On the last day of the Time War between the Daleks and the Time Lords, a man who refuses to call himself “the Doctor” is faced with an appalling choice. In order to end the bloodshed, he must use the Moment -- an ancient Gallifreyan weapon -- to slaughter billions. Elsewhere, the Tenth Doctor becomes entangled with Queen Elizabeth I while hunting Zygons in sixteenth-century England. In the present day, UNIT summons the Eleventh Doctor and Clara to investigate a mystery at an art gallery. These events become intertwined, leading three incarnations of the same Time Lord to confront the most terrible decision of their lives.

The first episode of Doctor Who aired on November 23rd, 1963. In the years that followed, the programme was rarely shy about celebrating its milestones. In December 1972, Season Ten began with the first-ever meeting of the Doctor's current and past incarnations, who tackled the mad Time Lord pioneer Omega in The Three Doctors. This feat was repeated on a grander scale for the twentieth anniversary in 1983, when The Five Doctors boasted a confrontation with Rassilon, the founder of Time Lord society. Five years later, Doctor Who's silver anniversary story was the appropriately-named Silver Nemesis, featuring the Cybermen and an ancient Time Lord weapon. Although the show went off the air in 1989, its thirtieth birthday in 1993 was marked by the broadcast of a charity mini-adventure, Dimensions In Time, which again reunited the surviving Doctors. Only the fortieth anniversary in 2003 missed the mark, leaving the celebrations to documentaries and other media. As it happened, however, the same year would boast the announcement that Doctor Who was returning to television in 2005.

As its golden anniversary in 2013 approached, Doctor Who had lost little of the popularity which had accompanied its revival. Not only was it still one of the United Kingdom's most-watched dramas, but it was also scaling new heights of success in international markets. Consequently, executive producer Steven Moffat knew that the programme's fiftieth birthday would have to be recognised in a manner which would satisfy many diverse fans. At the same time, he was adamant that these celebrations should help launch Doctor Who into its next fifty years, rather than simply reflecting on times gone by.

The special provided an ideal opportunity to explore the Time War

On November 18th, 2012, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning Ben Stephenson announced that a special episode would be broadcast to commemorate Doctor Who's golden milestone. In fact, planning was already well under way for this event: Moffat was setting the stage in his script for the Season Thirty-Three finale, The Name Of The Doctor, which was then before the cameras and would air the following May. Moffat had decided that the special provided an ideal opportunity to explore the Time War, the aftermath of which had provided the context for the 2005 episodes. In particular, he wanted to revisit the Doctor's fateful decision to wipe out both the Time Lords and the Daleks in order to end the conflict, and give him the chance to do things differently. It would be revealed that the Doctor had, in fact, saved Gallifrey, thereby rehabilitating the character and positioning his search for his home planet as a new element for future Doctor Who episodes.

Like previous anniversary stories, then, Time Lord history would play a critical role in the special. The other frequent theme of these adventures -- the reunion of multiple Doctors -- would also feature prominently in Moffat's designs. He had written one such meeting already, with the 2007 charity mini-episode Time Crash bringing together David Tennant's then-current Tenth Doctor and Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor. Although he was reluctant to go back to that well too often, Moffat knew that the absence of other Doctors in the anniversary special would sorely disappoint the fans. As such, he intended to have Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor team up with Tennant's Doctor to go back to the Time War and confront Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor.

Furthermore, while the public would be made aware of the involvement of Smith, Tennant and Eccleston, Moffat planned to secretly incorporate all of the other Doctors using clever editing of archival footage. This would not only get around the problem that William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee -- the actors who had played the first three Doctors -- were now deceased, but would also avoid the need to explain why the other actors now looked much older than when they had played the lead role. Finally, Moffat intended to include an enigmatic cameo appearance for Tom Baker, who had played the Fourth Doctor and was now the elder statesman of the surviving Doctors.

