The BBC has released a first trailer for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, revealing the "new" monsters and villains. Doctor Who is the world's longest-running science-fiction TV series, celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023. Russell T. Davies has returned as showrunner, bringing with him past stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate, for a story that is still mostly a mystery. Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor appears to have experienced what only be called a "degeneration," returning to a familiar form the Doctor wore once before. Even more strangely, the Doctor's clothing regenerated as part of the process as well, something that's happened only once before in the franchise's history.
Doctor Who has been part of the festive season since 2005, but 2022 is unfortunately the first time no new episode has released over Christmas and New Year. The BBC instead chose to release a Doctor Who trailer for the 60th anniversary; it's surprisingly light on new information, serving only to confirm details that had already been learned through set photos and the like. The thrilling trailer, which largely delighted fans, gives a glimpse of three major villains - all of whom will be new to most viewers, but actually have a deep history with the franchise.
3 Doctor Who's Celestial Toymaker Explained
The most prominent villain of all is undoubtedly Neil Patrick Harris' character, whose identity has yet to be officially explained. Davies has, however, confirmed Harris is playing a villain from the classic series, and set photos have revealed he is in fact a toymaker. This almost certainly means he is the Celestial Toymaker, a character who last appeared on-screen in 1966 but has been fleshed out substantially in other mediums. Originally played by Michael Gough, the Celestial Toymaker possessed absolute power over reality in his own dimension. He tends to spirit people away to his own plane of existence, where he makes them compete against him. Should they win, they go free; but if they lose, they become his pawns.
The Toymaker may be little-known among modern viewers, but he's one of the most interesting and complex Doctor Who enemies. Dialogue in the 1966 story "The Celestial Toymaker" indicated he'd encountered the Doctor once before, in an unseen adventure. He's since appeared in a number of tie-ins, some of which suggested the Toymaker was one of the so-called "Great Old Ones" who predate the universe itself. It will be thrilling to see Doctor Who return to this classic character, giving him a modern refresh.
2 Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary Special Features Beep the Meep
The trailer offers a brief glimpse of another Doctor Who villain, Beep the Meep. He may look cute and innocent, but Beep the Meep is really a ruthless intergalactic conqueror who uses his appearance to put enemies at ease. This is the first time Beep the Meep has appeared on-screen, because he's actually a comic book character - created by writers Pat Mills and John Wagner, and designed by Watchmen's Dave Gibbons. He first appeared in the story "Doctor Who and the Star Beast," and became a firm fan-favorite, returning many times and in other mediums to boot. Amusingly, one issue of Doctor Who Magazine contained a joke interview with Beep the Meep in which he insisted he never expected to appear on-screen, because he didn't like the idea of being a CGI character.
Beep the Meep is a surprisingly deep cut into the franchise's lore, but it's possible Russell T. Davies feels emboldened by the Timeless Child reveal. A controversial idea associated with former showrunner Chris Chibnall, this revealed the Doctor has a vast forgotten history, and Davies took it as meaning stories from other mediums can be folded into the canon with ease. "But now, the Thirteenth Doctor has shown us Doctors galore, with infinite possibilities," he wrote in a foreword to an online story published during the pandemic. "All Doctors exist. All stories are true." The trailer for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary appears to suggest story beats from "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" are being lifted into this story, with a brief glimpse of Beep the Meep's spaceship.
1 Doctor Who's Wrarth Warriors Appear In The 60th Anniversary Special
The Doctor Who trailer also shows a brief shot of a creature known as a Wrarth Warrior. These creatures are reminiscent of the modern Doctor Who villains called the Judoon, in that they are effectively an intergalactic police force. Like Beep the Meep, they made their first appearance in the comic book story "Doctor Who and the Star Beast," where they were originally portrayed as villains because they were chasing Beep. Davies is clearly honoring Doctor Who's history by bringing in a wealth of ideas from the tie-ins. The Wrarth Warriors were genetically engineered by a group known as the Star Council, initially serving as soldiers in the war against the Meeps but eventually taking on their more celebrated role as police. According to modern tie-in novels, the Wrarth Warriors have clashed with other Doctor Who foes, such as the Slitheen.
It's possible the Doctor Who 60th anniversary will use the Wrarth in the same way as "Doctor Who and the Star Beast" - as adversaries at first, but ultimately as allies when the Doctor realizes the truth about Beep the Meep. It's as yet unclear how either of these two enemies fit into the Toymaker's plans, however; they could well be other players in his games, forced to oppose the Doctor and his returning companion Donna Noble. If so, it will be interesting to see whether Doctor Who acknowledges the time traveler's history with Beep the Meep and the Wrarth Warriors in these other tie-ins, thereby incorporating them into full canon. Davies has always loved these other mediums - he's working with Doctor Who Magazine and their comics to prepare the way for the 60th anniversary - and it would be great to see these classic stories formally acknowledged at last. Unfortunately, it's likely Doctor Who won't provide any clarity on this until the specials air in November.