BBC Studios is bringing the Doctor Who Whoniverse to San Diego Comic-Con 2025 in an all-new way. From Thursday July 24 – Sunday, July 27, a fully immersive fan experience will take over the Harbor Club in the Gaslamp District (100 E Harbor Dr), offering a rare opportunity to step inside UNIT’s top-secret Black Archive, the clandestine facility featured in “The Day of the Doctor”.
Equipped with a Level 1 UNIT clearance badge, fans will gain access to a vault of alien relics and timey-wimey tech pulled from six decades of Doctor Who. Inside, expect to encounter some of the Doctor’s most iconic adversaries — including a Dalek mutant, Cybermen, and the Silence — as well as easter eggs hinting at the upcoming spinoff series, The War Between the Land and the Sea.
But the Archive holds more than static displays. Each evening from 6pm-8pm, the experience transforms into a live mission where fans are recruited into UNIT to help the Doctor uncover hidden secrets across space and time. Those brave (or clever) enough to complete the challenge will earn a special SDCC-exclusive reward. The activation will be first come/first serve, with no reservations.
For those looking to commemorate their journey, step inside the Fifteenth Doctor’s TARDIS for a transportive photo op, or pick up exclusive, limited-run merch at the onsite shop featuring apparel and collectibles from across the show’s vast timeline. For fans who can’t make it in person, a digital version of the Black Archive will be available on the Doctor Who website, making this a truly global mission worthy of the Time Lord’s legacy.
The celebration doesn’t stop there. Just a short TARDIS hop away, Doctor Who: Worlds of Wonder – Where Science Meets Fiction continues at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park. This exhibition offers a closer look at the real-world science behind Doctor Who, featuring original props, costumes, and interviews with both scientists and behind-the-scenes creatives. As an added bonus for 2025, the exhibit will showcase a world-exclusive display of all seventeen incarnations of the Doctor’s costumes, from the First Doctor’s Edwardian frock coat to the Fifteenth’s new threads.
“We’re incredibly proud to bring the Whoniverse to life at San Diego Comic-Con in such an ambitious and immersive way,” said Callie Bryan, Head of Marketing, Doctor Who. “From the Black Archive to the TARDIS, exclusive merchandise and a global digital mission, this experience is designed to celebrate the legacy of Doctor Who while inviting fans everywhere to be part of its future.”
