Doctor Who adversaries such as the Cybermen and Daleks are to get their own series, an insider says.
Showrunner Russell T Davies is pushing ahead with plans to expand the “Whoniverse” with Marvel-style spin-offs.
It comes after the BBC struck a deal with Disney+ worth “tens of millions”last month.
The Beeb sold the US giant the global streaming rights to Doctor Who outside the UK. The deal means budgets on the 2024 series starring the 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, could triple.
A source said: “Fans can expect to see Sontarans, Weeping Angels and Sea Devils in separate series showing what they get up to when the Doctor isn’t there to stop them, along with Daleks and Cybermen.”
Speaking last year Davies said that these exciting new projects were part of what lured him back to the BBC - and he suggested there was even scope for a Doctor Who dedicated channel.
"There are things coming up that are brand new ways of telling stories that have never been done before,” he explained. “So it just feels new, I wouldn't have gone back if it wasn't feeling new.”
The showrunner already has form for expanding the Doctor Who universe - in his first tenure as the re-boot boss from 2005 he was behind Torchwood, starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and The Sarah Jane Adventures, featuring Elisabeth Sladen in the title role.
“We should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble,” Davies said last year.
“The whole science fiction world is so creative and so money-making right now, I think your wildest dreams can come true.”
His ambitions sit well with the Disney strategy of maximising content within franchises by creating a whole expanded universe of overlapping characters and timeframes.
Former showrunner Stephen Moffat expressed concerns after he left in 2017 that without bigger budgets, Doctor Who would be left behind by shows like Game of Thrones.
“A show that generates as much money as Doctor Who should be getting more of it back, frankly,” he declared.
Disney Plus has capitalised on Star Wars and Marvel with spin-off series including Andor, The Mandolorian and Loki.
The BBC said it was too early to comment on any plans.
