{"id":31646,"date":"2023-04-01T11:13:45","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T09:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1810195"},"modified":"2023-04-01T12:42:47","modified_gmt":"2023-04-01T10:42:47","slug":"doctor-who-had-to-scrap-more-elaborate-plans-for-comic-relief","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-had-to-scrap-more-elaborate-plans-for-comic-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who had to scrap more \u201celaborate\u201d plans for Comic Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"

The comic relief sketch was initially going to involve Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. <\/p>

By Molly Moss\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 01 April 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Doctor Who fans were delighted by an appearance from the Fourteenth Doctor<\/a> during last month\u2019s Red Nose Day<\/a> coverage, with David Tennant re-enacting his regeneration scene with Sir Lenny Henry to kick off the show.<\/p>\n

But the sketch was almost even more \u201celaborate\u201d, Doctor Who bosses have revealed.<\/p>\n

In the night\u2019s opening sketch, viewers saw Henry feeling sick in his dressing room and asking for a \u201cdoctor\u201d, before transforming into The Fourteenth Doctor, with Tennant appearing in his new Doctor Who costume<\/a>, ahead of his return to the beloved sci-fi series for this year\u2019s anniversary specials<\/a>.<\/p>

Speaking with the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine<\/a>, executive producer Phil Collinson explained how the sketch was initially going to involve Jodie Whittaker\u2019s Thirteenth Doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the initial plans were very elaborate, to create a full re-staging of Jodie\u2019s regeneration into David,\u201d he explained. \u201cBut a message came through a few weeks later \u2013 because of schedules and deadlines, they asked if they could simplify it. Again, of course, no worries \u2013 we were honoured simply to be mentioned in the same breath!\u201d<\/span><\/p>