The latest trailer for Doctor Who’s 60th-anniversary specials just landed, and it may reveal some important clues about what to expect.
Just two months to go before Doctor Who celebrates its 60th anniversary, a new trailer has been released, offering a closer look at the upcoming episodes starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. As Russell T Davies returns to helm the show and launch a brand-new Doctor in the TARDIS, the show is first taking a step back to celebrate its long and illustrious history. With confirmed cameos from old companions like Bonnie Langford, Carole Ann Ford, and Catherine Tate, the specials will be sure to delight fans young and old.
The marketing for these specials has been playful, often keeping details small and concealed to ensure that when the episodes do air, there will be a lot to unpack. Despite the careful efforts to conceal any significant details about the episodes, there are some things revealed in this latest Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials trailer that could be easily missed. Taking a closer look and examining the information, here is what to expect from the 60th-anniversary special episodes of Doctor Who.
9. UNIT Has A New Headquarters In Doctor Who
Previous Doctor Who episodes have seen UNIT operate on a fairly discreet basis, with much of their operations taking place underground beneath the Tower of London, or in unmarked buildings as is common for large skyscrapers around the English capital. That no longer appears to be the case. In a building that resembles Stark Tower from The Avengers, UNIT appears to have taken its operation and public profile to a whole new level. This building is still located in London, as it can be seen from the surrounding buildings, but it’s a new Skyscraper no longer in the Shard.
8. The TARDIS Ran Away
During the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials trailer, Donna and the Doctor stand in front of a wall with a large rectangular dent. Donna says, “There is something so bad the TARDIS ran away,” to which the Doctor replies, “Yes.” In a blink-and-you-‘ll-miss-it shot earlier in the trailer, the image of the TARDIS having crashed into this wall is shown. For the TARDIS to have crashed in such a manner and then run away from the Doctor instead of protecting its oldest friend, something is seriously wrong.
7. “A Spaceship Cr ashes Right In Front Of Her…”
Tennant’s Doctor can be seen speaking to a woman about Donna and her ability to attract extraterrestrial trouble. The ship that carries the Wrarth Warrior and the ship that carries Meep are certainly different, but it makes sense that the Wrarth would land close to where Meep crashes as they are hunting it down. In a previous trailer, Donna and several neighbors can be seen approaching the Meep spaceship at night in what looks to be a quiet neighborhood.
Likely, the Wrarth ship landed soon after and close by, as it can be seen flying through the sky about to crash during the night, likely just after the scene where Donna and her neighbors investigate Meep’s crash site. This means there won’t be long to wait before the Doctor and Donna are back together as the first special episode, “The Star Beast,” will be dealing with these characters. This suggests the timeline for the three episodes is very brief, potentially just a day or so.
6. Who Is The Doctor Speaking To About Donna
The woman that the Doctor is addressing about this situation is a character by the name of Shirley Anne Bingham, played by Rachel Madeley. She appeared in a previous trailer briefly, but no further details about her character have been revealed. Whoever she is, they appear to be in a small quiet spot, and the Doctor is relaying personal information, so she will likely have a larger part in the episode.
5. Meep Hiding In Donna’s Shed
The Meep has appeared in multiple trailers, with this same image of him hiding in Donna’s shed, but it’s important due to how it links the timeline for the episodes together. The latest Doctor Who trailer featured many scenes with both Donna and the Doctor. How the Meep fits into the story, and if they will be absent after Doctor Who’s first special episode, could be the thing that draws the Doctor and Donna together again. Many clips also show soldiers and gunfire in a public street and an explosion in Donna’s hall. All of this is likely to happen very early on as the episodes air.
4. Donna’s Memories Are Back, But She Certainly Isn’t Safe
The whole adventure appears to happen in a short space of time. Special One, Donna, and neighbors see the crashed shuttle of the Meep; the Doctor along with Rose Noble sees the Wrarth ship plummeting to Earth that same night. This brings the Doctor back into Donna’s life and, while they share three full special episodes Donna may not have much time left after meeting her old friend. The Doctor himself states, “I don’t know if I can save your life this time” indicating that the clock is ticking for both of them.
3. The TARDIS Being Airlifted To UNIT
Kate Stewart has previously picked up the Doctor’s TARDIS and transported it across London, but accidentally ended up taking the Doctor along in it. Here, both the Doctor and his TARDIS can be seen in a single shot with the TARDIS being carried by a helicopter behind the one that the Doctor is riding in. The Doctor looks very upset despite traveling to see an old friend, and he normally wouldn’t choose to take a lift when he could use his own ship. This indicates that something has gone wrong with the TARDIS and the Doctor may be trapped.
2. “How Do We Fight The Human Race?”
Spoken by Kate Stewart upon seeing the Doctor arrive at UNIT, this ominous statement indicates that the Celestial Toymaker played by Neil Patrick Harris, or some other imminent threat has turned humanity against them. It makes the most sense that this is due to meddling from the Toymaker, as he can create entire realities and bend them to his will, meaning that it’s possible this whole situation is being orchestrated by him. Either way, it’s not going to be easy for the Doctor to fight the bad guys and the human race all at once.
1. The Doctor Is Regenerating
The Doctor may have just regenerated from Jodie Whittaker’s final episode, but it appears that maybe he hasn’t quite finished changing just yet. That or this may be part of the scene that leads up to his regeneration into Ncuti Gatwa, the next Doctor. Either way, this brief glimpse of regeneration energy is pointing toward a more important moment. Tennant has had a delayed regeneration twice already during his stint as the Doctor. While fighting the Sycorax on Christmas day, he lost a hand, but thanks to recently having regenerated, he was able to grow a new one.
Again, when Tennant’s Doctor suffered a fatal injury during Doctor Who season 4, episode 12, “The Stolen Earth,” he managed to redirect his regeneration energy into his old hand, creating a whole new Doctor. If Tennant is again experiencing a delayed regeneration event here, these specials may just be happening before the Doctor’s regeneration from Whittaker is fully complete, meaning Tennant’s new appearance is just temporary and not a full regeneration in Doctor Who.
