One of the big problems with imported British programs is the fact that they often air months later in the United States. For instance, I’ve been forced to shy away from any articles remotely relating to Downton Abbey for weeks (a feat, considering I follow the show on Facebook). BBC America has already been lucky enough to get the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special on the same day as the U.K., but now the network has announced that the special episode will actually be simulcast in 75 countries spanning across six continents, making the 50th Anniversary Special a big event.
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat was particularly enthusiastic about the fact that the special episode, “The Day of the Doctor,” will air simultaneously in a slew of countries.
The Doctor has always been a time traveller - now he's travelling time zones. On the 23rd of November, it won't be the bad guys conquering the Earth - everywhere it will be The Day of the Doctor!”
Back in the day, when a network would air a film like The Wizard of Oz before the era of home videos, or even today when a big sports game is aired, it brings significant amounts of the population together to celebrate and enjoy the big event. The only events that I can think of off of the top of my head that have worldwide significance are a few sporting events including the Olympics, and while I don’t think the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special will have quite the same effect worldwide, it’s actually pretty incredible that it will be broadcast for millions of viewers around the world at the same time. I get the feeling social media networks will be blowing up during the 75-minute episode.
We are still a couple of months away from the November 23 telecast, but the good news is that November should be a great month for Doctor Who fans living in the U.S. BBC America already has a full week planned to be dedicated to the long running series. The week of Doctor Who will feature several marathons, new specials (that have yet to be announced so that’s all we know on that front), and the new film An Adventure in Space and Time. Additionally, if you are really, really invested in “The Day of the Doctor,” you can keep your eyes peeled for BBC America to announce special 3D screenings of the 50th Anniversary Special in theaters across the U.S.
We’ve already gotten the artwork for “The Day of the Doctor” episode, as well as a couple of teaser trailers from the actual BBC. Since a full trailer has yet to be revealed, all that we can tell you about the special is that it stars Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor), Jenna Coleman (companion Clara), David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor), Billie Piper and John Hurt. That’s certainly enough to keep us interested and we hope it’s enough to keep you interested, too—at least until the official trailer airs.
