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March 7th, 2013 42 comments

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Doctor Who 50th Anniversary 3-day Indoor Event

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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.


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42 comments

  • Luci-D

    July 8th, 2013 - 11:22am

    been trying to get hold of tickets all morning. tardis tickets on website sold out on presales. can’t even buy standard tickets. Phone line constantly busy. Good luck to anyone who managed to purchase one

    Reply
    • booboo

      July 8th, 2013 - 11:40am

      feel sorry for all those who are at work and are unable to use a phone of internet who havnet got a hope of getting tickets for this.

    • Luci-D

      July 8th, 2013 - 12:21pm

      I was at work. I took a couple of hours out to try and buy them. waste of time really

    • booboo

      July 8th, 2013 - 12:23pm

      lost of people disappointed now, seems like its all but sold out

    • Alicat

      July 9th, 2013 - 5:43pm

      I have been waiting ages to no avail, I think the ticket system is fixed. Bet you they would have been all night queuing at the doors or finger on the button at 11am. Bet a whole quantity will be the american audience.

  • atle from norway

    May 25th, 2013 - 1:45pm

    15.000 tickets, is this allot, or will it be sold out fast. Have already booked hotel, and flight from Norway, with my then 15 year old daughter.

    Not many people know, who the Docter is here,

    But my daughter is a big fan, after her father, one of the last interest wee share. So i wanted to surprise her with this trip(and Christmas shopping, she is a girl).

    Do you think this will be sold out, or is there tickets to go around?

    Reply
    • booboo

      May 25th, 2013 - 1:47pm

      well 10,000+ proms tickets sold out in 3 hours, i would expect this to sell out very quickly

  • debz ann clarke

    March 24th, 2013 - 9:57pm

    Wonder when they will release the prices.. nothing on the MCM website as yet.. and cant find anything regarding prebooking tickets.. booking my hotel now.. cant wait.. soooo excited

    Reply
  • JASON WRIGHT

    March 13th, 2013 - 8:27pm

    im a big fan off dr who i know every character and monster and every apperince thay played in.
    hope it,s no more than £70.00 to get in. i hope karen gillan i there

    Reply
  • Malcolm

    March 13th, 2013 - 5:19pm

    I will go only if Riversong is there!

    Reply
  • DOCTOR WHO ONE

    March 10th, 2013 - 5:42pm

    One thing I should say that didn’t occur to me the first time I read this is that if anyone does go to this event, then be sure to carry a bottle of water with you, cos it can get hot inside the Excel Centre whenever Ive been their in May and October these past couple of years when the host the awesome London MCM Expo events, and I must say that the Excel Centre building is not what I would consider air conditioned, cos everywhere I looked inside the building, I couldn’t see anything like a large fan built into that building to keep the guests nice and cool, so yeah, just be sure to take a bottle of water or other cool drink with you when this 3 day event happens.

    Reply
  • kenny

    March 9th, 2013 - 6:45pm

    Doctor Who 50th Anniversary 3-day Indoor Event?

    Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester Mccoy, Paul Mcgann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith (Complete Appearence!!!)

    If Not?
    I Won’t Be Attending, Full Stop!!

    Reply
  • Tardis’nt

    March 9th, 2013 - 5:12pm

    booboo, there are images of the next 8 episodes on the official site

    Reply
    • DOCTOR WHO ONE

      March 9th, 2013 - 5:26pm

      The return of the Fez. Oh god, I thought he would never have one of those horrid things ever again since he lost Amy and Rory.

    • Tardis’nt

      March 9th, 2013 - 5:59pm

      same here!

    • DOCTOR WHO ONE

      March 10th, 2013 - 8:39am

      Tardis’nt – 😉

  • Ian

    March 8th, 2013 - 11:28pm

    Ill wait to see the details, I reckon its gonna cost at least £100 +.

    Reply
    • DOCTOR WHO ONE

      March 9th, 2013 - 8:12am

      I don’t believe BBC Worldwide would honestly price the tickets at £100+, that would be taking advantage of us fan’s, and considering the UK is in a res-session [or not, I’m not entirely sure what the news is saying these days when it comes to such stuff]then they’d be taking the mick asking for that munch money just for a ticket.

      It only costs £10 entry when the Excel Centre hosts the London MCM Expo, so I doubt it will cost the price your thinking, maybe a little over £10 sure, but not £100+, after all, a lot of fan’s going will clearly be children, and if they found out it turned out to be £100+, then I’m sure their parents would end up breaking their hearts, saying “£100+ for a ticket !, forget that kids, that’s taking the pee that is !”.

