This year, Doctor Who celebrates its 60th anniversary, and the BBC is going all out to accommodate old and new Whovians alike. Firstly, David Tennant and Russel T. Davies are returning for the upcoming anniversary specials that will air next month. Perhaps more excitingly, though, the BBC iPlayer is adding 800 hours of classic Doctor Who episodes, all of which will feature audio descriptions, subtitles, and sign language.
The plan is to make the BBC iPlayer a central hub for everything related to Doctor Who. In addition to the classic episodes and upcoming new releases, there will be plenty of behind-the-scenes content for Whovians to sink their teeth into. This includes Doctor Who Confidential, documents, audio clips, and photos that chronicle the franchise’s history. Moreover, the BBC website has already created an archive for all things related to Doctor Who.
Elsewhere, fans can also enjoy the show’s numerous spin-offs, such as The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood, and Class, which are currently available to stream on the BBC iPlayer. However, it remains to be seen if K-9 and Company and Totally Doctor Who will be added to the service at a later date.
Unfortunately, some of the Doctor’s classic adventures will be missing from the platform. Per the Radio Times, An Unearthly Child — the series’ first-ever story — won’t be included due to rights issues. As of this writing, the episodes that make up this storyline are still available on the BritBox service, which has been home to pre-revival seasons of the sci-fi show for quite some time.
It’s certainly an exciting time to be a Doctor Who fan. Next year, a brand-new series featuring Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa will also make its way to BBC. Until then, viewers will soon have more than enough episodes of the long-running series to immerse themselves in before embarking on new adventures in the TARDIS.
Doctor Who will arrive on the BBC iPlayer next month.
