The BBC will unite every incarnation of Doctor Who for a one-off Children in Need special in November - with new Time Lord Matt Smith making his debut alongside William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.

That's according to the Daily Mirror, whose BBC source described the show as "a really exciting project" and "all for a good cause". He told the paper: “This is a momentous episode for all Doctor Who fans. Never before have all the Doctors been in the same room, let alone in the same show.

“It’s been a logistical nightmare getting all the actors together and available for shooting on the same days. But the script has already been started and it’s classic Doctor Who – really witty and very sharp.

He elaborated: “Viewers will see the Time Lords regenerating and emerging one by one from the Tardis, each with their own quirky opening line. David Tennant is the central character in the episode. He’s trying to hunt down some special time travel apparatus.

“What he’s actually lost has not yet been decided, but the idea is for all the other Doctors to club together to help David find it."

In case you're wondering just how Hartnell, Pertwee and Troughton will be offering their assistance, the source explained: “The actors who are no longer with us, William, Jon and Patrick, will make special cameo appearances, with footage from original shows being flashed up on screen."

All the living actors participating in the one-off have waived their fees. A BBC spokesman said that while there's discussion of a Children in Need special, it was "too early to say" what exactly it might be. ®