The BBC said the decision was made "after careful consideration" and had "not been taken lightly".
A new Christmas special of Doctor Who has been cancelled while the BBC plans the next phase of the sci-fi show.
The corporation announced last year that there would be a festive special in 2026, but confirmed on Wednesday that it will no longer proceed.
Instead, the broadcaster is inviting production companies to put themselves forward to help co-produce the next series.
Showrunner Russell T Davies also confirmed he will leave, external the long-running programme, writing on Instagram that it is "goodbye from me but hello to a big new future for the show".
Referring to the announcement of the Christmas special, he explained: "We only cooked that up to guarantee a future when no one knew what would happen, but now we do know, there's no need for it.
"You'll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who... but you'll be waiting for more Doctor Who than a one-off. So it's worth it!
"For the record: there was no script, I never wrote it, and no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor."
In a statement, the corporation said the decision to cancel the Christmas episode was made "after careful consideration" and "had not been taken lightly".
