The 2023 specials of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who are a series of three special episodes that aired to celebrate the programme's 60th anniversary. The specials were written by Russell T Davies and marked the start of his second tenure as showrunner, having served in the role from the start of Doctor Who's revival in 2005 until leaving in 2010. The specials were broadcast from 25 November to 9 December 2023 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and Ireland and on Disney+ internationally.
The specials were led by Davies as head writer and executive producer in his first episodes since his return to the programme. They preceded and were announced alongside the fourteenth series; both were announced with Davies's return to the programme for its 60th anniversary and "series beyond". The three specials were directed by Rachel Talalay, Tom Kingsley, and Chanya Button, respectively. Filming occurred between May and July 2022, with production moving from Roath Lock Studios to Wolf Studios once Bad Wolf became a co-producer of the series. A multitude of new Doctor Who media and re-releases accompanied the specials for the occasion of the anniversary.
The Fourteenth Doctor runs into Donna Noble and her family, and a spaceship crashes. Meeting with UNIT scientist Shirley Anne Bingham, the Doctor questions why he resembles his tenth incarnation and why destiny is converging on Donna. Donna's teenage daughter, Rose encounters a furry alien called the Meep and hides it in the shed, but Donna discovers it just as the Doctor arrives at her house. The Meep's benevolent nature is found to be a lie and it is, in fact, a megalomaniac, would-be dictator whose ship will destroy London if allowed to take off. The Doctor is forced to reawaken Donna's memories in order to shut down the Meep's ship. Donna does not die; because of Rose's birth, Donna has passed down part of the metacrisis, making it less dangerous for both. The Meep is captured, and Donna and Rose expel the metacrisis from their bodies. The Doctor suggests he and Donna visit Wilfred, but the newly re-built TARDIS goes haywire and dematerialises.
The TARDIS crash-lands on a spaceship at the edge of the known universe. Sensing hostile action, the TARDIS dematerialises, stranding the Doctor and Donna who begin exploring the ship, finding it abandoned. After locating the bridge, they are confronted by a pair of unknown entities from outside the known universe, taking the forms of imperfect copies of the Doctor and Donna. After a series of interactions, the Doctor figures out that the creatures are attempting to use them as a way to reach the known universe, and that they learn by forcing their targets to act quickly and impulsively. They discover that the ship's captain initiated an extremely delayed self-destruct sequence before killing herself to prevent the entities from taking control of the ship. The Doctor speeds up the self-destruct sequence, and the TARDIS returns, allowing the Doctor and Donna to escape while the entities are destroyed. Returning to the alley from which they departed, they encounter Wilfred, who tells them that the world is ending and asks for the Doctor's help.
In 1925 Soho, an assistant to television inventor John Logie Baird purchases a puppet at a toy shop owned by the Toymaker. In the present day, the Toymaker causes havoc worldwide and faces off against the Doctor and Donna. Playing a second game against him, the Doctor loses, but they agree to a tie-breaker match. The Doctor and Donna go to UNIT, reuniting with Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Mel Bush, and together they discover the Toymaker has been using a laughing sound hidden in all screens since the advent of television, carving itself into the human subconscious. The Toymaker attacks UNIT and mortally wounds the Doctor with a galvanic beam, causing him to "bi-generate", allowing the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors to co-exist. The two Doctors defeat the Toymaker in a game of catch and banish him from existence as he threatens his legions' arrival. A mysterious woman takes his golden tooth that is imprisoning the Master. Before departing in his TARDIS, the new Doctor creates a new one for his predecessor, who decides to settle down on Earth with Donna and her family.
In a military base on the planet Skaro, a pre-accident Davros meets with his assistant Mr Castavillian to present his new creation, a prototype Dalek, though they have yet to name it. When Davros exits the scene, the TARDIS comes crashing into the base, breaking off the Dalek's claw. The Fourteenth Doctor, still puzzled by his old face returning, notices the damage he's caused and realises the claw belongs to the Dalek. Then, when calling the machine a "Dalek" and being thankful it did not "exterminate" him, the Doctor inadvertently gives Castavillian the ideas for both a name and catchphrase. The Doctor soon realises he's actually witnessing the genesis of the Daleks. He hastily swaps the broken claw for a sink plunger he finds in the TARDIS, tells Castavillian to pretend he was never there, and leaves. After returning, Davros approves of the plunger.
