New Doctor Who 60th anniversary special trailer: Three things we learned

A new Doctor Who trailer was released at the weekend, allowing viewers to peek a little further through the TARDIS door to see what we can expect from the show's specials later this year.

In November, the long-running sci-fi series celebrates its 60th anniversary with three special episodes.

The newest trailer, shown ahead of Strictly Come Dancing's first live show of 2023, revealed more about friends, foes, companions, monsters and a mysterious villain who last appeared on the programme in 1966.

The new Doctor Who villain is not so new after all

Neil Patrick Harris is playing the Docotor Who villain known as the Toymaker

The brand new trailer shows Neil Patrick Harris dancing onto the scene, and it is now revealed that he will play the Toymaker, an all-powerful enemy last seen 57 years ago.

The Toymaker first appeared as an enemy of the first Doctor in an episode called "The Celestial Toymaker" in 1966.

The villain lives in his own pocket dimension where he has complete control, deciding the rules and warping the sense of reality for those within it.

Why is David Tennant playing The Doctor again?

David Tennant played the tenth incarnation of Doctor Who... But now he's also playing the 14th version of the character. Confused? We'll try to explain.

At the end of series 13, Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor regenerated into David Tennant's 14th Doctor.

David Tennant also played the tenth version of the character between 2005 and 2010.

The regeneration came after the BBC had announced that Ncuti Gatwa would be taking over as the new Doctor, so when the transformation into David Tennant happened and the Doctor repeatedly said "What!?", it was probably a reaction that was shared among a lot of Doctor Who fans.

The Doctor (David Tennant) was confused by their 'new' form after regenerating

The surprise had followed a battle where the Doctor's arch-nemesis, The Master had attempted to force Jodie Whittaker's Doctor to regenerate so he could steal her identity and destroy her reputation throughout the universe.

Stopping his evil plan, The Doctor managed to reverse the regeneration, but in doing so, she was wounded and had to regenerate to save herself.

Fans are now questioning whether The Master's plan may have forced her to regenerate into a previous version of herself.

All is likely to be revealed in the anniversary specials, but now that we know the identity of the villain in the episodes, it's possible that the reappearance of the tenth Doctor is actually all part of the Toymaker's mysterious mind games.

The Doctor and Donna reunited

Donna Noble is one of the Doctor's former companions, played by comedian Catherine Tate, and is returning to the TARDIS for the anniversary specials.

When we last saw Donna, the Doctor had to wipe her memory after she had absorbed the Doctor's intelligence and 900-years worth of memories in the process.

If she ever saw the Doctor or remembered him again, she would die.

In the trailer she's shown saying: "I lie in bed thinking, 'what have I lost'."

However footage shown later in the trailer reveals that Donna has her memory back, as she's seen teaming up with the Doctor once again and makes reference to his ship, the TARDIS, too.

Although it's not all good news, as the Doctor tells Donna in the trailer, "I don't know if I can save your life this time."

Russell T Davies, the series showrunner says: "This is just the start, as the fever starts to burn. We're heading for a November full of Doctor Who surprises, for fans and new viewers alike. Stay alert!"

Doctor Who returns in November 2023 with three special episodes with David Tennant as the 14th Doctor for the 60th anniversary. Ncuti Gatwa's first episode as the 15th Doctor will be shown over Christmas.

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