60th Anniversary Specials/Promotion

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60th Anniversary Specials

Promotion

Talk

For the promotion of the 2023 specials of Doctor Who, the BBC used in-print marketing and made extensive use of social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.

History

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 8 May, a further BBC announcement on 15 May 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, described by Davies as "the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced".

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.

Sixtieth Anniversary Diamond Logo.

Fourteenth Doctor promotional image.

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 Beep the 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.".

On 22 June Doctor Who Magazine issue 592 was released, which featured Part 9 of Liberation of the Daleks.

On 18 July, the BBC released promotional posters of Donna Noble and the Fourteenth Doctor.

On 19 July in an interview with Evening Standard, Finney revealed that she shared scenes with Ncuti Gatwa, saying: "Two black, queer, magic actors on screen together? It was bound to happen, the universe was bound to connect the lines. We’re intertwined, and I think we complement each other so well. We see how privileged we are.".

Same day, the BBC announced the new sonic screwdriver with a YouTube video and an article on the Doctor Who website.

On 20 July, Doctor Who Magazine issue 593 was released, containing an interview with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, in which they talked about secret keeping amongst others, and Part 10 of Liberation of the Daleks.

On 24 July, Ruth Madeley was interviewed on The One Show, in which the conversation landed on Doctor Who, with Madeley saying the audiences would love her character Shirley, but refused to say more.

On 2 August in an interview with Elle Magazine, Finney spoke of the "shivers, scares and laughs" of the 60th Specials, saying: "You can look forward to a lot of scary things." and "I think in this series, I was scared when I saw some of the things. It’s shivers down your spine. But, I can’t tell you too much. What I can say is it is going to be full of scares, full of laughs, full of all of it.", also speaking again on her shared scenes with Gatwa, saying: "To act with Ncuti Gatwa is just amazing because we are both very young as well, and it’s just really nice to have that. He’s making history literally, and I’m just really happy to be a part of his world."

On 17 August, Doctor Who Magazine issue 594 was released, which contained information on the new version of the sonic screwdriver designed by art director Michael van Kesteren, and what cast and crew thought of it, as well as a brief mention of the time rotor for the new TARDIS set. The issue also contained Part 11 of Liberation of the Daleks.

On 30 August, the Doctor Who social medias revealed in a post on Yasmin Finney's birthday the full name of her character, Rose Noble as well as that she is the daughter of Donna Noble and Shaun Temple.

Same day the BBC announced via video the Doctor Who The Official Annual 2024 which put a heavy focus on the Fourteenth Doctor and his new sonic screwdriver and featured new exclusive stories with the Fourteenth Doctor, Under Control and Into Control as well as A Letter from the Doctor. The annual also offered a look at the next-in-line Fifteenth Doctor. The annual was released on 7 September.

On 8 September, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tennant talked about his return to the show, saying it was "Just an unexpected treat to get to revisit something that had been such a lovely wonderful experience 15 years ago. To get to have another proper runaround, in an albeit slightly different long coat, was a joy I never really imagined.". The article also revealed a few new promotional images from the Specials.

On 14 September Doctor Who Magazine issue 595 was released in which Davies talks about the first special The Star Beast, sharing his reaction to watching it for the first time. The magazine also revealed Part 12 of Liberation of the Daleks.

The same day, the BBC announced that Miriam Margolyes had been cast in the role of Beep the Meep in the 60th Anniversary Specials.

On 16 September the Doctor Who social media posted a glitch-teaser with binary code which translated as "Saturday 23rd September, BBC One, 6:13pm" and "Their time has come…", hinting at an upcoming announcement at this date.

Donna and Fourteenth Doctor promotional image.

On 23 September, the BBC released a brand new trailer containing a more in-depth look into Neil Patrick Harris' character and UNIT, also revealing Kate Lethbridge-Stewart's return. New promotional posters were also released along with an article confirming Jemma Redgrave as Kate and confirming Patrick Harris as the Toymaker. Davies also offered a comment, saying: "This is just the start, as the fever starts to burn. We’re heading for a November full of Doctor Who surprises, for fans and new viewers alike. Stay alert!".

On 27 September a new Behind the Scenes show called Doctor Who Unleashed was announced to be broadcast alongside the new era of Doctor Who, being in the same vein as its older predecessor Doctor Who Confidential.

On 28 September, the BBC held a huge concert at Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff called Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration, which celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the show with music performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Alastair King. The concert united the three New Who showrunners Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall as well as both composers Murray Gold and Segun Akinola, playing all the well-known soundtracks as well as introducing a few new tracks.

