On Thursday night, ten Doctor Who Doctors (along with a bunch of other famous Brits) came together for the BBC’s three-hour fund-raising telethon, The Big Night In. In a video message filmed at home, Jodie Whittaker (Doctor number 13), Peter Capaldi (12), Matt Smith (11), David Tennant (10, but actually really 11 and 12 it’s a whole thing), Paul McGann (8), Sylvester McCoy (7), Colin Baker (6), Peter Davison (5), Tom Baker (4), and Jo Martin (we don’t yet know!) all united to thank NHS doctors and other healthcare workers on the front-lines of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“As you probably know, we have all been, at one time or another, the Doctor,” they begin. “And the Doctor abides by one simple code: Whatever problem you’re facing, never be cruel or cowardly, never give up, and never give in.” Check it out below.
This wasn’t the evening’s only Whovian-approved segment. The Big Night In also featured a sequel to the classic sketch where David Tennant plays Catherine Tate’s new English teacher. The comedians reprised their roles with some very topical updates, including Zoom tutoring, TikTok fame, social distancing, the WHO, and, well, just see for yourself.
For more coronavirus coping strategies, check out the TARDIS-worth of goodies the Doctor Who family has been putting out to encourage fans to stay at home, from PSAs to watch-parties to new material. So far, we’ve gotten brand-new lore-expanding short stories from Chris Chibnall, Steven Moffat, Peter McTighe, and Paul Cornell, an “emergency transmission” from the Thirteenth Doctor herself, a video message from Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) penned by Neil Gaiman, and episode live-tweets from Moffat and Russell T. Davies.
Additionally, Big Finish is making one Doctor Who audio play per week available to download for free until the end of May. If you’re not sure where to begin, Erin Horakova has a handy guide to the best episodes and arcs to start with.
