Doctor Who Watch-along: The Eleventh Hour celebrates its 10th anniversary on Apr 3

We've been given many Doctor Who Christmas specials over the years. But Matt Smith episode A Christmas Carol stands out as one of the very best.Courtesy BBC
We've been given many Doctor Who Christmas specials over the years. But Matt Smith episode A Christmas Carol stands out as one of the very best.Courtesy BBC

The Eleventh Hour has been announced as the next major Doctor Who watch-along on Friday, Apr 3, to celebrate its tenth anniversary!

Did you watch Vincent and the Doctor yesterday? I did. It’s still an extremely emotional Doctor Who episode that holds up very well. Even better is that a lot of people joined in on the discussion on Twitter – including Bill Nighy, Karen Gillan and Matt Smith!

Overall, the watch-alongs – organized by Doctor Who Magazine’s Emily Cook – have been extremely successful so far. Along with having so many members of Doctor Who cast and crew taking part – including former showrunners Steven Moffat and Russell T Davies – it’s encouraged fans to come together online in a big way.

Unsurprisingly, the next watch-along has already been announced, and it’s a major episode: The Eleventh Hour, Matt Smith’s first full story as the Eleventh Doctor. Scheduled for Friday Apr 3, the watch-along will mark ten years exactly since the episode’s original broadcast.

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This is a perfect choice. Previous episodes watched – including The Day of the Doctor, Rose and Vincent and the Doctor – have all been special in equal but different ways. Whether it was a grand celebration of the show’s anniversary, the first episode that many Doctor Who fans watched, or simply a strong, emotional story in its own right, these episodes have all been great choices for getting as many fans joining in as possible.

Naturally, The Eleventh Hour is just as special. Not just because it’s celebrating its tenth anniversary on Friday. Not even because it marks the start of both Matt Smith’s era as the Doctor and Steven Moffat’s as showrunner. But also because it’s arguably one of the strongest opening stories for a new Doctor, especially for the New Series.

So it’s a perfect episode to get fans talking. But who else will be joining in? So far, Steven Moffat has revealed that – just as he did for The Day of the Doctor – he’ll be live-tweeting the episode. I’m sure many more members of the cast and crew will also be taking part on the day itself.

Make sure to take part in the discussion too. The Eleventh Hour is scheduled to start at 7PM UK time (2PM ET) on Friday, Apr 3. You can join in the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #FishCustard, and the episode can be streamed on BBC iPlayer in the UK or Crave in Canada, or purchased on iTunes, Amazon or Google Play.

Will you be taking part in the next big watch-along? Who are you hoping will join in the discussion? What’s been your favorite watch-along so far? Let us know in the comments below.