Steven Moffat Teases About The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Episode Length



Steven Moffat has dropped some hints about the length of the 50th Anniversary episode, although, as expected, he hasn't given much away. 

Answering questions posed by readers in the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine, Moffat said, "People keep asking me how long the Anniversary Special is, and it's a fair question. I don't actually know, because the answer is, it's as long as it needs to be. The script is quite long though." However, he clarified that script length is not always the best indicator of episode length. "The script for The Snowmen has almost the same page count as [Sherlock Holmes:] A Scandal In Belgravia," he said, "But one is an hour and the other is 90 minutes.

Guesses for the episode length have ranged from the standard 45 minutes to a 90 minute feature. The news that the special will have a limited cinema screening has added fuel to speculation about the latter, but Jemma Redgrave, who plays UNIT's Kate Stewart, suggested in an earlier interview that the episode length may be dictated by other shows in the BBC schedule that night. "It’s slightly tricky because the BBC want it between something and Strictly Come Dancing, so I don’t know how long it’s going to be," she said.

The Anniversary Special stars Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Billie Piper, John Hurt, Jemma Redgrave, Joanna Page and Ingrid Oliver. It will be screened on BBC One on Saturday 23rd November. International screening dates and times are to be confirmed.

Doctor Who Magazine issue #461 is on sale now in the UK.


Comments