The Giggle, starring Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker, will run to 65 minutes.
The air time for Doctor Who‘s final 60th anniversary special has been announced.
The Giggle – a trilogy capper that will round off David Tennant and Catherine Tate’s return to the series – will air at 6:30pm on Saturday 9th December.
The episode, from showrunner Russell T Davies, will span 65 minutes and mark the return of the villainous Toymaker, now played by Neil Patrick Harris.
The character was last seen on Doctor Who in 1966, making his one-and-only appearance (so far!) in four-part serial The Celestial Toymaker.
During an appearance on the 20th November edition of The One Show, Tennant – now playing the Fourteenth Doctor – described The Giggle as “bananas”, with Davies adding that fans can expect “a rollercoaster”.
“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
The Giggle will be preceded by first special The Star Beast (airing Saturday, 25th November) and Wild Blue Yonder (Saturday, 2nd December), which will also be broadcast at 6:30pm on their respective air dates.
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa’s first episode as the Fifteenth Doctor will then follow just 16 days after The Giggle, airing on Christmas Day on BBC One.
Titled The Church on Ruby Road, this instalment will also see Millie Gibson make her debut as new companion Ruby Sunday.
Read more:
- Doctor Who boss wanted to make as many David Tennant specials as possible
- Doctor Who: The Star Beast review: Saturday night magic is back
- Doctor Who’s David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on this week’s Radio Times cover
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide and Streaming Guide.