Doctor Who guest star returns in 2023 Christmas special
The guest originally appeared in an episode from 2005 – any guesses who?
As we get ever closer to the return of Doctor Who later this year, casting news continues to be unveiled – however, we have recently learnt of one returning guest star whose identity is yet to be unveiled.
The news was revealed as part of script editor Scott Handcock's production diary from Monday 6th February in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, in which he teased a recognisable face will show up in this year's Christmas special.
He said: "As we get into the second week of our Christmas Special shoot, a guest star from 2005 returns; one of our writers delivers their fourth draft of a script for Block Three; a hero prop gets its first unveiling in a Block Three tone meeting, and Block Four director Ben Chessell starts work with the crew in Cardiff."
2005 was when the first season the modern era of Doctor Who aired, meaning the guest star will have first appeared either in that season with Christopher Ecclestone as the Doctor, or in that year's first Christmas special with David Tennant.
Cue frenzied speculation – could it be Simon Callow's Charles Dickens? Annette Badland's Margaret Blaine? Or even Simon Pegg's Editor, even if he did appear to meet a sticky end? For now, only time will tell.
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Whoever it is will likely be sharing some of Ncuti Gatwa's earliest scenes as the Fifteenth Doctor, as he is set to take over following David Tennant's return as new incarnation, the Fourteenth Doctor, in this year's 60th anniversary specials.
One of the directors of those specials, Rachel Talalay, recently confirmed a returning monster for the specials, and it's one we caught a sneak peek of in the trailer which was released on Christmas Day.
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She said that her maddest moment of filming was "filming outside with the Wrarth Warriors for the first time".
She continued: "There are these eight-foot-tall monsters on stilts, in massive plastic suits, who couldn’t see a thing and could barely stand up... so a classic Doctor Who situation."
Talalay and the other directors of the 60th anniversary specials also teased what the new TARDIS interior will look like, with Chanya Button saying: "Oh my gosh, it’s enormous. I mean, it’s absolutely beautiful.
"It’s sort of church-like in scale, and yet it’s also this intimate space that takes you from one place to another – to even larger, wider worlds."
The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine is on sale now. Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
