After a beloved return of Doctor Who with the first 60th-anniversary special on Saturday, November 25, we're looking forward to part two of this three-part extravaganza on Saturday, December 2.
This next episode will be called Wild Blue Yonder, and it'll be the penultimate run for David Tennant before the next Doctor takes over. We've got a Doctor Who episode 1 recap for The Star Beast if you need to catch up and also a guide on how to watch the Doctor Who specials if you'd rather watch it.
Will this second special have moments worthy of joining our list of Doctor Who's 60 greatest moments? Will the 14th Doctor manage to claim a top spot among our ranking of the best Doctor Whos? We'll find out as the series returns for this highly-anticipated miniseries.
Here's everything we know about the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials right now.
Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials release date
The three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials will be airing on Saturdays starting at the end of November.
The first special aired on Saturday, November 25, from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm with the remaining two set to follow on December 2 and December 9 at the same time. UK viewers will find all three specials on BBC One and iPlayer.
We originally predicted that the specials would air closest to November 23 (which is the actual 60th anniversary of Doctor Who), so we weren't far off the mark!
Fans can also watch Tales of the TARDIS, a series reuniting former Doctor Who stars which is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
Will the Doctor Who 60th anniversary be on Disney Plus?
Yes! If you haven't heard already, Doctor Who's got a new home outside of the UK.
Thanks to a partnership between Disney Branded Television and the BBC, Disney Plus has become the new streaming home for Doctor Who in the US and around the world, and this starts with the 60th-anniversary specials.
If you're looking to time travel back to some of the Doctor's earlier adventures, past seasons of Doctor Who are still available to stream on Max, whilst the classic series is available on BritBox (and now iPlayer in the UK).
How many Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials are there?
We've known for a while that the 60th-anniversary celebration would be marked by three special episodes. The titles are below, and you can see the new posters that the BBC just released here, too!
- Special One: The Star Beast
- Special Two: Wild Blue Yonder
- Special Three: The Giggle
Russell T. Davies said: “The titles are just the beginning of the Doctor’s biggest adventure yet. Autumn is coming, with three hours of danger, Donna and disaster about to be unleashed!”
In an Empire interview, Tennant teased that these episodes felt 'like the band getting back together for one last hurrah.', adding: "I was surprised when I saw what that first script was based on, then I read the second script, which is unlike any Doctor Who episode ever. These new specials are Russell off the leash.”
Is there a Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials trailer?
Yes, there's lots! And here's the latest...
A trailer for the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials also aired ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Grand Final earlier in the year. In it, we see the Doctor, Donna and Yasmin Finney's Rose confronted by all manner of creatures, and learn the episode titles for our three specials. Check it out below:
We were treated to a new trailer on Christmas Day, and it gave us a much better look at what to expect from the new series. Everything seemingly hinges on Donna Noble, and her not remembering who the Doctor was, as she's at great risk. As you'd expect, there's plenty of running and monsters, and our first look at Neil Patrick Harris' mystery villain in action, too!
Our first look at the forthcoming Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials came at the end of Jodie's final adventure, and gave us our very first look at the 15th Doctor in action. Check it out:
Which Doctors will be returning?
Ncuti Gatwa is due to appear in some capacity in the forthcoming specials, but his first full episode as our newest Doctor won't come until a later episode that's due to air during the 2023 festive period.
When he was first revealed as the Doctor, Ncuti said: "There aren't quite the words to describe how I'm feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care".
"Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show", he added..
Of course, the biggest news surrounding the new miniseries is still the fact that David Tennant and Catherine Tate are both returning to the Whoniverse once again.
David is back at the helm as the 14th Doctor, after Jodie regenerated into him, for some unknown reason. Whilst the mystery of his and Donna's return will remain unsolved until November 2023, we at least know that David is thrilled to be back in the driving seat of Doctor Who. Talking about the regeneration twist, David called his return a "treat" and said: "What a lovely, lovely thing to get to revisit. It was such a wonderful, happy, significant time in my life... to be able to revisit that and get another shot, it was a total joy from start to finish!"
In July, the BBC also teased the 14th Doctor's newly revamped sonic screwdriver in a slick teaser that took us up close and personal with his new device.
But if you're expecting this to be a true multi-Doctor story like the 50th anniversary crossover, we've got some bad news. Judging by comments from Doctor Who's executive producer, Phil Collinson, it's been all but confirmed that the 60th anniversary specials won't be a multi-Doctor story.
Speaking to SFX, Collinson talked about honoring the legacy of the show. While he shared how the new episodes were 'a massive celebration' of the show's past, he was keen to point out that they're also 'forward-looking' and not necessarily doing what's come before.
"It's all definitely about wanting to look forward", he said, "but as I think Russell does so brilliantly, it's not looking forward without forgetting where you came from. Because you just can't with this show.
"He flies around in a blue box, and, like I say, the enemy they face is someone who goes right back to almost the genesis of the show - so it's definitely there. It's just not multi-Doctors. I love multi-Doctor shows. But we don't need to do it, it's been done."
Who else is in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials cast?
Another big casting reveal has been the addition of Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney as Rose. Like how he refused to give anything away about the return of the Tenth Doctor and Donna, Russell was unwilling to explain how there could be another Rose in the show.
He teased: "Life on Doctor Who gets brighter and wilder, how can there be another Rose? You'll find out in 2023, but it's an absolute joy to welcome Yasmin to the Doctor Who set. We all fell in love with her in Heartstopper, one of those shows which changes the world - and now Yasmin can change the Whoniverse!"
On August 30 (Yasmin Finney's birthday!), we got some fresh details about the new Rose. Across Doctor Who's social media, the TARDIS team teased that this Rose is the daughter of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Shaun Temple (Karl Collins).
