Doctor Who: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The Day Of The Doctor

Doctor Who's 50th anniversary spectacular is LOADED with fascinating details.

by Ellie Littlechild
Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston The Day of the Doctor
BBC Studios

Now that we're in the 60th year of Doctor Who and are patiently awaiting the arrival of the highly-anticipated anniversary specials, it seems like a good time to take a trip down memory lane.

It's hard to believe, but ten years have passed since the Whoniverse-altering events of the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor, which introduced us to John Hurt's War Doctor, and gave us a whole new perspective of The Last Great Time War.

Needless to say, it's an episode that has a lot going on - and there's quite a bit about it that you might not know.

So, let's take a look at some of the details, trivia, and anecdotes (both onscreen and behind the scenes), that might just have eluded you since the episode's 2013 debut, starting with the lovely Paul McGann...

20. The Night Of The Doctor Wasn't Released As Intended

Doctor Who The Night of the Doctor Paul McGann Eighth Doctor
BBC Studios

Prior to the airing of The Day of the Doctor, a prequel titled The Night of the Doctor was released.

In a wonderful surprise, it featured Paul McGann reprising the role of the Eighth Doctor, and finally gave him the onscreen regeneration he'd previously lacked.

The initial plan was for The Night of the Doctor to be released on 16 November 2013, one week before the main episode premiered. However, when it was discovered that McGann's involvement was about to be leaked, it was made available on 14 November instead.

This meant that it actually dropped on Paul McGann's birthday, which was certainly a happy coincidence!

 
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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!