Matt Smith’s first adventures as Eleventh Doctor Who returning to TV
As fans eagerly await new episodes of the show, Matt Smith’s first adventures as the Eleventh Doctor Who will return to television screens this autumn.
Matt Smith’s first adventures as the Eleventh Doctor Who will return to television screens this autumn.
The actor’s turn as the Time Lord will be screened again by BBC Three as it repeats classic Doctor Who episodes to fill the gap while fans wait for the show’s future to be confirmed.
BBC bosses announced from Saturday 27 September, the channel will air Matt’s debut as the Doctor in 2010’s The Eleventh Hour at 7.10pm, followed by The Beast Below at 8.15pm.
Matt, 42, first appeared as the Doctor in 2010, taking over from David Tennant, and went on to play the Time Lord for three series.
The BBC has not revealed how many of his episodes will be included in the repeat run or how long the scheduling will last.
Fans of the long-running science fiction series are also waiting for the debut of The War Between the Land and the Sea, a new spin-off show due to air in 2026.
The programme is expected to precede further announcements on the BBC’s co-production agreement with Disney, which distributes Doctor Who internationally.
Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, addressed concerns at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August over the show’s return.
She said: “Any Whovians out there, rest assured – Doctor Who is going nowhere. Disney has been a great partnership and it continues with The War Between the Land and the Sea next year but, going forward, with or without Disney, Doctor Who will still be on the BBC.”
The most recent broadcast episode, The Reality War, ended with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerating into Billie Piper.
Ncuti became the Fifteenth Doctor in 2023, and has spoken openly about his decision to leave the role. He said: “I had to wrestle with myself as to whether I continued in the role. I fell in love with that show and I will miss it, but I was ready to move on.”
Billie Piper previously played the Doctor’s companion Rose Tyler in the series between 2005 and 2010. Whether her new appearance signifies she is taking on the role of the Doctor has not yet been confirmed.
BBC Three’s rerun of Matt’s first series begins as anticipation builds for official announcements on the programme’s next chapter.
Fans can revisit episodes on Saturday nights or stream Doctor Who via BBC iPlayer.