The Fourteenth Doctor lands on Planet Bedtime Stories and reads Oliver Jeffers's story "The Way Back Home". In the story, a boy discovers an aeroplane in his cupboard and decides to fly it. The plane runs out of fuel mid-flight and is forced to land on the Moon. Subsequently, a Martian's space ship is also forced to land on the Moon due to a faulty engine. After discovering their presence, the pair figure out ways to fix both of their machines. The boy returns to Earth and collects the necessary materials, before returning to the Moon by climbing a rope that the Martian dropped from the Moon. With their machines fixed, the pair go their separate ways and sometime later the boy receives a communication device from the Martian. The Doctor draws comparisons between his life and the story, before departing. "The Way Back Home" was an episode of "Cbeebies Bedtime Stories"[5]
Russell T Davies (pictured in 2008) returned to Doctor Who as showrunner and lead writer for the 60th anniversary specials and series beyond.[21]
On 29 July 2021, the BBC announced that Chris Chibnall, who served as executive producer and showrunner of the series since 2018, would quit the series after a run of specials in 2022, alongside Thirteenth Doctor star Jodie Whittaker.[22][23] In the BBC press release, Chibnall is quoted as saying: "I wish our successors - whoever the BBC and BBC Studios choose - as much fun as we've had. They're in for a treat!"[23] The future of the programme was first teased by Piers Wenger on 25 August 2021, when he said an upcoming change for Doctor Who would be "radical".[24]
On 24 September 2021, the BBC announced Russell T Davies would return to Doctor Who as showrunner, after having acted as showrunner from 2005 to 2010 for the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. He succeeds Chibnall for the show's 60th anniversary in 2023 and beyond.[21] Davies was joined by the Bad Wolf production company, which was founded by fellow former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner and former BBC head of drama Jane Tranter.[25] In October 2021, it was announced that Sony would acquire a majority of Bad Wolf.[26][27] Bad Wolf took over creative control of Doctor Who beginning with the specials, with BBC Studios focusing on establishing Doctor Who as a global brand.[28]
Phil Collinson, Gardner, and Tranter all returned to the show as executive producers, alongside newcomer Joel Collins.[29] Davies confirmed by March 2022 that pre-production had begun at Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff.[30] Tim Hodges edited the specials.[31]
I realised that there was third act to be written [for the Doctor and Donna], and it was so much fun writing it. On a really simple level, it's working with two of the best actors in the world. I love them. I love them as friends. I love their presence. I'm really interested to push the Doctor and Donna into things they've never done before...
The opening story is an adaptation of the 1980 comic strip Doctor Who and the Star Beast, written by Pat Mills and John Wagner, with art by Dave Gibbons. "The Star Beast" features the first live-action appearances of Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors.[36] Davies chose to adapt from the comic due to it being "an enormously fun adventure, with an edge and a serious threat".[37] Davies told Empire in October 2023 that he "needed to bring Donna back into the story... which meant setting it in London, which meant something alien landing on top of London, and I automatically thought of Star Beast as the best way to tell that story".[38]
In October 2023, Davies confirmed in an interview that a crossover involving one of his previous shows, Nolly, would take place within the specials as a surprise nod to the audience.[39] This was later announced to be the casting of John MacKay as John Logie Baird in both series.[40] In November 2023, Davies stated in SFX 372 that the three specials were three separate stories, as opposed to a singular three-part story.[41] At the official press screening of "The Star Beast", Davies described the first special as "a great big Pixar family film, like a bank holiday film – all the family watching, lots of laughs, a funny monster". He then described "Wild Blue Yonder" as "darker... not scary – it's genuinely weird", and "The Giggle" as "nuts, completely mad, frightening... that one will scare you".[42]
Filming
Filming for the 60th anniversary specials marked a change in studio location, with the new studio, Bad Wolf Studios, taking over from Roath Lock Studios as the company for in-house filming, where the programme had filmed since 2012.[43] The change marked a co-production deal between Bad Wolf and BBC Studios for Doctor Who.[25] Bad Wolf further filed for a new subsidiary company, also run by Gardner and Tranter, called "Whoniverse1 LTD".[44]
