BBC Brings Back Doctor Who: Classic Episodes Return
Dust off your sonic screwdriver—the TARDIS is locking onto 2010, and a timey-wimey blast of nostalgia is about to hit.
While everyone waits for actual news on Doctor Who’s future, the BBC is dusting off a fan favorite era to tide us over. BBC Three is dropping back into 2010 with Saturday night reruns, starting with Matt Smith’s first outings as the Eleventh Doctor. Not a bad way to keep the TARDIS warm.
So, what’s airing and when?
BBC Three is kicking off a run of 2010 episodes on Saturday nights, starting Saturday 27 September at 7:10pm. They are leading with Matt Smith’s debut and then rolling right into his second adventure:
- 7:10pm: The Eleventh Hour (Season 5 premiere, Smith’s first episode)
- 8:15pm: The Beast Below (Season 5, Episode 2)
How long does this little time trip last? The BBC isn’t saying yet. No confirmed episode count, no promise that they’ll show all of Smith’s first season, and no hint if they plan to keep going beyond that. Consider this a soft-launch mystery box.
What’s happening with the actual future of Doctor Who?
The next new stop in the Whoniverse is The War Between the Land and the Sea, a brand-new spin-off arriving next year. The expectation (industry translation: educated guess) is that once that show lands, we’ll finally get clarity on the BBC’s long-term co-production setup with Disney. That’s the inside-baseball part of all this: the deal details are still under wraps, and everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The BBC’s public stance, though, is basically: don’t panic.
"Any Whovians out there, rest assured - Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership and it continues with The War Between the Land and the Sea next year but, going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC."
- Kate Phillips, BBC chief content officer, speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival last month
Meanwhile, the current timeline is... wild
The most recent episode, The Reality War, ended with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper. Yes, really. Whether Piper is actually playing the Doctor or something tricksy that only makes sense three episodes later is still unclear. Classic Who chaos, truly.
As for Gatwa, he’s been honest about wrestling with whether to stick around. He says he fell hard for the show, will miss it, but ultimately felt ready to move on. Sounds like a thoughtful exit rather than a messy one.
Where to watch right now
Doctor Who is streaming on BBC iPlayer. And if you’re in the mood for a victory lap through the bow tie years, BBC Three has your Saturday nights sorted starting 27 September.