Ready the Tardis, as the Doctor has an anniversary coming up. Starting in November, the iconic British sci-fi hit Doctor Who will mark 60 years on air with an all-new series of specials.

First premiering back in 1963, the series initially ran for 26 seasons until 1989. A TV movie followed in 1996, and the series resumed new episodes in 2005. The 2022 specials recently concluded with the third and final event, “The Power of the Doctor.” There, Jodie Whitaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into the fourteenth incarnation of the traveling Time Lord. Stepping into the role of the Fourteenth Doctor is none other than David Tennant, who previously portrayed the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010. The return of Tennant isn’t the only surprise for the program’s 60th anniversary, and the crew is planning other events to celebrate six decades of the beloved Time Lord.

Update September 27, 2023: In honor of the new trailer for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials, this article has been updated with even more information about the upcoming television event.

With that, let’s look at what else we know about the Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebrations. Where will the story take this new incarnation of the Doctor? Will any other famous faces pop up? When and where will the specials air? And what else should audiences know about the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who?

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary: The Plot

As always, the plot of the three-episode-story arc is being kept under wraps, but the official full trailer released in September has revealed some exciting details for long-time fans of the series. Showrunner Russell T. Davies has teased what audiences can expect, saying:

“If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s [Gatwa] Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”

That statement doesn’t give much about what we can expect, but it’s meant to build up hype. Davies references Ncuti Gatwa, who has been cast to play the landmark fifteenth incarnation of the doctor. Gatwa will also be the first Black actor to take on the role. His first season as the Fifteenth Doctor will premiere after the anniversary specials conclude. Gatwa even makes a brief appearance at the end of the full trailer released in September, so audiences can expect to see him in at least one of the three special episodes.

Related: Doctor Who: New Era Regenerations, Ranked

The trailer also confirms the return of Donna Noble and her portrayer Catherine Tate, who appeared alongside Tennant’s Tenth Doctor on and off from 2006 to 2010. The circumstances behind Noble’s return have been purposely kept ambiguous, with Davies teasing that it could be anything from a flashback to a dream sequence to an alternate universe.

However, she’s featured significantly in the trailer, with all signs indicating she will be a large part of the story. When she was last seen, the Tenth Doctor’s red-headed companion had all memory of the Doctor erased — something the Doctor did to save her life after she became imbued with all of his knowledge. Her human mind otherwise would have burned up from the burden of all he knew.

The official anniversary trailer opens with Donna lamenting that she feels like she’s lost something “lovely” while scenes of both the Tenth and the Fourteenth Doctor appear. The Fourteenth Doctor then discusses how a series of events — including a spaceship crashing and a toy coming to life — seem to revolve around Donna, drawing them back together. After Donna and the Doctor embark on another adventure, the Doctor is also shown confiding in Donna that he might not be able to save her life this time.

The villain of the anniversary story has also been confirmed to be The Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris. The Toymaker appeared all the way back in 1966 in a four-episode arc. Three of those episodes are missing and are lost media. Donna observes that he’s such an intimidating force the TARDIS runs away from him in fear.

Also revealed is the return of UNIT and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (played by Jemma Redgrave), its Chief Scientific Officer. Another notable character is Beep the Meep, an alien character that has only appeared in Doctor Who comics and will be making his live-action debut in the special. Worth noting is that while he might be a cute-looking creature, he typically is a malevolent and homicidal world conqueror, so he might be another villain.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary: The Cast
BBC

We know that David Tennant will be back in the role of the Doctor, this time playing the character’s fourteenth incarnation, who is physically identical to the tenth. Catherine Tate will also return to the series as Donna Noble. As Jodie Whitaker bowed out as the Doctor after “The Power of the Doctor,” it is unlikely that she will appear in the specials.

In addition to Tennant and Tate, Jacqueline King will return as Sylvia Noble, the mother of Tate’s Donna Noble. Bernard Cribbins is also set to return as Wilfred Mott, Sylvia’s father and Donna’s grandfather. Cribbins reportedly had completed filming before his death in July 2022. English actress Yasmin Finney is set to join the cast as a new character named Rose Nobel, the daughter of Donna Noble. Finally, in one of the more unexpected casting pieces, Neil Patrick Harris will play the celestial villain, The Toymaker.

Related: How Doctor Who’s Thirteenth Doctor Might Change the Series Moving Forward

“The Power of the Doctor” went all out with former Doctor cameos, with brief appearances by Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor, Colin Baker as the Sixth, Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh, Paul McCann as the Eighth, and David Bradley as the First (originally played by the late William Hartnell). We could see some of those names — and others — return again as surprises for the 60th anniversary if it is truly meant to celebrate all the series’ distinct eras. Nothing has been confirmed, but we’re not giving up hope.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Episodes
BBC

As November approaches, the BBC slowly releases more details about the anniversary episodes, including their titles. In May, it was announced via a second teaser trailer that the first episode will be called “The Star Beast,” the second “Wild Blue Yonder,” and the third “The Giggle.” Promotions for each special have also been shared by the network on the show’s official Instagram page.

While the titles give away little information, it’s likely viewers can expect a return to the fun yet high-stakes emotional stories made famous when Russell T Davies served as showrunner and writer for the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble. Davies, who departed the series in 2009, passed the torch to Steven Moffat, who oversaw the show with Matt Smith in the role of the Eleventh Doctor. According to Entertainment Weekly, Davies released a statement encouraging long-time fans to be excited for the specials:

“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 60th Anniversary: Release Dates
Image via Entertainment Weekly

The anniversary specials are set to premiere on the BBC in November 2023. Some have speculated that the first special will premiere on November 23, the exact date when the series first premiered in 1963. In the UK, the episodes will air on the BBC, and in the U.S., viewers will be able to watch them on Disney+. The specials will mark six decades of one of the most iconic sci-fi series ever produced.

The specials might be spread out over the holidays. If the first episode airs on November 23, 2023, that means the second episode could air on Christmas Day. For years, Doctor Who used to do Christmas specials before shifting over to New Year’s specials. New Year’s Day could be when the third and final special airs. This would allow Doctor Who to air a special episode on three days that have significance to the franchise and would allow the new year to kick off with a new Doctor.