On 3 October it was announced that the BBC would host a live watchalong of the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble's adventures with the hashtag #DoctorDonnathon on 4 November in advance of the "big reunion" in the 60th Specials. Fans in the UK could enter a competition to win tickets to an in-person screening at the Genesis Cinema. This competition ran until 11 October.

On 12 October Doctor Who Magazine issue 596 released, containing an interview with Miriam Margolyes, the voice of Beep the Meep, Davies' reveal of important dates to look out for and Davies talking about an additional 6-day filming session involving three writers which took place in the second half of September for something related to the 60th Anniversary. Liberation of the Daleks Part 13 was also released.

Same day, the 60th Anniversary concert was dropped on BBC Sounds for fans who weren’t able to attend the concert live two weeks prior.

On 23 October, during an interview with Empire Magazine, Tennant and Russell both spoke in interviews about the Specials; Tennant said the Specials are "It’s like the band getting back together for one last hurrah." and "the Specials are Russell off the leash." and Russell said "I 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.". The Magazine also revealed a few exclusive images.

The Star Beast

Wild Blue Yonder

The Giggle

On 25 October a brand new trailer was released on Disney+, along with two short videos teasing the start date of the new era, one with the TARDIS and another with Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, and an article on the Doctor Who and BBC social sites, revealing the dates of the Specials; The Star Beast on 25 November, Wild Blue Yonder on 2 December and The Giggle on 9 December, officially bringing the show back to Saturdays, along with three new posters for each Special. Along with that was revealed that the first few brand new episodes of Unleashed would be released on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer immediately after the first Special.

On 31 October, Radio Times magazine shared a new exclusive image of David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor in his new outfit, which differed from his previous Tenth Doctor outfit.

On 1 November, the 372nd issue of SXF magazine was released, which featured lots of commentary from Davies, amongst them being that he’s rebranding the numbering with "Season One" and plans in the long haul, as well as praise for Gatwa from Tennant as well as exclusive images.

On 4 November the #DoctorDonnathon took place as previously announced, and fans were given a special surprise video by David Tennant at the end, congratulating fans for completing the entire run and urging fans to tune into the Doctor and Donna's newest adventures in the 60th Anniversary Specials.

Same day, in an interview with Total Film, Davies calls Neil Patrick Harris's The Toymaker "terrifying", saying that to match Tennant's presence "you need an extraordinary actor".

On 9 November Doctor Who Magazine issue 597 was released containing interviews with Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies, a preview of Specials 1 and 2, four new cast members and a lot more. Liberation of the Daleks Part 14, the final part, was also released.

On 17 November, Children in Need was held which broadcast a new minisode entitled Destination: Skaro ^[+]Loading...["Destination: Skaro (TV story)"], featuring the Doctor arriving on the planet Skaro depicting a different version of events from Genesis of the Daleks ^[+]Loading...["Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)"], featuring also a pre-disfigurement Davros and a Kaled, Mr Castavillian, along with the former's new invention, the Mark III Travel Machine. The story had the Doctor crash into the new machine before replacing its multi-dextrous claw with a plunger and then swiftly dematerialising in the TARDIS. The minisode was subsequently posted on YouTube. It was followed by the first episode of Unleashed on BBC Three.

On 20 November, Russell T Davies and David Tennant guested on The One Show and were interviewed about the 60th anniversary specials, saying that the episodes were not a three-part story, Davies saying "One's like a big family film, one's very scary, one's insane.", and Tennant adding "Each one is really quite unique. The first one is the sort of world of Doctor Who that you'll recognise, I think. The second one is unlike any episode of Doctor Who ever done before. And the third one is... bananas."

On 21 November Davies and Tennant went on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show for Radio 2 to talk about the 60th anniversary in which the episodes were described as "bonkers" and that there are "things that will happen that will have your jaw on the floor".

The same day, the Doctor Who 60th anniversary issue of Radio Times was released, which featured photoshoots with Carole Ann Ford, Mandip Gill, Millie Gibson, Bonnie Langford, Russell T Davies, Waris Hussein, Tom Baker, K9, Cybermen and Daleks as well as interviews about the specials, including what they were originally meant to be like, and much more.

On 22 November, Davies went on BBC Morning Live to talk about the 60th anniversary specials, where he revealed that Strictly Come Dancing dancers Shirley Ballas and Johannes Radebe, among other dancers, had been cast.

Same day, Davies spoke to Entertainment Weekly, calling the special "joyous".