After yesterday’s hilariously implausible rumor about the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, today we get some real news.
Farther in advance than ever before (at least since the show returned in 2005), the BBC has announced the start date for new episodes. The second half of season 7 will begin, as new seasons have tended to, on Easter weekend, Saturday March 30.
In addition, from the London Toy Fair comes the loose schedule of Doctor Who programming for 2013.
- Series 7 Part 2 (8 Episodes / Spring 2013)
- 50th Anniversary Special (1 x 60 minutes / Autumn 2013)
- An Adventure in Space and Time (1 x 90 minutes / Autumn 2013)
- Doctor Who Revisited (11 x 25 minutes / throughout year)
What’s interesting about this is the lack of a Christmas special and no mention of season 8. Is it now clear that the split season 7 is just two short seasons (especially when you think of all the changes mid-season – new companion, costume, TARDIS, and most notablly, opening credits)?
Other plans the BBC has for the anniversary include
- Launch of Doctor Who website in January
- Doctor per month retail campaign on Amazon and Forbidden Planet
- Monthly BFI screenings and Q&A sesssions at BFI
- Royal Mail stamps in March
- Major presence at Comic Con, San Diego
- Partnering with the Science museum on co-branded products and activities
Regarding Doctor Who toys, the big news is kind of small. The toy line is shrinking from its now long-standing 5 1/4″ scale to the more cost-effective 3 3/4″ scale. This sadly means that while your new Clara figure won’t fit in with your existing collection, you will be able to set up some really sweet Doctor Who/Star Wars/G.I. Joe/Marvel crossovers.
For more images, head over to The Doctor Who Site’s Flickr.
