VIDEO: BBC America Insider Look At The Tenth And Eleventh Doctors Together

BBC America take a closer look at the onscreen interactions of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor as they come face to face in The Day Of The Doctor. Steven Moffat, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman talk about the difficulties and the potential for fun that comes with a multi-Doctor episode.

"I think what's so exciting about it, it offers up so many possibilities," says Jenna Coleman. "Basically, imagine going inside the Doctor's head, and him arguing with himself, and he can think as fast as himself, but all of this is played out loud."

Watch the clip here:

The Day Of The Doctor will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 2nd December in the UK and 10th December in the USA

UK FANS BUY ON DVD HERE  | UK FANS BUY ON BLU-RAY HERE

USA FANS BUY ON DVD HERE | USA FANS BUY ON BLU-RAY HERE

VIDEO: Playing The Doctor - An Exclusive Look From BBC America

 

In an exclusive interview clip from BBC America, David Tennant , Matt Smith and Steven Moffat talk about the challenges faced in making each portrayal of the Doctor unique.

"You take the script, you filter it through your own personality and hopefully you create something which is recognisable and at the same time at the same time unique.I think that's the trick," says David Tennant.

Watch the video here:

VIDEO: David Tennant, Matt Smith And Steven Moffat On Returning Doctors

In an exclusive interview with BBC America, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Steven Moffat have spoken about the tradition of past Doctors returning to the show

“That’s peculiar to Doctor Who…” David Tennant says, “that multiple versions of this character can exist alongside each other.”

David also reveals that Steven Moffat had been planning a multi-Doctor episode for the 50^th Anniversary for at least two years, and Matt Smith concurs.

“I knew for a while that that was the plan,” claims Matt, but adds, “I didn’t know which Doctors would be coming back and I didn’t know what the story would be.”

However, final casting came relatively recently. “People now think I’ve been lying for years, but I haven’t really!” says David. “It really did all come together very late in the day.”

View the interview here: 

The Day Of The Doctor starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Joanna Page, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and John Hurt will be broadcast worldwide in sync with the BBC One premiere at 7.50pm GMT on Saturday 23rd November.

VIDEO & PHOTOS: Introducing The Day Of The Doctor

New The Day Of The Doctor introduction video featuring David Tennant, Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper, Steven Moffatt and John Hurt.

Watch below:


The Day Of The Doctor starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Joanna Page, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and John Hurt will be broadcast worldwide in sync with the BBC One premiere at 7.50pm GMT on Saturday 23rd November.

View photos below:

VIDEO: Steven Moffat On The Tennant-Smith Double Act

Steven Moffat has spoken exclusively to BBC America's blog Anglophenia about the interplay between David Tennant and Matt Smith in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, The Day Of The Doctor. He describes them as 'quite a double act', and says that they were both very skilled in finding the spaces and similarities between the different Doctors.

Watch the clip here:

The Day Of The Doctor airs worldwide in over 75 different countries on Saturday 23rd November from 2.50pm ET on BBC America and 7.50pm GMT on BBC One. Watch BBC America's Doctor Who Takeover all this week starting from 8am ET on Monday 18th November

VIDEO: David Tennant, Matt Smith & Steven Moffat On DOCTOR WHO: Exclusive 50th Anniversary Insider #1

Watch an exclusive interview with David Tennant and Matt Smith, and Lead Writer & Executive Producer Steven Moffat on Doctor Who as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

Part of BBC America's Doctor Who Takeover Week, leading into the 50th Anniversary Special "The Day of The Doctor" *** SAT NOVEMBER 23 at 2:50pm ET *** on BBC AMERICA. #SaveTheDay

INTERVIEW: Steven Moffat On The Day Of The Doctor

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special airs worldwide on 23 November The BBC has released details of the episode plus interviews with Steven Moffat, and key cast members.

Steven Moffat talks about writing and producing the 50^thAnniversary episode and where he may be watching it.

INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN MOFFAT – LEAD WRITER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Question: What is it like being the writer for the Doctor Who 50th special?

Steven Moffat: Since I was a little boy, the idea of writing a Doctor Who story at all was remarkable enough to me. But writing the 50th special was exciting and terrifying - everything that showbiz should be.