Principal photography for the specials commenced on 9 May 2022. Location filming took place in Camden Market,[45]Newport,[46]Bristol,[47] and Cardiff.[48] Production wrapped on 26 July 2022.[49][50]Rachel Talalay returned to direct the first special,[51]Tom Kingsley directed the second,[50] and Chanya Button directed the third.[52] Vicki Delow and Chris May produced the specials with Ellen Marsh co-producing.[29] Due to failing health, Cribbins's role as Wilfred Mott was reduced, however, he was able to film one last appearance for the ending of "Wild Blue Yonder", his final performance before his death on 27 July 2022, one day after production for the specials wrapped.[53][54] An uncredited double stood in as Wilfred for "The Giggle", which featured usage of an archival audio recording of Cribbins from "The Poison Sky" (2008).[55]
A Children in Need special was produced on 18 April 2023 and directed by Jamie Donoughue.[56] The six-part miniseries Tales of the TARDIS was recorded over six days at Bad Wolf Studios from 25 to 30 September 2023,[49][57] directed by Joshua M.G. Thomas.[58]
The production blocks for the 2023 specials were arranged as follows:[59][60][61]
On 20 July 2022, Segun Akinola, who had served as composer since 2018, confirmed that he would not return for the 60th anniversary specials.[62] On 24 April 2023, the BBC announced that Murray Gold, the show's composer from 2005 to 2017, would be returning for the 2023 specials, and the fourteenth series.[63][64] The specials feature a new version of the theme tune, which was performed live by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as part of Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration, and released officially on 12 October 2023.[65][66]
Release
Promotion
On 23 October 2022, the first teaser trailer was shown on BBC One after "The Power of the Doctor". It was confirmed that David Tennant would be playing the Fourteenth Doctor for three specials, and Ncuti Gatwa would then succeed him as the Fifteenth Doctor. It was also revealed that the specials would begin airing in November 2023. Davies teased "plenty more surprises on the way", adding that the anniversary would be "laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun!".[67] The new logo was revealed on 25 October 2022, in conjunction with the announcement that the specials would premiere on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.[68] Gatwa appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan in the United States to announce the news before the media.[69]
On 25 December 2022, the second teaser trailer was shown on BBC One after the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 Christmas special. Davies said they wanted to deliver "a lovely little Christmas present", and promised "2023 will be a riot of Doctor Who goodness!".[70] The trailer also offered the first glimpses of the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors.[71]
On 7 March 2023, it was announced that Tennant, who was the main presenter of Comic Relief 2023, would appear during a sketch in the telethon in the Fourteenth Doctor's costume to promote the specials.[72] The show began on 17 March with a sketch which saw Lenny Henry regenerate into Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor.[73]
Spread over two weeks between April and May 2023, three cryptic teasers with reversed audio and binary codes interrupted the idents on BBC One, leading up to a third teaser trailer shown on BBC One before the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 final on 13 May, revealing each special's title. Davies teased the titles are "just the beginning of the Doctor's biggest adventure yet".[74][75][76][77] On 18 July 2023, new character posters were released of the Fourteenth Doctor, Donna Noble, the Fifteenth Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday.[78] The Fourteenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver was then revealed on 19 July in a minute-long video; before replicas were made available to purchase online.[79][80] The sonic release and posters coincided with a Doctor Who display booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, although an official panel did not take place.[81][82]
On 23 September 2023, the full-length trailer was shown on BBC One before the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2023. An official poster was released, and Davies said that fans were "heading for a November full of Doctor Who surprises".[83] On 25 October 2023, the release dates for the three specials were officially revealed, with a poster for each special released alongside.[84] To coincide, Disney+ released their version of the trailer to promote the specials.[85]
