Doctor Who is returning to TV screens across the nation on Saturday night as fans cheer on its surprise return to BBC Three.
Although it won’t be a brand new season – with the national broadcaster yet to confirm the sci-fi series’ future – BBC Three will be airing the first two episodes of season five, which debuted Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.
The Eleventh Hour and The Beast Below marked the start of Steven Moffat as showrunner after taking over from Russell T Davies in 2010, and the season opener proved an absolute hit among Whovians at the time.
The episode, which also introduced companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), has been called ‘brilliant’, ‘excellent’ and the start of ‘the best era’ by fans over the years.
Now both episodes will be airing back-to-back this Saturday, with the hopes of more to come.
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It has been years since the BBC aired reruns of the landmark show, after all.
What’s more, with no news about the show’s return or the air date for the new UNIT spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, fans are just delighted that we’re getting some Who content on our screens.
‘It’s been ages since the BBC has repeated any modern Doctor Who, so it’s nice to see,’ Matthew Purchase wrote on X.
‘What a nice surprise!’ TintedWho praised.
‘I call this a wonderful opportunity for fans and casual viewers alike. It’s the best approach to keep us preoccupied while the main show is currently in limbo,’ Andrew Hseih shared.
‘It’s great news and crazy how little it’s actually been repeated, especially on BBC Three’s not done it for over ten years, really, in a proper way,’ Tardistime added.
‘Good to see, the BBC haven’t done Doctor Who repeats in ages on one of their channels! Lovely to see they’re keeping the show alive with some repeats for now!!’ Owen echoed.
‘Ooh this is nice to see, and such a good choice of starting point,’ Joe agreed.
‘Time to lock tf in my raggedy man is back on the TV,’ Beth declared.
Some are hoping the decision will introduce the show to new fans.
‘This is how I got into Doctor Who. Like I hope this gets some weird 6 year old scrolling through the channels watching it of curiosity which turns into a life long obsession,’ babythem steffan wrote.
‘Playing the best series opener first for repeats is a very good call from BBC honestly,’ shayjuicy reflected.
Just a few weeks ago, Doctor Who had another strange return to the small screen after the TARDIS appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – leaving fans delighted.
It was a long-awaited crossover for the two beloved sci-fi universes, with both shows referencing the other at several points.
As for when we’ll actually see any new episodes on our screens, BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips remained optimistic when speaking about its renewal in August.
‘Any Whovians out there, rest assured – Doctor Who is going nowhere.
‘Disney has been a great partnership and it continues with The War Between The Land And The Sea next year but, going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC.
‘The Tardis is going nowhere.’
Doctor Who episode The Eleventh Hour will air on BBC Three this Saturday at 7:10pm, followed by The Beast Below.
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