50th Anniversary BBC Programmes This Weekend

So we’ve arrived at the biggest weekend of the year for Doctor Who fans. Here are the BBC programmes coming up that will be celebrating the grand occasion over the next few days.

The Culture Show: Me, You And Doctor Who

22 November at 9.30pm on BBC2

Why has a kids TV show about a mad man with a box that can travel anywhere in time and space become the BBC’s longest running TV drama — and one of Britain’s biggest brands?

On its 50th anniversary, lifelong fan Matthew Sweet argues you ignore Doctor Who at your peril. It may be a piece of children’s television, but he believes it’s one of the most important cultural artefacts of modern Britain. Put simply, Doctor Who matters.

In this hour-long Culture Show special, BBC Two’s flagship arts programme explores with wit, authority and affection, why Doctor Who has become entrenched in British life. Matthew Sweet traces the 50 years of extraordinary social change and uncertainty that sent generations of children scuttling behind the sofa. How did a pepper pot, the Nazis and a sink plunger result in the scariest adversaries of our time — the Daleks?

Sweet argues how in turn the show became a cultural force in its own right, influencing music, design and storytelling — whether pioneering electronica (Delia Derbyshire), or giving the unknown Douglas Adams a crucial break. Matthew meets both famous faces as well as cast, crew and Doctors past and present (from current Doctor Matt Smith to Richard Martin, the maverick director who first brought the Daleks to screens in 1964) to find out how Doctor Who has changed our culture

The Graham Norton Show

22 November at 10.35pm on BBC1

Matt Smith and David Tennant will both be joining Graham Norton on his TV chat show to discuss the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

Also on Graham’s sofa are Oscar-winning actress and writer Emma Thompson, starring in new movie Saving Mr Banks; top comedian Jimmy Carr; and pop star Robbie Williams, chatting and performing I Wanna Be Like You.

Doctor Who: Blue Peter Party

23 November at 9.30pm on CBBC

The team will be showing you how to make Dalek cupcakes to enjoy with your friends for this evening’s 50th anniversary special on BBC One.

If that’s not enough, the Doctor himself, Matt Smith, answers viewers’ questions in an exclusive interview from inside the TARDIS.

12 Again: Doctor Who Special

23 November at 2.30pm on CBBC

Super fans join cast members past and present to share their memories of watching TV’s top Time Lord when they were young. Who was their Doctor when they were a kid? Which aliens had them hiding behind the sofa?

Featuring CBBC’s super fan Chris Johnson, impressionist Jon Culshaw, Tommy Knight (Luke Smith), Warwick Davis (Porridge), Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra), Dan Starkey (Strax) Louise Jameson (Leela) and the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.

We’ll find out about the Doctor himself, the TARDIS and the famous theme tune as we travel back to a different dimension with our celebrities as they become 12 Again.

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

23 November at 7.50pm on BBC1

The Doctors embark on their greatest adventure in this 50th anniversary special.

In 2013, something terrible is awakening in London’s National Gallery; in 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England; and somewhere in space an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor’s own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.

Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty

23 November at 9.05pm on BBC3

Live from London’s Southbank, Zoe Ball and Rick Edwards will get the afterparty started on BBC Three, as they are joined by Matt Smith and guests to discuss the Doctor’s most epic adventure yet.

As soon as titles roll on BBC One’s The Day Of The Doctor, viewers can join the current Doctor himself, as well as a host of previous Doctors and their time-travelling companions in the ultimate celebration of 50 years of Doctor Who on BBC Three.

As well as all the gossip on the The Day Of The Doctor, there will be exclusive interviews, show-stopping monster moments and fans around the world will be giving their reaction, as they showcase how they are celebrating the special anniversary.

One Direction will also be joining the party as they gate-crash the show live from LA to wish the Doctor a happy birthday.

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

23 November from 10.05pm on BBC Red Button

A star studded special written and directed by Peter Davison.

With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who about to film, the ‘Classic’ Doctors are keen to be involved.

But do they manage it?