The press launch and screening for "The Star Beast" was held at Battersea Power Station, London on 6 November 2023,[86] with a new poster also released.[87] A special Doctor Who ident was launched by BBC iPlayer, with the Fourteenth Doctor questioning the return of Donna and his old face.[88] An interactive "Choose Your Character" challenge was released on BBC iPlayer's TikTok, which revealed some unseen clips from "The Star Beast".[89] A special mini-episode was shown during Children in Need 2023 on 17 November.[90] Tennant and Davies embarked on a media round in the week leading up to "The Star Beast",[91][92][93] and preview clips were released during the week leading up to each special.[94][95][96]
To mark the day of the 60th anniversary on 23 November 2023, a water-based projection was launched during after-dark hours on Cardiff Bay, which displayed several iconic villains and characters from across the show's 60-year history.[97] On 24 November, Tennant appeared as the Fourteenth Doctor on CBeebies Bedtime Story to read the "The Way Back Home" by Oliver Jeffers. A special Doctor Who edition of Radio Times Magazine was released on 25 November 2023, celebrating the show's 60th anniversary and the launch of the specials.[98][99]
Broadcast
The three specials began airing on 25 November 2023 and concluded on 9 December 2023,[100] marking Doctor Who's 60th anniversary.[101][102] The specials were also the first Doctor Who episodes to premiere internationally on Disney+; like previous episodes, they were aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. The streaming partnership between the BBC and Disney Branded Television was announced in October 2022, with Davies adding that the aim is to "launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK".[103]
60th anniversary
Television re-releases
Ahead of the anniversary, the BBC cleared the rights to allow more than 800 episodes of Doctor Who programming — including episodes from the classic and revival series, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, and Doctor Who Confidential — as part of its iPlayer offering from 1 November 2023. Episodes included new accessibility options, including subtitles, audio description, and sign language.[104] The release of these episodes excluded the first Doctor Who serial, An Unearthly Child (1963), due to a lack of agreement between the BBC and the son of the serial's late writer Anthony Coburn.[105] The BBC used "Whoniverse" as the collective name for all the programmes.[106]
A marathon of the fourth series, which starred Tennant and Tate, occurred on 4 November.[107] On 23 November, BBC Four broadcast a 75-minute colourised version of The Daleks (1963), featuring new sound design and a score by Mark Ayres.[108] This was followed by a repeat of An Adventure in Space and Time (2013), with the ending of the film now featuring Gatwa, replacing Matt Smith.[109][110]An Adventure in Space and Time was modified further for its re-airing, with dialogue from An Unearthly Child being cut from the original production, due to the same lack of agreement that prevented An Unearthly Child from being part of the Whoniverse programming release on iPlayer.[111] A fully-animated release of The Celestial Toymaker, utilising the original soundtrack recordings, is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray.[112][113]
Tales of the TARDIS
The first Whoniverse original series, Tales of the TARDIS, was released on BBC iPlayer on 1 November 2023, coinciding with the Whoniverse's launch. The six-part series featured omnibus versions of classic Doctor Who stories bookended with new scenes featuring classic era Doctors and companions remembering the adventure.[114]
A special five-minute minisode titled "Destination: Skaro" was broadcast during the 2023 Children in Need telethon on 17 November 2023.[115][116] It starred Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, alongside Mawaan Rizwan as Mr Castavillian and featured the return of Davros (Julian Bleach) and the very first Dalek.[117][4][3]
Liberation of the Daleks
Doctor Who Magazine produced a 14-part comic strip adventure, titled Liberation of the Daleks, which was designed to bridge the gap between "The Power of the Doctor" and "The Star Beast". The story was canonically branded as the Fourteenth Doctor's first official adventure, exclusive to Doctor Who Magazine. The story ran from 10 November 2022 (issue 584) to 9 November 2023 (issue 597).[118]
Documentaries
Three TV documentaries were announced as part of the anniversary celebrations. The first, Talking Doctor Who, presented by Tennant, showcases the history of the classic era. It was broadcast on 1 November 2023 on BBC Four.[119] The second, Doctor Who: 60 Years of Secrets and Scandals, uncovers a host of behind-the-scenes stories from the show's classic run. It was broadcast on 25 November 2023 on Channel 5.[120] The third, Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me, details Davies's return as showrunner. It was broadcast on 18 December 2023 on BBC One.[121][122]