An additional link to Doctor Who's history was Clara's place of employment: Coal Hill Secondary School

Moffat was writing the anniversary special, called “The Time War”, in late 2012. For the relationship between the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors, he was inspired by the rivalry between the Third and Second Doctors in The Three Doctors. With the mystery of the “Impossible Girl” having been resolved in The Name Of The Doctor, it was decided that Clara should now be working as a teacher, rather than continuing her Season Thirty-Three role as the Maitland family's temporary nanny. This would not only open up new possibilities for the character, but also create an additional link to Doctor Who's history by identifying her place of employment as Coal Hill Secondary School -- which the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, was attending in the very first story, 100,000 BC. Moffat also drew upon more recent continuity, by resolving the running gag -- first established in 2007's The Shakespeare Code -- about the nature of the Doctor's relationship with Queen Elizabeth I.

While the subject matter effectively made the presence of the Daleks obligatory, Moffat also took the opportunity to bring back another classic monster. The shapeshifting Zygons were a favourite of his, but they had not been seen on-screen since their introduction in 1975's Terror Of The Zygons. A returning human character would be Kate Stewart of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), as played by Jemma Redgrave; she had recently been introduced in Season Thirty-Three's The Power Of Three. Moffat also considered using audio clips to incorporate her father, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart -- actor Nicholas Courtney having passed away in 2011 -- but he ultimately decided against this. Paired with Kate would be a new character, Osgood, who was initially conceived as her personal assistant before becoming a UNIT scientist. She was named after the hapless Sergeant Osgood whom Alec Linstead had portrayed in 1971's The Daemons; it was Moffat's intention that the two characters be father and daughter. Lord Bentham, meanwhile, was a reference to Jeremy Bentham, a Doctor Who historian and co-founder of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.

Early versions of “The Time War” saw the Moment appear to the Ninth Doctor in the form of a young girl dressed in rags, while Clara accompanied the Eleventh Doctor through the portal to 1562. The portal's effects on the actions of the Tenth Doctor were to manifest themselves in the present day as the Eleventh Doctor became wracked with pain; this was similar to the Fifth Doctor's reaction when his past selves were removed from time in The Five Doctors.

In February, Christopher Eccleston declined the offer to return to Doctor Who

However, throughout the development of “The Time War”, Moffat had been wary that Eccleston might not agree to return to the role of the Ninth Doctor. The actor had starred in Doctor Who for just one year, and although he had spoken fondly of the series in subsequent interviews, there was also a sense of finality towards his involvement. By mid-February 2013, Moffat and Eccleston had met on more than one occasion to discuss the special. Although the actor gave serious thought to a Doctor Who return, he ultimately declined the offer. Moffat was disappointed that Eccleston would not be involved, but the turn of events resolved his qualms about the narrative, because he did not feel that the Ninth Doctor suited the role of the Doctor who ended the Time War -- not least because his first story, 2005's Rose, had heavily implied that he was only recently regenerated. Similarly, although Moffat considered Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor as a potential replacement, his personality seemed even less appropriate.

Instead, Moffat decided to introduce a hitherto unknown Doctor, one who came in-between the Eighth and Ninth Doctors, and therefore bridged the gap between the Doctor Who of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This incarnation would refuse to call himself “the Doctor”, tying in with themes which Moffat had already developed in The Name Of The Doctor; instead, he would simply be referred to as “the Renegade”. This also gave the production team the chance to cast a high-profile actor as this “War Doctor” and, in short order, John Hurt accepted the part. He would make his first appearance during the closing moments of The Name Of The Doctor, in footage recorded during the making of “The Time War”.

The introduction of the War Doctor prompted Moffat to consider including a different link to the Ninth Doctor's era in the special. He had contemplated pairing the Tenth Doctor with companion Rose Tyler, in part as a way of recognising the crucial role played by actress Billie Piper in the success of Doctor Who's 2005 return. However, he felt that Rose's story had been drawn to its ideal conclusion in 2008's Journey's End, and he did not want to undermine the work of his predecessor, Russell T Davies. Now, however, Moffat realised that the Moment could assume Rose's form -- specifically, her manifestation after absorbing the power of the time vortex in Eccleston's last episode, The Parting Of The Ways. Piper quickly agreed to return to Doctor Who for the first time since making a cameo appearance in Tennant's final story, The End Of Time, on New Year's Day 2010.

