First Of Three Specials Premieres Nov. 25
New Season To Premiere In 2024
BURBANK, Calif. (Oct. 25, 2023) Last fall, Disney Branded Television and the BBC announced that they had joined forces to bring fan-favorite series “Doctor Who” to a global audience. Today, the trailer and premiere dates were revealed for the three new “Doctor Who” 60th anniversary specials, set to debut on Disney+ globally except in the UK and Ireland, where they will air on the BBC. The three specials, titled “The Star Beast” (Nov. 25), “Wild Blue Yonder” (Dec. 2) and “The Giggle” (Dec. 9) will reunite the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Temple-Noble (Catherine Tate) as they come face-to-face with their most terrifying villain yet: the Toymaker (played by Neil Patrick Harris in his “Doctor Who” debut).
Trailer Here
Additional new cast includes Yasmin Finney as Rose Temple-Noble, Miriam Margolyes as the voice of the Meep and Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham, as well as returning characters Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble, Karl Collins as Shaun Temple, and Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart.
“Doctor Who” is the longest running action-adventure television series in the world spanning 60 years and winning over 100 awards. This quintessentially British show has a huge global following, with 9.6m fans across social platforms/channels and 100m video views on YouTube in the last year alone.
“Doctor Who” is produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios. The series returns under the creative vision of returning showrunner Russell T. Davies, who also serves as a writer and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter. The 60th-anniversary specials are written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Rachel Talalay, Tom Kingsley, and Chanya Button, respectively. BBC Studios is handling global distribution.
Ncuti Gatwa takes control of the TARDIS as the Fifteenth Doctor over the festive period and the new season of “Doctor Who,” will stream globally in 2024 on Disney+ and on the BBC in the UK and Ireland.
About Doctor Who
Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction television series in the world. The very first episode “An Unearthly Child” aired back in 1963, and this much beloved brand has been inspiring and entertaining audiences globally for an incredible 60 years. The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord “The Doctor” who is able to regenerate, and the Doctor’s human friend (s). The Doctor and companion’s journey through time and space in the TARDIS – a time-travelling ship shaped like a police box – saving the universe with a combination of wit, bravery and kindness. Orbiting around them is the wider Whoniverse – infinite galaxies and countless civilizations filled with incredible friends and dangerous foes. These are worlds ripe for exploration. Worlds full of surprising stories, characters, emotions, and entertainment.
About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from Disney, Disney+ offers an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service, as part of the Disney Bundle in the U.S. that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, or as part of Combo+ in Latin America with Star+, the standalone general entertainment and sports streaming service in the region. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
About Disney Branded Television
Disney Branded Television encompasses the creative storytellers and production and content marketing teams responsible for Disney-branded television series, movies and other programming spanning live-action, animated and unscripted formats. The group fuels the Disney+ streaming platform and Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior linear networks with content geared toward kids, tweens, teens and families, with stories that are imaginative, aspirational and reflective of their world and experiences.
About BBC
The BBC is the world's best-known broadcaster and most-used media organization in the UK. Informing, educating, and entertaining audiences across the length and breadth of the country by delivering world-class, universally available, and easily accessible content. As the most trusted UK news provider, the BBC plays a key role in civic life and reflects UK stories, voices, and talent on a local, national and global stage.
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.
BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |
Media Contact:
Disney Branded Television
Irma Corbett
Irma.Corbett@disney.com