On November 23rd, 2013, Doctor Who fans around the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world’s longest running sci-fi series. We are delighted to announce that current Doctor – Matt Smith – will attend the only official 50th Anniversary Celebration at ExCeL, London alongside special guests confirmed so far: Tom Baker*, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy who have also played the iconic role of The Doctor.

The event on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th November is a must for the whole family to celebrate their love of all things Doctor Who, with an exciting range of activities to suit all ages. Keep your eyes peeled for further announcements of high profile guests in the coming weeks.

Matt Smith says:

“The event this year will be an extra special occasion for me, I’m truly looking forward to a huge celebration with the fans in the lead up to the 50th anniversary episode.”

Ticket holders to this once-in-a-lifetime event will have access to a whole range of activities including: 

•  Guaranteed seats to two theatre panel shows featuring star guests from 50 years of Doctor Who. 

•  Guaranteed seats in a spectacular special effects show hosted by Doctor Who’s special effects guru Danny Hargreaves. 

•  Activities in the main halls including: stunt workshops with Doctor Who stunt co-ordinator Crispin Layfield and stunt double Gordon Seed, audio and visual effect workshops, on-stage panels with cast members, walk-like-a-monster master-classes with Doctor Who’s official monster choreographer Ailsa Burke, quizzes and games for fans young and old and plenty more to ensure the whole family have an amazing day out celebrating Doctor Who. 

All of the above will be available to guests who purchase a standard ticket to the event. Tickets go on general sale at 11am on Monday 8th July 2013 from celebration.doctorwho.tv. Standard tickets are priced at £45 for adults and £20 for kids, while a family ticket will cost £104** (two adults and two children***). Tickets cover entry to the Celebration for one day. 

There is also an option to purchase a limited edition TARDIS ticket. This ticket guarantees front row seats to the theatre shows, a private lounge for use all day, drinks and light refreshments and a special goodie bag with exclusive merchandise which can be collected on the day guests attend. TARDIS tickets are priced at £95.50 for adults, £44.25 for children and £218 for a family (two adults and two children****).

To ensure every visitor gets access to the best experience, when buying tickets online they will have the option to choose one of two streams – Ice Warrior or Weeping Angel – which will reserve each guest a seat for that day’s shows in the theatre. 

Visitors to the Celebration will also have the opportunity to visit signature and photo booths where they can meet their heroes from 50 years of Doctor Who (photos with Matt Smith should be booked in advance via the website). These opportunities will be available at a fee and subject to availability. 

In addition to the Celebration, further activity is being planned for the Saturday evening and will be announced soon.

For more information on the Celebration and a Plan Your Day guide, visit celebration.doctorwho.tv. To hear who else will be making the journey to this once-in-a-lifetime occasion at ExCeL in November subscribe to the doctorwho.tv newsletter and follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/dwcelebration.

*Tom Baker is only able to attend the Doctor Who Celebration on Saturday 23rd November.
**Prices shown for standard tickets exclude booking fee.
***Children under five can attend for free, but must be able to sit on a parents lap during the theatre shows as seats are pre-allocated.
****Prices shown for TARDIS tickets include booking fee.

[Source: BBC Worldwide]

Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today visited the home of Doctor Who – BBC Cymru Wales’ Roath Lock studios in Cardiff - to help celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary.

On arrival they were met by Rhodri Talfan Davies (Director, BBC Cymru Wales), Danny Cohen (Director, BBC Television), Faith Penhale (Head of Drama, BBC Wales & Executive Producer, Doctor Who) and Clare Hudson (Head of BBC Cymru Wales Productions).

The visit began with a trip to Doctor Who’s production office where The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were introduced to members of the team including Brian Minchin (Executive Producer) and Michael Pickwoad (Production Designer).

A trip to the TARDIS was next on the agenda where the royal couple were introduced to Steven Moffat (Executive Producer and Lead Writer), Jenna Coleman (Clara) and Matt Smith (the Doctor) who gave Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall a quick lesson in how to fly the TARDIS! Moments later, Their Royal Highnesses operated the console controls and the time machine sprang to life as if in flight!

Back on Earth it was time to meet the monsters! Their Royal Highnesses were introduced to Strax the Sontaran - in other words, Dan Starkey in full costume and make-up. There were Weeping Angels, Ood and various alien masks on show but a highlight of this section came when Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall met and chatted to a Dalek. The brilliant Nicholas Briggs was initially hidden behind the scenes to ad lib the interview and was then introduced, explaining how he created the distinctive voice patterns of the Time Lord’s oldest foes.

Another demonstration followed with special effects supervisor Danny Hargreaves showing the royal couple the ‘speederbike’ from The Rings of Akhaten and explaining – with the use of greenscreen - how it achieved its fantastic onscreen appearance. Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall then met and talked with several Creative Skillset Cymru apprentices who are training at Roath Lock in a number of TV functions. They also discussed how BBC Cymru Wales’ Roath Lock studios employ the latest methods to ensure sustainability and an eco-friendly approach to television production.

The visit lasted approximately an hour and a crowd of well-wishers gathered to wave and cheer Their Royal Highnesses as they left the studios.

Faith Penhale commented:

"It was lovely to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to the home of Doctor Who to help celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary. Certainly, seeing Prince Charles flying the TARDIS and Their Royal Highnesses chatting to a Dalek are memories to cherish from what looks set to be a very memorable year!"

[Source: BBC Doctor Who Website]