How to watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials
The Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials premiere on BBC One at 6:30pm GMT on Saturday, November 25 in the UK and globally on Disney Plus the same day. Episodes will be available to watch for FREE on BBC iPlayer in UK straight after. Away from the UK during the anniversary celebration? Use a VPN to watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials from anywhere.
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials preview
Ten years since he last portrayed the Timelord, David Tennant returns to the role of The Doctor in the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials. But he won’t be firing up the TARDIS alone, as Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble is back for more adventures in time and space.
With the epic finale of the previous era of Doctor Who seeing Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerate into David Tennant, and not the expected Ncuti Gatwa – the Sex Education star has been announced as the new Doctor before the episode aired – audiences were left hotly anticipating the 60th Anniversary Specials and the return of the fan-favourite actor to the part.
While this incarnation is technically a different iteration of the character (the Fourteenth Doctor, while Tennant previously played the Tenth) seeing the floppy hair, iconic suit and Converse trainers back is set to be one of the TV events of the year.
Much of what to expect from these special episodes has been kept under wraps for now, but the 60th anniversary trilogy will reunite the Doctor and Donna, introduce an old Doctor Who comics character Beep the Meep, see the pair flung in to the far future in an adventure, see the return of the villainous The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) and will likely conclude with the regenerating into Ncuit Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. Phew.
All three episodes have been written by Russell T Davies with the first directed by franchise veteran Rachel Talalay. Suffice to say, it's going to be unmissable. Read on for our guide to everything you need to know on how to watch from anywhere.
How to watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials free online
How to watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials online for FREE
How to watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials from anywhere
For those of you who are away from home when the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials air, you’ll be unable to watch the show like you normally would due to annoying regional restrictions. Luckily, there’s an easy solution.
Downloading a VPN allows you to stream online, no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.
Use a VPN to watch Doctor Who from anywhere:
Can you watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials from elsewhere?
Disney Plus is the international home for Doctor Who going forward and this will start with the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials landing the same day as the UK, on November 25.
You can watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials in the US, Canada, Australia and elsewhere on Disney Plus.
Don't forget that Brits currently away from home can use a VPN to watch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials free on BBC iPlayer from abroad.
US fans looking to watch the revival series (2005-2022) will find it on Max, while the classic series (1963-1996) is available on Tubi.
In Canada, part of the revival era is available on Prime, including all of David Tennant’s previous adventures, and the classic series is available in full on Tubi there as well.
You can find the modern era of Doctor Who (2005-2022) on Binge Down Under, but unfortunately the classic series is not available to stream at present.
When do the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials air?
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials episode guide
- Episode 1: "The Star Beast" - Saturday, November 25
- Episode 2: "Wild Blue Yonder" - Saturday, December 2
- Episode 3: "The Giggle" - Saturday, December 9
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials: What you need to know
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials trailer
Who is in the cast for the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials?
- David Tennant - The Fourteenth Doctor
- Catherine Tate - Donna Noble
- Jacqueline King - Sylvia Noble
- Bernard Cribbins - Wilfred Mott
- Yasmin Finney - Rose Noble
- Miriam Margolyes - Beep the Meep
- Karl Collins - Shaun Temple
- Ruth Madeley - Shirley Anne-Bingham
- Jemma Redgrave - Kate Stewart
- Neil Patrick Harris - The Toymaker
- Ncuti Gatwa - The Fifteenth Doctor
Who is the Fourteenth Doctor?
While David Tennant is making a comeback, showrunner Russel T Davies assures us this is very much the Fourteenth Doctor and not a revival of Tennant's previous incarnation. He's "slightly more human", says Davies of the returning actor's new take on the character.
What about the Fifteenth Doctor?
While we've glimpsed Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor briefly in trailers, we can expect to meet this incarnation properly as Fourteen regenerates at the conclusion of the 60th Anniversary Specials. We won't have long to wait to see Gatwa's first full episode however, with festive special "The Church on Ruby Road" airing on Christmas Day.
Are any past Doctors in the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials?
Previously, every big Doctor Who anniversary episode has featured previous incarnations teaming up, most recently seeing Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor and David Tennant's Tenth Doctor joining forces with John Hurt's mysterious War Doctor for the 50th Anniversary Special.
However, nothing is confirmed thus far and while there could be surprise appearances, 2022's "The Power of the Doctor" bought back numerous versions of the character alongside Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor, so they may steer away from multi-Doctor stories for a little while.
What is the Whoniverse?
The Whoniverse is the new name for all Doctor Who related content going forward, with all sorts of spin-offs rumored and teased.
You can find the Whoniverse hub on BBC iPlayer featuring (almost) every episode of Doctor Who old and new, spin-offs Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures and K9 & Company, behind the scenes series Doctor Who Confidential and Doctor Who Unleashed, making-of dramatization An Adventure in Space and Time and more!
How is the 60th Anniversary being celebrated?
Outside of the special episodes themselves, and the creation of the Whoniverse hub on BBC iPlayer, the BBC have held the Doctor Who at 60: A Musical Celebration event hosted by Jo Whiley (available on BBC iPlayer) and are releasing The Daleks in Colour, a colourised, remastered and re-edited version of the First Doctor's second story (the debut of the iconic foes) which will air on BBC Four at 7:30 pm GMT on Thursday, November 23 and be available on iPlayer shortly after.
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials – full episode guide
Doctor Who 2023 episode 1: The Star Beast - Saturday, November 25
The Doctor is caught in a fight to the death as a spaceship crash-lands in London. But as the battle wreaks havoc, destiny is converging on the Doctor’s old friend, Donna.
Doctor Who 2023 episode 2: Wild Blue Yonder - Saturday, December 2
The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Donna to the furthest edge of adventure. To escape, they must face the most desperate fight of their lives, with the fate of the universe at stake.
Doctor Who 2023 episode 3: The Giggle - Saturday, December 9
The Fourteenth Doctor's final adventure sees the return of The Toymaker and the debut of the Fifteenth Doctor.
