2023 specials

The 2023 specials were a number of television stories that were written and produced to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who. Like the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors and the 50th anniversary specials, these specials were not considered to be part of a numbered season.

It began a new era of the programme as former showrunner and executive producer Russell T Davies made his return to the role he effectively started. His return was announced on 24 September 2021.

Davies' initial run began with the series revival in 2005 with the Ninth Doctor and ended in 2010 with the Tenth Doctor's regeneration in The End of Time. Thirteen years later, Davies' second era commenced in the 2022 Centenary Special The Power of the Doctor; in the story's closing moments, the Thirteenth Doctor regenerates into the Fourteenth Doctor, an incarnation who looks virtually identical to the Tenth Doctor.

The specials marked a huge change to business form as production of the show by the BBC became a collaboration with Bad Wolf, which had been acquired by Sony. Furthermore, a deal was struck between the BBC and Disney Branded Television to have Doctor Who streaming on Disney+.

The specials saw the return of David Tennant to the role of the Doctor, now portraying the Fourteenth Doctor, rather than returning as his former Tenth Doctor. Catherine Tate also reprised her role as former companion Donna Noble, with Bernard Cribbins, Jacqueline King and Karl Collins returning as Wilfred Mott, Sylvia Noble and Shaun Temple, respectively. In addition, several new cast members were prominently featured, including Yasmin Finney as Rose and Neil Patrick Harris as the "greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced".

Early announcements
In May 2017, it was announced that due to the terms of a deal between BBC Worldwide and SMG Pictures in China, the company had right of first refusal on the purchase for the Chinese market of past and future series of the programme, as well as spin-offs.

In October 2019, it was revealed that due to the show heading to HBO Max, the network had struck a deal for additional series of the programme.

Return of a showrunner
On 29 July 2021, following the announcement of Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall's departure, the BBC noted, "We will announce plans for the new generation of Doctor Who in due course – watch this space!"

The new series and Davies' return were first teased by Piers Wenger when he said an upcoming change for Doctor Who would be "radical" on 25 August.

It was noted in a big reveal by the BBC on 24 September 2021 that Russell T Davies would make his return in the 60th anniversary in 2023 and remain as head writer in "series beyond". Additionally, BBC Studios announced they were partnering with Bad Wolf to produce the new episodes, a production company founded by Davies' former Doctor Who collaborators Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter.

Davies hinted at the announcement earlier that same day, posting a humorous artwork on Instagram depicting his forehead in front of Gallifrey; in the post's caption, he alerted his followers to watch out for "News incoming 3.15pm". Like the preceding series 13 the specials were announced as happening before the previous series had even begun broadcast.

Following the announcement, Davies said that he was "beyond excited" to be returning to the show but that he remained a viewer for the rest of Whittaker's run. Chibnall said that it was fitting that "one of Britain's screenwriting diamonds" would be returning to Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary.

Speaking at a press event on 11 October, Wenger said the decision for Davies to return "was one of the least painful decisions I've ever had to make" and that Davies is "a man with a vision, for sure", but that it was way off for the time being, that they had "a whole year of Jodie [Whittaker] to go yet. And lots of adventures ahead for her".

Speaking at a Q&A at the Oxford Union on 10 December, former showrunner Steven Moffat insisted he was clueless as to the identity of the next Doctor, but said he nevertheless knew "a little bit" about Davies's future plans for the show, and was curious to see what it would be like.

Speaking to Radio Times on 14 February 2022 while talking about his show "It's a Sin", Davies said: "The truth of it is that everyone lies when they leave Doctor Who and says they've moved on. I mean, I've been thinking about it since I was three, so there's no way you stop thinking about it. The reason I've worked on 34 programmes in my life is because I don't normally like continuing series. That's why It's A Sin came to an end and I just moved on. I like looking at a new set of challenges every time and a blank page – but Doctor Who is always a blank page. There are things coming up that are brand new ways of telling the stories that have never been done before, so it just feels new. I wouldn't go back if it wasn't feeling new. But that's the thing about Doctor Who – every episode is new. Every single episode. I'm sitting here now, 10 pages away from a climax thinking, 'God, I've never written in this territory before – this is strange and new' – so it's always new. It's a self-renewing show."

- Russell T Davies

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine issue 577 on 28 April, Chris Chibnall revealed that he only knew about Davies' return to the show 36 hours before the fans, having been told by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore, but made it clear that he "had a suspicion".

Promotion
The very first bit of promotion for this series came on 24 September 2021 with the reveal that Russell T Davies would be leading the show from the 60th anniversary and into "series beyond".

