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Doctor Who will be back in its traditional place on Saturday evenings in the UK when series 14 arrives, but before it airs on BBC One, new episodes will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from midnight on Friday night/Saturday morning. It’s a simulcast deal, meaning that the episodes will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ at the exact same time globally each week, hours ahead of the traditional broadcast slot in the UK.
In other words: good luck avoiding spoilers if you’re waiting to watch at Saturday teatime with the family.
When is that happening? At the stroke of midnight on the morning of Saturday May 11 in the UK, which will be Friday May 10 at 7 pm ET in the US due to the time difference.
The other big news is that series 14 will begin with a double-bill. Two of the new eight episodes will be released simultaneously on streaming, meaning that if the same happens for the rumoured two-part series finale, we could be looking at just six weeks of new Doctor Who on the schedules.
In the UK, the series 14 double-bill will air on BBC One as the lead-in to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest grand final, which is coming from Sweden this time. It’s a solid shout as Eurovision generally means a big night in for family viewing, so the hope is clearly to attract a young, mainstream audience on top of existing Who devotees.
Here’s how the BBC explains it:
“Doctor Who is set to make an explosive return on 11th May as the TARDIS will make its global premiere around the Whoniverse and for those in the UK, for the first time ever, the Doctor will land with two episodes premiering on BBC iPlayer at midnight, before arriving on BBC One later that day right before the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final.
At the same time, those outside of the UK can watch the Doctor and Ruby on their epic adventures as the TARDIS is set to land on Disney+ where available.
Viewers in the UK will now be able to watch whenever and wherever they choose, with the option to stream at midnight on BBC iPlayer or tune in at primetime on Saturday nights on BBC One.”
And here’s showrunner Russell T Davies drumming up excitement for the new series: “At last, it’s my great delight to unleash a whole new season of the Doctor and Ruby’s adventures together. Monsters! Chases! Villains! Mysteries! And a terrifying secret that’s been spanning time and space for decades. Don’t miss a second!”
Doctor Who series 14 arrives on Disney+ at 7pm ET on Friday May 10 and at midnight on BBC iPlayer on the morning of Saturday May 11, before airing on BBC One in a primetime slot that same evening.
The post Doctor Who Series 14 Release Date: Episodes to Stream at Midnight UK Time appeared first on Den of Geek.
