Matt Smith

Fans the world over are basically counting the minutes (seconds? milliseconds?) until November 23, when iconic science fiction series Doctor Who officially turns 50. And now, finally, with the big day looming just over two months away, we finally have a few concrete details about what the anniversary special will look like.

The episode’s title has been revealed – it will be called The Day of the Doctor, which seems fitting given that there are at least three versions of the character running around in this installment. The episode will be 75 minutes long, and will feature Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor somehow coming into contact with David Tennant’s Tenth incarnation, as well as the return of former companion Billie Piper as Rose. Oh, and theoretically we’re going to get some answers to that whole “and John Hurt is also a Doctor” cliffhanger from Series 7 as well.

The official poster for the episode has also been released online by BBC America, and if this isn’t enough to push your anniversary excitement levels into truly dangerous territory, well. Despite the fact that Tennant’s Ten is sporting a much, much less fluffy hairdo than we may remember, this poster is awesome

Doctor Who fans around the world are still reeling from the recent announcement that Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith will be leaving the show following its 2013 Christmas special.

Smith, who is clearly aware of the emotional devastation this news has wrought, has decided to make a public statement on the topic for the first time since the news broke.

Looking strikingly different since he shaved all his hair off for his role in Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut How to Catch a Monster, Smith recorded a special video message for Who fans while shooting his new movie in Detroit. If you can get past the fact that Smith now bears an uncanny resemblance to former Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston thanks to his new hairdo, the video is quite sweet and a lovely gesture to all the fans who are already mourning his absence.