Disney+ Officially Dates 'Doctor Who' 60th Anniversary Specials, Trailer Released

by Darian Scalamoni

    Though many talk about the longevity of franchises such as Star Wars and James Bond, it's hard to argue the absurd longevity of the sci-fi series Doctor Who. Disney was lucky enough to scoop up the rights for stateside distribution in a partnership with BBC last Fall, and now, three specials within the series will debut on Disney+ in November and December.

    As detailed in their press release, Disney will release three special event episodes of Doctor Who on their streamer to wrap up 2023. The Sea Beast will release on November 25, Wild Blue Yonder heads to the streamer on December 2 and on December 9, David Tennant will reunite with Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Temple-Noble reunite to take on the Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris in the episode titled, The Giggle. The episodes will stream on Disney+ everywhere except the UK and Ireland where they will air on the BBC.

    With the announcement of the specials, Disney+ also dropped a trailer previewing the originals, as well as a first look stinger at the end of the upcoming Fifteenth Doctor played by Sex Education's Ncuti Gatwa. The season in which he'll lead, the 14th since its revival, is expected to launch into the atmosphere sometime in 2024. We reported back in May that Jonathan Groff will also join the new incarnation of the doctor's journeys as other reported cast members include Yasmin Finney, Millie Gibson and Jinkx Monsoon.

    Russell T. Davies will return as showrunner for the specials and upcoming season, having written all projects, with Rachel Talalay, Tom Kingsley and Chanya Button directing the Disney+ fronted content in 2023. Doctor Who is the longest running action-adventure series in the world and its 60th anniversary tales are sure to excite fans all across the globe.