Q. So where did the story for ‘The Day of the Doctor’ come from?

SM: I didn’t want this to just be a celebration of 50 years of the past. I wanted it to be a celebration of the mythology of the legend of the Doctor and all that entailed. This should be the first step on the next journey, guaranteeing the 100th anniversary. The story focuses on the most important thing that ever happened to the Doctor. We very rarely do that in Doctor Who as it’s usually about the people the Doctor meets or the companion that travel with him. This time it’s different.

Q. ‘The Day of the Doctor’ welcomes back the shape-shifting Zygons, a monster we haven’t seen since the 1970s. Why did you decide they were the ones to bring back?

SM: The Zygons without question are a design classic. They are superb; brilliant from the voice, to the appearance. Essentially we’ve resurrected exactly the same Zygon as Tom Baker fought back in the 70s. They are beautiful, and it’ll show that the special looks forward to the future of Doctor Who and also celebrates the legend.

Q. At the end of the last series we were introduced to John Hurt as the Doctor. What does John bring to the role and can you tell us anything about his Doctor?

SM: With John Hurt we have serious acting royalty and that was the intent of John’s character. John is one of the most distinguished film stars of British origin, one of the most distinguished actors this country has produced and has now become part of Doctor Who mythology.

Q. There have been Doctor Who anniversary specials before, which are so well loved. How do you think this one will be remembered?

SM: There’s only really been one anniversary special before and that was for the 20th anniversary with ‘The Five Doctors’. ‘The Three Doctors’ wasn’t an anniversary special as it was one year to early, but we remember it that way. I adored ‘The Three Doctors’, it was brilliant, an accidental piece of magic. I also loved ‘The Five Doctors’. I did think that was the one where possibly the desire to celebrate overwhelmed the desire to tell a story. But I can’t really begrudge it that!

Q. ‘The Day of the Doctor’ will be the first time we see Doctor Who is proper 3D. Did you write the script with 3D in mind?

SM: My first impulse was if we’re going to do 3D it had to be part of the plot. We actually have to make 3D part of the story and if at all possible, to try and make 3D a bit scary. I wouldn’t say it’s in every scene, but there is an element of the show that exploits the fact of 3D.

Q. The 50th special will mark the return of David Tennant to the role of the Tenth Doctor, starring opposite the Eleventh, Matt Smith. How was it having two Doctors on set?

SM: It was eye twisting at times. You don’t quite realise how these two men have become hard wired into your brain as the Doctor. Matt and David got on so well and their interaction on screen is a sublime double act. Matt said to me, “It’s a bit like Laurel and Laurel. It’s like Hardy didn’t turn up”. They are absolutely great together. Sometimes very, very, different, other times in moments they choose together they are exactly the same.

Q. And seeing Billie and David on set together how was that?

SM: Seeing Billie and David standing on set together was quite epic. Billie told me that as she is very good friends with both Matt and David, she felt quite torn and divided. She didn’t know how to deal with both of them at the same time, so if she was talking to one she would stroke the arm of the other.

Q. And finally, where will you be watching the episode on 23 November?

SM: I’ve got two impulses. One is to watch it at home with my friends, particularly friends who made the show. My other impulse is to go out and join the party. But it’s a difficult one. When Matt and I watched ‘The Eleventh Hour’, we watched it many times before it went out. Then came the faithful day, the 3rd of April 2010. Matt came round to my house, my parents and his parents were there to watch the episode go out and have our future decided. Everyone sat down, but Matt and I couldn’t stay in the room. So I might be watching it peering round my kitchen door with Matt.

The Day Of The Doctor

The Doctors embark on their greatest adventure in this 50th Anniversary Special: in 2013, something terrible is awakening in London’s National Gallery; in 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan

England; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor’s own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.

The Day of the Doctor is written by Steven Moffat; directed by Nick Hurran; executive produced by Steven Moffat and Faith Penhale and produced by Marcus Wilson. It stars Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt.

The Day Of The Doctor airs worldwide on Saturday 23rd November.

Look out for the trailer on BBC One and BBC America on Saturday 9th November shortly before 8pm GMT

Find out more about the special here

Steven Moffat On David Tennant And Matt Smith: "They Got On Like A Couple Of Old Women"

Steven Moffat has revealed that Matt Smith and David Tennant were initially quite apprehensive of working together on the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, The Day Of The Doctor. 

