March 7th, 2013 42 comments

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Doctor Who 50th Anniversary 3-day Indoor Event

BBC WORLDWIDE ANNOUNCES THE DOCTOR WHO 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AT LONDON’S EXCEL IN NOVEMBER

The corporation’s commercial arm will bring thousands of the Time Lord’s fans together from across the universe for a very special 3-day indoor event on his birthday weekend

BBC Worldwide is delighted to announce that it will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who – one of popular culture’s most iconic fictional heroes – with a spectacular three day event at ExCeL London, bringing together over 15,000 fans for the ultimate Doctor Who anniversary celebration beginning on Friday November 22nd.

Saturday November 23rd, 2013 will mark 50 years to the day since the Doctor first appeared on British TV screens and since then his global appeal has continued to grow, with viewers across generations in over 200 territories around the world and over 3 million Facebook fans.

Throughout the year, Doctor Who fans across all of space and time will be able to join in the celebrations closer to home. BBC America are marking the anniversary with a number of original programme commissions which will look back at the Doctor throughout the years and celebrate the world’s longest running science fiction show. The programmes will focus on a different Doctor each month in chronological order, and kicked off with William Hartnell’s Doctor in January before culminating with the current Doctor, played by Matt Smith in November. The programmes will also be made available internationally.

In New Zealand, BBC Worldwide Australasia has collaborated with the New Zealand Mint to produce a commemorative coin featuring the TARDIS which will be classified as legal tender to the value of $2(NZD). A range of collectible coins will also be available in New Zealand for fans and collectors alike.
A huge range of new products will also be released throughout 2013.

A set of 11 celebratory Doctor Who stamps (unveiled by Royal Mail on Boxing Day 2012) will be available to purchase from March 26 and Harlequin Goldsmiths has created a collection of Limited Edition Sterling silver and 9ct gold statuaries, together with a range of jewellery for both ladies and gentlemen. For the first time in the company’s history, the Goldsmiths’ Assay Office has granted BBC Worldwide the use of its iconic trademark to form part of a new London hallmark – the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary mark. Only Doctor Who statuaries and jewellery manufactured by Harlequin Goldsmiths in 2013 will bear this special hallmark, following which the mark will be discontinued and the punch presented to the BBC archives.

Capturing all the activity is www.doctorwho.tv , a brand new official and global home for Doctor Who that will act as the hub for all of BBC Worldwide’s Doctor Who-related activity throughout 2013 and beyond. Taking a chronological focus on a Doctor-per-month in the anniversary year, www.doctorwho.tv will feature new product releases, news on the planned celebration weekend and plenty more.

Amanda Hill, Chief Brands Officer at BBC Worldwide said: “We cannot wait to welcome Doctor Who fans from around the world to London in November. It’s going to be a spectacular weekend! Generations of fans young and old have been captivated by the Doctor and we’ve seen the show go from strength to strength, enjoying something of a global march over the past few years attracting new followers from Turkey to Brazil to South Korea. 2013 is an opportunity for fans around the world to come together and celebrate the glorious past, present and future of Doctor Who.”

More details about the Doctor Who 50th Celebration Weekend at ExCeL London, including guests, intinerary, ticket prices and booking information will be revealed soon, alongside a host of other surprises. Fans should sign up to the www.doctorwho.tv newsletter to be the first to hear about plans for the celebration.