Doctor Who trailer confirms when 60th anniversary specials and Ncuti Gatwa's first episode will air

It's a long wait.

By Tasha Hegarty

23 Oct 2022

Doctor Who spoilers follow.

Doctor Who has confirmed when the upcoming 60th anniversary specials and Ncuti Gatwa's first episode as the Doctor will air in a new teaser trailer.

It is a long wait – over a year in fact – so mark your calendars for November 2023 and enjoy a whole year of teasing from the cast and crew as David Tennant and Catherine Tate appear in three special episodes.

Gatwa's first full episode as The Doctor will air during the festive season in 2023.

The trailer gives viewers a little snippet of what is to come, including another look at Neil Patrick Harris' mysterious character from the anniversary specials, and we see Gatwa in action, shouting: "Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"

BBC

Tonight (October 23) saw Jodie Whittaker's last outing as the Thirteenth Doctor in 'The Power of the Doctor' for. It was hoped viewers might get a glimpse of Gatwa in character, but instead, a familiar face appeared.

Jodie's Doctor regenerated into Tennant, a moment which viewers absolutely loved. A statement from returning showrunner Russell T Davies named Tennant's latest version on the character as "the Fourteenth Doctor" rather than the Tenth Doctor.

It's not the only surprise that the show has coming up, according to Davies.

"If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we've got plenty more surprises on the way!" he said. "The path to Ncuti's Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger, and fun!

doctor who, david tennant as the fourteenth doctor

BBC

"And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We're giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!"

Tennant recently revealed that returning to the show wasn't actually planned, but instead came about after he took part in a series of lockdown watchalongs with Davies and co-star Catherine Tate.

Doctor Who airs on BBC One in the UK. In the US, the show airs on BBC America, with series 1-12 available on HBO Max. Classic Doctor Who streams exclusively on BritBox in the UK.