Doctor Who drops trailer and release date for three-part 60th anniversary special

As Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary looms on the horizon, the BBC and Disney+ have dropped the latest trailer and long-awaited release dates for the three-part special.

The upcoming 60th anniversary sees the return of showrunner Russell T Davies, with David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprising their roles as space-and-time travelling alien The Doctor and his former companion Donna Noble.

However, the three part special will also introduce brand new actors to the fold with standout LGBTQ+ talent at the fore of the Doctor Who rebrand.

Trans icon Yasmin Finney (Heartstopper) will play Donna’s daughter Rose Temple-Noble, while Neil Patrick Harris (Uncoupled) and Miriam Margolyes star as classic Doctor Who villains The Toymaker and Beep the Meep respectively.

In a new trailer – released by major streaming partner Disney+ on Wednesday (25 October) – Tennant’s 14th Doctor ominously announces “after a very long time, something’s coming back”, as he teams up with Rose, Donna and UNIT to save the universe.

We also catch a glimpse of Harris as The Toymaker sporting a suit, top hat and a smirk before later morphing into a terrifying smoky giant. Another moment has him dressed in red and white as he exuberantly throws rose petals.

Eager audiences also discovered the release schedule for the three-part special. Although the official 60th anniversary of the show is officially observed 23 November, the first episode “The Star Beast” airs on Saturday, 25 November.

Meanwhile, episode two, “Wild Blue Yonder”, arrives on 2 December and the final part, “The Giggle”, on 9 December.

The end of the trilogy will see David Tenant’s Doctor regenerate into the 15th Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa, whose first full-sized TARDIS adventure will air on Christmas Day before the full series lands in 2024.

Fans can expect exciting things in store for Finney’s character in the upcoming specials. In May this year, Davies opened up about his “joy” of working with the 19-year-old rising star.

“Through contact with her, I’ve witnessed her ideals, her politics, her family, her fights, her triumphs, her life in this world,” Davies shared. “A life I might never have known. It’s a journey and a joy. I love it, and I hope I can do more, more, more.”

While in July, Finney shared the special experience filming with fellow queer Black actor Gatwa.

“Two Black, queer, magic actors on screen together?,” she said. “It was bound to happen, the universe was bound to connect the lines. We’re intertwined, and I think we complement each other so well. We see how privileged we are.”

Doctor Who returns on 25 November to BBC One in the UK and globally on Disney+.