Summary
- The new BBC iPlayer update for Doctor Who includes a unique opening sequence featuring footage from every era of the long-running series, showcasing the franchise’s wide scope.
- Showrunner Russell T Davies aims to make all Doctor Who content available in one place, including spin-offs, to highlight the expansive universe of the show.
- The opening sequence reflects Davies’ ambitions for Doctor Who’s future, positioning it as a multimedia franchise that can rival the likes of the MCU and Star Wars.
Doctor Who‘s BBC iPlayer expansion arrives with a new opening sequence spanning every era of the long-running sci-fi franchise. Doctor Who will celebrate its 60th anniversary in November, with three specials featuring the return of David Tennant as an all-new incarnation of the leading Time Lord. With a number of spin-offs, tie-in programs, and documentaries on the way, November is set to feature an incredible amount of Doctor Who media, while Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor debuts in a December seasonal special.
On the eve of the BBC iPlayer’s sizable Doctor Who update, the official Instagram has shared a preview of what audiences can expect from the new streaming home of the entire franchise, revealing the unique introduction set to play in front of each show.
The sequence features a new track by returning composer Murray Gold while footage featuring each Doctor from William Hartnell to Gatwa, a number of recognizable companions, and a selection of the Doctor’s greatest foes plays within the lettering of the new Whoniverse logo. The animation concludes with the TARDIS flying by.
Doctor Who’s Universe Is About To Expand
With the majority of the Doctor Who franchise available on BBC iPlayer in time for the 60th anniversary, the Whoniverse opening sequence hints at showrunner Russell T Davies’ goals of ensuring everything is available in one place. With footage from both the classic and modern eras, and spin-offs Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, K9 and Company, and Class, it’s never been clearer that the universe has more to offer outside the main series. For the first time in years, newcomers can see the wider scope of the franchise all grouped together.
But Doctor Who‘s future isn’t just limited to the main series and the existing spin-offs, as Davies has already promised that there is more to come. iPlayer’s November 1 update will also see the debut of a new spin-off series titled Tales of the TARDIS, where former companions and Doctors come together to reflect on their past adventures. With a new series already set to drop and Davies promising that more is on the way, Doctor Who will become a large multimedia franchise once more.
The Whoniverse opening perfectly exemplifies Davies’ ambitions for the series’ future. With the franchise now receiving an opening similar to Disney+’s own treatments for the MCU and Star Wars, it is clear both Davies and the BBC see the franchise as capable of being a title that can rival the two Disney tentpoles. While Doctor Who season 14 will kick off a whole new era with Gatwa’s Doctor as the lead, the Whoniverse will still cherish everything that has come before.
Source: @bbcdoctorwho/Instagram
