Even for a centuries-old time-traveling alien with two hearts, this is a pretty major event.
The long-running British sci-fi show “Doctor Who” turns 50 on Saturday, and the BBC is going all out with its celebratory episode and surrounding coverage. It is, we can safely say, the biggest global “Who” event ever: shot in 3D, the 50th anniversary show will air in 75 countries simultaneously, as well as being broadcast in select movie theaters on Monday — including six theaters in Manhattan (go to fathomevents.com for theater locations and tickets).
The episode, titled “The Day of the Doctor,” has been largely kept under wraps, though details have been trickling out in the run-up to the air date. In a plot showrunner Steven Moffat has promised will “change the narrative” of the program about an eccentric, shape-shifting time traveler, we will find the Doctor (in more than one of his incarnations) in present-day London at the National Gallery, and in 1562, and an “ancient battle somewhere in space.”
A mini-episode aired online last week also revealed details on John Hurt’s character, a version of the show’s hero who’s referred to as “The War Doctor.”
Earlier this week, Tom Baker, the actor who played the Fourth Doctor from 1974 to 1981, let slip in an interview that he’ll also be making an appearance in the episode, alongside other Doctors: current Eleventh (Matt Smith), and Tenth (David Tennant), and War (Hurt). And possibly others — the show is expected to be packed with cameos and Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans.
A 20-minute live pre-show, beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST, will air on BBC America and on their YouTube channel, hosted by geek connoisseur Veronica Belmont at YouTube Space LA.
Locally, Brooklyn’s very own “Doctor Who”-themed bar, The Way Station, will host multiple screenings, on Saturday — doors open at 1 p.m., special starts at 2:50 — and then three encore screenings on Sunday at 2, 4 and 6.
As Tennant himself says in a BBC video, “I don’t need to tease it. It’s the 50th anniversary of ‘Doctor Who.’ Of course you’re going to watch it. Don’t be ridiculous.”