Doctor Who The Giggle: trailer, cast with Neil Patrick Harris as The Toymaker, and rumoured episode spoilers

The Giggle, the third and final 60th anniversary special episode of Doctor Who, will see the Doctor meet an old enemy, the Celestial Toymaker. The three specials are the first episodes to be helmed by former showrunner Russell T Davies since 2008.

The first episode, The Star Beast, has been watched by 7.6 million viewers, and last week’s special Wild Blue Yonder, saw overnight viewership of around 5 million. With a regeneration to usher in Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor expected in the upcoming episode, it is likely that The Giggle will have a massive audience.

Wild Blue Yonder, an eerie sci-fi horror bottle episode, saw the Doctor and Donna lose the TARDIS at the very edge of the universe. On their safe return to modern day Earth, the pair find Donna’s grandad Wilfred waiting for them with a desperate message - the world has gone mad. This sets the scene for The Giggle, the last 60th anniversary special.

Is there a trailer for The Giggle?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here:

Who is in the cast of The Giggle?

• David Tennant as The Doctor
• Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor
• Catherine Tate as Donna Noble
• Neil Patrick Harris as The Celestial Toymaker
• Yasmin Finney as Rose Temple-Noble
• Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble
• Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham
• Karl Collins as Shaun Temple
• Charlie de Melo as Charles Banerjee
• Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim
• Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush
• Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart
• Indira Varma as The Duchess
• John Mackay as John Logie Baird

The late Bernard Cribbins, who returned as Donna’s grandfather Wilfred Mott at the end of Wild Blue Yonder, will not feature in The Giggle. His brief appearance in the previous episode marks his final screen role as the star passed away just weeks after filming his scene.

Are there spoilers for The Giggle?

The BBC has revealed some of The Giggle’s major plot points, with the synopsis stating ‘the giggle of a mysterious puppet is driving the human race insane. When the Doctor discovers the return of the terrifying Toymaker, he faces a fight he can never win.’ We also know that a First Doctor villain, The Celestial Toymaker, will make a return, and that Tennant’s 14th Doctor will regenerate into Gatwa’s 15th incarnation.

However, there is one major rumoured spoiler doing the rounds that the BBC has not confirmed. The rumour is that the Doctor will undergo a bi-regeneration, resulting in Tennant and Gatwa’s Doctor’s existing at the same time. The 15th Doctor is then expected to win a second TARDIS from the Toymaker, allowing both Doctors to continue their travels in space and time separately, setting up a spin-off series based around Tennant’s Doctor.

When is The Giggle on TV?

The Giggle will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday December 9 at 6.30pm. It is the final Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, following The Star Beast, and Wild Blue Yonder. You can watch the previous specials, and almost every other episode of Doctor Who on iPlayer now.