Four Doctor Who 60th anniversary special actors were announced in Doctor Who Magazine 597.
Dara Lall plays Fudge in The Star Beast
Colin “Fudge” Higgins first appeared in a 1980 comic-strip Doctor Who and the Star Beast in Doctor Who Weekly, which went on to become Doctor Who Magazine. According to executive producer Phil Collinson, “Readers of last month’s DWM will have seen the creators of the Meep, Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons, delighted to discover that the character of Fudge has survived from page to screen. And it’s lovely to welcome Dara on board, as a character with such a fine and historic background.”
John MacKay plays television pioneer John Logie Baird in The Giggle
Russell T Davies had this to say about MacKay in DWM: “John MacKay is the most perfect choice to play John Logie Baird – so perfect, I’ve done it twice! John first took on this role in my ITV production of Nolly, because Noele Gordon (played by Helena Bonham Carter) was, true fact fans, the first woman in the world to appear on colour TV, put there by JLB himself. So now, to have the same actor play the same character means that all my shows are set in the same universe, officially! But never mind me, John is a wonderful actor, and a perfect piece of casting by Andy Pryor and his team.”
Charlie De Melo plays Charles Banerjee in The Giggle
Producer Collinson said, “It’s such a delight to welcome Charlie on board. I was the producer of Coronation Street many years ago and I’ve kept an eye on it ever since – that’s how we spotted Millie Gibson! So, when Charlie left the show, he was immediately on my radar, and we swooped in to get him into the show. You might have already glimpsed him in the trailer, and I can certainly say that Charles Banerjee is heading towards terrors we’ve never seen on screen before.”
Alexander Devrient plays Colonel Ibrahim in The Giggle
Collinson said of Devrient, “Long-term fans have grown up with the notion of the UNIT family, a regular cast of characters who appear alongside the Doctor every time he needs the services of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. And it’s a great pleasure to welcome Alexander into the clan, as Colonel Christopher Ibrahim – he isn’t even given that first name until next year’s new season! Ibrahim is a UNIT stalwart, serving loyally alongside Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. But even he’s barely prepared for the dangers to come. It’s good to make Alexander part of the family. Let’s hope Colonel Ibrahim survives!”
Doctor Who will return on 25 November 2023 with The Star Beast, the first of three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble — followed by Wild Blue Yonder on 2 December and The Giggle on 9 December.
Ncuti Gatwa will star in his first full Doctor Who episode as the Fifteenth Doctor in the Doctor Who Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road alongside Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday on 25 December.
A new 8-episode Doctor Who series starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will debut in Spring of 2024 followed by the 2024 Christmas special later in the year.
BBC One will be the exclusive home of Doctor Who in the UK and Ireland and all new episodes will be exclusively available to stream on iPlayer in the UK. Disney+ will be the exclusive home for all new episodes of Doctor Who outside of the UK and Ireland.
Doctor Who Magazine 597 is available from Thursday 9 November at Panini and WH Smith (UK) and as a digital edition from Pocketmags.