    • The Flying Shark

      March 9th, 2013 - 3:58pm

      Why not, last year’s BBC convention in Cardiff cost £99.

    • Anonymous

      March 10th, 2013 - 1:44pm

      I’m a kid and I’m hopefully going even if it costs £100

  • DOCTOR WHO ONE

    March 8th, 2013 - 4:42pm

    If I do go to the Excel Centre in November for this, then that means I’ll be going to the Excel Centre 3 times during this year 😀

    London MCM Expo in May [Fri 24th to Sun 26th]:D

    London MCM Expo in October [Fri 25th to Sun 27th]:D

    Doctor Who 50th Anniversary 3-day Indoor Event 😀

    Boy this year is gonna be FUN FUN FUN !!! 😀

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      March 10th, 2013 - 1:50pm

      What is MCM ?

    • The Flying Shark

      March 10th, 2013 - 7:26pm

      I don’t know what the letters stand for, but the MCM is a comic con that happens in London every year, and in Manchester as well. I’ve not been to the London one, but the Manchester one is cool!

  • The Flying Shark

    March 8th, 2013 - 3:36pm

    This sounds very cool!

    Reply
  • pathdw98

    March 8th, 2013 - 1:16pm

    are they really only expecting 15,000 to turn up? hope its not another longleat where fans couldn’t get in.

    Reply
    • booboo

      March 8th, 2013 - 1:19pm

      I remember that on the radio travel news at the time, everything was at a standstill, i suppose you could only get there by car with that one though

    • Davros ate my cat

      March 11th, 2013 - 12:15am

      No, booboo, we got there by train. Can’t remember how we got to/from the station, though.

  • DizzyDalek

    March 8th, 2013 - 12:42pm

    BIG punch in the gut for American fans with no money for travel. *cries*

    Reply
  • dalek eternal

    March 8th, 2013 - 8:19am

    i would of loved to of gone to this but its in london typical seems as i live in swansea, wales it should be in cardiff as its the home of dr who although i understand theyll be able to have more people there in london than in cardiff

    Reply
  • pathdw98

    March 7th, 2013 - 11:42pm

    cannot wait for this. live near the excel so travel perfect. hope its not too expensive though.

    Reply
  • John Smith

    March 7th, 2013 - 10:37pm

    Ahhhh this sucks. I seriously wish I was in London about now! Even New Zealand has something to celebrate the 50th! They didn’t mention anything about Australia in there!

    Reply
  • Fez

    March 7th, 2013 - 9:49pm

    Will matt be there?

    Reply
    • booboo

      March 7th, 2013 - 10:14pm

      i would imagine so

  • The First Whovian

    March 7th, 2013 - 7:27pm

    London! Thank god at least it isn’t miles away in Cardiff. I couldn’t afford the last Official Doctor Who Convention.

    I am sure this is more affordable and I am defiantly going probably Saturday only. I would love to go meet the guests and maybe even see the 50th special at the event.

    I would love to know more about ticket prices and what else will happen!!!

    Reply
  • the astronaut of death

    March 7th, 2013 - 7:16pm

    I am going
    and if any body tries to stop they will be exterminated on the the spot 🙂

    Reply
  • DOCTOR WHO ONE

    March 7th, 2013 - 6:43pm

    Ahh right 😀

    Reply
  • Mark Simmons

    March 7th, 2013 - 6:38pm

    I’ll be going; this isn’t about Gallifrey One – Comic Con, or anywhere else for that matter… It’s about a popular ‘British’ TV program that hold’s a special place in our hearts. It’s globally recognised; and where else to share such a phenomenon but London 🙂

    Reply
    • DOCTOR WHO ONE

      March 7th, 2013 - 6:42pm

      Exactly, and let’s not forget a heck of a lot of classic Doctor Who was filmed in London, such as ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ and ‘The Invasion’.

  • The TARDIS

    March 7th, 2013 - 6:26pm

    S what actually happens at the event?

    Reply
    • booboo

      March 7th, 2013 - 6:27pm

      we will have to wait and see

  • DOCTOR WHO ONE

    March 7th, 2013 - 5:37pm

    MUST GO ! 😀 MUST GO ! 😀 MUST GO ! 😀

    Reply
    • JASON WRIGHT

      March 13th, 2013 - 8:29pm

      don,t get too exited you might have heart attack

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