The sci-fi series had previously moved to Sunday nights during Jodie Whittaker’s era as the Doctor.
It’s only a matter of days before Doctor Who fans will be able to revel again in the joys of David Tennant as the Doctor, alongside his trusted companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.
The new batch of 60th anniversary episodes kicks off with the first instalment, The Star Beast, which airs this Saturday (25th November) – and it’s set to begin an exciting second era for showrunner Russell T Davies.
But as well as lots of returning talent, the episode marks Doctor Who moving back to Saturday nights, which will likely be a welcome shift in schedule for fans, after it moved to a Sunday night slot in 2018.
Mentioning it on BBC’s The One Show last night (Monday 20th November), Tennant said: “Three Saturdays in a row. Doctor Who lives on a Saturday, I think.”
Davies nodded and added: “It’s not a three-part story. You can watch each one separately, and they’re all different ones. One’s like a big family film, one’s very scary, one’s insane.”
Tennant said: “Yes, they’re very different. Each one is really quite unique. The first one is the sort of world of Doctor Who that you’ll recognise, I think. The second one is unlike any episode of Doctor Who ever done before. And the third one is… bananas.”
“The third one is bananas!” 😂
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) November 20, 2023
David Tennant and @russelldavies63 on the @bbcdoctorwho 60th anniversary specials 🙌
Watch #TheOneShow live 👉 https://t.co/x772NSw5Hu#DoctorWho @bbcdoctorwho pic.twitter.com/2JUMShxy4w
There’s much to look forward to, but the shift in days for Doctor Who is likely going to be a welcome change back to form for fans, after Sunday nights became the new home for Doctor Who during Jodie Whittaker‘s reign as Doctor.
Doctor Who has always been a staple Saturday night watch for many, with the show being broadcast on Saturdays in its original stint throughout the ’60s and ’70s.
The series then moved to midweek during the ’80s and was put against Coronation Street, which many fans blamed for its fall in popularity at the time.
It was moved to Sunday nights for Whittaker’s debut, which was the first time the show had been moved to a Sunday evening in its 55-year history.
At the time, showrunner Chris Chibnall said: “New Doctor, new home! Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor is about to burst into Sunday nights – and make the end of the weekend so much more exciting.”
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Now, as well as a move to Saturday nights, the new episodes also obviously signal the return of Tennant’s Time Lord, this time as the Fourteenth Doctor.
Speaking more about what we can expect from his character in these new episodes, Tennant said on The One Show: “I mean, there wouldn’t be any point in me coming back to then play it completely differently, I don’t think.
“This is the Fourteenth Doctor, so I have been Jodie Whittaker and Peter Capaldi and Matt Smith in between. So, you know, I carry that experience with me.”
The official BBC synopsis for The Star Beast is as follows: “The Doctor is caught in a fight to the death as a spaceship crash-lands in London. But as the battle wreaks havoc, destiny is converging on the Doctor’s old friend, Donna.”
Also on the show, Davies revealed more about how the idea of Tennant and Tate returning for some special Doctor Who episodes came about.
He spoke about the fact that, during the pandemic, when fans would get together and talk about the show, it prompted Tate to go to her collaborators and ask about coming back to Doctor Who.
“She had that conversation with you,” Tennant revealed, pointing to Davies, who said, “I literally thought it was my job to pass it on to the BBC.
“I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to report this.’ Two big stars like this saying they want to [do] Doctor Who and I can’t not tell them. But we all kind of thought it would kind of disappear – but here we are.”
Doctor Who’s first 60th anniversary special The Star Beast airs at 6:30pm on Saturday 25th November on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Classic episodes are available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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