The 11th Doctor Embarks On His Maiden Voyage Across The UK

Belfast, Inverness, Sunderland, Salford, Northampton...

Doctor Who will begin an exciting national tour across the UK in March, introducing the new Doctor to fans of the series in five different locations spanning the length and breadth of the British Isles.

The tour will introduce the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, and his Companion, Karen Gillan, to fans of the show and offer them a unique chance to meet the stars.

Each location will also host a regional premiere of episode one, The Eleventh Hour, for pre-selected local school children, working alongside BBC Outreach to enable kids to get a first look at the new Doctor in action. The screenings are not open to members of the public.

Matt and Karen will travel around the UK on a specially themed Doctor Who tour bus, featuring the new TARDIS logo and iconic imagery.

BBC Outreach proactively takes the BBC into specific communities and sections of society, and has been integral in organising and supporting the tour.

The focus of the tour is targeting hard to reach and relatively under-served communities by the BBC.

The Doctor's maiden voyage will commence on the 29 March in Belfast, and then travel to Karen Gillan's home town, Inverness, for a screening on 30 March.

The bus will then move on to Sunderland that afternoon and Salford on Wednesday 31 before finishing later that day in Northampton — Matt Smith's hometown.

Following the tour, from 1 April to 3 April, the BBC will also hold events for three days at selected BBC Big Screens across the UK giving Doctor Who fans in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Plymouth and Swansea the chance to interact directly with the show in their home towns.

The events will feature exclusive footage — including the chance to see the Doctor Who trailer in 3D — and giveaways, and fans can also get their photo taken tumbling through the giant vortex.

Visitors will also be able to meet some of the scariest monsters that have had viewers watching from behind their sofa for generations as well.

About the tour, Piers Wenger, Executive Producer and Head of Drama, BBC Wales, said: "This is a great opportunity for the new Doctor and his Companion to interface directly with the people who matter most to Doctor Who: the fans. The chance to visit them in their hometowns will ensure that the Eleventh Doctor's maiden voyage is an utterly magical one."

Alec McGivan, Head of BBC Outreach, added: "Outreach is all about getting face to face with people so they can get involved and experience the BBC in a different and exciting way — we're delighted to be able to take one of the BBC's best loved brands out to its audience."