Taking Doctor Who and Doctor Who@60: A Musical Celebration will air on BBC Four
The BBC have added two more events to November’s television schedule of Doctor Who events. As part of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary celebrations David Tennant will be fronting a new documentary looking back at six decades of the show. Meanwhile, the recent 60th Anniversary concert (currently on BBC Sounds) will get an airing. Both programs arrive on BBC Four on the 1st of November, effectively kicking off the diamond jubilee in earnest.
Talking Doctor Who features Tennant guiding viewers through the story of the show from its earliest days. It’s accomplished with the aid of archive footage of interviews with the actors who’ve played the Doctor, including William Hartnell. The result provides a unique insight into just what it means to be the Doctor.
Doctor Who@60: A Musical Celebration follows immediately afterwards on BBC Four. The live concert recording features some of the best loved pieces of music for the show’s history. The Radiophonic Workshop provide a suite of music drawing from classic stories like City of Death. While many of Murray Gold’s iconic themes like Doomsday, I am the Doctor and The Shepherd Boy are performed live by the orchestra too. There’s also a medley of pieces from Segun Akinola’s time as the series’ composer. And as if that wasn’t enough, presenter Jo Whiley also interviews the Radiophonic team, Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall, Murray Gold and Segun Akinola on the important role of music in making Doctor Who.
Plus, tune in to see the debut of Fifteen and The Life of Sunday, the new TARDIS team’s character themes, and Murray Gold’s latest arrangement of the Doctor Who theme itself!
Over 800 episodes of Doctor Who will also be made available on iPlayer
In parallel to this, almost the entire back catalogue of Doctor Who will be appearing on iPlayer. It’s a move to make it more accessible to fans new and old than ever before. Sadly, one significant omission is the first story itself, An Unearthly Child, while there are significant gaps in the 1960s archive due to the once standard practice of wiping old tapes. But it still leaves fans with over 800 episodes from across six decades to explore.
Talking Doctor Who is on BBC Four at 7.30pm on the 1st of November, with Doctor Who@60: A Musical Celebration on BBC Four at 8.30pm the same night.
