| Creator: | Russell T Davies |
| Showrunner: | Russell T Davies |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 7 |
| Runtime: | 76–111 minutes |
| Network: | BBC iPlayer |
| Last Aired: | present |
| Network2: | BBC Four |
Tales of the TARDIS is a companion series to the television series Doctor Who which features re-releases of stories from the show's original run, enclosed by additional material featuring actors reprising their roles. The series is produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios, and executive produced by Russell T Davies, Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson, and Joel Collins. The new material takes place within Doctor Whos official canon, the Whoniverse.
The episodes feature several actors reprising their roles including Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors, respectively. The first six episodes were released alongside the show's 60th anniversary specials in November 2023 to coincide with the launch of the Whoniverse. A further episode was released in June 2024.
In addition to the cast members from the original Doctor Who stories, each episode features new material with several actors reprising their roles from Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures:
Tales of the TARDIS was announced on 30 October 2023.[1] [2] [3] An additional episode was announced on 17 June 2024.[4] [5]
The set was originally created for the series 14 episode "Empire of Death". Russell T Davies originally intended on having the set destroyed after it transported the Doctor, Ruby, and Mel to 2046. This idea was scrapped due to the special effects already planned for other parts of the episode. Davies eventually got the idea to re-use the set for Tales of the TARDIS as part of Doctor Whos sixtieth-anniversary celebrations.[6]
New material for the first six episodes was filmed over six days at Bad Wolf Studios from 25 to 30 September 2023.
The first six episodes were released on 1 November 2023 on BBC iPlayer, and feature several actors reprising their roles from Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, including Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Doctors, respectively. New material for Tales of the TARDIS, filmed over six days at Bad Wolf Studios from 25 to 30 September 2023, was written by Doctor Who writers Davies, Pete McTighe, and Phil Ford, directed by Joshua M.G. Thomas, and produced by Scott Handcock.
A seventh episode was released on iPlayer and broadcast on BBC Four on 20 June 2024, two days before the series 14 finale "Empire of Death", featuring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday. In conjunction with the return of antagonist Sutekh in the parent series, the episode presents a remastered version of Pyramids of Mars with updated special effects, as well as new material written by Davies, directed by Jamie Donoughue, and produced by Vicki Delow.