Whovians are about to have their work cut out for them – over 800 episodes of Doctor Who are heading to the BBC’s streaming service. More below…
If you’re a Doctor Who fanatic with a TV license and (roughly) 330 hours to spare, then we’ve got some great news. Near-enough every episode is about to arrive on BBC iPlayer for the first time.
Until now, the Doctor’s adventures have been split across multiple different platforms, with BritBox taking the classic era (pre-2005) with the modern revival alternately appearing on iPlayer and Netflix.
Soon, though (how soon hasn’t yet been specified), all that flicking between channels will be a thing of the past. Not only will BBC iPlayer host every remaining episode (a few have gone missing over the years) of the original show, it’ll also claim all the show’s spin-off series, from Torchwood to The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Class to behind-the-scenes series Doctor Who Confidential.
Read more: Doctor Who: celebrating Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor
But that’s not all! The move will be joined by a new “online archive” to celebrate the history of the show, which promises to get constant updates to include things like cast interviews, written archives and old audio and radio content on the show. All good stuff, basically.
The show’s current showrunner, Russell T Davies, said of the occasion: “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!”
Director of iPlayer and channels Dan McGolpin added: “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.”
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