Another consideration which Moffat had to bear in mind as he wrote “The Time War” was the decision to film the episode in 3-D. The BBC had been exploring the use of this technology since 2011, and it was felt that it would help to distinguish “The Time War” as a noteworthy television event. Furthermore, it was agreed that the adventure would be screened in cinemas on or near its broadcast date, greatly increasing the size of the audience which could take advantage of the 3-D experience. This encouraged elements such as the dimensionally-transcendental paintings and Clara riding her motorcycle into the TARDIS, although Moffat was keen that these effects would not drive the story.

References to the Dr Who movies starring Peter Cushing were deleted due to rights issues

Moffat completed his first draft of the special -- now untitled -- on February 28th. At this point, the War Doctor left the “No More” message behind at the Time Lord armoury from which he stole the Moment. Originally, Clara saved the Doctors from their cell in the Tower of London by convincing their jailer that she was a witch. The intent of the program which the Doctors ran through their sonic screwdrivers was to unlock the door to the Black Archive, before it was decided that they should access that area via the Gallifrey Falls painting. In the Black Archive, one of the displays featured various Doctors, some of whom were implied to be from his future. Amongst them was a photo of Peter Cushing, who had played the title role in the feature films Dr Who and The Daleks (1965) and Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966)... with Kate explaining to a bemused Clara that these movies had been the work of some of the Doctor's former companions! References to the Cushing movies were ultimately deleted due to rights issues.

As writing progressed, all references to the War Doctor as “the Renegade” were dropped; the script instead designated him as “the Other Doctor”. The start of the War Doctor's regeneration in his TARDIS was a late addition. Moffat was firm that this scene should be realised in a manner which would not imply Eccleston's involvement, since he wanted to respect the actor's decision against participating in the special. When the Doctor invoked his promise at the story's climax, Moffat was recalling the oft-repeated description given by former script editor Terrance Dicks in his 1976 Target Books edition of The Making Of Doctor Who: “He never gives in, and never gives up, however overwhelming the odds against him. The Doctor believes in good and fights evil. Though often caught up in violent situations, he is a man of peace. He is never cruel or cowardly.”

The coda went through several variations before Moffat arrived at its final form, although every version repurposed the image of the TARDIS parked upon a cloud, as in the 2012 Christmas special, The Snowmen. Initially, the spiral staircase used to access it in that adventure also appeared: as the Doctor ascended, his form shifted through each of his incarnations, starting with the First Doctor and culminating with the Eleventh Doctor. Later, the Eleventh Doctor instead exited the TARDIS into a gallery where paintings of each of his incarnations were hung. The War Doctor's portrait was turned to face the wall, but the Doctor now restored it to its proper orientation before emerging onto the cloud.

Directing the special would be Nick Hurran, who had most recently made Asylum Of The Daleks and The Angels Take Manhattan for Season Thirty-Three. This would be his fifth and final episode of Doctor Who. Cast as Osgood was Ingrid Oliver, who was best known as part of a comedy double act with Lorna Watson. No new Daleks were constructed for the special; instead, Hurran drew upon the existing pool of casings, including those which had been built during the early years of Doctor Who's revival, as well as the more recent additions to their ranks from Asylum Of The Daleks.

Caroline Skinner would be replaced as executive producer on an interim basis by Faith Penhale

Meanwhile, production was winding down on another component of the anniversary celebrations: An Adventure In Space And Time, a docudrama which explored the early days of Doctor Who. As it turned out, it would bring executive producer Caroline Skinner's involvement in the programme to a close. On March 13th, it was announced that Skinner had decided to leave Doctor Who and was moving to BBC Drama Productions in London, to be replaced on an interim basis by Faith Penhale. Originally a journalist, Penhale had moved into television as a researcher, and was subsequently a script editor, a producer, and then an executive producer; in the latter role, she oversaw programmes such as Outcasts and the revived Upstairs Downstairs. She had been the Head of Drama for BBC Wales since 2011.

