Time Lords United In Doctor Who Special Picture Released To Mark Show's 50th Anniversary

To mark the upcoming 50th anniversary of 'Doctor Who', all the various incarnations of the popular Time Lord have been brought together in a special picture by the BBC.

Compiled by Matt Burlem of BBC Pictures, this image is from the BBC Archives of the show, and not, it has been made clear, from the special 50th anniversary episode coming our way at the end of November.

The picture shows William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and the latest Doctor, Matt Smith, who will be leaving the show soon, to make way for Peter Capaldi.

The BBC have prepared a whole feast of festivity to celebrate the half-century of this most enduring sci-fi favourite.

Although there are bound to be some surprises along the way, TV specials will definitely include:

• A 75-minute special episode, The Day Of The Doctor, starring the current incumbent of the Tardis, Matt Smith, along with his predecessor David Tennant
• A BBC Two lecture by Professor Brian Cox on the science behind the hit show and the drama
• An Adventure In Space and Time, written by Mark Gatiss, a one-off drama telling the story of William Hartnell's playing of the first Doctor in 1963, his part to be taken by actor David Bradley (Filch in Harry Potter films)
• Re-run of the first ever Doctor Who story, starring William Hartnell himself, shown over four episodes on BBC4
• 'Me, You and Doctor Who' - a Culture Show special into the cultural significance and fascination of the BBC's longest-running TV drama

• 'Who Is The Doctor?' - a 90-minute documentary on Radio 2, using new interviews and archive material
• '12 Again' - a CBBC special inviting stars who've participated in the show to share their memories. These will include the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, Tommy Knight, who played Luke Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures, Warwick Davis, who played Porridge in a Doctor Who episode and Louise Jameson, who was the fourth Doctor Tom Baker's companion Leela.
• A Blue Peter competition - viewers aged between 6 and 14 will have the chance to design a new gadget that will appear on the show, and Matt Smith will be on the Blue Peter sofa answering viewers' questions
• Doctor Who: Monsters and Villains Weekend - a BBC Three special

Danny Cohen, BBC director of television, said: "It's an astonishing achievement for a drama to reach its 50th anniversary.

"I'd like to thank every person - on both sides of the camera - who has been involved with its creative journey over so many years."