Listen to the RadioTimes.com Doctor Who podcast: What's coming in the BBC Centenary special?

“With a six-part Event Serial announced for the autumn, and two Specials already planned for 2022, BBC One has now asked for an additional final feature-length adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor, to form a trio of Specials for 2022,” the BBC said in an early release, with showrunner Chris Chibnall filling in more detail in his Doctor Who Magazine column.

“We could have finished our time here: eight episodes, filmed under strict, efficient COVID protocols,” he wrote. “Then earlier this year, BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore asked if we’d consider finishing Jodie’s era with an additional special, for the BBC’s planned centenary celebrations in Autumn of 2022.

“So numbers were crunched, conversations were had, deep breaths were taken, more testing kits were ordered, and contracts were extended. Onwards to the Centenary Special.”

But what should fans expect from this unusual Doctor Who outing? So far all we’ve heard is that this will be a “Special to remember,” with no details given about casting (beyond Whittaker herself), setting or storyline. Could it be a historical adventure that ties into the BBC’s own past? A story that pays tribute to Doctor Who’s half-century-plus on the broadcaster?

Or should fans expect another multi-Doctor special in the mould of The Day of the Doctor, complete with (rumoured) appearances from the likes of David Tennant? For now, the truth’s a mystery – but that won’t stop us from having a good guess in this week's RadioTimes.com Doctor Who podcast.

Want more Doctor Who chat? Check out last week’s podcast about mysterious “Swarm” comments, or our exclusive chat with Philip Hinchcliffe about the ever-mysterious Morbius Doctors.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One this Autumn. For more news and features, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.