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A Guide to Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations: When Is Doctor Who Back on TV? [UPDATED]

Want to know when Doctor Who is back on TV and radio? How is the show celebrating 60 years? Here’s your guide to what’s already available to enjoy, and what will soon be on TV, radio, and associated streaming apps.

Please note that schedules are subject to change.

BBC TV and radio shows are all expected to be available on BBC iPlayer and/or BBC Sounds after initial transmission. Some fans in other territories should be able to download and listen to BBC Sounds too.

Already Available

Over 800 Episodes of The Whoniverse (BBC iPlayer)

Go to BBC iPlayer if you have a TV license where you can find both 20th and 21st Century Doctor Who, including missing episode animations, plus spin-offs, Doctor Who Confidential, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood, Class, and K9 & Company. You’ll also find the Doctor Who BBC Proms and Doctor Who @60: A Musical Celebration.

Whose Doctor Who (BBC iPlayer)

Also tucked away in the Whoniverse section on iPlayer is this hour-long 1977 documentary, originally part of The Lively Arts series.

Tales from the TARDIS (BBC iPlayer)

New material from Doctors and companions introduce episodes of 20th Century Doctor Who.

Talking Doctor Who (BBC iPlayer)

David Tennant guides us through the history of our beloved Doctor Who, in this hour-long special originally screened on BBC4 at the start of November.

Missing Episode Audio Soundtracks (BBC Sounds)

Three (and a bit) stories featuring the First and Second Doctors, as read by William Russell (Marco Polo), Peter Purves (Mission to the Unknown; The Daleks’ Master Plan), and Wendy Padbury (The Wheel in Space).

Desert Island Discs Revisited (BBC Sounds)

Two 45-minute episodes of this castaway stalwart from days gone by, featuring David Tennant and Billie Piper.

Redacted: Series 2 (BBC Sounds)

The second season of this audio drama was released on 18th September 2023 as a 6-part run of stories.

Selected Big Finish Audios (BBC Sounds)

Celebratory audio dramas from Big Finish, available on BBC Sounds for six months: The Beginning, The Tenth Doctor Adventures, Out of Time, Mind of the Hodiac, The Isos Network, and 1963: The Assassination Game.

My Sounds: Russell T Davies (BBC Sounds)

Showrunner, Russell T Davies takes you on a musical rollercoaster with Muse, ABBA, and Harry Styles, exploring the songs he loves, as originally broadcast on 5th September 2023.

My Sounds: Jodie Whittaker (BBC Sounds)

As broadcast on 13th October 2023, the Thirteenth Doctor actress plays her favourite tracks, including music from Mr Fingers, Avicii, and Kideko.

17th November 2023

Children in Need (BBC1)

Prepare for The Star Beast with a new scene featuring the Fourteenth Doctor and Davros, followed by Doctor Who Unleashed.

18th November 2023

12:45pm — Surviving Doctor Who: An A-Z, Episode 1 (BBC Radio 4 Extra)

Toby Hadoke presents a tongue-in-cheek look at our favourite show.

1pm — Who Are We: Doctor Who? The Classic Years (BBC Radio 2)

Jo Whiley presents a look at 20th Century Who, including new and archive interviews with Peter Capaldi, Patrick Troughton, William Hartnell, Bonnie Langford, Louise Jameson, and Russell T Davies.

2pm — Who Are We: Doctor Who? The Modern Years (BBC Radio 2)

The second part of this documentary also includes interviews with Ncuti Gatwa, Steven Moffat, Matt Lucas, John Simm, Matt Smith, and Kylie Minogue.

19th November 2023

12:45pm — Surviving Doctor Who: An A-Z, Episode 2 (BBC Radio 4 Extra)

The second part of this wry look at Doctor Who history, concluding, of course, with a beloved Zarbi.

4:30pm — Doctor Who: The Wilderness Years (BBC Radio 4)

Matthew Sweet catches up with Paul McGann as the presenter explores the period between 1989 and 2005.

20th November 2023

8:55pm — Witness History: Making Doctor Who (BBC Radio 4 Extra)

A 10-minute interview with Carole Ann Ford, who played Susan with the First Doctor.

