Doctor Who 2023 special trailer release date appears to be revealed

The release date for the special Doctor Who 2023 trailer appears to have been revealed alongside a brief clip of Neil Patrick Harris' unannounced villain.

Doctor Who takes a new look at its 2023 specials, which will collectively mark the 60th anniversary of the British sci-fi TV series. David Tennant will play the Fourteenth Doctor, having previously played the Tenth Doctor between Christmas 2005 and New Year's Day 2011. This is the first time in the show's history that the same actor has played two completely different incarnations of the titular Time Lord.

Almost every year since the show's rerun in 2005, Doctor Who has appeared on the end of the year TV show Footprints on the Table, with a Christmas special on the days of Russell T. Davies and Moffat, and a New Years special on Chris Chibnall's tenure. Although the TARDIS is now scheduled to land again by November 2023, the official Doctor Who Twitter account has shared a brief clip from the upcoming anniversary episode, seemingly confirming that the Doctor Who 2023 special trailer will be coming by Christmas. Check out the trailer below:

Tomorrow. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/HyFNZ9fc1l— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) December 24, 2022

How The New Era's Promo Campaign Is Already Redefining Doctor Who

New Doctor Who trailer further showcases Neil Patrick Harris' yet-to-be-identified villain, the latest in a string of promotions for the show in recent months , especially after Davis officially returns as showrunner. The marketing campaign is not only for the 2023 special, but also for the series after Ncuti Gatwa will board the TARDIS console as the fifteenth Doctor. While marketing two different incarnations at the same time might create some confusion among audiences, it also suggests that next year's Doctor Who stories will lean purposefully towards this sense of disorientation. The first trailer for the special not only confirms Doctor Tennant's own confusion about his old and new face, but also shows Gatwa's Doctor appearing to break the fourth wall and demand a review of his own delayed debut. explain.

Fans of the show welcomed the increase in marketing for the show, especially after what many felt was a lackluster promotion during the Chibnall/Whitaker era. In previous eras, Doctor Who enjoyed a higher profile, making multiple appearances at major events like San Diego Comic-Con, as well as showing trailers for new seasons in theaters. When Tennant first stepped down as the Doctor, he announced it in a special live video from the Brit Awards, Peter Capaldi will star in the Twelfth Doctor Announced as a special TV event. By contrast, Whittaker's departure was learned via a BBC press release, and her own season previews were not only rare, but often a little ahead of the seasons themselves.

What To Expect From Doctor Who's 2023 Specials

Doctor Who's surge in marketing is also notable considering the next episode is 11 months away. In the 2023 special, not only Tennant, but also former partners Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott will return, ostensibly in Harry Smith's mysterious rival plots to reunite and introduces Yasmin Finney as the second transgender character in the show's history. The specials will also be released first under the new Doctor Who distribution deal between Disney and the BBC, which sees the show available internationally via Disney+ while leaving the BBC home to UK domestic audiences. The so-called "RTD2" era of the show has reportedly seen significant budget increases, and that money now also appears to be going toward a renewed effort to return the show to its former image.