More than 800 episodes of Doctor Who programming will be landing on the BBC iPlayer on November 1, ahead of the 60th-anniversary specials. Fans can watch, at their leisure, an extensive back catalogue of the Doctor Who universe with spin-offs including Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Class.
Plus, the BBC recently confirmed the arrival of Doctor Who: Unleashed, a behind-the-scenes programme to support the new era. The BBC will also launch an online archive here, including interviews, written documents, audio, and behind-the-scenes content. The archive will arrive on the same day as the back catalogue.
More content will be added to the archive over time, which the BBC reports will include “a special collection of photos that have been scanned at 8k resolution from an estimated total of 25,000 prints, negatives, slides and digital images” to provide “an unprecedented insight into the show with access to all areas throughout the years.”
“I’d like to thank the BBC for all the hard work, to get this massive back catalogue under one roof, at long last,” said Russell T Davies, returning showrunner. “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!”
“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,” said Dan McGolpin, the director of iPlayer and channels.
“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,” he added.