"David's continued to watch Doctor Who like the sad old fan he is and so as far as he's concerned Matt's the Doctor. And of course for Matt, you don't believe yourself you're the Doctor, you just think David's the Doctor. So they were both slightly nervous and slightly apprehensive." he said at a Radio Times event earlier this month. However, it didn't take long for the two actors to become good friends and to develop a brilliant working relationship.

"They got on like a couple of old women. They just sat in the corner and gossiped the entire time. The double act between them is sublime. It’s one of those happy accidents – there’s no reason why they should be, but they are absolutely adorable and hilarious together," explained Moffat.

Apparently there was also a plan hatched so that the pair could continue to work together on the series. Moffat reveals,

"By the end of it, Matt told me that he’d worked out this plan that they’d both continue in Doctor Who: do five individual episodes each and three together – would that be ok? It was a nice plan. I think if I’d said yes they’d have gone for it."

The Day Of The Doctor starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and John Hurt will be simulcast on TV worldwide on Saturday 23rd November. The 75 minute feature will also receive a 3D worldwide cinematic release. 

Keep up to date with all the latest news and broadcast details on our website

Source: Radio Times

Fans Won't Have Long To Wait To See The Day Of The Doctor Trailer

The Radio Times reports that fans won't have long to wait until they see a trailer for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode, The Day Of The Doctor.
Saturday saw the premiere of the spectacular new 50 Years Of Doctor Who trailer, but what it didn't feature was any actual footage from The Day Of The Doctor, but according to the Radio Times this will soon be rectified as they quote Steven Moffat as telling them:

"If it were up to me, the BBC would only publicise Doctor Who and Sherlock, however, in their biased and wrong-headed view, they have a number of shows on before Sherlock and Doctor Who that they have to publicise now, so they’re waiting to publicise Doctor Who and Sherlock until later.

"I agree it is a crime! Who cares about those other shows? I don’t! But I have to wait in line, so the reason you haven’t see the 50th trailer yet is it’s too early to put it on.

"But it’s not going to be very much longer..."

Source.

In the meantime here's Saturday's trailer again:

Steven Moffat On The 50th Anniversary: How Do The Tenth And Eleventh Doctors Get On?

Steven Moffat has been talking to SFX magazine about how he envisaged the relationship between the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors when he was writing the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day Of The Doctor. David Tennant will be returning to the TARDIS alongside the current Doctor Matt Smith for the celebratory edition.

Steven says that he saw friction between the two incarnations of the Time Lord.

“When you’re talking to yourself there are no limitations, there’s no holding back," he explained. "You wouldn’t be kind or courteous. At the same time, because they are two lovable, madcap, caffeinated Doctors, they’re also quite fanboyish about each other. They think it’s quite cool. They’re not broody, upset Doctors – it’s more ‘There’s two of us! Brilliant!’”

However, he also adds that a lot has come from David Tennant and Matt Smith's own relationship and how they played the scenes.

“…they were having such a good time together that they brought that out. They get giggly with each other. It is, by lovely accident, a tremendous double-act. They’re naturally funny together. Enough alike and enough dissimilar. Matt said it was like Laurel and Laurel, as if Hardy didn’t show up – except he does in the form of John Hurt!”

On the similarities and differences between the Doctors he says, "Where they are similar is funny, because they're practically in unison, and where they are different is David is a cheeky, sexy, genuinely cool Doctor, up against a Doctor who thinks he's sexy and cool but is woefully wrong on that subject!"

Steven reveals that Matt and David were both quite nervous of the readthrough and though they had barely encountered one another previously they became great friends while filming the special.  

He also addressed the challenge of meeting fans' wishes while accepting that it would not be possible to bring back all of the previous Doctors to the special. 

"They're all brilliant, they're all terrific, but that time has passed," he explains. "I think it would be beyond the dignity of all those very fine actors to want to force themselves back into a costume for 20 or 30 years ago."

The full interview is published in the new edition of SFX, in shops now

The Day Of The Doctor, starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt, Billie Piper and Jenna Coleman, will be simulcast by TV broadcasters around the world on Saturday 23rd November. The 75 minute special will also have a worldwide 3D cinematic release.

