Last week, Doctor Who marked a major milestone—the 20th anniversary of the airing of “Rose”, the landmark episode that brought the show back to TV after almost 20 years in hiatus, kicking off a whole new era. But it did so in a relatively quiet manner compared to Who‘s usual recent grand anniversary overtures. But it turns out there’s a reason for that—and that soon enough, it’ll be rectified.
Speaking to io9 over Zoom ahead of the series’ latest return in a few weeks, showrunner Russell T Davies exclusively confirmed there are plans for an hour-long episode of Doctor Who Unleashed, the series’ behind-the-scenes companion show, that will explore and celebrate the making of Doctor Who‘s revival era. It will air in the coming months on the BBC iPlayer in the UK, and worldwide on Doctor Who‘s YouTube channel.
The reason it didn’t arrive timed to the anniversary of “Rose”? Well, in part, Davies himself.
“To be honest, [the anniversary wasn’t on my mind]. I’m very much aware how on Disney+ worldwide, going to some territories that have never had Doctor Who before,” Davies told io9 as he reflected on the latest season of the show airing so close to the 20th anniversary of “Rose”. “There are some people watching this to who Ncuti is the Doctor—the number one, their Doctor, and so you’ve got to bear that in mind. That’s always been the case, for many years, to look for that new audience. So I actually thought it’d be a bit backward, be a bit heavy handed to [acknowledge]… and now we’re here and I’m kind of slightly kicking myself, because everyone seems to be full of joy about it!”
Seeing that joy in the build up to the anniversary ultimately spurred Davies into realizing the series should also celebrate in some way too, and chose to do so with the new documentary. “It’s coming out late, because I was the one saying ‘let’s not do anything!’,” Davies laughed. “And then quite late in the day I changed my mind! ‘Everyone’s talking about it, let’s do something!’. So we are.”
Stay tuned to io9 next week for more from our talk with Russell T Davies. Doctor Who returns for a new season of adventures on the BBC and BBC iPlayer in the UK, and worldwide on Disney+, from April 12.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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