It’s a brilliant year for Doctor Who fans. Not only does 2023 mark 60 years of the BBC’s beloved sci-fi show, but it will also see Ncuti Gatwa step up as the 15th doctor, David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprise their roles for a couple of special episodes and Russell T. Davies return as the programme’s showrunner.
But that’s not all the good news, as the BBC has just announced that as part of its Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebrations, over 800 episodes of the show will become available on BBC iPlayer on November 1.
The series’ episodes have all been updated with accessibility features, too: they are now available to watch with subtitles, audio description, and sign language.
“This is incredible. A huge moment thanks to the brilliant Doctor Who team and at the BBC for making this happen,” said one fan on X. “Woah this is awesome,” said another.
“Some of the best news I have heard in a while,” said a third.
Celebrating 60 years of Doctor Who, over 800 episodes of #DoctorWho programming are coming to @BBCiPlayer on the 1st November! 🥳
— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 10, 2023
Find out more here ➡️ https://t.co/f3St08CGnh pic.twitter.com/TPdXqvZRax
The library will not only include all the Doctor Who series spanning back to 1963, but will include well-loved spin-off series like the Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood and Class as well as every episode of Doctor Who Confidential. This means that fans of the show will now be able to watch everything from the first colour episodes of Doctor Who, to Tom Baker in action, to Captain Jack Harkness investigating extraterrestrials in Cardiff.
“I’d like to thank the BBC for all the hard work, to get this massive back catalogue under one roof, at long last,” said Davies. “ I’m so excited for new viewers – imagine being eight years old, spending winter afternoons exploring the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties and beyond. And we’re determined this won’t be a dusty museum – we have exciting plans to bring the back catalogue to life, with much more to be revealed!”
As part of the 60th birthday celebration the BBC is also launching a Doctor Who archive site where fans will be able to find everything Doctor Who-related all in once place, from behind-the-scenes photos, to interviews with cast members. As part of the archive the BBC is teasing “curated journeys” into different elements of the hit show, such as a deep dive into its history.
The BBC’s director of iPlayer, Dan McGolpin, said: “Doctor Who has captivated countless millions of viewers on the BBC for 60 years and in celebration of this special moment we are bringing classic series to BBC iPlayer for the first time. Fans will be able to enjoy many of the Doctor’s earliest adventures with William Hartnell right through to the very latest series and the soon to be released and tremendously exciting new anniversary specials with David Tennant.”