They shared an additional cryptic tease about what this means for the show: "When we last saw Donna, the Doctor had to wipe her memory. So the question is, what happens when Rose meets one of her mum's oldest friends? It is a mystery for now, but what we do know is that just like her mother, Rose stumbles across something alien, and from that point her seemingly ordinary family is never quite the same..."
In one of his final appearances, the late Bernard Cribbins is reprising his beloved role as Wilfred Mott, Donna's grandfather, along with Jacqueline King and Karl Collins as Donna's mother and husband, as all three have been spotted in promotional material. Jemma Redgrave is back as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.
Miriam Margoyles has also joined the cast, she's voicing The Meep, a creature adapted from "The Star Beast" comic strip, and Ruth Madeley is on board as Shirley Anne Bingham.
We're still waiting to learn whether Ncuti's new companion, Coronation Street star Millie Gibson, will crop up in the 60th-anniversary specials.
Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials plot
For the longest time, we had precious little info about the plots of these three specials.
Davies happily teased us with casting details for the new series and his new, cryptic comments about the path to Ncuti's new series containing "plenty more surprises", he has been careful not to reveal much actual info about exactly what will happen in the 60th anniversary specials.
In an issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies teased several theories regarding the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate, although it was unclear whether he'd actually given anything away.
He wrote: “A mysteriously forgotten excursion for the TARDIS in between Planet of the Ood and Sontaran Stratagem? Or maybe a multiverse thing, they’re all the rage these days. Maybe this is the Doctor and Donna from Universe 557, all set to collide with our own.
"Then again, maybe, just maybe, this return is so impossible that it’s actually an intricate illusion created by an old enemy of the Doctor’s. Or maybe an old enemy of Donna’s. Nerys!”
The only official info we have to go off comes in the form of a short logline, but that only really offers us info we already know; that the Doctor's regenerated into a familiar face, and that Donna remembers him, even though the 10th Doctor wiped her mind over a decade ago to save her life.
It reads: "The Doctor finds himself with an old face and something is very wrong. How can Donna remember him and why has he got one of his old faces back?"
After "The Power of the Doctor" aired, Russell said: "If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”
Who's the big bad?
On June 13, Russell T. Davies posted a photo on Instagram welcoming Neil Patrick Harris sporting some spectacles and wearing some old-fashioned clothes and an apron.
As was speculated, we now know Harris is playing the Toymaker, a classic villain that previous incarnations of the Doctor had confronted. The Toymaker is an extremely powerful being who uses his powers to trap people in childish games for his amusement. Those who are trapped are forced to compete for their freedom, though the games are always rigged in the Toymaker’s favor. He's due to appear in the third special, "The Giggle".
From the sounds of things, this version of the Toymaker will make quite an impression when he arrives in the show. In a chat with Total Film, Davies talked up Harris' performance.
"You need an extraordinary actor to match David at the height of his powers", Davies said. "Bear in mind that this is David's TARDIS, his Doctor, his name in the titles. It's not easy for guest stars to come into that.
"You need that size, you need that experience, you need that skill to match him, otherwise you're in danger that the Doctor will tapdance all around you. That's what Neil brings... a vast performance that is properly terrifying."
Listen to the new Doctor Who theme song!
The BBC has revealed a revamped version of the Doctor Who theme tune ahead of the specials' arrival in November 2023. It's a great update on the theme that feels even more energetic, though it has still preserved the classic Who melody underneath.
📢: THIS IS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE NEW DOCTOR WHO THEME TUNE!!! pic.twitter.com/UFs6xDOvx5October 12, 2023
What else do we know about the Doctor Who 60th anniversary?
Although the three specials are the main event, the BBC has been hard at work on several other projects to help mark the big Doctor Who anniversary.
On November 1, BBC iPlayer welcomed the single biggest collection of Whovian content, with over 800 episodes of Doctor Who programming arrive on the platform for viewers to enjoy before (and after!) the new specials aired.
It was all part of the new dedicated "Whoniverse" iPlayer hub, which now plays host to stories from both the classic and modern eras of the main show, spin-offs, and even every episode of the behind-the-scenes show, Doctor Who: Confidential.
And if you enjoy stepping behind the scenes, you'll be pleased to know that a new access-all-areas show is coming to BBC Three and iPlayer.
Hosted by Steffan Powell (BBC Gaming Correspondent), Doctor Who: Unleashed will take viewers on a journey to show how the long-running sci-fi is put together. Unleashed will feature exclusive interviews with the stars in front of and behind the camera, and will begin airing immediately after the first special on November 25.
At the start of November, we were also treated to Tales of the TARDIS, a new six-part series that reunited Doctor Who duos and invited them to step back into character, reflecting on their adventures across space and time.
Of the show, Davies said: "Tales of the TARDIS is one of the greatest delights of my career - to see old Doctors and companions reunited, still fighting the good fight, is a perfect way to celebrate the Doctor’s 60th birthday!"
As if that wasn't enough, the BBC has also confirmed that they've worked on an artistic colorisation of "The Daleks", the second serial from the First Doctor's adventures. As you'd expect, the particular adventure introduced one of the Doctor's deadliest foes after the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions explored a mysterious metal city.
This new version has been woven together into one 75-minute blockbuster, with a new score from Mark Ayres. It is due to air on BBC Four and on iPlayer on the Doctor Who's actual 60th anniversary, November 23. You can also stream the original black-and-white serial on iPlayer if you'd prefer to experience the full story in its original form.
The 14th Doctor also cropped up in a short scene that was part of Children in Need 2023, and they are due to read "The Way Back Home" by Oliver Jeffers as a CBeebies Bedtime Story on Friday, November 24.