On 22 December, Davies told The Guardian that he had already written a couple of his episodes for the new era and confirmed that his first episode would indeed go out in November 2023, on the 60th Anniversary.

On 6 January 2022, visual effects editor Emily Lawrence spoke to Doctor Who Magazine 573 and offered a look into what may be in store for the future of the show, hinting at 360 screens and gaming software akin to shows like The Mandalorian, saying "The 360 screens in "The Mandalorian" and how they used gaming software to create those amazing landscapes is something I’d love to see in "Doctor Who", the actors walk in front of the screen and the environment moves with them.", explaining it would get rid of green screens once and for all.

On 3 March 2022, Matt Strevens told Doctor Who Magazine issue 575 that he was very excited for Davies' and Bad Wolf's plans for the show, saying "It meant a lot to Jodie [Whittaker] to know that she would regenerate – it's lovely to pass that on.".

On 14 March, a group of Year 10s and Year 11s on a Junior Apprenticeship programme at Cardiff and Vale College got to visit Wolf Studios to speak to the crew thanks to Screen Alliance Wales.

On 4 April, Jane Tranter, Head of Drama at Bad Wolf, told Variety that production would begin "later this year".

On 17 April it was revealed by BBC entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba in a BBC News article that Jodie Whittaker's successor as the Doctor was "expected to be revealed in the coming weeks".

Despite Ncuti Gatwa being officially announced as the "new Doctor" on the 8th of May, a further BBC announcement on the 15th revealed David Tennant and Catherine Tate would reprise their roles as the Doctor and Donna Noble in the 60th specials. Moments before the announcement's reveal, the official Doctor Who accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook shared a post containing two hearts and a blue diamond.

On 16 May, Yasmin Finney teased her involvement with an Instagram post containing a rose and a blue diamond. It was officially announced by the BBC shortly after that Finney would be playing a character by the name of Rose.

On 17 May, director Rachel Talalay posted two hearts, a blue diamond and a clapboard, announcing her return for the 60th Anniversary.

On 13 June, Davies shared an Instagram post with two hearts and a gem emoji. Shortly after, the BBC announced that Neil Patrick Harris would take on the role of a powerful villain.

On 23 June, Davies spoke to Doctor Who Magazine issue 579 about the upcoming specials, teasing possibilities as to how the Doctor and Donna could possibly end up back together, and also noting that fans might see some familiar, but new, villains. Davies also said that his return came about around Christmas 2020 and that Doctor Who: Lockdown! played a role in that.

At London Trans+ Pride on 9 July, Yasmin Finney (who is transgender) confirmed that her character Rose would also be trans, in a speech calling out former prime minister Boris Johnson and Britain's Conservative government for bigotry.

On 28 July, Finney said "I get to open doors" in a speech after accepting the Attitude Magazine Pride Icon Award during the magazine’s annual Pride award show.

On 14 August, speaking at Fan Expo Boston, Tennant spoke about the 60th anniversary specials, saying that "most of what's been filmed with other people has all been inside. So, there is lots more coming than people think, which is very exciting.".

On 8 September, in a video interview with Queerpiphany, Yasmin Finney revealed some information about her character Rose, saying she was a 15-year-old transgender girl with "a great supportive family", and said her role in Doctor Who was very similar to another show she starred in, the Netflix series Heartstopper.

On 24 September, former showrunner Steven Moffat told Radio Times that he had read Russell T Davies's scripts and said they were "fantastic".

On 30 September, David Tennant spoke in an interview with BBC News about his and Catherine Tate's return to the show, explaining that it all happened during Doctor Who: Lockdown!, saying "[We] were just having a text exchange and Catherine said, 'wouldn’t it be fun to do it again?' Russell said, 'We could do a one off, maybe they’d let us'. We said, 'yeah that would be a laugh,' and then it all went quiet.", and continued "Suddenly Russell let us know that he was taking over the show again and he would be back fully in charge and would we come and play a little bit for him?".

On 23 October, following the broadcast of The Power of the Doctor and the episode's surprise regeneration into Tennant, Russell T Davies revealed that he would be playing the Fourteenth Doctor and new incoming actor for the following series Ncuti Gatwa would be playing the Fifteenth Doctor. It was also revealed that all three 60th Anniversary Specials would be airing in November 2023.

On 25 October it was announced by future-Doctor actor Gatwa on Live with Kelly and Ryan that a deal had been struck between the BBC and Disney Branded Television to have Doctor Who streaming on Disney+ from November 2023 onwards to transform the show into a global franchise. Along with these news was unveiled a new diamond-shaped logo, reminiscent of the one used in Seasons 11–17.

