Every decade since the inception of Doctor Who there has been some sort of anniversary special that pays homage to the previous Doctors.
It’s no secret this year there is a big 50th anniversary special in the works. There has been a lot of speculation about what this special will include, but everyone has hoped that it would feature all the living actors that have ever played the Doctor. While many of the actors are all too willing to play the Doctor again, Christopher Eccelston has been a lone hold out, claiming that he had no plans to return to the role.
As of today Steven Moffat has confirmed that he is completing a script that will feature the current Doctor, Matt Smith, facing a foe so great that he will need assistance from all ten of the previous TARDIS inhabitants. That’s right, rumors say Eccleston is in!!! The producers have gotten agreements from all living actors who have ever played the Doctor; Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. With some studio special effects they have even resurrected William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee.
Everyone’s lips are sealed of course but we do know that there is no plans to feature former companions; Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), Rose Tyler(Billie Piper), Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Martha Jones(Freema Agyeman) and Donna Noble(Catherine Tate). There is still some speculation as to whether the Doctor’s wife, River Song (Alex Kingston), will be the one who brings all of the Doctor’s together against the eleventh Doctor’s wishes. This anniversary special is going to be epic! I’m already planning my Doctor Who themed party for it!
The 50th anniversary special will not be the first time that the Doctors have joined forces. The 10th anniversary, in 1973 was celebrated with “The Three Doctors“. The 20th anniversary, in 1983, featured “The Five Doctors“. Even thought the 30th anniversary occured after the show had been cancelled, McCoy, Pertwee, Tom Baker, Davison and Colin Baker starred in a charity crossover episode of EastEnders. The 40th anniversary was marked with an audio adventure, Zagreus, starring McGann, Colin Baker, McCoy and Davison with additional archive recordings of Pertwee.
Fiftieth anniversary writer Moffatt says: “You can’t please everybody but you don’t want anybody to feel let down by a big anniversary episode.”
If any of Moffat’s previous writing has anything to say about his dedication to Doctor Who, this episode is guaranteed to impress!
Update: It seems the original sources for writing this were more rumor then confirmed fact and I’ve edited the article to reflect that. However, as a gift I found out that according to the BBC banner at the 2013 London Toy Fair new details about the 2013 season have been released.
The 2013 line-up:
- Series 7 Part 2 (8 Episodes / Spring 2013)
- 50th Anniversary Special (1 x 60 minutes / Autumn 2013)
- An Adventure in Space and Time (1 x 90 minutes / Autumn 2013)
- Doctor Who Revisited (11 x 25 minutes / throughout year)
