Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 1, 2025

It's déjà vu all over again with this trio of specials the venerable Doctor Who franchise ordered up to help celebrate its 60th (!) anniversary. If you've somehow been under a rock or stowed away on your own personal TARDIS and unaware of a certain cheeky "reveal" offered relatively recently as the "regeneration" from the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) took place, unfortunately the screenshots uploaded to accompany this review provide unavoidable spoiler material, but one way or the other, all three specials aggregated in this release revolve around the sudden reemergence of David Tennant as a probably unexpected Fourteenth Doctor, albeit one whose "tenure" is relegated to only these very specials (in addition to that aforementioned cheeky reveal offered at the end of Whittaker's run in the role). Along with Tennant reassuming the role he had previously left in 2013, these three specials also offer added allure for devoted Whovians in the form of Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble. If these three specials are therefore unabashedly awash in a certain amount of nostalgia, there are other elements, like the character of Donna's child Rose (Yasmin Finney), that are distinctly "contemporary".

Now it simply needs to be accepted that certain seeming "finalities" that were offered as the tenures of Tennant and Tate originally came to a close are simply elided and/or fitfully explained away here. The first of the three specials attempts to deal with the issues of Donna's wiped memories and how any restoration may lead to her demise, but of course, everyone knows that's not going to happen, which may slightly undercut any of the ostensible threat level. There are some interesting if probably over convoluted and way too convenient plot points that are ultimately revealed vis a vis Rose and her connection to the Doctor, but "in the meantime" a number of nemeses arrive, including an enjoyably hammy turn by Neal Patrick Harris as a character called The Toymaker. The series also indulges in yet more "just go with it" content when Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor is able to more or less collaborate with "special guest star" the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) in order to get things more or less back to where they started, or at least to provide Gatwa some sort of path forward as the new star.

All three of these specials obviously rely on a completely ridiculous gimmick, but that doesn't mean they're not wonderfully engaging, probably mostly for longtime Doctor Who fans who still remember Tennant's original run in the role. The series' production finesse has only increased in the years since Tennant initially left, and that gives all three of these specials a certain epic sweep, with some generally excellent special effects.

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials are presented on Blu-ray courtesy of BBC with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 2.00:1. These specials continue the generally lustrous quality that the "regular" contemporary Doctor Who seasons have offered on Blu-ray. Detail levels are routinely excellent throughout all three specials, at least on practical items like props, costumes and sets. CGI can occasionally look just a bit artificial, especially in some of the explosions and/or flame work, but on the whole things look appealingly sharp and some of the character effects in particular are quite excellent. There is some absolutely goofy work with oversized prosthetics that may lead older viewers to think they may have wandered into a previously unknown episode of Land of the Giants. The palette is really beautifully suffused for the most part, and some of the blue graded material in particular is really gorgeously saturated.

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials feature nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. The series has really been upping its sound design over the past several seasons, and all three of these specials provide really well designed tracks that offer some fun panning effects as the TARDIS spins away either in or out of control, and a number of sequences, including the middle special where the Doctor and Donna are trapped in a cavernous spaceship, offer some really smartly placed foley effects. LFE offers some brief but impressive bursts in some explosive moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One - The Star Beast

• The Star Beast - Unleashed (HD; 30:26) is a fun making of featurette with Steffan Powell, David Tennant, Catherine Tate and others and includes a ton of behind the scenes footage.


• Rachel Talalay's Scene Breakdown (HD; 6:25) offers the director's analysis of the opening sequence.


• The Star Beast - Behind the Scenes (HD; 14:40) offers even more background material, including some fun interviews with Russell Davies.


• The Star Beast - In Vision Commentary (HD; 59:32) offers a picture-in-picture commentary with David Tennant, Phil Collinson (Executive Producer) and Vicki Delow (Producer).


• The Star Beast - Behind the Scenes Trailer (HD; 1:35)


• The Fourteenth Doctor Reveal (HD; 2:38)


• David and Catherine's Flashbacks (HD; 4:47) offers a joking attempt to remember their characters' histories.


• Yasmin Finney Introduces Rose Noble (HD; 00:49)


• Designing the Fourteenth Doctor (HD; 1:14) is a very brief look at costume design.


• Set Tour with Yasmin Finney (HD; 3:18)


• Trailer Reel (HD; 4:21)

Disc Two - Wild Blue Yonder

• Wild Blue Yonder - Unleashed (HD; 29:26) once again offers some really fun behind the scenes footage, with Steffan Powell providing hosting duties.


• Tom Kingsley's Scene Breakdown (HD; 4:51) offers the director's look at the kind of hilarious prosthetics that are utilized in this special.


• Wild Blue Yonder - Behind the Scenes (HD; 9:41) offers more fun candid footage along with an overview of the special in general.


• Wild Blue Yonder - Behind the Scenes Trailer (HD; 1:39)


• The Cast Introduce the Villains in Wild Blue Yonder (HD; 00:54)


• Behind the Scenes Fun with David and Catherine (HD; 00;41) features more of the ridiculous prosthetics utilized in this special.


• Video Diary with David Tennant's Stand-In (HD; 3:54) features George Cheetham.


• TARDIS Set Tour with David Tennant and Phil Sims (HD; 3:54)

Disc Three - The Giggle

• The Giggle - Unleashed (HD; 26:38) follows the same format the first two supplements with this title, with Steffan Powell offering some amiable hosting and a lot of behind the scenes material.


• Chanya Button's Scene Breakdown (HD; 5:09) offers the director talking about the technical challenges of the "my generation" sequence.


• The Giggle - Behind the Scenes (HD; 15:23) offers more candid footage and some good interviews, including with the Fifteenth Doctor.


• The Giggle In-Vision Commentary (HD; 1:03:48) offers a picture in picture commentary with David Tennant, Russell Davies and Phil Collinson.


• The Giggle - Behind the Scenes Trailer (HD; 2:18)


• Ruth Madeley Introduces Shirley Bingham (HD; 00:50)


• Neil Patrick Harris Introduces the Toymaker (HD; 00:48)


• Becoming the Toymaker (HD; 5:27) offers Harris again.

Packaging features a slipcover.

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials pretty much just require fans to go with the flow, either ignoring or discounting several supposedly salient plot strands that were part of Tennant and Tate's first foray in their roles. Even with the undeniably silly conceit that is a foundational element of all three specials, there is still more than abundant energy and traditionally cheeky comedy to keep things afloat. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.