Doctor Who’s BBC centenary special delivered quite the twist as Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into none other than David Tennant, who returns to screens as the Fourteenth Doctor alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble for Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary specials in November 2023.
Here’s everything you need to know about the celebrations, marking 60 years of Doctor Who.
When will the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials air?
The TARDIS returns to BBC One and iPlayer in the UK from Saturday 25 November with the first of three Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials, taking viewers on an otherworldly adventure in space and time each Saturday.
Read more: The TARDIS is set to return to Saturday nights, landing at the heart(s) of the BBC One Schedule: https://
The Star Beast
The Star Beast sees the Doctor and Donna come face to face after all these years, but just how, and why, is about to be revealed.
Watch The Star Beast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6.30pm on Saturday 25 November.
Wild Blue Yonder
The second 60th anniversary special, Wild Blue Yonder, comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 6.30pm on Saturday 2 December.
The Giggle
The Giggle completes the trio of anniversary specials and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK from 6.30pm on Saturday 9 December.
Watch the trailer below.
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials Cast
Joining David Tennant and Catherine Tate is a stellar cast including, Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble, Miriam Margolyes as the voice of the Meep, Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble, Karl Collins as Shaun Temple, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne-Bingham, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker, set to cause all kinds of mayhem.
It’s going to be an unmissable cosmic adventure, all before Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa gets the keys to the TARDIS over the festive season.
Read more: Doctor Who gains its own heartstopper as Yasmin Finney joins cast https://
Read more: Miriam Margolyes joins Doctor Who: https://
Read more: The Future is Here – the new Doctor is revealed: https://
The Doctor reads a CBeebies Bedtime Story
Watch a sneak peek clip of The Doctor in action below
The Fourteenth Doctor and his TARDIS will land in the CBeebies Bedtime Story universe on Friday 24 November.
Ahead of the first 60th anniversary special episode of Doctor Who, the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) will be reading The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers to families across the UK.
Read more: Doctor Who takes a break from time travel to read CBeebies Bedtime Story: https://
Doctor Who on Children in Need
Ahead of three specials for the 60th anniversary, Doctor Who blasted the BBC Children in Need broadcast into outer space with an exclusive scene!
In the brand new scene, David Tennant stars as the Fourteenth Doctor and shares an encounter with a mysterious new character, played by actor and comedian Mawaan Rizwan.
Both the exclusive scene, and an extended look behind the making of it are available to watch in the Whoniverse on iPlayer.
Read more: The TARDIS lands during BBC Children In Need: https://
Doctor Who: Unleashed
Just as you come out from behind the sofa, it’s time to step behind the scenes as Doctor Who: Unleashed lands on BBC Three and iPlayer from November 2023. A brand new access all areas show, Doctor Who: Unleashed will give viewers an unmissable insight into the world of Doctor Who.
Host Steffan Powell (BBC Gaming Correspondent and former Radio 1 Newsbeat Presenter) has been given the keys to the TARDIS and, after every episode of Doctor Who, viewers can switch over to BBC Three or iPlayer as Steffan takes viewers on a journey showing them just how this out of this world drama is made. With exclusive interviews with the stars in front of the camera, as well as those behind it, Unleashed is the ultimate companion to Doctor Who.
The first episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed will follow The Star Beast on Saturday 25 November.
Read more: Doctor Who: Unleashed is set to land on BBC Three: https://
60 years of Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer
The TARDIS doors are being thrown wide open as BBC iPlayer welcomes the biggest collection of Doctor Who to the platform with hundreds of episodes becoming available with multiple accessibility features for the first time.
Before the Anniversary Specials hit our screens, viewers have the opportunity to travel back in time with any of the Doctors through the show’s 60 year history with the classic series, as well as explore the vast world of Doctor Who with spin-offs like the Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood and Class, or step behind-the-scenes with every episode of Doctor Who Confidential – all available in one place – The Whoniverse.
