Yahoo News What the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Specials Mean for the Future of the Show
Sixty years is but the blink of an eye for a time-traveler like The Doctor. But for a television series, a Diamond Anniversary is an extremely rare and impressive occurrence.
BBC’s Doctor Who recently celebrated such a milestone with three one-hour specials which, for the first time, streamed globally on Disney+.
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Russell T Davies, fresh from his success on ’80s AIDS miniseries It’s a Sin, returned to the show he brought back so successfully to the BBC in 2005. Bolstering his team are returning producers Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson, as well as Jane Tranter, the woman who was instrumental in bringing back Doctor Who in 2005. Bad Wolf, the company founded by Tranter and Gardner in 2015, currently produces the show with BBC Studios.
Another big returning name return was David Tennant, who played the 10th Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and who also returned for the show’s 50th anniversary in 2013. Beloved by fans and audiences alike, Tennant’s Doctor was a big ratings draw.
Though, it’s not all returning past glories for Doctor Who. There is a new actor portraying the Time Lord, Ncuti Gatwa, who is taking over the titular role with the the forthcoming season 14, and who made his debut with the specials. The Rwandan-Scottish actor made a name for himself as gay teenager Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy series Sex Education and recently starred as “Artist Ken” in Barbie. His first full season debut in the TARDIS will come in spring 2024, with a premiere date yet to be set.
Not only that, powerhouse streamer Disney+ is now on board to broadcast these new episodes across the world (with the exception of the U.K. and Ireland, where it still airs on BBC). Below, The Hollywood Reporter rounds up everything to know about the future of Doctor Who heading into the 15th Doctor’s debut.
What Happened in the 60th Anniversary Specials?
Showrunner Davies brought Tennant back with a cosmic bang and a galactic-size nod to fan service with an adaptation of a Doctor Who Weekly comic strip first published in 1980.
The first of the three specials, “The Star Beast,” was a 60-minute romp that wonderfully evoked the Tenth Doctor-era, complete with cutesy alien The Meep (think The Mandalorian’s Baby Yoda, but bigger and hairier) and the return of much-loved companion Donna Noble (played by Catherine Tate, The Office).
Last seen in the Tenth Doctor’s finale in 2010, Donna’s return posed a fatal conundrum for the Doctor: If she remembered her past with the Doctor, she would die. Thankfully, writer Davies had a workaround, meaning that the 60th anniversary celebrations did not result in the death of a companion but, in fact, allowed Donna to live unharmed and enjoy some further adventures in time and space with her best friend.
The main question, though, was just why the Fourteenth Doctor, played by Tennant, had the same face and body as the Tenth Doctor, also played by Tennant. This was an unprecedented move in the history, or Whostory, of the show. Special number two, “Wild Blue Yonder,” traveled to the end of the universe and delved into the uncanny, but still posed the query as to why that particular face returned. (It’s a good face, we weren’t complaining.)
Fans would have to wait until the third and final special, “The Giggle,” before the mystery was finally revealed. And it was all down to Donna. She surmised that he changed his face and then found her to “come home.” The Doctor commented, “I’ve never been so happy in my life,” as he sat with the Noble family, not fighting aliens and enjoying a spot of lunch.
The Final Special Had More Up Its Intergalactic Sleeve
Aside from the return of fan favorite Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and ’80s-era companion Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford), there was an even bigger returnee waiting in the wings.
Making an all-singing, all-dancing return to Doctor Who was the formidable villain, The Toymaker. Played by Neil Patrick Harris (best known for portraying Barney Stinson on the CBS series How I Met Your Mother), the Toymaker made his debut opposite the First Doctor (William Hartnell) in the 1966 four-part serial The Celestial Toymaker.”
The character was originally played by English actor Michael Gough, who would go on to play Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred in the four Batman films directed by Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. Though it’s hard to picture Gough pulling off NPH’s manic routine to The Spice Girls’ 1997 hit, “Spice Up Your Life”.
And then there was the first appearance of the new Doctor, Gatwa. But this was no simple regeneration, as seen in Doctor Who so many times previously. Just as the return of a previous actor to play a new regeneration of the Doctor was unprecedented, Davies debuted another new element in the show’s mythology: “bigeneration.” This left fans shocked as the Fourteenth Doctor, seemingly regenerating as per usual, actually split into two, revealing Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor standing, looking at one another just as surprised as the millions of Whovians watching across the globe.
