He’s older than he looks and not just in time lord years, because Dr Who has been hitting our screens with sci-fi madness for nearly 50 years, so to celebrate, BBC announced plans to creating a 50th anniversary special in early 2013. Filming began in March and with an all-star cast in the production, it looked like it would be an impressive birthday for the Tardis hopper when it broadcast in November.
Dr Who first appeared on the Beeb way back on the 23rd November 1963, starring William Hartnell as the 1st Doctor. Though it was originally devised as an educational series using the time traveller angle as a mean’s to bring science and history to the masses, it has gone on to become both a cult and mainstream sci-fi success. It is the longest running science fiction TV show in history and it doesn’t look like it’ll be coming to an end any time soon, despite the constraints of the 12 regenerations, which we now know to be a flexible rule rather than a definitive ender.
To give the Doctor a fitting 50th anniversary bash, the Beeb called in the services of both Billy Piper and David Tennant to return to the show for the special episode. Joining the current Doctor, Matt Smith, and his latest companion, Clara Oswald (played by Jenna-Louise Coleman), the one-time Time Lord found himself back into the fray once again.
If that wasn’t big enough news for the sci-fi community to rub our collective knees about, the BBC also confirmed that John Hurt (Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy) was to star in the anniversary special too. While his role in the special was initially kept under wraps, and our initial thought was that he would be the big bad alien of the piece, or The Master regenerated, he turned out to be the Lost Doctor, or the Time Wars Doctor, closing out the 12 regenerations.
The air date wasn’t released to begin with, but the episode, which was announced to be entitles The Day of the Doctor, went on to be broadcast as expected on the 23rd November 2013 to do the origins of Doctor Who justice. There was also talk of the special being filmed for 3D release, which was later confirmed by the BBC, so for anyone with 3D TV you had the opportunity to see the Dr, Tardis and the Daleks.
Tennant finished his tenure as the Dr back in January 2010, with Billy Piper’s Rose exiting the show at the same time in the episode entitled, The End Of Time, so it was a fan treat to see the pair back in action. However, it wasn’t the original Rose that Billy piper went on to play in The Day of the Doctor, she played the consciousness of an ultimate weapon that took on the form of Rose.
Read our review of The Day of the Doctor to find out how the episode played out and how it set the wheels in motion for the regeneration to the official 12th Doctor Who.
