It's no secret that Doctor Who is just under two years shy of celebrating its 60th anniversary in November 2023, with Russell T Davies returning to his former post as showrunner to helm those celebrations, making it the perfect time for a cinematic Doctor Who movie which could also "reboot" the franchise. Typically, the long-running BBC flagship show is known to mark each of its anniversaries with an event special or serial, for instance, 2013's "The Day of the Doctor," a feature-length episode which united the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors (although the 50th anniversary special looked very different at one point). As fans anticipate what showrunner Davies has in store for the series' 60th anniversary, now could be the moment for Doctor Who to once again reinvent itself with a full-blooded cinematic movie.
A Doctor Who movie would be nothing new. Paul McGann debuted as the Eighth Doctor in 1996's Doctor Who: The Movie, an ultimately fruitless effort between BBC Worldwide and Universal Studios to reboot the franchise to an overseas audience 7 years after its untimely cancellation in 1989. The movie, however, was limited to a televised broadcast. Thus, the aforementioned "Day of the Doctor" is arguably the farthest Doctor Who has ventured into the cinemtic realm as the special was screened in cinemas while airing on BBC One simultaneously. But with all things considered, neither 1996's Doctor Who: The Movie (considered a failure) nor 2013's "The Day of the Doctor" are remembered as full-blooded movies in the most ambitious sense because McGann's debut technically falls into the TV Movie category and "The Day of the Doctor" was shown in cinemas for one day only.
At the cores of its two hearts, Doctor Who is a show that has set its foundation in the principles of change and adaptability. If the lead actor is able to switch every few years then it's difficult to imagine why the show itself should not receive a license to change in order to maintain its appeal. After all, if rehired showrunner Russell T Davies was to write another televised special to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the franchise then it would feel somewhat derivative of "The Day of the Doctor," or even the blockbuster BBC centenary special - Jodie Whittaker's swansong as the Thirteenth Doctor, which is set to air one year prior to the big anniversary in 2023. That's why it's time to think bigger, and beyond the realm of television alone and fully commit to a cinematic reimagining.
The success of "Rose," the first episode of 2005's Doctor Who revival, is attributed to the fact that everything about the franchise felt new and fresh. More importantly, it introduced audiences to a brand new actor playing the Time Lord, this time in their Ninth incarnation: Christopher Eccleston (who returned recently). If Doctor Who's 60th anniversary were to emulate this effect by introducing fans to the (currently unnamed) Fourteenth Doctor, this time by the means of a movie, the level of hype surrounding the franchise would be at an all-time high. And, as a hypothetical movie would naturally reach a wider audience, all eyes would subsequently be on Doctor Who series 14, which is expected to air on BBC One soon after. This could potentially usher in a new mainstream golden age for the franchise.
In all fairness, while a Doctor Who movie has technically been done before, the 1996 reboot attempt faced the limitations of a televised broadcast. An exclusively-cinematic Doctor Who movie with a Hollywood budget and stellar writing, on the other hand, is exactly what showrunner Russell T Davies would be wise to consider to mark the show's upcoming 60th-anniversary celebrations before he begins work on Doctor Who series 14. This reinvigorating take on Doctor Who would not only serve as a soft reboot for fans, it would also allow for the science-fiction drama to reach new heights that the BBC has yet to scratch the surface of with any of its long-running franchises. Even better, a Doctor Who 60th anniversary movie could coincide with the yet-to-be-named Fourteenth Doctor's introduction. In any case, there are many compelling reasons for a Doctor Who movie.