“The Day of the Doctor” is upon us. Whether you’re waiting with feverish anticipation, or you’ve already seen it, here are ten awesome things you can watch, play, and explore to keep the celebration going.
1. “The Night of the Doctor”
If you haven’t already watched this mini-episode prequel to the 50th Anniversary episode… Well, seriously, how can you call yourself a fan? More than any other “minisode” ever produced for the show, “The Night of the Doctor” is absolutely crucial viewing, revealing a vitally important — and long debated — moment in the Doctor’s life.
If you have seen it already, watch it again. It’s exceptional.
2. “The Last Day”
Okay, this one’s not exactly must-see, particularly compared to #1. But it’s still a fascinating piece of the overall “50th” puzzle. Short and sweet, “The Last Day” is set on Gallifrey, depicting the first day (ironic, I know) of the Time War. As “The Night of the Doctor” confirmed, the upcoming TV special is finally going to show us the universe-shattering Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, and reveal the Doctor’s mysterious, all-important role in ending it.
You’ll see the ending to this one coming a mile away — and I have no idea what those creepy hallucinations are about — but it’s still an entertaining little slice of Who.
3. Doctor Who 50th Live Pre-Show
Nerdist Industries (the peeps behind The Talking Dead post-show roundtable on AMC that follows new episodes of The Walking Dead) is teaming up with BBC America for this live celebration of Doctor Who fandom. The special will clock in at 20 minutes, beginning at 2:30pm EST on BBC America, and should be just the ticket to whip you into a frenzy for “The Day of the Doctor.” It will also be simulcast live on BBCA’s YouTube channel, and it’s even being held/filmed in the web video giant’s new “YouTube Space LA” facility — a 41,000 square foot former helicopter factory.
The live special is expected to include loads of fan-created content being shared live on social networks all around the world in the minutes leading up to the anniversary episode’s broadcast. BBCA’s YouTube channel will also host a live post-show thing at 4:00pm EST, immediately following “The Day of the Doctor.” At 7:00pm EST, both the TV network and online channel will simulcast a second pre-show before the episode screens again in primetime.
4. Doctor Who: See What You Say
This little gem of a mobile game presents you with 3 massive canvases of famous Doctor Who locations. Each canvas holds 50 Rebus picture puzzles that correspond to major characters, things, and episode titles from the show. The third and final canvas won’t be added until Christmas time, but it’s downloadable now for just $.99.
Did I mention it’s filled to the brim with Doctor Who history, trivia, music, sound effects, and more? It’s available for both iOS and Android.
5. Google’s “Whodle”
In honor of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary, Google has put together a whopper of a “Google Doodle” — those variant images/interactive things that take over Google’s front page on special occasions. It’s probably their biggest, most elaborate Doodle to date; it’s nothing short of a full length arcade-style platforming game. It stars all eleven Doctors, and it’s free to play.
At the time of this writing, it’s available from Google’s front page, but afterwards you’ll be able to find it in the Google Doodle archive.
6. Time Lord Timelines infographic
Imagine a complete map of time and space that shows every one of the Doctor’s travels — sorted by Doctor. The BBC commissioned this interactive infographic that depicts exactly that, and while it can be a little hard to get your head around, it’s no less captivating. There’s tons of cool trivia, too, as well as images, episode clips, and more. Did you know that Matt Smith’s Doctor has taken more trips through space and time than any other?
Get ready to waste a few hours on this one.
7. Explore the TARDIS in Google Maps
The TARDIS sits on a nondescript street corner in London. No, seriously — you can see it on Google Maps. And even better, you can go inside! Use the Google Maps interface to move around inside the TARDIS Control Room (sadly, there are no other rooms available), and get angles and views of the Doctor’s home all up close and personal.
8. The Eternity Clock
Okay, so it’s not the greatest game ever. The side-scrolling controls are clunky and the puzzles can be confusing. But it’s a fairly lengthy, not at all bad bit of Doctor Who storytelling, and best of all, it features the voices of Matt Smith and Alex Kingston (River Song, who’s a playable character in the game), who they treat the material with as much sincerity as they would an episode of the show. And yes, their banter is as delicious as ever.
It’s just $10 on PSN or Steam.
9. “50 Years in Time and Space”
Animator Richard Swarbrick created this gorgeous, sublime tribute to Doctor Who‘s first 50 years. This is fan art of the highest order. Just trust me — watch it.
10. BBC’s Adventure Games
BBC America’s Doctor Who website is a trifle compared to the incredible resources, videos, and games available at the BBC (UK) website. A quick exploration of its depths turned up this collection of five downloadable Doctor Who adventure games, all playable on both PC and Mac. They’re all free, they feature the real actors lending their voices, and all of them appear to be set during Amy Pond’s time on the show. So you’ve got the nostalgia factor, if nothing else.
I haven’t played any of these games yet myself (but I’m gonna), so I can’t vouch for their quality, length, or difficulty. But hey… they’re free!