Find out more about the 50th Anniversary Special here

The Day Of The Doctor: Steven Moffat Hints At The Secrets Of John Hurt's Dark Doctor

Steven Moffat has dropped hints about the secrets behind the mysterious incarnation of the Doctor played by John Hurt in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special The Day Of The Doctor. Hurt was briefly glimpsed in the closing moments of the last episode of series 7 and will go on to play a bigger role in the special. 

Rumours and theories have abounded since on his identity and his place within the Doctor's timeline.

Talking to SFX magazine, Moffat says of the dark and enigmatic character:

“Why not a mayfly Doctor, who exists for one show only? I’d often thought about that. Would it be weird in the run of the series to have the 45th Doctor turn up and be played by Johnny Depp or someone? Would that be a cool thing to do? There was also the idea that if you could bring one classic Doctor back, you’d actually, impossibly, want it to be William Hartnell. You wouldn’t want any of the others. You’d want him to come and say ‘What in the name of God have I turned into?’ That’s the confrontation that you most want to see, to celebrate 50 years. Going round and round in circles on it I just thought ‘What about a Doctor that he never talks about?’ And what if it is a Doctor who’s done something terrible, who’s much deadlier and more serious, who represents that thing that is the undertow in both David and Matt. You know there’s a terrible old man inside them. Well, here he is, facing the children he becomes, as it were.”

You can read the full interview and see exclusive pictures from The Day Of The Doctor in the new issue of SFX, out tomorrow (Wednesday 16th October).

The Day of the Doctor stars Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt. The 75 minute TV special will be simulcast in 2D and 3D by broadcasters around the world on Saturday 23rd November and will also be screened in 3D in cinemas worldwide

Visit our site for all the latest about The Day Of The Doctor

Steven Moffat On The Day Of The Doctor: "This is the adventure that he really remembers, and thinks, 'That was the day everything changed.'"

Doctor Who boss Steven Moffatt has been chatting about the show's 50th Anniversary episode, The Day Of The Doctor. 

Talking about the challenges in keeping the plot a secret from fans he says:
"The Zygons are just the villain we shot outside. I'll be honest with you, what you know about Doctor Who is entirely conditioned by which bits we have to shoot outside. We just tell you what we have to, when we have no choice. If we could make this on the dark side of the Moon and tell you nothing at all, I'd do it. I'd also lie to you prodigiously and regularly right now if I felt it would help keep a secret. Watch me."

On David Tennant and Matt Smith working together and playing the same the part he says:
"One of the comments that David and Matt made to each other after the read-through was 'It's really weird to hear someone else doing this, because I can keep thinking "Oh, is that how you're meant to do that bit?" 
You have to say, 'No, no, could you please both do it different ways?' 
While the flourishes change between the Doctors, the essential Doctor is just the Doctor."

On bringing Ten and Eleven face to face:
"It's one of those things that Doctor Who can do. You actually can have another Doctor revisit. I tried to imagine what it would be like to interact with your younger or older self, and I concluded that I'd absolutely hate it. My younger self would be a prat and my older self would just be even uglier. Imagine the lack of hope you'd have the moment the 30 year old me came into the room and saw the 51 year old me and went 'Really? Is this as good as it's ever going to get?'
I didn't write the show like that. That would've been depressing."

On how the show has gained mainstream popularity since it's comeback:
"In the first years when Doctor Who came back, everyone just became a fan. People stopped me in the street with the most abstruse questions - and they're real people, they're not fans like me - and I'm thinking 'You're not supposed to know this stuff, that's supposed to mine!'
It's very, very easy to keep Doctor Who accessible, because it's designed to be. The format can be summed up in such a short sentence even after all this time: it's a man who can travel anywhere in time and space and a box that's bigger on the inside. That's all you need to know."

On how he hopes the 50th will ensure there's a 100th!:

"You're going to get every kind of retrospective in the world when it comes to the 50th and you're not going to be short. To make this show just a walk-down, just a tribute to the past, a backward glance, would be like one of those end of year shows: 'That was the year that was! Look back and feel slightly old and sad.' Don't do that! Of course it's a celebration of the legend of Doctor Who, but more importantly it's ensuring there's going to be a 100th anniversary.

It's a hugely important story to the Doctor. That was my mission statement. Very, very rarely in Doctor Who does a story matter to him very much at all. Obviously he runs around, defeats mutants, meets a space badger, saves a civilisation, causes epiphanies to happen to everyone he meets, rushes back to the TARDIS and forgets everything about it. If you asked him he might have a vague memory of the badger, and that's it.