Speaking of this news, showrunner Russell T Davies said: "I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds – with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can 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."

- Russell T Davies

Commenting on it, Bad Wolf's Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner said: "For Doctor Who to have the backing of two of the most innovative and respected media organisations in the world is a testament to the unique drive and vision at the heart of this show. Bad Wolf are beyond delighted to be once again working with the genius that is Russell T Davies and, with the exciting new partnership between the BBC and Disney, we can together reach to even greater heights, producing from Wolf Studios Wales ambitious stories through time and space for audiences across the globe."

- Bad Wolf Productions

On 28 October, the new costumes for David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate's Donna Noble went on display at the MCM Comic Con in London at the Doctor Who booth, which also displayed the TARDIS and other merch. The display was available until 30 October.

On 2 November in an interview with British Vogue, Yasmin Finney said about the impact her character Rose would have would "change the world". She also revealed that she auditioned for Doctor Who before she got the role of "Elle Argent" on Heartstopper.

On 10 November new revelations were made in Doctor Who Magazine issue 584 about the new era to come; the new production crew was revealed, the first part of many of the first story of the new Doctor's era, Liberation of the Daleks, was revealed, and Davies teased that "huge revelations to come and brand-new stories about a Time Lord’s life" were yet to come. Davies also revealed how conversation about his, Tennant and Tate's returns came about during the Lockdown! watchalong of The Runaway Bride and how he reached out to the BBC for a potential return to the position of showrunner.

On 23 November, Doctor Who Day, a variety of new content was announced and released, one being a new variation of the new logo, namely replacing the blue diamond-shape with a real diamond and a shiny metallic look, another being a new promotional image for the 60th anniversary specials of the Fourteenth Doctor standing on a cliff top in front of the TARDIS.

On 30 November, Tennant was interviewed at BBC Breakfast and asked about his return to Doctor Who, but chose to keep the secrets of what to expect.

On 6 December while being interviewed about his role as Alexander Litvinenko in Litvinenko, Tennant briefly mentioned Doctor Who saying: "...to get a proper old run around in the Converse again was more than I ever dared imagine. So, it was a treat from start to finish."

On 8 December, Tennant was a guest on This Morning and was asked about how it was to return to the show. He said it was "joyous" and that they "had a lovely time".

On the same day, Doctor Who Magazine issue 585 released Part 2 of the comic Liberation of the Daleks.

On 22 December, in an interview with Radio Times, while promoting Count Magnus, former writer and occassional cast member Mark Gatiss spoke about the Specials, stating "I suspect some kind of celestial intervention!" after having watched the unusual regeneration from Jodie Whittaker to David Tennant.

On 24 December, the BBC aired a short teaser clip of Neil Patrick Harris's character exclaiming "Worldwide premiere", with the caption "Tomorrow".

On 25 December the first teaser trailer for the new specials was aired, bringing a Meep and the Wrarth Warriors, who first appeared in the 1980 Doctor Who Weekly comic Doctor Who and the Star Beast, to television. It also announced the return of Jacqueline King and Karl Collins as Sylvia Noble and Shaun Temple and brought Ruth Madeley to the screen as new character Shirley Anne Bingham. Ncuti Gatwa was revealed as the Fifteenth Doctor.

On 5 January 2023, Doctor Who Magazine issue 586 released Part 3 of the comic Liberation of the Daleks.

On 20 January, during an interview on The Graham Norton Show, Russell T Davies spoke briefly about Doctor Who, saying: "I am loving it, loving it so much. We’ve three specials and then a brand-new Doctor, who is amazing.".

On 27 January, in an interview with GQ, Davies again spoke about his return to the show, and how he brought along Tennant and Tate to return as well. He also spoke about his big plans for a "next stage" involving spin-offs and how a bigger budget would change the show.

On 1 February, during an interview with The Independent, Davies spoke about Doctor Who, saying "We've still got 10 months [until my first episode] so I'm keeping my powder dry." He revealed that, although it would gain a bigger budget, the show had lasted 60 years due it being good and fans would discover that the show had not been radically changed.

On 2 February, in Doctor Who Magazine issue 587, Davies announced that there were bigger plans to come for the show as he revealed that the trailer which aired during Christmas 2022 was originally meant to air right after The Power of the Doctor on 23 October 2022, and was originally much longer, but it was decided against, with the final version postponed and with no footage of Special Two. Actor Ronak Patani was also revealed as UNIT officer Major Singh. Part 4 of the comic Liberation of the Daleks was also released.