What Is Bigeneration and What Does It Mean for the Future?
As is explained in the behind-the-scenes show Doctor Who Unleashed, “instead of a new body taking over from the old body, the new body separates from the old body, and both are left alive.”
This means that there are two distinct Doctors roaming the universe at the same time. While it might take some time for Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor to pick up the keys to his TARDIS and start planet-hopping, as he seems quite happy to kick back in England for a while, it’s possible — nay, highly likely — that the Gatwa and Tennant Doctors will meet again.
For the time being, though, Davies has stated that there are “no plans” for a Fourteenth Doctor return, adding that he’s “parked” on Earth with Donna Noble for a “happy life.”
Interestingly, Davies has also suggested that this has even bigger implications for Doctor Who. This bigeneration has created a new timeline where all previous incarnations have been affected, with every Doctor continuing to exist after their own regeneration. Davies may be joking when he refers to this as a “Doctorverse,” but he has established “The Whoniverse” (bringing in previous spinoffs such as Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures) so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that audiences could witness various team-ups featuring Gatwa with previous Doctors at any moment. Or, perhaps more spinoff series could be on the way featuring the past Doctors on their own.
Christmas Special, 2024 and Beyond
As always with Doctor Who, information on the forthcoming episodes is scarce. However, we do know that Gatwa will make his first full episode debut on Christmas Day in a one-hour special titled, “The Church on Ruby Road.” A trailer promises both a sexy club scene with the new Doctor, yet again, not wearing trousers (opting for a kilt) showing off some hot dance floor action, and a boat full of baby-eating Goblins. Well, it is Doctor Who after all.
The story will also see the introduction of new companion Ruby Sunday, played by newcomer Millie Gibson (known to U.K. television viewers for her role in long-running soap Coronation Street).
Looking forward to 2024, we’ll see Gatwa’s first season at the helm of the TARDIS and, as they’re currently shooting his second season, it looks like he’ll be around for a couple of years at least. Guest stars will include: RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Jinkx Monsoon; Indira Varma (Luther, Game of Thrones); and Broadway star Jonathan Groff (Glee, Frozen and Hamilton).
Showrunner Davies has even teased an episode featuring the ever-popular beat combo, The Beatles. Across the Whoniverse, indeed.
Will There Be More Returns as Seen in the Recent Specials?
Many of the Doctor’s foes have been known to make regular appointments (such as the Daleks and Cybermen), but perhaps there’s a return strongly hinted at in the most recent special. Eagle-eyed fans will have noticed that after the Toymaker had been literally packed away, a gold tooth fell to the ground and was picked up by an unseen character (a knowing nod to the 2007 season finale where a very similar thing happened). Sealed inside this tooth, as revealed by the Toymaker, was The Master — imprisoned for all eternity.
Although a fellow Time Lord, The Master is far from a benevolent force and has been at odds with the Doctor since his onscreen debut in 1971. Very much the Moriarty to the Doctor’s Sherlock Holmes, the role has been played by the likes of Sacha Dhawan (Count Orlo in Hulu’s The Great), Michelle Gomez (Miranda Croft in HBO’s The Flight Attendant) and even Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train).
But, is there a new villain waiting in the wings? In his first tenure as showrunner, Davies employed the “big bad” for each season and perhaps we’ve already been told who this could be for Gatwa’s freshman year. The Toymaker refers to “The One Who Waits” — a being he would not fight against. Could this be who awaits the Fifteenth Doctor in 2024?
How this new incarnation of the lead will play out will be seen shortly, but Gatwa himself says his take on the Time Lord is flirty, cheeky and mischievous. Just what the Doctor ordered.
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Doctor Who is produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios, for BBC and Disney Branded Television. Executive producers include Davies (writer and showrunner), Tranter, Gardner, Joel Collins and Collinson.
The 60th anniversary specials “The Star Beast,” “Wild Blue Yonder,” and “The Giggle” are now streaming on Disney+. New episodes will stream globally on Disney+ in 2024 (excluding the U.K. and Ireland).
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