Russell T Davies teases ‘revolutionary things’ in Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials

And the celebrations are going to be huge. With Russell T Davies back at his writing desk, and David Tennant and Catherine Tate reunited in the Tardis for three anniversary specials, Saturday nights are set to be filled with incredible adventures through time and space.

Davies, 60, has been a fan of Doctor Who since he was a young boy, and was responsible for the programme’s revival in the mid-2000s with Christopher Ecclestone as the Ninth Doctor. His rich writing brought legions of fans, old and new, to the new version of the sci-fi series, and he stayed involved for four series, throughout Ecclestone’s 13-episode tenure and three series with the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant.

Many count Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor among their favourites, and for those who loved the Scottish actor’s version of the two-hearted Time Lord, this 60th Anniversary celebration will prove extra special: he’s returning as the Fourteenth Doctor, reunited with his beloved Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.

The return of the two actors was a rather serendipitous event, Davies explains.

The reunification was brought following ‘Tweet-alongs’ of old Doctor Who episodes during the pandemic, which would see Davies and the cast watch an episode and share their thoughts along with fans on social media.

“It was then Catherine who said she loved it, she loved watching, she said: ‘Oh, I’ve always loved Donna Noble, and wouldn’t it be marvellous to make some more?’, and I went ‘Oh, yeah, yeah yeah’,” says Davies.

“And then she asked David, she said, ‘Would you make some more?’ and he went: ‘Oh, God, in a heartbeat!’

“I genuinely felt honour-bound to go to the BBC and say, ‘Look, these two stars have just said – I know there’s a 60th anniversary coming up – they would love to come back’. Simple as that.

“So I just sent off that email, on Christmas Eve, or December the 23rd. Best Christmas present you ever had!”

Writing for Tennant and Tate again, all these years later, was “lovely,” Davies adds.

“They never quite go, really,” he says.

“Big characters don’t go from your head, they keep on ticking away, in a way.”

Joining the cast for these specials is the talented Yasmin Finney, who’s best known for playing Elle in Netflix’s Heartstopper but had previously gained a social media following for her TikTok videos about her experiences as a Black teenage trans woman in Britain.

The 20-year-old actress plays Donna’s daughter, Rose, and Davies says that it was a “privilege” to have her on set.

“It’s not just a Doctor Who thing for me: it’s something I, and a lot of other writers, are very keen to do, to be progressive and to just reflect more of society,” he says of her casting.

“And it’s funny, in casting Yasmin, it’s like, there was a 15-year-old of mixed race, there’s very few people we could have cast.

“It’s like a light came down from heaven, and there she was! Before Heartstopper, actually, it was just so powerfully meant to be.

“And I think she does the most amazing job, and it’s an absolute privilege to work with her, to get her on screen.”

The 60th anniversary specials are, therefore, crafted of a delightful blend of the old and the new – a sentiment that runs right down to the story itself, and the way that it’s told.

Davies was inspired by an old Doctor Who comic strip from the 70s for the first of the three specials, titled The Star Beast.

“This is an old 1979 comic strip from Doctor Who Magazine,” Davies explains of the story in the first special episode.

“That’s such a classic strip: A lonely alien lands and a child befriends the alien and tries to help the alien.” he teases.

The Doctor Who team has combined this historic story with all the bells and whistles of a modern TV production to create a spectacular celebration of the programme – including a new Tardis interior and some wonderful other-worldly characters.

“We all actually had to learn how to make a show on this budget – I mean, it’s not a Star Wars budget, nonetheless, it’s more than most things I’ve made for the past 10 years added together!” he laughs.

“So actually learning how to do that has been… we’re still learning. We’re still finding ways to do it, but it was done with so much joy.”

Of course, there’s more to come after The Star Beast: two more special episodes which look to be delightful – if rather dark and scary at times.

“The next one is called Wild Blue Yonder, where the Tardis goes further than ever before,” says Davies.

“Second one: darker, weird. It’s not so much scary, it’s just, it’s weird. It’s genuinely weird.

“That stretched the whole design team as to how to make it and how to get this stuff on screen.

“Third one, all comes to a climax in The Giggle, which is Neil Patrick Harris as the toymaker, who was an old enemy from the 1960s coming back. That one’s wild, that one’s scary, that one’s nuts. It’s a completely mad adventure, and that’s frightening, and revolutionary things happen in it.”

As a life-long Doctor Who fan himself, Davies is keen to ensure that even the most dedicated of Whovians have Easter eggs to enjoy, as well as fresh new surprises in every episode.

Doctor Who returns with The Star Beast on BBC One at 6.30pm on Saturday, November 25.