As a Christmas present for fans, the BBC released a new trailer for the upcoming 2023 Doctor Who specials which see David Tennant and Catherine Tate return as The Doctor and Donna Noble with a villainous appearance from Neil Patrick Harris. The new specials will air in November 2023 as part of the show’s 60th anniversary and will also serve as the return of Russell T. Davies and the debut of Ncuti Gatwa as the official new Doctor and Millie Gibson as his new companion Ruby Sunday.Jodie Whittaker left her role as the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of a series of specials and as part of the BBC’s 100th-anniversary celebration. At the end of the final episode, Thirteen regenerated, but Whittaker morphed into David Tennant instead of becoming Ncuti Gatwa as viewers expected. Now, the BBC has debuted a trailer for the upcoming specials giving fans more of a glimpse into the perils The Doctor and Donna will be facing.The trailer shows Tennant’s latest incarnation as The Doctor, whom fans have dubbed 10.5 or 13.5, questioning whom he is after unexpectedly regenerating into a former body. It also features Donna telling her mother that she feels like something is missing, that she had something wonderful but doesn’t know what. Then Neil Patrick Harris is showcased in action, speculated to play the Celestial Toymaker Harris is complete with a German accent and showmanship. The fact that a toy shop called Mr. Emporium also appears in the trailer lends further credence to this theory.
There is also a look at some new creatures, for example, a strange bug-like creature with pincher-like claws is glimpsed as well as a friendly creature that looks somewhat like a giant cat/yeti and appears to be afraid of monsters that are coming. There is also a peek at the return of UNIT. The Doctor also exclaims that if Donna remembers who he is she will die and her mother tries to body-block him from her view insisting he isn’t there. Of course, The Doctor also shouts his fan-favorite catchphrase “Allons-y!” while jumping into a taxi.
While the exact nature of the three special episodes’ plot is currently unknown, it appears to revolve around an impending disaster surrounding Donna’s memory block resulting from her time traveling with The Doctor. A complex incident revolving around Ten’s severed hand, creating a meta-clone and accidentally melding Donna and part of The Doctor’s DNA led to the creation of DoctorDonna, something the Ood had prophesied for some time. In order to save her life and stop her mind from becoming overwhelmed by his, The Doctor erased her memories and left her back on Earth.
The specials will air in November 2023 with Russell T. Davies returning as a show writer and executive producer. The specials mark the return of Tennant and Tate 13 years after their departure in 2010 and also come as it has been revealed that the show will be streaming on Disney Plus starting with the new specials.