Original Doctor Who trailer was planned to contain “bigger plans” which remain secret

The short tease of 2023 that Doctor Who fans got after the exciting finale of The Power of the Doctor in October 2022 was not what the producers of the show had originally intended to show, it turns out.

Still reeling from the revelation that Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into David Tennant’s Fourteenth (rather than Ncuti Gatwa as people were expecting) Whovians were given a tiny glimpse of what to expect in 2023 immediately after the BBCs 100th-anniversary episode had played out.

But initially, there had been a plan for a much longer 90-second trailer that would have revealed a lot more about the plans for the show in 2023 (and perhaps beyond) but Russell T Davies and the Doctor Who team believed that it would detract from the end of the Jodie Whittaker era and give away too much too soon – so they opted for the shorter tease.

“Those 60 seconds were originally designed as a much larger trailer, 90 seconds long, to go out after The Power of the Doctor on 23 October 2022,” Rissell T Davies explains in Doctor Who Magazine.

He added: “A trailer for… well, things that are still secret. Announcements of our bigger plans. But then we said, no, too soon. And in fairness, we realised: this is [Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker’s] night, it’s time for us to step back so we can all celebrate her, along with viewers across the world.”

But what secrets did the showrunner leave out?

He has already said that there are things in the trailer that was released that people haven’t worked out yet, like who the mysterious guest star is entering Mr. Emporium’s shop.

But it sounds like there’s a lot more we don’t know – and at some time soon we’ll find out.

Could there be clues about the much heralded spin-offs, or perhaps even more hints as to guests from the world of Doctor Who in the past that we’ve missed out on?

Whatever it is, it’s sure to be exciting.

The Doctor Who 60th specials will air in November 2023 starring David Tennant and will be followed by a festive special featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the new Doctor Who, Season 14 of Doctor Who with Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as his companion Ruby Sunday will air in 2024.

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