Doctor Who’s 2023 Specials Continue The Show's Longest Running Joke

UNIT has its most impressive headquarters yet in Doctor Who's 60th Anniversary special, continuing a joke about the top-secret military organization. The trailer unveiled exciting teases for what the 14th Doctor and Donna Noble can expect in their upcoming battle with Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker. Alongside footage of the Toymaker's dazzling array of costumes, the trailer also confirmed the return of Doctor Who's stalwarts, the military organization UNIT. Renamed the Unified Intelligence Task Force in 2005, the top-secret organization is believed to play a big role in Doctor Who's future. Doctor Who has never been clear on whether the organization itself is supposed to be top-secret or whether it's just their work with the extraterrestrial and paranormal that's a secret. However, during John Pertwee's Doctor Who era, when the 3rd Doctor worked as a Scientific Advisor to UNIT, their base in a country house, signposted with an unintentionally hilarious billboard that advertised their presence saying, Ministry of Defense UNIT Headquarters Keep Out. UNIT's impressive new skyscraper in the trailer continues this long-running joke about how top-secret UNIT actually is. The new UNIT skyscraper may fade into London's ever-heightening skyline, but the huge UNIT badge on the side is a bit of a giveaway. Giving UNIT its own version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers Tower feels like a real statement of intent for Doctor Who's Disney Plus era. Like the Avengers Tower, it feels like the new UNIT skyscraper will become a hub for the Doctor and their friends to deal with the huge threats to Earth's security. Alternatively, the Toymaker's pointing of a cannon at the Doctor, Kate and Donna does imply that the tower could face destruction during the 60th anniversary celebrations. But it's pretty unlikely, given that Kate and Tegan already destroyed the previous UNIT HQ in The Power of the Doctor. It's likely safe to assume that the UNIT skyscraper may take on a few bumps and bruises, but will stay standing against London's skyline. UNIT's iconic new headquarters is the biggest sign yet that a spinoff for the beloved organization could finally reach screens almost 60 years after its debut in Doctor Who.