The Day of the Doctor is fast approaching, but first comes… The Night of the Doctor.


The mysterious mini episode, billed as a prequel to the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, will be made available via the BBC’s interactive Red Button service from Saturday 16 November, a week before the main event lands.

Details are scarce but we’re told it will feature one of the three incarnations of the Time Lord – Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt – set to star in the feature-length special. But which one?

Doctor Who fans have seen plenty of Tennant and Smith in the role, and while their enthusiasm for the tenth and 11th Doctors remains unquenched, the one they really want to know more about is Hurt’s enigmatic new version.

Introduced briefly at the end of series seven, Hurt’s currently numberless Doctor appears to harbour a dark secret relating to a great deal of death and destruction (quite possibly the infamous Time Wars). But we need details. Here’s hoping it’s John Hurt’s face that appears when we press that Red Button on Saturday…

The Night of the Doctor will be available at selected periods each day between 16 and 23 November. Access it via your Red Button at the following times:

Saturday 16 November: 7:30-9:55pm, 10:30-11:45pm

Sunday 17 November: 6:30-9:55pm

Monday 18 November: 7-10:30pm

Tuesday 19 November: 9:30pm onwards

Wednesday 20 November: until 7am, 7:30pm onwards

Thursday 21 November: until 7am, 5:30-8:10pm, 10pm onwards

Friday 22 November: until 7am, 7:30pm onwards

Saturday 23 November: until 2:30pm, 6-7:45pm


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