Twitch is going on a 500-episode Doctor Who streaming binge

The latest Doctor's assistant is mega streaming service Twitch, which has announced that it will be doing a 500-episode showcase of Doctor Who starting 29 May. 

Teaming up with BBC Studios, Twitch will be streaming a barrage of classic episodes, starting with the debut 1963 episode An Unearthly Child (AKA 100,000 BC). After that, it's just a simple case of showing 26 seasons back to back which will take into account the first seven Doctors. 

Twitch understands that you might not be able to tune in for 24 hours' worth of Doctor Who action (a person's got to eat, and we don't ever recommend using a poop sock) so it is making things a little more palatable by airing new episodes every day for eight hours starting at 11AM PDT, followed immediately by two eight-hour repeat blocks - this also means that it hits all the time zones so nobody misses out.

Doctor, I've got a Twitch

The Doctor Who episodes will be shown on /twitchpresents and to get you in the mood there will be Doctor Who emotes and a Tardis Cheermote to use at your pleasure. 

For fans, there will also be a brand-new Yogcast that comprises seven episodes and features a whole host of Doctor Who experts and screenwriters who will talk you through key arcs. 

Speaking about the link-up, Nick Coulter, Director of Digital Sales and Business Development at BBC Studios says: “We are constantly looking at ways to reach new audiences and make it easier for fans to engage with our most popular shows. Doctor Who, in particular, has a great tradition of pioneering new technologies, from early VHS all the way through to the new digital services of today. Twitch is another great example of this, as a brilliant service with over 15 million active daily users, we are thrilled to be able to offer them the chance to indulge in the Classic Doctor Who series and celebrate its amazing 54 year legacy of excitement and innovation.”

Twitch said: "You may need a Tardis to watch it all…"

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.