The BBC iPlayer will become the home of the biggest collection of Doctor Who episodes ahead of this year’s 60th anniversary specials.
- Hundreds of episodes will become available with new accessibility features for the first time.
- The archive also includes the various Doctor Who spin-offs over the years.
- Back catalogue officially launches 1st November.
Before the Anniversary Specials hit our screens, viewers will have the opportunity to travel back in time with any of the Doctors through the show’s 60 year history with the classic series.
Spin-offs including the Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood and Class will also be added. The behind-the-scenes show Doctor Who Confidential, which originally launched as a BBC Three add-on in 2005 will also be available.
The BBC will simultaneously launch an extensive online archive from the show’s history at bbc.co.uk/doctorwho, with everything from interviews with cast to written documents, long unheard audio, and behind-the-scenes photos. Together, they tell the story of the ground-breaking series through 60 archive gems for the 60th anniversary.
The archive invites fans to delve even deeper into the show with curated journeys such as the genesis of Doctor Who, where audio from former Head of Drama, Sydney Newman alongside documents with his original handwritten notes guide you through the origins of Doctor Who.
BBC iPlayer’s back catalogue and the online archive will launch on 1 November before David Tennant returns as the Fourteenth Doctor for three special 60th anniversary episodes.
Accessibility features
The BBC also promises that hundreds of older episodes will have multiple accessibility features added. Subtitles, BSL Signing and Audio Description, now the norm for all newer episodes, were missing from older ones.
Classic series returning to iPlayer
Previously, a selection of classic Doctor Who shows were available through BritBox. Now, the back catalogue of pre-2005 shows will land on the iPlayer for the first time.
New episodes
Beginning with the 60th anniversary specials, the broadcast rights for Doctor Who will be split between Disney+ and the BBC. The BBC will retain the rights for the UK and Ireland. Elsewhere, Doctor Who can be streamed on Disney+.
UK viewers can stream on the BBC iPlayer. In Ireland, the BBC is slowly rolling out a limited on-demand service that’s appeared on Sky Ireland.
With over 800 episodes of Doctor Who programming on iPlayer, Russell T Davies, Showrunner said:
“I’d like to thank the BBC for all the hard work, to get this massive back catalogue under one roof, at long last. I’m so excited for new viewers – imagine being 8 years old, spending winter afternoons exploring the 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. And we’re determined this won’t be a dusty museum – we have exciting plans to bring the back catalogue to life, with much more to be revealed!”
Dan McGolpin, Director of iPlayer and channels, said:
“Doctor Who has captivated countless millions of viewers on the BBC for 60 years and in celebration of this special moment we are bringing classic series to BBC iPlayer for the first time. Fans will be able to enjoy many of the Doctor’s earliest adventures with William Hartnell right through to the very latest series and the soon to be released and tremendously exciting new anniversary specials with David Tennant. We want everyone to be able to enjoy this breath-taking back catalogue, so we are making each episode on iPlayer as accessible as possible, with subtitles, audio description, and sign language all available for the first time.”
Marc Thornham
[Image: BBC]