The BBC and American entertainment brand, Disney have unveiled a new partnership ahead of the much anticipated new season of Doctor Who set to hit TV screens next year.

The two announced that they would be working together on the international distribution of the hit British sci-fi show.

Disney+ will now be the exclusive home to Doctor Who for viewers outside the UK and Ireland.

The announcement, which was made by the next Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, from Netflix's Sex Education, during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan, marks a time of major change for the show.

Russell T Davies, who wrote the show's comeback season in 2005 until the end of David Tennant's tenure as the time-travelling alien in 2010, is returning for 2023.

Of the decision, the showrunner, who recently wrote the hit Channel 4 show, It's a Sin said: "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." 

In a press release, the BBC said that they and Disney are "aligned under returning showrunner Russell T Davies' bold vision."

2023 is an important year for the show as writers, producers and actors gear up for the 60th anniversary of the show's premiere which occurred in November 1964.

Fans react to new Doctor Who logo

The BBC also showed off a new Doctor Who logo which seems to take heavy inspiration from classic Doctor Who designs of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

Many fans were ecstatic with Twitter users responding with 'excited' gifs and love heart emojis.

Others were less pleased with the redesign with one user saying: "I really don’t like the logo. I assume it’s been designed to appeal to fans of the Classic Who around the world?"

Another added: "No thanks. Done that already. And the rendering makes it look like it belongs to an animated series."