BBC Breakfast played host to some very unexpected visitors on Thursday as it celebrated the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.
The popular sci-fi franchise returns to screens on Saturday with the impressive anniversary milestone, which will see David Tennant reprise his role as the Doctor.
And BBC Breakfast marked the occasion when presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt from Doctor Who villains Daleks and Cybermen came into the studio.
Intense clips also gave fans a glimpse into the filming of Doctor Who, as it showed timed explosions and stuntmen jumping from trampolines while props burst into flames.
They also chatted to former Doctor Who colleague Nicola Bryant, who played Peri Brown alongside Peter Davison and Colin Baker, and the series’ special effects supervisor Danny Hargreaves.
Robots: BBC Breakfast hosted some very unexpected visitors on Thursday as it celebrated the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who when the Daleks and Cybermen “took over” the studio.
Dramatic: Intense clips also gave fans a glimpse into the filming of Doctor Who, as timed explosions and actors were shown jumping from trampolines while props burst into flames
As they discussed the hit BBC franchise, actors dressed as Cybermen and the robotic Daleks could be seen flanking guests on either side of the sofa.
Both of the Doctor’s enemies joked with presenter Naga, 48, that they had taken control of the BBC Breakfast studio as they refused to give up their formidable natures.
However, some viewers were left baffled by the segment as they took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to comment on the robot guests.
Some fans joked that 61-year-old Charlie looked scared, while others questioned the accuracy of the Cybermen’s robotic voices.
One wrote: “#charliestayt was scared,” and another tweeted: “Charlie panicked lol,” while a third said: “I don’t think Cybermen ever sounded like that lol.”
Actors wearing variations of the Cybermen suits flanked the sofa with fake weapons while Daleks stood on the other side of the guests.
Introducing the villains, Naga said, “I don’t know why we party with the mean men in the studio.”
One of the Cybermen barked: “The BBC Breakfast Studio is now under cyber control, destroy them, destroy them now!”
While Naga also got involved in an argument with the Dalek when she asked the robot a question, to which it roared: “Destroyed, Daleks don’t speak on demand!”
Celebration: BBC Breakfast marked the 60th anniversary as presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt of Doctor Who villains Daleks and Cybermen joined the studio
Intense: Fans were also treated to a behind-the-scenes look at Doctor Who filming, as videos flashed on screen showing them firing timed explosions, including blowing up a Dalek
Wow! The clips come from filming for the 50th anniversary of The Day Of The Doctor and showed actors dressed as Cybermen jumping away from explosions
Stunts: Actors dressed as Cybermen were also shown jumping on trampolines before throwing themselves through the air and onto drop mats as explosions exploded behind them
But Naga quickly hit back with: “You’ve got that, so there!” before the Dalek jokingly threatened: “Hiding behind the sofa won’t save you!”
They were also joined by K-9, Sarah Jane Smith’s (Elisabeth Sladen) robot dog, but they dashed hopes that the character would return to the franchise as he insisted he would not appear for the 60th anniversary .
Elsewhere in the segment, fans were also treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Doctor Who, as videos flashed on screen showing them firing timed explosions.
The clips come from filming for the 50th anniversary of The Day Of The Doctor and showed intense sequences of Daleks being blown up from within.
Stuntmen dressed as Cybermen were also shown jumping onto trampolines to gain momentum before throwing themselves through the air and onto drop mats as explosions exploded behind them.
David Tennant, who returns for the 60th anniversary special, and returning showrunner Russell T. Davies also appeared on the show in recorded interviews.
David said of his return: “Doctor Who, if you’re attached to it, you’re attached to it.” “I never really imagined that I could be there full-time again, even for a short time.”
While Russell gushed about his plans: “I’ve always believed that all this show needs is to be good, to be fun, to have a good cast, to be brilliant, that’s really missing from the program at the moment “I don’t dare say I’m confident, but I’m proud of what we’ve done and I hope it works.”
David also spoke about Ncuti Gatwa taking on the role of the Doctor in the upcoming 2023 Christmas special by supporting the actor.
He said: “I’ve had a little glimpse of what Ncuti can do and it’s very exciting. “He’s got so much energy, he’s inventive, he’s smart, he’s fast, he’s funny.
“It’s really exciting to have such a brilliant new Doctor coming and I’ll be watching every episode with excitement.”
To mark the 60th anniversary, David reprises his role as the Doctor for three specials and returns as Donna Noble alongside Catherine Tate.
Exciting: David Tennant returns to Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary special on Saturday night, alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble
New Face: Following the specials, Ncuti Gatwa takes on the role of the Doctor on Christmas Day in an episode entitled “The Church On Ruby Road”.
The first special, titled “The Star Beast,” is based on a 1970s Who comic about Beep The Meep, with Miriam Margolyes set to voice the alien.
Russell previously said of the episode: “Donna needs to get her memory back, so you need that, which takes up a whole episode, and you need an alien invasion at the same time.”
The first special will also star Heartstoppers’ Yasmin Finney, who will play Donna’s daughter Rose, while Karl Collins and Jaqueline King will reprise their roles as Shaun Temple and Donna’s mother Sylvia, respectively.
Another big name joining the cast is Neil Patrick Harris, and Russell admitted the actor had no idea what he was signing up for as he had never seen the show before and was only with him on his Channel 4 show. series “It’s A Sin”.
Following the special trio, which follows Jodie Whittaker’s exit from the franchise, Ncuti Gatwa will take on the role of the Doctor on Christmas Day in an episode titled ‘The Church On Ruby Road’.