During the weeks leading up to the start of principal photography, considerable work had been invested into the 3-D process for the special. Several sequences from recent Doctor Who stories were recreated using stand-ins, while computer animation company Milk VFX produced three-dimensional renders of elements for which a two-dimensional version had already been digitally built. Hurran and the production team viewed a range of recent 3-D movies to develop a sense of what would and would not work. As a result, some elements of the script continued to evolve; for instance, Clara's motorcycle ride into the TARDIS was dropped at one point, before finally being reinstated in a less elaborate form. Ironically, around this time, the BBC announced that it was abandoning its foray into 3-D, in response to lukewarm viewer interest; the Doctor Who special would be one of the last to air in this format.

Recording began on March 28th, almost four months after the end of work on Season Thirty-Three. Hurran's initial concern was material on the standing TARDIS set at Roath Lock Studios. Cast and crew remained at the programme's production home on the 29th for scenes in the sculpture room and the lift. On March 30th, Doctor Who Magazine announced the involvement of Tennant, Piper and Hurt in the special, but without divulging the precise nature of their roles, nor the War Doctor's surprise appearance at the end of The Name Of The Doctor. It was back to Roath Lock after the weekend, with more lift material taped on April 1st along with action in the paintings room. April 2nd marked Tennant's return to Doctor Who, almost four years after filming the last scene of his tenure. The picnic with Queen Elizabeth took place at the ruined Ivy Tower, an eighteenth-century edifice at Gnoll Estate Country Park in Tonna, which was destroyed by fire in 1920.

John Hurt made his debut as the War Doctor on April 3rd at Roath Lock Studios

Hurt made his debut as the War Doctor on April 3rd at Roath Lock. To preserve the secret of his character's identity, he was identified as “Omega” on the call sheet, falsely implying a connection with the villain of The Three Doctors. More TARDIS sequences were on the agenda, as well as the closing shot of the Eleventh Doctor on the cloud with his past selves. Tennant and Hurt joined Smith for this footage, while stand-ins played the other Doctors; their features would be digitally altered in post-production. On the 4th, Gelligaer Common Road near Bedlinog was the venue for Clara riding to the TARDIS on her motorcycle, and the time machine being carried through the air. Back in the studio, work on April 5th included sequences in the fez gallery and the special viewing chamber. Hurran's team then spent the 6th at MOD St Athan; the schedule included Smith dangling from the hijacked TARDIS, as well as green screen shots.

After a day off on Sunday the 7th, April 8th and 9th were spent in London -- at the Tower of London and Tower Bridge in St Katharine's & Wapping on the first day, and then outside the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster on the second day. From April 10th to 12th, Hurran's cameras were rolling at Caerwent Training Camp in Caerwent, for the material in the sixteenth-century woods. Over the weekend, on the 13th and 14th, model filming took place at Roath Lock, most notably for the War Doctor's TARDIS crashing through the wall in Arcadia.

April 15th saw recording at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, which provided the gallery where Gallifrey Falls was unveiled; Hurran also shot some inserts there. Not one but two TARDIS control rooms were in use on the 16th. The Tenth Doctor's TARDIS interior was now housed at the Doctor Who Experience, a permanent exhibition erected just down the street from the studios. Meanwhile, the War Doctor's console room was assembled at Roath Lock using elements which had been created for the First Doctor's TARDIS in An Adventure In Space And Time. The same day, some of the War Doctor's trek across the desert was captured at Roath Lock against a green screen. On April 17th, the Elizabethan-era Tower of London was actually Chepstow Castle in Chepstow; it also provided the setting for the Doctor's royal wedding and for pick-up shots of the picnic. The dungeon cell, on the other hand, was a set erected at Roath Lock. These sequences were recorded on the 18th and 19th, with Piper rejoining the Doctor Who cast. Part of the latter day and all of the 20th were spent on inserts, as well as the start of work in the Gallifreyan barn.

