Doctor Who 60th Anniversary: 10 Huge Rumours And Leaks You Need To Know

If even half of these are true, Doctor Who's 60th birthday is going to be insane.

by Danny Meegan
Doctor Who 60th anniversary Matt Smith Eleventh Doctor
BBC Studios

It's been a frustrating time for Doctor Who fans these last few years.

With long waits in-between episodes, shortened series, and the BBC's seeming lack of enthusiasm towards what's supposed to be its flagship show, there's been a noticeable lack of buzz within the fandom.

It's not all doom and gloom however, and things have been looking way more positive recently. David Tennant, Disney+, and Ncuti Gatwa have injected some much-needed excitement into the fandom, and next year's 60th anniversary celebrations are shaping up to be one of the biggest parties in Doctor Who history.

Since we're still a year away (sigh), the finer details of that party are being kept under lock and key, but it's impossible for a show as big as Doctor Who to avoid leaks and rumours, and the 60th anniversary certainly hasn't bucked that trend.

So, let's break down some of the juiciest gossip we've heard so far. Potential spoilers lie ahead, should any of these turn out to be true!

10. Neil Patrick Harris Is Playing The Celestial Toymaker (Probably)

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Neil Patrick Harris
BBC Studios

When Neil Patrick Harris' casting was announced in June, we were told nothing about his role other than an interesting tease from Russell T Davies himself:

"Neil Patrick Harris, welcome to Cardiff! Playing the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced."

It was a bold statement, with that "greatest enemy" line immediately bringing to mind the likes of the Master, Omega, and Rassilon - iconic adversaries who rank among the most powerful beings in the Doctor Who universe.

But the character who Harris is actually playing - if fan theories and on-set leaks are to be believed, anyway - is a lot more unexpected.

Various signs point to him portraying the Celestial Toymaker, an immortal trickster who hasn't been seen in Doctor Who since 1966. The press shot of Harris that came with his casting announcement (pictured above) saw him dressed like an actual toymaker, and if that wasn't evidence enough, a sign reading "Toy Maker Of The Year" was pictured on set just a few months ago.

Granted, these things could be red herrings intended to lead us down the wrong path. This isn't RTD's first rodeo after all - he's one of the smartest guys in the business, well aware that even the tiniest of details will be pounced upon by fans.

At face value though, the Celestial Toymaker seems like a safe bet.

In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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!