Doctor Who: Unleashed is a documentary series created by the BBC to complement episodes of Doctor Who from 2023 onwards. It is hosted by former Newsbeat presenter Steffan Powell, and is seen as a spiritual successor to the former documentary series Doctor Who Confidential (2005–2011).
Unleashed first accompanied the 60th anniversary specials, as well as following specials and episodes of the fourteenth and fifteenth series. Episodes of Unleashed, each spanning 30 minutes, are released after the initial release of each Doctor Who episode.
In April 2023, it was reported that a series similar to Doctor Who Confidential would premiere alongside the 60th anniversary specials of the main show. Following this at a GalaxyCon event, David Tennant made references to a behind-the-scenes crew on the set of the specials, stating that "it was all filmed by all the various Doctor Who Confidential-style people, so you'll see all that. But it was very exciting for us, for them to visit us on set."[1]
On 27 September 2023, Unleashed was officially announced, and was set to air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in 30 minute episodes, presented on set by former Newsbeat presenter Steffan Powell in contrast to the fly on the wall style of Confidential.[2]
On 22 June 2024, it was announced that Unleashed would return in 2025 for the fifteenth series of Doctor Who.[3] Beginning with series 15, episodes were simultaneously released on the Doctor Who YouTube channel for international audiences alongside their iPlayer release.[4] A special hour-long episode of Unleashed documenting the 2005 revival process of Doctor Who is currently in production to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revival. It is set to be released in June 2025 on BBC iPlayer and YouTube.[5][6]