As the perfect companion to the back catalogue, the BBC will simultaneously launch an extensive online archive from the show’s history at bbc.co.uk/doctorwho, with everything from interviews with cast to written documents, long unheard audio, and behind-the-scenes photos. Together, they tell the story of the ground-breaking series through 60 archive gems for the 60th anniversary.
The archive invites fans to delve even deeper into the show with curated journeys such as the genesis of Doctor Who, where audio from former Head of Drama, Sydney Newman alongside documents with his original handwritten notes guide you through the origins of Doctor Who.
Read more: 60 Years of Doctor Who drops on BBC iPlayer alongside landmark online archive: https://
The Whoniverse
The Whoniverse franchise logo. Whoniverse is written in gold block capital letters and surrounded by images of characters from the Doctor Who Whoniverse including David Tennant’s Doctor, Torchwood’s Gwen, companions Martha and Sarah Jane, Tom Baker’s Doctor and the Daleks
As over 800 episodes of Doctor Who land on BBC iPlayer they will all sit in one place – The Whoniverse.
Welcome to the world where you can find every Doctor, every companion and, terrifyingly, hundreds of monsters that have appeared in Doctor Who. From 1 November, The Whoniverse will become the official name, and dedicated home, for all shows within the orbit of Doctor Who which will live on BBC iPlayer.
With over 800 episodes of Doctor Who content already in the back catalogue, The Whoniverse will launch with a brand new logo, and every piece of Doctor Who content will carry a brand new ident, instantly bringing all the Doctor Who worlds together in one place and it will continuously expand.
The first exclusive content to land in the Whoniverse will be Tales of the TARDIS, a brand new six-part series that reunites beloved classic Doctor Who duos, as they board a very special TARDIS on a nostalgic voyage through space and time.
Read more: Welcome to the Whoniverse, where every Doctor, every companion and hundreds of terrifying monsters live: https://
The Daleks mark Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary
It’s time to encounter the Daleks once again, but this time in a way you’ve never seen them before. As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of iconic series Doctor Who, one of the show’s most renowned tales is undergoing an out of this world update as it receives an artistic colourisation.
Originally transmitted in December 1963 to February 1964, The Daleks were introduced to audiences and soon became one of the Doctor’s most formidable and enduring foes. The story follows the very first crew of the TARDIS as they land in a petrified forest on an alien planet. Determined to explore, the Doctor (William Hartnell) leads his companions into the metal city, where they discover danger at every corner and what will become his deadliest enemy, the mutant Daleks.
These seven original 25 minute episodes have now received a cosmic makeover, having been dazzlingly colourised and weaved together into a 75 minute blockbuster to appeal to today’s modern audiences. With brand new sound, a brand new score – created by Mark Ayres – The Daleks has been gloriously updated, whilst ensuring the original classic story remains as thrilling as it was when it began in 1963. And, whilst viewers can enjoy watching the colourised version of The Daleks when it arrives on 23rd November on BBC Four, it will also sit within The Whoniverse where viewers can also watch the seven part story in its original form.
BBC History Doctor Who Memories
BBC History calls for memories of growing up with Doctor Who, looks at the lesser-known early history of the series, reveals some delightful letters from early fans, and takes you on a tour of iconic locations from the show.
So many of us have grown up watching Doctor Who, that BBC History wants to record recollections of viewers watching the series. We all have our favourite Doctor, so what’s yours? What were you doing when you first saw Davros or the Weeping Angels? And just how many of us really did cower behind the sofa avoiding the scary bits? Let BBC history know at www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc
Journalist and super fan Paul Hayes also delves into BBC Archives where no archivist has delved before to unearth the true origin of the series, and reveals some delightful letters from fans which started coming into the BBC within weeks of Doctor Who’s first appearance. And for locations fans, BBC History has teamed up with UK heritage agencies to produce a map of the key places where Doctor Who filmmakers have set up camp to produce some of the best-loved episodes.
Source
BBC One
