50th Anniversary Specials

50th Anniversary Specials — 2013
Doctor:	Eleventh Doctor
Secondary Doctor:	War Doctor
Companions:	Clara
Key crew
Executive producer(s):	Steven Moffat, Faith Penhale, Brian Minchin
Producer(s):	Denise Paul Marcus Wilson
Series details
Start date:	14 November 2013
End date:	25 December 2013
Premiere network:	BBC One
Typical episode length:	various
More info
Main DWM coverage in issues:	462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469
Main DWMSE coverage in issues:	38
Official trailer
▶︎ YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy UnderstoodDismiss
Another official trailer
▶︎ YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy UnderstoodDismiss
Memorable moment
▶︎ YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy UnderstoodDismiss
Another memorable moment
▶︎ YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy UnderstoodDismiss
One more memorable moment
▶︎ YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy UnderstoodDismiss
← Previous	7
Next →	8

The 2013 specials were a number of television stories that were written and produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Like the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, these specials are not considered to be part of a numbered season.

Overview

The 2013 specials follow on from the final moments of The Name of the Doctor, in which Clara Oswald discovers the Doctor's greatest secret, a previously unknown incarnation.

The anniversary stories revolve around this incarnation, known as the War Doctor, and the final events of the Last Great Time War. The Christmas special follows on from Name by focusing on the Doctor's life on Trenzalore.

The specials also featured a number of the Doctor's regenerations, specifically those of the Eighth, War, and Eleventh Doctors. As such, the regenerations of all but the Second Doctor have now been depicted on-screen.

Cast

The 2013 specials saw the end of Matt Smith's tenure as the Eleventh Doctor, and ended with his regeneration into the Twelfth, played by Peter Capaldi.

Celebrating the shows 50th anniversary, several of the specials also featured previous actors who had portrayed the Doctor. Paul McGann portrayed the Eighth Doctor on-screen for the first time since his initial portrayal in TV: Doctor Who, David Tennant returned as the Tenth Doctor, and all other former actors were seen through the use of archive footage. The War Doctor was also played by John Hurt.

Although Jenna Coleman returned as sole companion Clara Oswald, Billie Piper returned to the series, but portraying a representation of the Bad Wolf, rather than her regular character of companion Rose Tyler.

Tom Baker also played the role of the Curator, an enigmatic character who may or may not be a future incarnation of the Doctor.

Recurring

• The Eleventh Doctor - Matt Smith
• Clara Oswald - Jenna Coleman
• The Tenth Doctor - David Tennant
• The War Doctor - John Hurt
• Kate Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
• The First Doctor - John Guilor
• The Eighth Doctor - Paul McGann
• The Twelfth Doctor - Peter Capaldi
• Queen Elizabeth I - Joanna Page
• Osgood - Ingrid Oliver

Guest

• The Moment - Billie Piper
• Cass - Emma Campbell-Jones
• Ohila - Clare Higgins
• The General - Ken Bones
• The Curator - Tom Baker
• Tasha Lem - Orla Brady

Television stories

Mini-episodes

Title	Writer	Director	Notes
The Night of the Doctor	Steven Moffat	John Hayes	Reappearance and regeneration of the Eighth Doctor. Chronological debut of the War Doctor.
The Last Day	Steven Moffat	Jamie Stone	Dalek invasion of Gallifrey

Special episodes

Episode Number	Title	Writer	Director	Notes
50th Anniversary	The Day of the Doctor	Steven Moffat	Nick Hurran	First full appearance of the War Doctor Reappearance of the Tenth Doctor, Daleks, and the Zygons. Regeneration of the War Doctor into Ninth Doctor. First appearance of the Twelfth Doctor. Tom Baker makes a cameo as the Curator.
Christmas	The Time of the Doctor	Steven Moffat	Jamie Payne	Regeneration of the Eleventh Doctor. Chronological debut of the Twelfth Doctor.

Related episodes

Alongside the canonical continuation of Doctor Who itself, a number of specials were also made relating to the real world production of the Doctor Who universe.

Title	Writer	Director	Notes
An Adventure in Space and Time	Mark Gatiss	Terry McDonough	Docudrama of William Hartnell's tenure as The Doctor.
The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot	Peter Davison	Peter Davison	Parody episode starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy.

Adaptations and merchandising

Home media

DVD / Blu-ray

Title	Number and duration of episodes	R2 release date	R4 release date	R1 release date
Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor The Day of the Doctor The Night of the Doctor The Last Day	1 × 77 min. 1 × 8 min. 1 × 3 min.	2 December 2013	4 December 2013	10 December 2013
Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time An Adventure in Space and Time	1 × 90 min.	2 December 2013	4 December 2013	27 May 2014
Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor The Time of the Doctor	1 × 60 min.	20 January 2014	22 January 2014	4 March 2014
Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition The Day of the Doctor The Night of the Doctor The Last Day The Time of the Doctor An Adventure in Space and Time The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot	1 × 77 min. 1 × 8 min. 1 × 3 min. 1 × 60 min. 1 × 90 min. 1 × 30 min.	8 September 2014	10 September 2014	TBA