Familiar Faces Return for Jodie Whittaker's Final 'Doctor Who' Adventure This Fall
On October 18, 1922, the British Broadcasting Corporation will turn 100 years old. As the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster globally by the number of employees, the BBC is known worldwide. It is famously funded by a royal charter. It operates under an agreement with the secretary of state for digital, culture, media, and sport, a situation that began in 1927, five years after launch. With the top two longest-running shows in the history of television and ten in the Top 25, this anniversary plans to bring out the big guns in programming to help celebrate, including Doctor Who, the 60th anniversary of which is in 2023.
The big celebration for Doctor Who is in November of next year and will kick off a new era of the show, now under the guidance of Sony and Bad Wolf, with Russell T. Davies back at the helm and a new (as yet unknown) Doctor in the lead role. But that doesn't mean that the BBC's centennial celebration will be given short shrift, even if it's only 59 years for the program itself. After all, there's an outgoing Doctor to celebrate, a departing showrunner to leave his mark, and a couple of companions to see off. And the first trailer for it makes it look like an unexpected thrill ride.
The trailer also revealed a surprise pair of guest stars joining Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor, along with companions Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop). Showrunner Chris Chibnall is bringing back a pair of companions from the Classic Doctor Who era. Janet Fielding's Tegan Jovanka, one of the Fifth Doctor's companions, and Sophie Aldred's Ace, who was the Seventh Doctor's main companion and the last one of the Classic Who era, are both reprising their characters. Like any good revival, there's no pretending the time hasn't passed; they'll be joining in the fun after having not seen the Doctor in 30-40 years.
