BBC Just Made ‘Doctor Who’ More Accessible Than Ever

BBC will make Doctor Who the most accessible it has ever been by releasing all the show’s episodes via BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. Doctor Who is one of the longest-running sci-fi series of all time, having initially premiered in 1963. While the show took two hiatuses during its run, it returned to screens in 2005 and has remained on air since. The show is now preparing to celebrate its 60th anniversary in November with a three-episode special that will usher in the next era of Doctor Who and see Ncuti Gatwa take over as the Doctor.

Many younger fans first became acquainted with the show in its modern era following its 2005 revival. This new seasons are perfectly watchable without having seen the classic Doctor Who episodes, and an excellent place to start for newcomers to the franchise. Plus, the modern episodes are readily available on a variety of streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+. However, acquainting yourself with the classics is also rewarding for those who wish to know previous incarnations of the Doctor or delve further into Doctor Who lore.

Unfortunately, getting access to these episodes has never been easy for modern fans. When I was a kid, I remember trying to hunt down classic episodes on Dailymotion and being so frustrated that these episodes just weren’t anywhere to stream. Today, with the growth of streaming, it’s not as difficult to get access, but these classic episodes still aren’t found on your typical streamers and require an extra subscription to BritBox. But now the UK is making it much easier to access the entire classic era of Doctor Who.

BBC iPlayer is releasing over 800 Doctor Who episodes

As reported by GamesRadar, BBC iPlayer is preparing to release all of Doctor Who‘s episodes on its platform. This means the entire series, comprised of over 800 episodes, will be available all in one place for the first time ever. All of the Doctor Who spinoffs and the behind-the-scenes series Doctor Who Confidential will also be released on BBC iPlayer. With BBC iPlayer being free in the UK and offering subtitles, audio description, and sign language options, Doctor Who fans will find themselves with the easiest access they’ve ever had to the classic episodes. With all these episodes compiled here, it will feel much less daunting and overwhelming to tackle the show’s classic era.

BBC is also launching an online archive with interviews and behind-the-scenes materials. Needless to say, fans of the show will have almost endless Doctor Who content to sift through beginning on November 1. Of the iPlayer releases, current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies stated, “I’d like to thank the BBC for all the hard work to get this massive back catalogue under one roof, at long last. I’m so excited for new viewers—imagine being eight years old, spending winter afternoons exploring the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and beyond. And we’re determined this won’t be a dusty museum—we have exciting plans to bring the back catalog to life, with much more to be revealed!”

At long last, UK viewers will finally have the whole world of Doctor Who readily available to them. Hopefully, those in the United States will also get such a resource to help celebrate the show’s expansive history.

(via GamesRadar, featured image: BBC)