The 2009 Specials (sometimes referred to by fans as 'Series 4b') were broadcast between the end of Series 4 and the beginning of Series 5. The four specials were broadcast at various points in 2009 (though the final special was broadcast in 2010). Of the four specials, one aired at Easter 2009, followed by a second that aired in November, and a third one aired on Christmas 2009 with the final one airing on New Year's Day 2010. These four specials were overseen by Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner, but traditional line producer, Phil Collinson, did not return for them. All starred David Tennant. For the 2009 Specials, the Doctor was traveling alone, with each story featuring a one-off companion.
There had been conflicting reports given as to why the decision was made to take a year off. Initial media reports suggested that this was in order to allow David Tennant to perform a season of Shakespeare during the time a regular season would have normally entered production.[source needed] However, these reports were directly contradicted in Russell T Davies' book Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, which contains correspondence from the spring of 2007; months before the gap year plan was announced; in which Davies indicated that the intent was to take the series off for a year, except for a few specials, in order to allow a new production team to make its transition, as Davies had already informed the BBC that he would not executive-produce a fifth season.
Exactly how to refer to these specials is a matter of some debate. Aside from informal terms such as "2009 Special" or "Gap Year", it is known that Planet of the Dead was considered Episode 15 of Series 4 by the production team, as revealed by David Tennant in his video diary of the episode's readthrough, and The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter shows the specials were all numbered 4.X. On the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the four specials plus The Next Doctor (in a box set titled The Complete Specials), a bonus feature of deleted scenes was entitled Series 4 Specials Deleted Scenes.
Television stories
Specials
| # | Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
| 1 | Planet of the Dead | Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts |
James Strong | |
| 2 | The Waters of Mars | Russell T Davies & Phil Ford |
Graeme Harper | |
| 3 | The End of Time, Part 1 | Russell T Davies | Euros Lyn | Reintroduction of Donna Noble, Wilfred Mott, the Master, and the Time Lords |
| 4 | The End of Time, Part 2 | Russell T Davies | Euros Lyn | Last appearance of the Tenth Doctor, first appearance of the Eleventh Doctor. Reappearance of many of the Tenth Doctors companions. |
Animated special
| # | Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
| NA | Dreamland | Phil Ford | Gary Russell |
Dreamland was a serialized animated story initially made available on the BBC's Red Button service before being televised in December 2009. Its writer has stated it takes place after the events of The Waters of Mars but it is not officially considered one of the Specials.
Other productions
- David Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures entitled The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith. This is not considered one of the 2009 Specials.
- A 3-minute Doctor Who skit featuring John Barrowman and with a cameo by David Tennant, out of character, aired as part of the Tonight's the Night talent series.
- In December 2009, Tennant appeared as the Doctor in a series of brief Christmas idents produced for BBC One and BBC America.
Disputed productions
The Next Doctor
- Main article: The Next Doctor
The status of the 2008 Christmas special The Next Doctor is a matter of debate. Officially, it has been called the 14th episode of Series 4. However as noted below, the 4th series numbering also applies to the specials. Conversely, The Next Doctor was produced during the same production block as Series 4, and also was produced differently than the specials, which were shot in high definition. It remains to be seen if over time The Next Doctor becomes accepted as a 4th season episode, as one of the 2009 specials, or as a complete standalone. BBC Video released it as part of the 2009 Specials box set on DVD and Blu-Ray; in the past, BBC Video's titling and programming has come to be considered definitive.
Music of the Spheres
- Main article: Music of the Spheres
Produced at the end of production on Series 4, this mini-episode was produced as part of the Doctor Who at the Proms concert which was aired on radio in the summer of 2008, with the episode initially available visually online. It did not receive official TV broadcast until early 2009, after broadcast of The Next Doctor. Like the Christmas special, its formal season placement is debated. Like The Next Doctor, it was released by BBC Video in the 2009 Specials DVD box set.
Soundtrack
Released on 4th October, 2010.
Cast
Primary cast
Secondary cast
- Jackson Lake - David Morrissey
- Lady Christina De Souza - Michelle Ryan
- Adelaide Brooke - Lindsay Duncan
- Wilfred Mott - Bernard Cribbins
- The Master - John Simm
Guest cast
- Carmen - Ellen Thomas
- Barclay - Daniel Kaluuya
- Nathan - David Ames
- Captain Erisa Magambo - Norma Dumezweni
- Professor Malcolm Taylor - Lee Evans
- Andrew Stone - Alan Ruscoe
- Ed Gold - Peter O'Brien
- Mia Bennett - Gemma Chan
- Yuri Kerenski - Aleksander Mikic
- Tarak Ital - Chook Sibtain
- The Woman - Claire Bloom
- Joshua Naismith - David Harewood
- Donna Noble - Catherine Tate
- Sylvia Noble - Jacqueline King
- Rassilon - Timothy Dalton