My intent was to move it forward, to have a show that's equally about the next fifty years of Doctor Who. Attaching the word fifty to anything...I almost tried to rip the logo off saying 'Why is that good?! That show you're watching is really old!' Why is that a good thing to say? It's about proving we've got many, many more stories to tell, and in a way, being able to say the story really starts here. People ask me how am I going to please the regular audience and I say I'm actually on a recruitment drive to get the people who've never watched it before to watch Doctor Who. That's what matters. There are some people out there who've never watched it before, God help them. You want them to think, 'Oh I've been missing out, I;m going to join in now.'

If you're going to celebrate Doctor Who, you're celebrating the Doctor - well, why not tell his story? What's it like for him? What's it like being him, what defines him, what defines what he is? How do you make that might moment in his life? What would be the Doctor's most important day, what would be the show that would change him as a person for ever, alter the course of his life?

That's what's big enough to do for the 50th, rather than just a parade of the greatest hits. Never mind that space badge one; this is the adventure that he really remembers, and thinks, 'That was the day everything changed.'"

Extracts from The Doctor His Lives And Times - Out now. 
Click here to purchase online.

David Tennant, Steven Moffat and Peter Davison Accept TV Choice Doctor Who Award

Digital Spy have posted an exclusive clip of the moment that Doctor Who was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the TV Choice Awards last week. The award was presented by the Peter Davison and  accepted by Steven Moffat, who then called Peter back to the stage along with David Tennant, Peter's real-life son-in-law..

David was even persuaded to say a few words in praise of the show. "It's 50 years young," he said, "I think it'll still be going in another 50 years and, who knows, maybe another member of our family will get a part in it"

Watch the clip here:

Doctor Who returns to screens with the 50th Anniversary episode The Day Of The Doctor which will air worldwide from November 23rd. Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman as the Eleventh Doctor and Clara will be joined by David Tennant and Billie Piper as the Tenth Doctor and Rose, and John Hurt as a mysterious unknown incarnation of the Doctor. 

Matt Smith is currently filming his final episode in Cardiff before handing the TARDIS over to his successor Peter Capaldi.


Source: Digital Spy

BBC Announces Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Schedule And Special Episode Title

The BBC have announced the the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special will be called The Day Of The Doctor. They have also confirmed that the running time of the episode, starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper and John Hurt will be 75 minutes. Filmed in 3D, it will be screened on BBC One, BBC America and worldwide on the 23rd November and will also have a limited cinematic release

Matt Smith, currently filming his final episode of Doctor Who in South Wales, said: "Hope you all enjoy. There's lots more coming your way."

The BBC made the announcement among details of other programmes scheduled to mark the anniversary of the show. These include:

• An Adventure In Space and Time, written by Mark Gatiss. The one-off drama stars David Bradley as William Hartnell, the first Doctor, and tells the story of the show’s beginnings in 1963

• A BBC Two lecture by Professor Brian Cox on the science behind the hit show 

• An Unearthly Child: BBC Four will introduce new audiences to Hartnell, with a re-run of the first ever story. The four episodes are being shown in a restored format, not previously broadcast in the UK. 

• Me, You and Doctor Who: presented by Matthew Sweet on BBC Two's The Culture Show is to explore the cultural significance of the BBC's longest running TV drama.

• Who Is The Doctor?: A 90-minute documentary on BBC Radio 2 with newly-recorded interviews and exclusive archive material

• Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide on BBC Three

• There will also be several more commissions on BBC Three

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer on Doctor Who said: "50 years has turned Doctor Who from a television show into a cultural landmark. Personally I can't wait to see what it becomes after a hundred."

Find out more about the 50th Anniversary Special on our website

Steven Moffat On The Serious, Sexy And Insane Incarnations Of The Doctor

Steven Moffat has been reflecting on Matt Smith's performance as the Doctor and also on the Doctor Who star's two predecessors ahead of the first appearance of Peter Capaldi in the role this Christmas. Talking to TV Drama on Worldscreen he said of the most recent incarnations of the Doctor: 

"It’s interesting to look at the three modern Doctors—and there’s about to be a fourth—and see what each of them bring to the show. Christopher [Eccleston] brought a gravitas and an importance, a statement that this is a serious proposition—a famous actor playing the part [of the Doctor]. He brought a toughness to it, a sensibleness to it. And then David [Tennant] for the very first time got the idea that the Doctor could be cool and sexy—a sort of dashing hero. 

