There is about to be a whole new generation running toward the TARDIS.
They just might need a little help reaching the controls.
BBC Children’s and Education has revealed the first look at “Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew,” a brand-new animated series that will bring the long-running world of “Doctor Who” to preschool audiences for the first time.
Currently in production at Blue Zoo Animation Studio, the new series is expected to make its debut on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer in the UK in late 2027 or early 2028.
And yes, even the littlest Time Lords are going to have to deal with Daleks.
“Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew” follows a young version of the Doctor alongside new friends Hannah, Beastie and Toast-IE as they climb aboard the TARDIS for adventures stretching across time and space.
Together, the new crew will discover strange creatures, visit incredible worlds and encounter some very familiar “Doctor Who” enemies along the way. That includes the Daleks, bringing one of the franchise’s most recognizable foes into a series specifically designed for its youngest audience yet.
But while there will still be plenty of adventure, “TARDIS Crew” is reshaping those ideas for preschoolers.
Stories will use the Doctor’s travels to encourage curiosity, courage and kindness, with the crew exploring new ideas, solving problems and learning how to handle the unexpected.
Which, when you think about it, is a pretty perfect foundation for preschool “Doctor Who.”
At its heart, the Doctor’s greatest tool has never simply been the TARDIS. It’s curiosity. There is always another planet to explore, another mystery to understand, another strange creature to meet and another problem that requires looking at the world a little differently.
Those ideas translate surprisingly well to a show about early learning.
The scale might be enormous, but to a young child, discovering why something works or encountering something they have never seen before can feel like exploring an entirely new world anyway.
Now they just get to do it with a time machine.
The series also creates an interesting new doorway into a franchise that has spent decades being passed between generations. Parents who grew up traveling through time and space with their own Doctor will soon have a version of the Whoniverse designed from the beginning for their preschoolers.
Not a watered-down imitation of something meant for older viewers, but their own starting point.
Their Doctor.
Their crew.
Their TARDIS.
And, apparently, their Daleks too.
Dominic Minns, whose credits include “Mojo Swoptops” and “Supertato,” is serving as series director, while BBC Studios will handle global sales alongside licensing, consumer products, digital and immersive experiences on behalf of the BBC.
That global sales component also means we’ll certainly be watching to see where the TARDIS lands outside the UK once the series gets closer to launch.
For now, though, the doors are beginning to open on something “Doctor Who” hasn’t really had before: a place built specifically for its youngest potential fans to begin exploring.
“Doctor Who: TARDIS Crew” is expected to arrive on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer in the UK in late 2027 or early 2028.
Time is a funny thing, though.
One minute you’re introducing your preschooler to their first Doctor.
And before you know it, they’re explaining the entire Whoniverse to you.