Ben Stephenson teases Doctor Who 50th anniversary

Ben Stephenson, the BBC’s controller of drama, has teased Doctor Who fans with what they can expect from the show’s forthcoming 50th anniversary.

However, for fans expecting concrete details of what the occasion will entail you won’t find any here. Ben Stephenson was suitably vague about what will occur when the sci-fi drama marks its landmark birthday.

Stephenson stated, of the actual 50th birthday episode, “There will be lots of aliens and Daleks and things like that – or maybe there won’t….There’s many different things to take into account. We’ll also have a Christmas special after that and it all connects. Or maybe it doesn’t. There is lots to work out”

On the occasion itself Stephenson said “Most people have their own Doctor Who. [The plans are] drawing on the nostalgia to say something bigger. It’s a nationwide celebration of both Doctor Who and the BBC because I think they are so synonymous.”

At the moment the only confirmed fact regarding the 50th anniversary is that it will be broadcast in 3D. Reports suggest there will just be one 60 minute special episode to mark the occasion but that has not been confirmed by the BBC or show-runner Steven Moffat

There will be the BBC Two drama An Adventure in Space and Time penned by Mark Gatiss. The drama will chart the genesis of Doctor Who and its early years on television. It’s also quite likely there will be special editions of quiz-shows, such as Pointless, to mark the 50th and also appearances by actors past and present on shows such as BBC Breakfast and The One Show – but that is pure speculation on our part.

The seventh season of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman, will resume on Easter Saturday. Executive producer Caroline Skinner recently confirmed original series monsters The Ice Warriors will be returning in the new episodes. It has previously been confirmed the Cybermen will also be returning in the new batch of episodes in an episode penned by Neil Gaiman.