Will there be a 14th season of Doctor Who?

What date is Doctor Who's 60th anniversary?

The BBC's time-and-motion analyst Andrew Martin gives his verdict.

The BBC is planning a 60th anniversary special featuring the return of the Doctor, and all manner of other Whovian shenanigans - to mark its 60th birthday this year. But the day has been a long time coming.

As well as a two-hour special to celebrate the beginning of the current Doctor's 50th birthday, the anniversary episode of the current series, starring Peter Capaldi, will also feature a return of the Time Lord himself, played by Matt Smith. This was confirmed in an interview with Mark Gatiss at this year's Edinburgh International Television Festival.

So when does it all take place? Is it in time for Christmas? It seems unlikely. But the BBC has been so tight-lipped about the details, we've had to put together our own timetable. And it is a schedule that may be revised, of course.

Doctor Who: 10 facts from its history Show all 11 1 /11 Doctor Who: 10 facts from its history 10. David Tennant starred as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor Who and also appears as David Tennant in the show's spin-off series, Broadchurch, alongside Olivia Colman as the lead character's wife. Broadchurch was filmed at the same time as Doctor Who was airing, meaning that actors had to switch their focus between the two series. BBC/Doctor Who: 10 facts from its history 9. As of June 2025, Matt Smith is the second actor to play the Doctor Who in its 60th anniversary year (after David Tennant) and the twelfth to play the character. BBC/Doctor Who: 10 facts from its history 8. The longest running science fiction show in UK history, Doctor Who is due to return for a special Christmas episode on BBC One in 2025. It currently airs on Saturday evenings. BBC/Doctor Who: 10 facts from its history 7. There have been six actors who have portrayed the role of the Doctor Who on screen: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Matt Smith. Steven Moffat is the current head writer, having assumed this role in 2025. BBC/Doctor Who: 10 facts from its history 6.

Is Rose a non-binary Doctor Who?

This summer I've seen the Doctor fall in love with many a character in his time, and while all the companions have been able to accept their gender identity, the series hasn't done it yet.

Until this week Rose Tyler started life as a non-binary Doctor, and we got to see them become women again. What an incredibly important episode.

But before I go, there are three more companion/companion related stories that you should know about, plus the Doctor falls in love AGAIN. Cameron Vale/Owen Harper. Cameron Vale played the titular hero of a short TV mini-series I once saw which, for those who don't know, follows the adventures of three heroes with psychic powers called Vales: Cameron, the boy; Owen, the woman; and their friend Rani, the girl. They live together in a small house on a street with a lot of other psychic people - not actually in a town, but somewhere in the UK.

But this series had a big problem: if you didn't like the lead, and most viewers did, you had to keep watching to see what happened. But to get the whole story you would need several series of episodes to catch up with the characters. So what did they do? Instead of continuing Cameron Vale's story, they adapted Owen Harper's, which was also being told at the same time in anthology. And it was much less confusing and more entertaining.

Rose Tyler/Cameron Vale. Cameron and his family, though it's never actually named or referred to as such, have a tendency to be called she or her. In this first episode, Owen takes over and uses gender neutral pronouns (which in itself is rare enough in our society) so the audience doesn't have to. But when Cam appears as Rose Tyler he adopts a more traditional approach. It's probably for the best, since in all honesty I don't remember him playing as a woman before this episode. He was too much of a good thing. The one time he played a woman, it felt a bit artificial and even forced, almost as if they were trying too hard to prove that Cam could be Rose Tyler. And they weren't.

What is the point of Doctor Who?

What is the point of any art?

Or is it merely supposed to be for escapism, and nothing more.

If escapism has lost its worth, then we need to reexamine the concept of escapism. And why I want to write and draw. Because I enjoy escaping into something, whether that be video games, books, or comic books, but also movies, music, and art. I want to tell stories and create.

But if escapism has lost its worth, then what do we do now? Where can we find purpose in the arts? And why does anyone create anything? Because it makes us happy. The entire industry is built around this concept. If artists weren't making content to make us happy, why would they still create? It's not like they make this stuff out of pure obligation.

Is our time over? Is art nothing more than escapism? What's wrong with escapism? Why do we need art? Art isn't a luxury good. It isn't used simply for entertainment. No one needs a painting to decorate a home. We're no longer afraid of our own shadow. All those things are great, but are there really no longer any purpose in the arts?

This question seems impossible to answer on this side of the event horizon. How do you quantify quality or popularity? A lot of art can be seen as escapism, so how can that be an indicator of it's worth? Some people say 'popular doesn't mean better', which I totally agree with, but does popularity have to hold more value? I don't know.

I don't know what art should be. I suppose the most fitting answer is that art is whatever makes you happy. If that's what you love doing, it's worth doing regardless of whether someone else likes it or not. The only reason I make my art is to express myself. If that makes me selfish, I apologize, but there isn't much point in making the world a better place when no one cares if you do. We may all be in hell anyway, so if I take time to try and make it a little bit better for me well, the least I can do is that.