The entire Doctor Who collection will be available to stream very soon, but not on Disney Plus

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By Tom Power
published

In all of time and space, Doctor Who is about to make streaming history

A screenshot for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary celebrations showing every Doctor
The entire Doctor Who collection is coming to BBC iPlayer in the UK. (Image credit: BBC)

The entire Doctor Who collection will be available to stream for the very first time in November – but it won't be viewable on Disney Plus.

Yesterday (October 10), the BBC revealed that over 800 episodes of the legendary British sci-fi series will materialize onto BBC iPlayer, one of the UK's best streaming services, on November 1. The move has been made to commemorate the show's 60th anniversary on November 23.

This marks the first time ever that every episode of Doctor Who, stretching right back to its premiere in November 1963, will be streamable on a single service. All 26 seasons of Doctor Who's original run from 1963 to 1989 will be available to watch, as will the 14 seasons that have aired since its revival in March 2005. 

Viewers will also be able to travel back in time to Doctor Who's various spin-off projects, including TV shows like Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as any TV specials and behind-the-scenes show Doctor Who: Confidential. Every Doctor Who episode will support multiple accessibility options, including subtitles, audio description, and sign language, too, to ensure every viewer can immerse themselves in the TV show's spectacular universe.

Unfortunately for international fans, including those in the US, Doctor Who's whole library will only be available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK. That's despite the BBC's October 2022 announcement that it would start showing Doctor Who on Disney Plus from 2023 onwards.

Responding to TechRadar's request for comment about whether Doctor Who's full collection would be coming to Disney Plus in November, a Disney spokesperson revealed the Walt Disney Company had nothing to share at this time. In short: don't expect the iconic Time Lord to time-travel his way onto Disney's primary streamer just yet.

While that will be disappointing news for international fans of the hit show, there will be some Doctor Who episodes joining Disney Plus' back catalog in the near future.

David Tennant as Doctor Who in the series' 60th anniversary special

David Tennant is the only actor to reprise the role of the Doctor in the show's 60-year history. (Image credit: BBC)

All three of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary specials, which will see the reunion of David Tennant's iteration of the character and Catherine Tate's Donna Noble, will simultaneously air on Disney Plus and BBC One later this year. No official release date has been confirmed yet but, given the show's 60th birthday (23rd November) falls on a Thursday, we suspect the first anniversary special will debut the weekend immediately after that date – i.e. Saturday, November 25th or Sunday, November 26th.

As well as the forthcoming anniversary episodes, a Christmas special starring Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor – he'll replace Tennant's 14th Doctor after the 60th anniversary – will launch during the 2023 holiday season. That'll be released on BBC One and Disney Plus, too, before the 15th season of the rebooted show will do likewise sometime in 2024.

Once Doctor Who makes its Disney Plus bow, you can expect it to join other illustrious TV series on our best Disney Plus shows list. In the meantime, read our rankings of every Doctor Who Christmas episode and the best 20 episodes of Doctor Who since the series was brought back from the dead.

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Tom Power
Senior Entertainment Reporter

As TechRadar's senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You'll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as this Moon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across. Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.