With Doctor Who celebrating its 60th anniversary in November 2023, a wealth of Doctor Who icons will be returning to mark the milestone – including Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. The two actors will be joined alongside Tom Baker, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Davison, and Paul McGann for an “epic eight-hour anniversary story” in the form of an audio drama series, thanks to a report from Digital Spy.
The story, titled Once and Future, is expected to roll out in May 2023 and span seven months. The series has been described by producer David Richardson as “a huge Doctor Who party and a massive celebration that has been years in the making.”
Once and Future is set during the events of The Time War, and after sustaining injuries, the Doctor is hospitalised at “a Time Lord field hospital. His body glows with energy, but this is no regeneration into a future form – instead, the Doctor’s past faces begin to appear as he flits haphazardly between incarnations.”
The synopsis sees the Doctor setting out in his TARDIS “the mystery of his ‘degeneration’. Who has done this to him? How? And why? From the Earth to the stars, across an array of familiar times and places, he follows clues to retrace his steps, encountering old friends and enemies along the way.”
“Tumbling through his lives, the Doctor must stop his degeneration before he loses himself completely…” the synopsis ends. Previously, Eccleston had teased his involvement in “something very special” for next year’s 60th anniversary.
Doctor Who returns to our televisions in November 2023 for three special episodes.