On Nov. 23, 1963, the TARDIS first materialized on our screens in the original premiere of Doctor Who, and television was never the same again. This Wednesday, then, marks the 59th birthday of the immortal sci-fi series, and fans could not have more to celebrate. On the back of Jodie Whittaker’s regeneration into familiar favorite David Tennant, and with Ncuti Gatwa waiting in the wings, 2023 is set to be a banner year for the Whoniverse.
And the BBC has just celebrated Doctor Who Day in the best way possible, with this spectacular promo image that honors the past, present, and future of the show — all jumbled up in a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey way, just as the Doctor would like it. The epic image brings together every single incarnation of the time-traveling Time Lord there’s ever been. See it for yourself here:
From left to right, we have the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), the Fugitive Doctor (Jo Wilson), the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann), the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant #2), the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), the First Doctor (William Hartnell), the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi), the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant #1), the War Doctor (John Hurt), the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker), and last but not least, the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton).
Sadly, it’s a smidge too early for Gatwa to be included in this legendary lineup, as the BBC has yet to officially unveil the Fifteenth Doctor in costume, although we did get a snippet of footage in the trailer for Who‘s 60th anniversary celebrations. Tennant’s interim Doctor is set to star in three specials next November before handing the Sonic Screwdriver onto Gatwa, who’ll travel space and time with Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday. All in all, the future of the Whoniverse is looking very bright indeed.
Happy Doctor Who Day, Whovians!