Doctor Who 60th anniversary trailer confirms new and returning cast members

Doctor Who fans were given a Christmas gift with a trailer for the 60th anniversary specials, which has confirmed a number of new and returning cast members.

Three hour-long episodes are due to air in November 2023, featuring David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Fourteenth Doctor and companion Donna. Russell T Davies is also returning to the series as showrunner.

The minute-long teaser features guest stars including Neil Patrick Harris and Yasmin Finney and also confirms the return of Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble, Donna's mum, and Karl Collins as Shaun Temple, Donna's husband.

Ruth Madeley, who previously teamed up with Davies on Years & Years, is also joining the cast as a new character, Shirley Anne Bingham.

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Fans of the classic Doctor Who comics will also recognise Beep the Meep, who makes a fleeting appearance during the trailer.

The anniversary episodes are expected to set out why The Doctor has regenerated with a familiar face – and what leads to another regeneration into the Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa.

We don't learn much more about the extent to which Gatwa will feature in the specials – but we do see the footage of him that was released earlier this year once again.

It was confirmed recently that the background behind the Fifteenth Doctor as we see him ask "Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" will be changed in the specials, as the true location for the scene would give too much away before transmission.

However, it does explore how Donna feels like there's something missing in her life – fans who followed her original story arc may recall that she helped the Doctor to save the universe, although tragically lost all her memories of travelling with him as a result.

The Doctor also offers an ominous warning in the trailer that "if she remembers me, she will die", and Sylvia is seen trying to hide him from Donna.

Little is also known so far about who Harris is playing, with some fan speculation that he could be portraying the Celestial Toymaker.

Meanwhile, Heartstopper star Finney will make her Doctor Who debut as a mysterious new character named Rose in the 60th anniversary miniseries. It's also been widely speculated that the late Bernard Cribbins will reprise the role of Wilfred Mott, Donna's grandfather.

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Tennant has previously said that his return to Doctor Who following his original stint as the Tenth Doctor was something of an accident, after he got talking to Davies and Tate during online watchalongs of their episodes during COVID lockdowns.

"Me and Catherine would text, 'Wouldn't it be fun to do it again?'" he recalled. "And Russell would say, 'We could do a one-off, maybe they'd let us.'"

Related: Doctor Who star Billie Piper reveals she'd return for Rose Tyler spin-off on one condition

Doctor Who fans were also recently treated to their first look at Gatwa in his costume, alongside Fifteen's companion Ruby Sunday, who will be played by former Coronation Street star Millie Gibson.

Gatwa has also shared a few photos and videos from behind the scenes on the set, including a first glimpse at the exterior of his TARDIS.

Doctor Who returns in 2023 on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Classic Doctor Who streams on BritBox in the UK.

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Kate Goodacre

Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
  Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
  During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
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   Her highlights while working at DS have included interviewing Stevie Nicks on the red carpet for her documentary In Your Dreams, sitting at a press roundtable with Formula 1 commentary icon Murray Walker, watching a life-sized LEGO car being driven around Silverstone, writing an album-by-album retrospective of Lady Gaga's genre-defying career for Living Legends, and raising awareness of receiving and understanding a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis through the lens of Bianca and Freddie's EastEnders storyline.
 Upon remembering to log off the internet, Kate enjoys live theatre, dance and comedy, appreciating nature, baking (badly), tending a recently-rented allotment (equally badly) and pampering one very spoiled rescue cat named Jolene.
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