Considering he's approaching his 60th birthday, the time-shifting Doctor is looking rather good! David Tennant is back in the TARDIS to mark six decades of one of the BBC's most beloved shows, with the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials streaming weekly from Saturday, November 25 until December 9, with episode one, "The Star Beast", available now.
You can catch the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials for FREE in the UK on the BBC iPlayer streaming service. But don't worry if you're on holiday because you can watch Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer from anywhere with a VPN.
UK: iPlayer (free with licence fee)
US/AUS: Disney Plus
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
To celebrate Doctor Who's landmark anniversary, the BBC is airing a trilogy of brand new episodes between November 25 and December 9. Tennant will reprise his titular role, becoming the first actor to play two incarnations of the Doctor (10th and 14th). Catherine Tate will also return to her companion role as Donna Noble and it's expected that Ncuti Gatwa will make his much-anticipated first appearance as the Doctor.
And it's not just the actors who are back. Showrunner Russell T Davies returns to the hot seat, too, after leaving the show in 2010 to work on shows such as A Very English Scandal, Years and Years and It's a Sin.
In addition to Tennant, Tate and Gatwa, the inimitable Neil Patrick Harris joins the cast to play the specials' main antagonist, the fiendish Toymaker. And the much loved English character actor Bernard Cribbins – who passed away last year – will also appear as Wilfred Mott.
Can't wait to watch the celebratory new Doctor Who trilogy? Here's how to watch Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials from anywhere in the world. Keep reading for all the information you'll need to stream online, including the episode release schedule and watching when overseas.
How to watch Doctor Who in the UK for free
How to watch Doctor Who in the US and Australia
For the first time, new episodes of Doctor Who will exclusively land on Disney Plus for Whovians outside the UK.
Disney Plus prices start at $7.99 / AU£13.99 per month, with the value getting better if you sign up for an annual plan.
If you're in the US, you also have the option of paying a little more and getting the Disney Plus bundle. For $9.99 a month, it adds Hulu to the package (with higher-price plans throwing in ESPN Plus and ad-free streaming too).
The trilogy of new Doctor Who episodes will be available to watch on Disney Plus on the same day and time as they go out on the BBC in the UK (1.30pm ET / 10.30am PT / 5.30am AEDT (on the Sunday in Australia)), with episode one available right now.
How to watch Doctor Who from anywhere with a VPN
You can watch Doctor Who on any of the streaming services above no matter where you are in the world, and all with one clever little tool. And it's not a sonic screwdriver!
Normally a streaming service will know where you are trying to tune in from and block you if you're not in the right country but a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an app that hides your location. That means you can access your usual sports and entertainment services even while you're traveling abroad.
The best VPN deal around right now is NordVPN, which is rated as a top VPN according to our sister site, TechRadar. There's a helpful guide on the best VPN services on TechRadar if you'd like to know more.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN.
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
What is the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials release date?
The trilogy of Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials are set to go out on three consecutive Saturdays, and started on November 25.
They will be broadcast on BBC One and land on iPlayer in the UK and Disney Plus globally at 6.30pm UK / 1.30pm ET / 10.30am PT / 5.30am AEDT.
- Episode 1: The Star Beast – Available now
- Episode 2: Wild Blue Yonder – December 2
- Episode 3: The Giggle – December 9
All you need to know about Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials
Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials, episode two trailer
When is the next full series of Doctor Who?
Following the 60th anniversary episodes and upcoming 2023 Christmas special, the full adventures of the 15th Doctor will begin in 2024.
The season 14 air date is yet to be revealed, but is expected in the spring.
Who is the 15th Doctor?
31-year-old Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa will enter the TARDIS for the first time as the 15th Doctor during the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials.
Gatwa is best known for his role as Eric Effiong in the Netflix series Sex Education. he also appeared as one of the Kens in 2023's Barbie movie.
He will be the first black actor to portray the Doctor, as well as the first openly gay person to do so.
Gatwa's companion will be Millie Gibson, playing Ruby Sunday. Gibson is best known for award-winning turn as Kelly Neelan in British soap Coronation Street.
Where can I watch other Doctor Who epsiodes?
The whole Doctor Who catalog (barring a few rogue episodes) was put on to the BBC iPlayer in the UK in November 2023.
Around the world, Doctor Who episodes are generally available for purchase or rental on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video and iTunes. And all of the 2005 onwards episodes are available on Max in the US and Foxtel, Binge and Stan in Australia.
For more information, visit our dedicated guide on how to watch Doctor Who online.
Was there a Doctor Who 50th anniversary special?
To celebrate 50 years of the Doctor, the BBC broadcast a special episode one-off episode called The Day of the Doctor on November 23, 2013.
As well as the current Doctor at the time Matt Smith, it also saw appearances of David Tennant and the then next-Doctor Peter Capaldi.
You can watch The Day of the Doctor on BBC iPlayer in the UK and HBO's Max platform in the US.