Elsewhere in the magazine, executive producer Joel Collins praised the future Doctor Ncuti Gatwa, calling him "magnetic". Mention was made of how the specials' teaser trailer entirely consisted of footage from the first and third episodes, which in the process, appeared to confirm that Gatwa would appear in one or both episodes.

On 1 March Davies was interviewed on Season 15, Episode 2 of the podcast Table Manners where he revealed he was going to stay on Doctor Who "for years".

On 2 March, Doctor Who Magazine issue 588 was released, containing Part 5 of the comic Liberation of the Daleks.

On 15 March, Yasmin Finney spoke to Teen Vogue saying "I was 14, in my bed, pre-transition. I just had such goosebumps, and I was like, ‘I want that. I really want that.’ And I got it. I didn't realise how powerful the universe is, how powerful manifestation is.", talking about her involvement on the show.

On 16 March Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition issue 63 was released in which executive producer Julie Gardner was interviewed about expectations and worries behind the scenes, to which she replied: "There’s only one worry on Doctor Who: that production delivers on the extraordinary quality of Russell’s writing. He’s writing amongst his best-ever work. The scripts are big and extremely ambitious. The only worry I ever have is that we get it right for him. We run to keep up."

On 17 March during Red Nose Day, David Tennant hosted the Comic Relief live-show. In a pre-filmed sketch to start off the show, Comic Relief 2023, comedic actor Lenny Henry appeared to be getting ready for hosting the show, when complaining about stomach pains. In a twist, he started regenerating, turning into Tennant in-character as the Fourteenth Doctor, who, in a partial re-enactment of the last scene from The Power of the Doctor, examines his own body, exclaims "What?!", notices he is going to host the live show, looks at his watch and runs off.

On 30 March Doctor Who Magazine issue 589 was released, in which the Specials directors praised the new TARDIS interior set, being said to be "church-like in scale" and them recalling initial worries of "It will never be ready in time…" and being able to "…point the camera anywhere at it and it looks amazing". Liberation of the Daleks Part 6 was also released.

On 31 March the BBC promised in their "Annual Plan" for 2023/2024 a "highly ambitious reinvention of Doctor Who", with the show included in their list of "distinctive, high-quality drama working with the very best new and established on-and-off-screen talent", saying: "We will bolster our on-screen spend with third-party investment to deliver greater value to audiences, including the first new content from our highly ambitious reinvention of Doctor Who, co-produced in partnership with Disney."

On 24 April the BBC officially announced on their social media and the Doctor Who website that former composer Murray Gold would be returning to perform the soundtracks for the three Specials and series beyond, with Gold commenting: "I’m so happy to be invited back for another joyful ride in the TARDIS. I didn’t think twice. Working with Russell and his team is just a pleasure."

On 27 April Doctor Who Magazine issue 590 was released, which had the first interview with Gold since his return announcement. Liberation of the Daleks Part 7 was also released.

On 29 April, 5 May and 9 May, the Doctor Who social media made some cryptic posts containing strange codes that got deleted, and brief "interruptions" on BBC One happened, which showed similar code as well as a few shots from the 60th Specials. Some coding translated as "The Star Beast" while some other code referred to the last date of Eurovision 2023 on 13 May.

On 13 May, shortly before Eurovision 2023, the BBC released a brand new trailer for the 60th Anniversary Specials, revealing both footage from the Specials and the title of each Special; The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle, respectively.

On 25 May Doctor Who Magazine issue 591 was released, which celebrated Trans Pride with Davies discussing the casting of Yasmin Finney as Rose. The magazine also revealed Part 8 of Liberation of the Daleks.

On 31 May, speaking to a fan at an event, Tennant teased "People don't know what's coming" and "I think it's gonna be... quite unexpected".

On 7 June, in an interview with GQ Magazine, Yasmin Finney stated "Get ready, because it really is a throwback.".

On 12 June, Catherine Tate was interviewed for The One Show, in which she said that when asked to return to the show, saying yes was "a complete no-brainer".

On 13 June, David Tennant spoke to Radio Times in an interview about his return, saying "It’s a victory lap, in a way – you get to enjoy something that had meant so much to you, one last shot before you get too old to do it again.".

