Doctor Who will return for another special episode this autumn as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations. The news of the special episode was confirmed at the Edinburgh International TV Festival by BBC's Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore, who was talking about the planned celebrations around the 100 years of the BBC.
"We've got a week celebrating our centenary in October, where we'll have some specials," said Moore. "We've got the Doctor Who centenary special." When pressed for teasers she did not divulge any more information about the episode.
Two previous specials, which feature Jodie Whittaker's outgoing Time Lord, were aired on New Year's Day and Easter Monday, this year. Whittaker's departure as the 13th Doctor will also coincide with showrunner Chris Chibnall leaving. The new, 14th Doctor Who will be Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa and Russell T Davies will return to helm the show, which he originally helmed from 2005 to 2010.
What do we know about the next Doctor Who special?
We know the centenary week will be in October, but the exact schedule has not been announced. We'll update this when we know the date. The episode will be 90 minutes. We also know John Bishop and Mandip Gill will be back as Dan and Yasmin, joining Jodie Whittaker. Also, Sacha Dewan will return as The Master for the as yet untitled episode, and Patrick O'Kane returns as the Lone Cyberman.
Jacob Anderson will return as Vinder and Jemma Redgrave is back as Kate Stewart, while former companions Tegan (Janet Fielding) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) will also make an appearance.
When will we see Ncuti Gatwa make his debut?
As Jodie Whittaker will leave at the end of the October special, we have to believe we could at least get a glimpse of the new Doctor at the end of that episode, post-regeneration. But the show's own 60th birthday is in 2023 and scenes for that celebratory special have been filming this summer, with the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
We haven't yet caught a glimpse of Gatwa, mainly because he's got Sex Education series four to get done and he's also featured in the new Barbie movie. Fans are on tenterhooks to see the Rawandan-Scottish actor filming and, of course, discovering what his outfit will be - he's already said he's got a say in the design.
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