Doctor Who

Amongst the furry friends making an appearance are Tinky Winky, Hacker T Dog, Dodge, Basil Brush and favourites from 1970s-90s series Rainbow, Zippy and George. Like any flesh-and-blood contestant, the puppets will be expected to wow judges Greg Wallace and John Torode with their culinary flair.

Tinky Winky made a name for themselves on hit CBeebies series Teletubbies, whereas Hacker T Dog first appeared in CBBC’s Scoop. The canine personality was later introduced as a presenter in the CBBC office, with half-brother Dodge joining soon after.

Gonzo, The Muppet Show

Gonzo isn’t the weirdest or wildest muppet, but the case could be made that he’s the edgiest.

He’ll do anything for a stunt. He’ll eat a tyre. He’ll wrestle a brick with the tenacity of Andy Kaufman. He shares a name with the style of journalism that favours substance abuse over objective fact.

In short, you never know what Gonzo’s going to do next. Add in his determination to meet the demands of the stunt, however colossal, and he becomes a wild, creative, dangerous blur. Fear him.

Each episode features an existing duo from Doctor Who, who will reunite on the TARDIS to reflect on their time together. New scenes of the pairs will be woven together with episodes from the classic era of the show, creating a feature-length omnibus episode.

The classic era lasted from 1963 until the show was put on indefinite hiatus in 1989, before the show was famously revived in 2005.

The three hour-long programmes will air on BBC One on 25 November, 2 December and 9 December, respectively, and will also be available on iPlayer. The episode titles have previously been revealed as ‘The Star Beast’, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ and ‘The Giggle’.

After ‘The Star Beast’ airs, 30-minute behind-the-scenes programme Doctor Who: Unleashed will be broadcast on BBC Three, and will also be available on iPlayer. Doctor Who Confidential aired from 2005-11, and provided a similar peak behind the curtain of the show’s production.

Doctor Who returns in November, with three hour-long specials to celebrate 60 years of campiness across space and time.  

David Tennant (Good Omens) and Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show) are back as the Doctor and companion Donna Noble. The Doctor first met Donna when she materialised in front of him in a wedding dress, and she quickly became a fan favourite. Her no-nonsense attitude and refusal to be impressed with the Doctor’s tight suits wowed viewers, who crowned her their favourite companion in a 2022 Radio Times poll.

This means classic episodes of the sci-fi juggernaut will be available to watch ahead of the three 60^th anniversary specials. Though exact broadcast dates are yet to be announced, the BBC confirmed they will air at some point next month.

Every episode of programming will boast multiple accessibility options, including subtitles, audio description and sign language.

Fresh from the second series of Good Omens, David Tennant will be returning to Doctor Who after a decade away from the role.

Also returning under Russell T. Davis’ new management is Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, with Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney joining the cast as Donna’s daughter, Rose. Doctor Who’s official Instagram page revealed this long-speculated news with the caption: “When we last saw Donna, the Doctor had to wipe her memory. So the question is, what happens when Rose meets one of her mum’s oldest friends?”

Sixty years ago this November, a day after the assassination of John F Kennedy, William Hartnell stepped out of the Tardis and into the Stone Age in the very first Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child.

Ratings were disappointing for a Saturday tea-time slot; the BBC’s new sci-fi show attracted an average audience of 6 million over its four-part run. Reviews were mixed, too: “There was little to thrill [and the] wigs and furry pelts and clubs were all ludicrous,” sniffed The Guardian.

The announcement comes in light of Monsoon's sell out run on Broadway, where she made her debut as Matron 'Mama' Morton in the thoroughfare's longest-running show, Chicago.

It was a historic moment for the LGBTQIA+ community, as she was the first ever drag queen to play the role and broke box office records in the process.