What Matt brought to it, which is the last thing you'd expect from the youngest-ever Doctor, is he absolutely restored the idea that the Doctor is fundamentally an absent-minded professor. Matt’s Doctor is quite, quite mad. I remember David saying, I wish I had done it like that! Matt has such a madcap quality that what he brought was more than eccentricity—he’s absolutely insane. If David’s Doctor turned up [at your house] for morning coffee, he’d be fine. He’d be a lovely young man and he’d chat everybody up. Matt’s Doctor would turn up on a camel. He’s bonkers. The last thing anybody thought when we cast the 26-year-old was that what we’d get is a return to the eccentric old boffin that he is at heart, the hipster boffin."

As usual he had little to reveal about the 50th Anniversary special, saying, "It will be on November 23rd. John Hurt is in it and he’s playing the Doctor, and that’s cool. John Hurt is very cool."

However, explaining why the series has survived for 50 years he said, "...you can recast the Doctor. Not only can you recast the Doctor, you can create a Doctor who is appropriate for the times. He can always be modern. He can always be new. It’s an ancient tradition and yet it’s a brand-new iteration of that tradition. So it feels old and new at the same time, old and young."

Read the full interview here


The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper and John Hurt will screen worldwide on Saturday 23rd November. Click here for more information 

Matt Smith will hand over the TARDIS keys to Peter Capaldi as he takes over as the Twelfth Doctor on Christmas Day.

Space Canada To Simulcast Twelfth Doctor Reveal

Canadian fans of Doctor Who will be able to discover the identity of the new Doctor as it is announced. Space will be simulcasting the live TV special Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor at 2pm ET on Sunday 4th August

Hosted by Zoë Ball, Sunday’s half-hour special will include an interview with the 12th Doctor to-be, in addition to chats with Matt Smith and executive producer/head writer Steven Moffat. The show will also include guest appearances by Doctors and companions recent and past, as well as celebrity fans. And it’s all going to take place against the backdrop of a swirling vortex, amongst Daleks and the TARDIS.

Top names in the frame as the clock counts down to the big reveal include Peter Capaldi, Ben Daniels, David Harewood and Daniel Rigby

ABC1 To Simulcast Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor On Australian TV

ABC1 will be revealing the identity of the Twelfth Doctor live to Australian audiences in a simulcast of the TV special Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor live from London. The big reveal will occur at 4am on the morning of Monday 5th August.

ABC1 say
In a live special event, the next Doctor will be exclusively revealed. Widely regarded as one of the most hotly contested roles in TV, the show's host Zoe Ball will unveil the 12th Doctor in front of a live studio audience.

Zoe Ball will conduct the first interview with the new Doctor following their casting

The show will also feature guest appearances from past Doctors and companions and from celebrity fans of the show. Outgoing Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith will be interviewed as will current showrunner Steven Moffat.

Speculation on Matt Smith's replacement has been frenzied following his announcement that he would be stepping down from the role at Christmas. Current favourites to pick up the TARDIS keys are Peter Capaldi, Daniel Rigby, David Harewood and Ben Daniels. Steven Moffat has not ruled out the possibility of a female Doctor.

The show will be repeated at 8.30pm. 


Visit the ABC1 programme page here

VIDEO: Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor BBC America Trailer

Who will be the next Doctor? BBC America invite fans to find out this Sunday in a half hour special coming live from London.

DOCTOR WHO LIVE: THE NEXT DOCTOR SPECIAL TO AIR LIVE THIS SUNDAY ON BBC AMERICA

What:
The next Doctor of BBC AMERICA’s hit series Doctor Who will be announced during a live special this Sunday afternoon.

When:
Sunday, August 4, 2 pm ET LIVE on BBC AMERICAand BBC One in the U.K.

Who:
Widely regarded as one of the most hotly contested roles in British television, the special’s host Zoe Ball will unveil the Twelfth Doctor in their first-ever interview in front of a live studio audience. The half-hour show will include live special guests, Doctors old and new, as well as companions and celebrity fans. Current Doctor Matt Smith and lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat will both give interviews in the special.

