Doctor Who festive special: New trailer sees cast favourites return and Daleks revolt

The BBC has finally released a trailer for the highly anticipated New Year’s Day special of Doctor Who.

Set to air on 1 January, the forthcoming episode – titled “Revolution of the Daleks” – promises an action-packed start to 2021.

The one-minute trailer – released yesterday (29 November) – introduces a slew of guest stars who will appear in the special. Both John Barrowman and Chris Noth will reprise their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and Jack Robertson respectively.

Dame Harriet Walker, who recently appeared as assassin Dasha in season three of Killing Eve, and Misfits’s Nathan Stewart-Jarrett are also set to appear in the highly anticipated new year's instalment.

The episode will pick up where season 12 concluded, with the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) locked away in a high-security alien prison, leaving Ryan, Graham and Yaz (Tosin Cole, Bradley Walsh and Mandip Gill) to face the Daleks alone.

Some fans, however, have voiced their disappointment at the trailer with many Twitter users debating whether the episode’s storyline, which sees the government employing Daleks as defence drones, may be too similar to previous instalments.

One user wrote: “Another story where the humans think Daleks are good and use them for their own purposes and then they turn against them. Wasn’t that the plot of one of Eleven’s first episodes?”

Fans have also finally got a release date to look forward to, with BBC having previously only confirmed that the special would air “during the upcoming festive period”.

“Revolution of the Daleks” will air on BBC One on 1 January 2021.

You can find out everything you need to know about this year’s holiday episode here.