Grab your sonic screwdriver and outfit of choice: Doctor Who is finally heading back to our screens, and boy, it’s been a while.
Last season, Jodie Whittaker took her last bow as the Doctor – and newcomer Ncuti Gatwa finally make his debut as the Time Lord – we’ve also been blessed with three upcoming specials that are set to see David Tennant reprise his role as the Tenth Doctor, alongside Catherine Tate as his companion Donna.
Sorry, what? That’s right, things are about to get timey-wimey: strap in, here’s what we know.
What exactly is coming out?
Currently there are three specials slated to come out: the first is named The Star Beast, the second is called Wild Blue Yonder and the third is The Giggle.
This will be followed by Gatwa’s first appearance as the 15th Doctor in a Christmas special, which will be followed by a full series in 2024.
What do we know?
Doctor Who has a history of celebrating anniversaries in a spectacular fashion: the 50th anniversary saw Matt Smith and David Tennant’s Doctors team up to fight the Zygons, and even teased the appearance of Peter Capaldi’s upcoming 12th Doctor.
So for the 60th anniversary, expectations are high. Not only is Russell T Davies returning as the Doctor Who showrunner (aka the man who rebooted the entire franchise back in 2005), but so is David Tennant, who played the 10th Doctor between 2006 and 2010 – and Catherine Tate, who played Donna in 2008. Even Neil Patrick Harris is making an appearance as classic Who villain the Toymaker.
Davies has come back after a turbulent period for the show, which saw Chris Chibnall take charge as showrunner. Amid criticisms of poor writing and falling ratings during Whittaker’s tenure as the Doctor, Davies’ return was celebrated by fans.
“The truth of it is, everyone lies when they leave Doctor Who and says ‘Oh, I’ve moved on!’ I’ve been thinking about it since I was three, so there’s no way you stop thinking about it,” he said about his return.
“There are things coming up that are brand new ways of telling stories that have never been done before, so it just feels new – I wouldn’t have gone back if it wasn’t feeling new.”
So that’s Davies, but what about the Doctor and Donna? Of course, things have changed since last we saw them.
This version of the Doctor has been introduced as the ‘14th Doctor’ rather than the 10th – in other words, we’re not going back in time. This is an older version of the same character. Meanwhile, Donna has married and has a family of her own – including the mysterious Rose Noble (played by Yazmin Finney).
Is it scary?
Davies has teased that the upcoming series will also herald a return to the show’s tradition of making children hide behind the sofa. “It’s not a children’s show,” he’s said – though he has accepted that children will be watching.
The most child-friendly of the episodes is the first, The Star-Beast, which features Miriam Margoyles as a furry creature called Meep and has been described by Davies as a Pixar adventure of sorts.
“The second one, Wild Blue Yonder, is darker. Not scary – it’s genuinely weird,” he added. “We do very scary stuff. Some stuff is quite violent. It’s not for children, it’s about children.”
He has also stressed the importance of making this with the inner child in mind. “The most important thing is that eight-year-old watching, and I do know that when you’re eight, or when you’re six, there’s nothing more disappointing than a disappointing episode of your favourite show. That’s a real low that day,” he said.
“So you’ve got to keep it variable and change it, but it is that thought of disappointing that kid [which] drives us all.”
Is there a trailer?
There is indeed: watch it here.
When’s it out?
The first special will be airing November 25, the second on December 2 and the third on December 9, all on BBC One and iPlayer.