Sunday the 21st was a day off, before the following week was confined to Roath Lock. The remaining barn material was filmed on April 22nd and 23rd, along with green screen shots of Gallifrey on the first day, and some of the scenes in the Black Archive on the second day. The set for the latter -- which was also in use on the 24th -- was dressed with numerous props from Doctor Who's recent seasons, as well as boards displaying photographs of many of the Doctor's companions and allies. Some of the images had been altered to create unique pairings -- such as Sara Kingdom, a short-lived companion of the First Doctor, with Mike Yates, a UNIT captain when the Third Doctor served as the organisation's scientific adviser -- thereby hinting at unseen adventures.

April 25th was taken up with effects shots, by the end of which Tennant, Hurt and Piper had all finished their work on the special. Nonetheless, the 26th saw the arrival of one more notable guest star: Tom Baker, who would now be making a surprise appearance as the Curator. To minimise the risk of Baker's involvement being discovered, he was driven to Cardiff from his home in East Sussex through the dark pre-dawn hours. Once his footage was completed, Baker was chauffeured back the same afternoon, having found the experience bittersweet. Meanwhile, Hurran and his team moved on to material in the Black Archive corridor, plus some pick-up shots.

After a weekend off, work on the special resumed at Roath Lock on April 29th, which saw the completion of the majority of the remaining action in the Black Archive, as well as a number of Zygon-related inserts. The paintings room set was again in use on the 30th, alongside the war room and the bunker corridor on Gallifrey; various pick-up shots rounded out the day's itinerary. It was also announced that Brian Minchin would be joining Moffat as Doctor Who's new executive producer. Minchin had been a script editor on the first two seasons of the spin-off series Torchwood, and had also handled some episodes of the parent show beginning with the 2007 Christmas special, Voyage Of The Damned. He then worked as an assistant producer on the third season of Torchwood, before being promoted to producer on the last two seasons of Doctor Who's other spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures. During this time, he served as the UK producer for the fourth season of Torchwood -- which was largely made in the United States -- and wrote the Eleventh Doctor novel The Forgotten Army for BBC Books. More recently, Minchin had been an executive producer on Dirk Gently and Wizards Vs Aliens.

The Coal Hill sign indicated that the Chairman of the Governors was former companion Ian Chesterton

May 1st saw work continue at Roath Lock on the Gallifrey material, with Hurran capturing footage in the war room, the bunker corridor and the destroyed building in Arcadia. Filming on a busy May 2nd began with Clara riding her motorcycle along the Butetown Tunnel in Cardiff. Then it was back to Roath Lock and the set for the Omega Arsenal, while Hurran also shot inserts in the Arcadian ruins. Finally, Gladstone Primary School in Cardiff posed as Coal Hill Secondary School. The school sign indicated that the headmaster was “W Coburn” while the Chairman of the Governors was “I Chesterton”. These referred to writer Anthony Coburn, who created Coal Hill School for 100,000 BC, and former companion Ian Chesterton, who had been a science teacher there. The advertisement for IM Foreman's junkyard -- the location of the TARDIS in 100,000 BC -- was the same one created for An Adventure In Space And Time, while the inclusion of the policeman walking past it was an echo of Doctor Who's very first scene. Principal photography then wrapped up on May 3rd and 4th, when a disused factory at the Mamhilad Park Industrial Estate in Pontypool was the setting for the Fall of Arcadia.

In recent seasons, the Doctor Who production team had attempted to take advantage of online platforms by recording special prequels for various episodes. For Doctor Who's fiftieth anniversary, Moffat wanted to push this concept to the next level. Despite discarding the notion of the Eighth Doctor having ended the Time War, he was conscious of the fact that McGann had never had the opportunity to record a regeneration scene. Indeed, McGann had only appeared in the Doctor Who (1996) telefilm, although he had recorded more than sixty Doctor Who audio adventures for Big Finish Productions since 2000. As such, Moffat felt that a prequel to the anniversary special would be a suitable venue to depict the circumstances under which the Eighth Doctor regenerated into the War Doctor. He approached McGann, who was delighted to finally record a second Doctor Who appearance.