21st November 2023

Zoe Ball and Friends (BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds)

David Tennant and Russell T Davies joins Zoe Ball to look at 60 years of Doctor Who.

23rd November 2023

12:15pm — Bargain Hunt (BBC1)

A special edition of the antiques show in which presenter, Eric Knowles, finds himself at a Carmarthen antiques fair with two teams of die-hard fans, accompanied by their experts, Richard Madley and Kate Bliss, both dressed as two incarnations of the Doctor. Knowles also chats to a fan with an extraordinary and valuable collection of original Doctor Who props, some of which date back to the show’s early days, including outfits, Cybermen, and a Dalek.

7pm — Murray Gold: Hitting The Right Notes (BBC Radio Solent)

A special about the music of composer, Murray Gold, narrated by Katy Manning.

7:30pm — The Daleks: In Colour (BBC4)

A colourised truncated version of the second ever Doctor Who serial, which also includes new material.

8:45pm — An Adventure In Space And Time (BBC4)

A repeat of the 50th anniversary docudrama.

10:15pm — William Hartnell: The Original (BBC4)

Following on from An Adventure in Space and Time will be the five-minute documentary about the First Doctor actor.

24th November 2023

9pm — Doctor Who: 60 Years of Friends and Foes (BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds)

Sue Perkins investigates how Doctor Who reflects social history, featuring new and archive interviews with a range of cast and crew including Steven Moffat, Anneke Wills, Nick Briggs, and Andrew Cartmel.

25th November 2023

6:30pm — Doctor Who: The Star Beast (BBC1 and Disney+)

David Tennant and Catherine Tate are back, this time as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble respectively, as they confront the Wrarth Warriors and Beep the Meep.

7:30pm — Doctor Who Unleashed (BBC3 and Disney+)

Go behind the scenes of The Star Beast.

8:30pm — Doctor Who: 60 Years of Secrets & Scandals (Channel 5)

Despite its name, this documentary isn’t all about controversy: it’s a celebration that also covers the shocking behind-the-scenes revelations, with interviews from a range of folk, including Sophie Aldred, Nicola Bryant, and Waris Hussein.

26th November 2023

10am — Desert Island Discs: Matt Smith (BBC Radio 4 Extra)

A repeat of this March 2018 radio programme featuring the Eleventh Doctor actor.

2nd December 2023

6:30pm — Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (BBC1 and Disney+)

The TARDIS dematerialises without the Doctor and Donna in this second 60th anniversary special.

7:30pm — Doctor Who Unleashed (BBC3 and Disney+)

The making of Wild Blue Yonder.

9th December 2023

Doctor Who: The Giggle (BBC1 and Disney+)

It’s the Doctor, Donna, and UNIT versus the Toymaker!

Doctor Who Unleashed (BBC3 and Disney+)

Saying goodbye to Tennant and Tate once more as we go behind the scenes of The Giggle.

18th December 2023

imagine… Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me (BBC1)

One of four new imagine shows, this one celebrates the new Doctor Who showrunner in the run-up to Ncuti Gatwa’s debut as the Fifteenth Doctor.

25th December 2023

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (BBC1 and Disney+)

The first Christmas Day episode since 2017 introduces our new Doctor and companion, respectively Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson.

Doctor Who Unleashed (BBC3 and Disney+)

Behind the scenes on Ncuti Gatwa’s first episode.

TBC

Dodger: Coronation (BBC1 and CBBC)

Not technically Doctor Who, but Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, plays Fagin, in a cast that also includes Lenny Rush and Nicola Coughlan (both in Doctor Who Series 14), Simon Callow (The Unquiet Dead), and Big Finish Master, Alex Macqueen.

When we can, we’ll update this guide when more information is available.

(Thanks to Jason Z!)

Philip Bates

Editor and co-founder of the Doctor Who Companion. When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything. Writer of The Black Archive: The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang, The Silver Archive: The Stone Tape, and 100 Objects of Doctor Who.

A Guide to Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations: When Is Doctor Who Back on TV? [UPDATED]

by Philip Bates time to read: 5 min
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