Dust off your fez, tighten up that sonic screwdriver and head back to the TARDIS; the BBC has confirmed the air dates for 2023’s batch of Doctor Who specials to celebrate the long-running sci-fi show’s 60th anniversary.
Kicking off on 25 November, the first of the specials will be titled The Star Beast, and sees the return of David Tennant as the BBC’s titular Time Lord, reprising his role in the Who-niverse as the Fourteenth Doctor.
Also featuring the return of fan-favourite character Donna Noble (now Donna Temple-Noble, played by Catherine Tate), and newcomer to the series, Yasmin Finney as Rose Temple, the episode marks the return of Russell T Davies as series showrunner for the first time since 2009.
A first look at the episode (above) sees the Doctor, Rose and Donna – accompanied by their furry friend Beep the Meep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) – as they come face to face with the Wrarth Warriors.
The subsequent episodes are titled Wild Blue Yonder (2 December) and The Giggle (9 December), and will also star Neil Patrick Harris as old-school villain The Toymaker, a character who last appeared in the franchise in 1966.
The cast of the three specials is rounded out by Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble, Karl Collins as Shaun Temple, Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne-Bingham and Jemma Redgrave as returning UNIT boss Kate Stewart.
Following each episode, an instalment of new spinoff Doctor Who: Unleashed, presented by Stefan Powell, will air, offering viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the Doctor Who-niverse.
The three specials will lead into Ncuti Gatwa’s debut as the Fifteenth Doctor; they are separate to the show’s traditional Christmas Special, the 2023 version of which has yet to receive a title or air date.
Ncuti is set to star as The Doctor alongside Millie Rose Gibson as Ruby Sunday and Jinkx Monsoon in an as-yet-undisclosed villainous role.
Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials will air on 25 November, 2 December and 9 December on BBC One and iPlayer.