The prequel would see the Eighth Doctor trying to avoid involvement in the Time War, only to be mortally wounded while failing to save Cass, a spaceship pilot who refused to trust a Time Lord. He would then regenerate into a form suitable to fight the Time War with the assistance of the Sisterhood of Karn, from 1976's The Brain Of Morbius. Moffat originally envisaged the prequel as being comprised of two episodes, with a cliffhanger at the point where the Sisterhood of Karn discovered the Doctor's body in the wreck of Cass' spaceship. Cass' reaction to the Doctor was inspired by the description given in The End Of Time of the Time Lords having become as evil as the Daleks. Ohila, the leader of the Sisterhood, was named after Ohica, a member of the order in their earlier appearance. As he was about to regenerate, the Eighth Doctor invoked the names of several of his Big Finish companions: Charley Pollard, C'rizz, Lucie Miller, Tamsin Drew and Molly O'Sullivan. Moffat was delighted to have the opportunity to acknowledge the non-televised Doctor Who canon as part of the anniversary celebrations.

The prequel's glimpse of the young War Doctor used a photo from the 1979 adaptation of Crime And Punishment

Director John Hayes recorded the prequel at Roath Lock on May 7th and 8th, with the first day concentrating on the Sisterhood's cave, and the second on Cass' vessel and its wreck. Moffat hoped that McGann's involvement could be kept a secret until November, and so the actor's name was omitted from the call sheet, with the “Omega” alias again applied to his character. Costume designer Howard Burden provided McGann with an updated version of the garments he had worn in Doctor Who (1996). Whereas that outfit had been a pilfered Hallowe'en costume, Burden wanted the Eighth Doctor's new attire to be more practical for a lifetime of adventuring. For his part, Moffat felt that the clothes should look slightly ragged, reflecting the fraying state of both the Doctor and the universe as a result of the Time War. The fleeting glimpse of the young War Doctor used a photo from the 1979 adaptation of Crime And Punishment, in which Hurt had played Raskolnikov.

Moffat also wrote a second prequel, which would provide insight into the Gallifreyan perspective during the closing days of the Time War. It would feature Chris Finch reprising his role as the Time Lord soldier seen in the special, and depicted the start of the Dalek assault on Arcadia as viewed through another soldier's headcam. The second prequel was directed by Jamie Magnus Stone -- who would go on to direct several full Doctor Who episodes beginning with 2020's Spyfall -- and was recorded at Roath Lock on May 9th.

Some time earlier, during the production of Season Thirty-Three, Moffat and Smith had started to discuss the actor's future on Doctor Who. In the spring of 2012, Smith had observed the difficulties endured by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill while leaving their roles as the Doctor's companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. He was growing concerned that, if he committed to a fourth season, he might never leave Doctor Who -- worries which had also prompted Tennant's departure from the title role after three seasons. Around the time that Jenna-Louise Coleman joined the show full-time in May 2012, she was made aware that Smith was nearing the end of his tenure as the Doctor. Over the coming weeks, it was agreed that the 2013 Christmas special -- which would air just a month after the fiftieth anniversary -- would be the Eleventh Doctor's last adventure. Smith's imminent departure was announced by the BBC on June 1st.

Amongst all the activity of the anniversary preparations, then, the Doctor Who production team found themselves casting the Twelfth Doctor. A name which quickly and persistently arose was that of Peter Capaldi, who had played both Caecilius in 2008's The Fires Of Pompeii and the ill-fated John Frobisher in the following year's Torchwood epic Children Of Earth. Capaldi had declined the opportunity to audition for the role of the Eighth Doctor during casting for Doctor Who (1996), and he was amongst the actors considered by Moffat during the search for the Eleventh Doctor in 2009. Indeed, he had even visited the set of An Adventure In Space And Time earlier in 2013.