Broadcast
to be added

Cast

 * Fourteenth Doctor - David Tennant
 * Donna Noble - Catherine Tate

Recurring
To be added

Guest

 * Rose - Yasmin Finney
 * Wilfred Mott - Bernard Cribbins
 * Sylvia Noble - Jacqueline King
 * Shaun Temple - Karl Collins
 * Celestial Toymaker/John Logie Baird - Neil Patrick Harris
 * Edward Lawn Bridges - Tim Hudson
 * Shirley Anne Bingham - Ruth Madeley
 * Meep - TBA
 * Voice of Meep - TBA
 * Wrarth Warriors - TBA
 * Major Singh - Ronak Patani
 * TBA - Jamie Hayden/Jamie Cho
 * "Teen Girl" - Maisie Fogg

(PLEASE DO NOT CREATE ANY NON-OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED PAGES YET)

Production
As 2023 marked the return of Russell T Davies as showrunner, it also marked a change in studio-location, with the new studio, Wolf Studios, taking over from Roath Lock Studios as the company for in-house filming. This change came about as the company Bad Wolf was set to co-produce along with the BBC going forward.

On 5 May, the BBC spoke to TV Zone UK about the move from Roath Lock Studios to Wolf Studios, hoping that there would be a continued flow of production business.

On 2 November 2021, Bad Wolf had further filed for a new subsidiary company, also run by Julie Gardner, called Whoniverse1 LTD.

On 3 May 2023, Bad Wolf filed for another new subsidiary company, again run by Gardner, called Whoniverse2 LTD.

Producers
Russell T Davies made his "explosive return" to Doctor Who in the 60th anniversary and "series beyond".

Phil Collinson, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter also returned to the show as executive producers and were joined by Joel Collins.

Welcomed to the show as producers were Vicki Delow, Chris May and Ellen Marsh.

Phil Sims was the production designer and Scott Handcock was the script editor.

Director
Rachel Talalay directed the first 60th Anniversary Special along with director of photography Matt Gray.

Tom Kingsley directed the 2nd 60th Anniversary Special along with DOP Nick Dance.

Chanya Button directed the 3rd 60th Anniversary Special along with DOP Mika Orasmaa.

Writers
Russell T Davies wrote the 60th Anniversary specials.

Pre-production
On 19 January 2022, according to block producer Vicki Delow's CV, it stated that the new era was "currently in production”.

On 4 April, Jane Tranter stated in an interview with Variety that production would begin "later this year [2022]".

Filming
Filming began for the 60th Anniversary Specials in Wolf Studios, Wales on 3 May 2022 (with likely continuation for a few days).

Public filming began in front of the Cyberdog facility in Camden Market, Camden Town, Camden, London on 16 and 17 May and continued on 18 May and concluded with a nightshoot in the early morning hours of the following day.

Filming continued in the Gold Car Park at Lakeside Way near the Wembley Stadium in Wembley Park, Wembley, London on 19 and 20 May.

Filming took place at the Uskmouth Power Station in Newport, Wales on 25, 26 and 27 May. Filming picked up again on 30, 31 May and 1 June.

Filming moved to Axminster Road, Cardiff on 3 June. Filming picked up again on 6 June and continued through 7, 8 and 9 June. Filming also took place at the nearby The Sandies park on 9 June.

Filming continued in Old City, St Stephens Street, Broad Street, Clare Street, Baldwin Street, Marsh Street and Corn Street in Bristol, England on 15 and 16 June.

Filming went back to Wolf Studios, Wales on 27 June and continued on 28, 29 and 30 June and 1 July.

Filming for the 60th Anniversary Specials ended on 25 July.

Episode notes

 * The large gap between the broadcast of the Centenary Special (Series 13), released in October 2022, and the broadcast of the 60th Anniversary Specials, released in November 2023, marks the second time since the tradition began that a Winter Special has been omitted.
 * The first time this happened was when the Series 12 opener Spyfall: Part One was broadcast on New Year's Day 2020 instead.
 * This is thus the first time since the tradition began that no new episode, special or otherwise, has aired over the festive period, on Christmas or New Year.
 * The working title for all three Specials was The Bridge.

Aliens and enemies

 * Wrarth Warriors
 * Meep

Rumours

 * Paul McGann could be making a return.
 * Neil Patrick Harris could be portraying the Celestial Toymaker.
 * Additionally, the Toymaker is rumoured to be the reason behind the Fourteenth Doctor's resemblance to a prior incarnation, as well as the sudden change in clothes.
 * The new TARDIS interior could be wheelchair friendly.
 * Bonnie Langford is set to return as Melanie Bush.
 * Carole Ann Ford is set to return as Susan Foreman.
 * According to The Sun Miriam Margolyes will appear.

Novels
to be added

Comics

 * Liberation of the Daleks (set between The Power of the Doctor and The Star Beast )

Webcasts
to be added

Audio
to be added

Adaptations and merchandising
to be added