’ approach to storytelling and learning through play. There will be familiar monsters and plenty of adventure, but the emphasis is on giving younger children their own way into this enormous universe.
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, with Dominic Minns serving as Series Director. His previous CBeebies directing credits include ‘Mojo Swoptops’ and ‘Supertato’, so he already has experience bringing colourful adventures to the channel’s younger audience.
BBC Studios will handle global sales, alongside licensing, consumer products, digital and immersive experiences on behalf of the BBC. For now, the announcement gives us the title, first look, central characters and format, with further details still to come.
Of course, for those of us waiting for the main ‘Doctor Who’ series, the bigger question remains what its next era will look like. As we covered in September, the BBC has opened a production tender for a new flagship series targeting transmission in 2028/29, seeking a fresh perspective on the long-running drama.
That timetable is still a target, and we’re waiting to discover who will be making the series and what their version of ‘Doctor Who’ will bring. In the meantime, ‘Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew’ gives the franchise another adventure to look forward to, and potentially a way for parents to introduce their children to the blue box before graduating to the bigger scares.
‘Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew’ will arrive on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer in late 2027/early 2028. An exact UK premiere date has not yet been announced.
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