Peter Capaldi was offered the role of the Twelfth Doctor on June 28th

Now, however, Moffat worried that a performer of Capaldi's stature would be averse to the demands associated with the lead role in Doctor Who. Indeed, at fifty-five years old, Capaldi was the same age as Hartnell -- the eldest of the programme's stars to date -- when he was cast as the First Doctor. On the other hand, Moffat also felt that Capaldi would draw an effective contrast with Smith's very youthful Doctor. As such, it came as a pleasant surprise when Moffat learned that Capaldi was indeed interested in auditioning for the role of the Twelfth Doctor. On June 19th, he travelled to Moffat's home to perform three scenes, with Minchin also in attendance; each piece was written by Moffat and was intended to emulate the approach of one of the three most recent Doctors. Moffat and Minchin were now convinced that Capaldi was the right actor for the job and, although they harboured some concerns that the BBC would demand a younger actor, they soon had Stephenson and Penhale's support. Capaldi was offered the role of the Twelfth Doctor on June 28th, receiving a call from his agent while he was in Prague, Czech Republic, where he was playing the villainous Cardinal Richelieu in The Musketeers. On August 4th, his casting was revealed to the world during a special BBC One broadcast entitled Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor.

Around the same time, the BBC announced that the anniversary special would forge new territory for a drama by being simulcast in markets around the world. In the end, more than seventy-five countries would air the adventure, with the cinema release also expanding to several other territories. On September 11th, it was revealed that the story's title was now The Day Of The Doctor, forging an explicit link with The Name Of The Doctor, and offering marketability even to neophyte viewers who had no familiarity with the lore surrounding the Time War. By now, Coleman had asked to be credited as simply “Jenna Coleman” on Doctor Who, since this was how she was known in her personal life.

Notable edits included the deletion of the War Doctor's insistence to the Moment that, after he destroyed Gallifrey, he would no longer permit himself the luxury of regeneration. Moffat also added new dialogue to the negotiations between UNIT and the Zygons which would make their final aim unclear, since he was considering revisiting the scenario in a future adventure. Originally, the humans were simply asked to provide the Zygons with enough technology to leave Earth. One change resulted in an additional piece of filming for The Day Of The Doctor on October 3rd. Moffat had realised that, with Capaldi now cast and announced to the public, he could slip another surprise into the anniversary special by having the Twelfth Doctor appear alongside his predecessors at the story's climax. No decisions had yet been made as to the new Doctor's appearance, so an extremely tight close-up of Capaldi's eyes was recorded on the TARDIS set at Roath Lock.

The special would open with the original Doctor Who title sequence and theme tune from 1963

This shot would form just one element of a complex sequence depicting all thirteen Doctors in their version of the TARDIS. The First Doctor appeared in a video clip from The Daleks, but his dialogue was recorded by mimic John Guilor, who had substituted for Hartnell on a special feature for the 2012 DVD release of 1964's Planet Of Giants. The extract featuring the Ninth Doctor was derived from The Parting Of The Ways, while the Fourth and Eighth Doctors could be seen -- but not heard -- in extracts from Planet Of Evil and Doctor Who (1996), respectively. The other Doctors appeared courtesy a combination of video and audio clips from different sources: the Second Doctor from The Tomb Of The Cybermen (video) and The Seeds Of Death (audio), the Third Doctor from Colony In Space (video) and The Three Doctors (audio), the Fifth Doctor from Frontios (video) and The Five Doctors (audio), the Sixth Doctor from Attack Of The Cybermen (video and audio), and the Seventh Doctor from Battlefield (video and audio). The special would open with the original Doctor Who title sequence and theme tune arrangement from 1963.

Throughout the autumn, publicity for Doctor Who's fiftieth anniversary gradually began to ramp up. The Eighth Doctor prequel, now called The Night Of The Doctor, was scheduled for release on November 16th. When it was discovered that McGann's involvement was about to be leaked to the public, it was instead made available on the 14th. The next day, a special two-minute excerpt from The Day Of The Doctor was screened as part of the BBC's annual Children In Need charity telethon.