Steven Moffat says: “The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who’s taking over the TARDIS. For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve.”

Matt Smith will make his penultimate appearance in the 50th Anniversary special on Saturday, November 23, and his Eleventh Doctor will regenerate in the Christmas Special. Doctor Who is produced by BBC Cymru Wales.

Watch the trailer here:

The Twelfth Doctor To Be Announced On Sunday In Live TV Special

The identity of the Twelfth Doctor will be revealed in a special Doctor Who Live TV show to be broadcast on Sunday 4th August at 7pm on BBC One. The Show will also be broadcast live by simulcast on BBC America at 2pm/1c

The new star of the show will be revealed in front of a live studio audience and will be interviewed by host Zoe Ball. The half hour show will also feature interviews from outgoing Doctor Matt Smith and showrunner Steven Moffat as well as past Doctors and companions and special celebrity fan guests. There may even be the odd Dalek or two.

Steven Moffat said : ‘The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who’s taking over the TARDIS. For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve.’

Charlotte Moore, Controller BBC One said, “BBC One is the home of big live events and this special live show is the perfect way to reveal the identity of the next Doctor and share it with the nation. The Doctor is a truly iconic role and I’m more than excited about the booking.”

Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, meanwhile revealed the code name they have been using for the actor: “We can’t wait to unveil the next Doctor with everyone live on BBC1 on Sunday night. Amongst all the speculation and betting, there has been lots of fun and intrigue at work as we’ve been using the codename Houdini as a decoy! It’s the biggest secret in showbiz, even those working with the new Doctor on other projects at the moment have no idea they are in the presence of the 12th incarnation.”

Last week the BBC advertised for an audience of Doctor Who fans for the show under the guise of a pilot for a TV series celebrating classic programmes. The show has been hidden in the TV listings by scheduling a repeat of Celebrity Mastermind in the timeslot.

Since Matt Smith announced earlier this year that he was stepping down from the role there has been fierce speculation about who will be cast as the new Doctor. Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Miranda Hart, David Harewood and Steven Mangan have been among some of the big names suggested, all of whom have denied their involvement. The latest favourite, Peter Capaldi, has not made any comment. In a recent interview at San Diego Comic Con, Matt Smith said that he believed that the actor chosen would be likely to be a relative unknown, while Steven Moffat maintained that they had only just started looking.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC America for the 50th Anniversary Special starring Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt, Billie Piper and Jenna Coleman, broadcasting on Saturday 23rd November.

Matt Smith's final episode, and the Twelfth Doctor's first, will be on Christmas Day

Steven Moffat 50th Anniversary Special Was "Unbelievably Tough"

Steven Moffat has revealed that the pressure of bringing the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special to our screens was "unbelievably tough"

Speaking to Sci Fi site Three If By Space at Comic Con he said "It was unbelievably tough actually to be honest making the 50th. It was extraordinarily difficult mainly because we were trying to push the boat out and as ever we didn’t have enough money and we're making a feature-length Doctor Who on the schedule and budget for an hour. We’re doing it in 3D on the budget for 2D. As ever with Doctor Who we just never have enough money but you will not see that on screen. It looks amazing."

"It's always pressure on Doctor Who, it really is, I'm always wary of the episodes you announce in advance 'This is a very important episode!' because it's up to the audience whether it's a very important episode. 'Blink' which is one I wrote many years ago for David Tennant has become my calling card and that was a filler episode to get round a scheduling problem so you can't.. I'm very wary of saying 'This one is very good' I think it's a lot of fun and you'll see some stuff that you've not seen before and you'll see it in 3D if you don't mind the headache of the glasses."

But what can fans eagerly anticipating the episode expect?
"Well you can expect David (Tennant) and Matt (Smith) together and you can expect John Hurt and you can expect a lot of things I'm not going to tell you about." laughed Moffat.

And it's unlikely that we'll be getting the answer to the question of just who is the Doctor..
"The theme of the name of the Doctor is something that will'certainly continue in to the 50th"
 "That the most well established fiction character in television doesn't have a name and the title of the show reminds you of that on a weekly basis...actually the Doctor's name was revealed in the old series, but everyone just rejected it"

Watch the full interview with Moffat below: