Doctor Who fans rejoice! Disney+ is streaming the new series right now

There's a real case to be made that Disney+ is the undisputed best streaming service for families – and it's just added a massive new string to that bow in the form of a brand-new season of Doctor Who. 

The series has begun its streaming stint already, after months of build-up and a few special episodes to establish Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor. The first two episodes are available to watch – with others to follow, rather than a full boxset drop (and for good reason).

Disney and the BBC are now working together on the show, making it a co-production that has a way higher budget than it ever used to, but this also means that episodes appear on both Disney+ and BBC iPlayer at the same time.

So, if you're in the UK you don't have to pay extra to watch the show – you just need to be slightly more patient. Because of broadcasting schedules and time differences, it seems like Disney+ will always get new episodes slightly earlier than the BBC, although not by a huge margin. Still, that's ideal if you're already a Disney+ subscriber. 

Joining Gatwa in the Tardis is a new companion, the excellently-named Ruby Sunday played by Millie Gibson and promising to bring even more youthful energy to proceedings. In fact, it's just about the youngest Doctor-companion pairing we can remember, which should make for a lot of vim and vigour. 

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The season promises to take us from Regency England (with deliberate nods to Bridgerton in the trailer) to prehistory via futuristic war-torn worlds, and unlike some of the ropier BBC-era episodes, it looks like it'll be visually impressive the whole time. 

Still, Doctor Who lives and dies by its writing, and with veteran showrunner Russel T Davies back at the helm to steer the show, fans will be hoping that this is the chance to really crack a global audience.

Time will tell whether that gamble pays off for both the BBC and Disney, but you can dip your toes in right now to watch the first two episodes if you're curious – or if you're already an ardent fan. 

Those new high-budget production values mean this is a show you'll want to watch on a great TV, too, so check out our list of the best TVs on the market to see if it's time for an upgrade.