The Day Of The Doctor was only one amongst many programmes which would air on BBC television and radio, as well as on TV channels the world over, to celebrate the golden milestone. A twin bill aired on November 18th, with Professor Brian Cox hosting the fact-based The Science Of Doctor Who on BBC Two, while the show's history was encapsulated in Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide on BBC Three. The same day, a celebratory reception was held at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Sophie, the Countess of Wessex and wife of Prince Edward. On November 20th, the Gallifrey-set prequel for The Day Of The Doctor -- now entitled The Last Day -- was made available through Apple's iTunes service. BBC Two broadcast An Adventure In Space And Time on the 21st, followed the next day by a Culture Show special entitled Me, You And Doctor Who, presented by broadcaster and fan Matthew Sweet. November 22nd also marked the beginning of a massive three-day convention held at the ExCeL in London, which was attended by a plethora of stars from Doctor Who past and present.

The mockumentary The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot was the brainchild of Peter Davison

The celebrations would even continue beyond the transmission of The Day Of The Doctor: immediately afterwards, BBC Three would air Doctor Who Live: The Afterparty featuring a host of celebrities from the world of Doctor Who and beyond, while the comedic The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot was made available online and through the BBC's Red Button service. The brainchild of Peter Davison, who starred alongside Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor) and Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor), the mockumentary chronicled their efforts to inveigle themselves into The Day Of The Doctor. It featured cameos as diverse as McGann, Tennant, Smith, Coleman, Moffat, Davies, John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Dan Starkey (Commander Strax), Peter Jackson and Ian McKellen (who worked with McCoy on The Hobbit film trilogy), Sean Pertwee and David Troughton (sons of Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton), Olivia Colman (Tennant's co-star on Broadchurch, who had enjoyed a small role in Smith's debut adventure, The Eleventh Hour), a number of classic Doctor Who companions, and members of both the Davison and Baker families.

However, the centrepiece was undeniably The Day Of The Doctor, which aired on November 23rd precisely fifty years, two hours and thirty-four minutes after the debut of An Unearthly Child, the first episode of 100,000 BC. The special was a colossal success. Its 12.8 million viewers in the UK made it the most-watched Doctor Who broadcast since the 2008 Christmas special, The Next Doctor, and it joined that year's Journey's End as the only Doctor Who episodes to reach the top of the ratings chart. Furthermore, The Day Of The Doctor was ultimately recognised as the UK's most-watched drama of 2013, and its global simulcast was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest ever for a television drama. Its accomplishments weren't even confined to November 23rd: two days later, a number of additional North American theatrical screenings were held, and the resulting US$4.8 million in ticket sales trailed only The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at the American and Canadian box office.

Although clips of the War Doctor from The Day Of The Doctor would appear in several subsequent stories, this would be Hurt's only full outing in Doctor Who. Nonetheless, he reprised the character for a number of audio plays released by Big Finish Productions beginning in 2015. The same year, he was knighted by the Queen in recognition of his long and influential career in drama. Sadly, he was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and, although the disease was soon in remission, his health continued to decline during 2016. One of Hurt's final roles was in the Oscar-nominated Jackie; he passed away on January 27th, 2017.

From the outset, Moffat had wanted The Day Of The Doctor to do more than just reflect on where Doctor Who had been, but also generate new momentum for the journey to come. On screen, the Doctor had restored Gallifrey, and could now embark on the search for his home planet. Off screen, the countdown had begun to the last adventure of the Eleventh Doctor, with a brand-new incarnation waiting in the wings. When it came to Doctor Who, one truth seemed irrefutable: as a wise man once said, it was far from being all over...

• Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition #38, Autumn 2014, “The Day Of The Doctor” by Andrew Pixley, Panini UK Ltd.
• Doctor Who: The Complete History #75, 2016, “Story 240: The Day Of The Doctor”, edited by John Ainsworth, Hachette Partworks Ltd.