Radio and audio
On 23 November 2022, Big Finish Productions announced a 60th anniversary special audio drama featuring the Fourth to Tenth Doctors entitled Once and Future, which was released monthly between May and October 2023, with an additional release coming in November 2024.[123]
BBC Radio and BBC Sounds broadcast a number of special programmes in late 2023 to commemorate the show; the first being Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration on BBC Radio 2, a special pre-recorded concert in October that featured music from across the show's modern era, including the first exclusive performance of the 2023 theme tune. The concert also featured guest appearances from Davies and former showrunners Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall.[65][66] A two-part documentary titled Who Are We: Doctor Who? was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 21 and 22 October.[124][125] Spanning the anniversary period, BBC Radio 2 broadcast a series of My Life in a Mixtape episodes with several former and current Doctor Who cast members, including Peter Davison, Nicholas Briggs, Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford, Janet Fielding, Sophie Aldred and Ruth Madeley, as well as former composer Segun Akinola.[126] A 30-minute documentary titled Doctor Who: The Wilderness Years was broadcast on 19 November on BBC Radio 4.[127] Two specials aired on BBC Radio Wales on 23 November; a documentary exploring the show's relationship with Wales in Doctor Who: The Welsh Connection, and Huw Stephens presenting a tribute to the music of Doctor Who in Doctor Huw.[128][129] Gold presented an hour-long programme titled Murray Gold: Hitting the Right Notes on 23 November on BBC Radio Solent.[130]
Multiplatform story
On 20 March 2023, a multiplatform story titled Doom's Day was announced, starring Sooz Kempner as Doom, the "universe's greatest assassin". The event launched in June 2023 via productions through Doctor Who's digital channels, Penguin Random House, Doctor Who Magazine, Titan Comics, Big Finish Productions, BBC Audio, and East Side Games, and concluded in October 2023.[131]
The 60th anniversary specials were accompanied by the launch of Doctor Who: Unleashed, a behind-the-scenes companion show on BBC Three. Adopting a similar format to Doctor Who Confidential, Unleashed follows every new episode of Doctor Who with a 30-minute instalment on BBC Three, hosted by Newsbeat presenter Steffan Powell. The show was announced on 27 September 2023, after accurate reports of the show surfaced the previous year.[132][133]
A 15-minute opening episode was released on BBC iPlayer, with an excerpt airing during Children in Need 2023 on 17 November, covering the making of the Children in Need special.[115]
The three specials overall received positive reviews from critics. Ryan Woodrow from Men's Journal described the specials as having revitalised the show, including fan-favourite elements from its later 2000s era while also pushing its narrative forward. Woodrow stated that the first special lived to the expectations of the past year, while complimenting Davies' inclusion of LGBTQ+ elements, but was also critical of the handling of the "meta-crisis" storyline. He described the second special as a "spot-on balance between humor and drama" while comparing the episode to other highly-rated episodes like "Midnight" (2008) and "Heaven Sent" (2015), and the third special as the "most action-packed and exciting of the three" while also having issues with the concept of bi-generation. Overall, Woodrow believed that the specials successfully rekindled the love for Doctor Who after a divisive era.[145]
Emirhan Çakmak of Daily Sabah praised the chemistry between Tennant's and Tate's characters, describing the specials as "emotional". He described "Wild Blue Yonder" as initially slow but eventually raising the level of excitement and intensity, and described Harris's character of the Toymaker as "one of the most iconic villains from the classic series". Çakmak commented on the character's German accent as being "redundant" and would have preferred if all three specials had focused on the Toymaker. In general, he summarised the three specials as "both rewarding and unsatisfying", though a "pleasure" at the same time.[146]
Jacqueline King, Bonnie Langford and Dan Starkey, who portray Sylvia Noble, Mel Bush and Strax (from previous series) respectively, narrated each of the specials' respective audiobooks.[147][148][149][150]
^Scott, Darren (December 2023). "Unleash the Beast". SFX. GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023. 'But I did say right at the beginning, these are,' he says, banging the table with each word, 'three. Separate. Stories. It's very important to say, actually, you're not watching a three-part story'
