A WHO-HEAVY NOVEMBER AHEAD!

Just when you thought the 50^th anniversary episode ‘The Day of the Doctor’ was enough in itself to get you excited, the BBC have announced an entire range of programmes to celebrate the show’s golden years.

For a start, ‘The Day of the Doctor’ will be as fans assumed it – a feature length episode lasting a tasty 75 minutes. But the man of the hour, Matt Smith, appears every bit as excited as the fans. He says: “The Day of the Doctor is nearly here! Hope you all enjoy. There’s lots more coming your way, as the countdown to the 50^th begins now.”

With the BBC already in full swing preparing for the occasion, an assortment of separate programmes is to be spread out across each channel, showcasing various aspects of the show’s past, present and future.

BBC Two will kick off the celebration with an hour long show hosted by Dr Brian Cox discussing the level of reality applied to Doctor Who. Is time-travel possible? Do aliens exist? How would TARDIS work in our world? For fans of any kind of science-fiction, this is an absolute must.

Continuing the festivity, BBC Two will also present ‘Me, You, and Doctor Who’ – an hour-long special of lifelong fan Matthew Sweet exploring the show’s historical significance and its place within the sci-fi genre. The show's position as a major force in British popular culture definitely doesn't seem to be waning then.

One of the more intriguing programmes however, is the dramatisation of the making of the programme itself, titled ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’. Written by Mark Gatiss and starring David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and Sacha Dhawan, it will tell the story of Sydney Newman and the rest of the crew as they take on the first steps towards the creation of Doctor Who.

CBBC will be making their own contribution through 12 Again – bringing an array of ‘super-fans’ together including Chris Johnson, Jon Culshaw, Tommy Knight, Warwick Davies, Neve Mcintosh, Dan Starkey, Louise Jameson and the 7^th Doctor himself, Sylvester McCoy. The programme's aim will be to explore the childhood memories of growing up with Who on the screen. How has it helped us shape our own thoughts on space, time and extraterrestrial light? Definitely one for the family.

BBC Three will also make their own contribution with Doctor Who: Monsters and Villains, a countdown of the country’s favourite Who monster.

Danny Cohen, Director of BBC Television, says “Doctor Who is a titan of British television and I’m incredibly proud to have it on the BBC. It’s an astonishing achievement for a drama to reach its 50^th anniversary. I’d like to thank every person – on both sides of the camera – who has been involved with its creative journey over so many years.”

With all this on offer, any Who fan will be hard-pressed to find something that quenches their thirst. With entertainment coming from all angles, 2013 will definitely be a year to remember for us Who-fans.