Watch King Charles and Queen Camilla Take a Trip in the Tardis in a Doctor Who Themed Commonwealth Games Opening

When you’re late to open the Commonwealth Games, King Charles and Queen Camilla had only one option – to requisition the Tardis to ensure that they arrived on time. That’s the amusing premise of this intro to the opening of the games.  Echoing his mother’s (the late Queen Elizabeth II) James Bond escapade for the opening of the London Olympics in 2012, another Great British Institution (that’s GBI for short) has been used to create a playful and unforgettable entrance to the Commonwealth Games 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Yet there is backstory – and while not the new material that fans have been wishing for – it’s a typical Tardis tale, with a twist. It’s the Tardis that kick-starts the whole adventure.  Created by the BBC especially for the event, it shows Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and comedian Greg McHugh walking past a seemingly innocuous police telephone box, only for its phone to ring.  On answering, they learn that their majesties are going to be late for the opening ceremony, but there is no Doctor to whisk them away.  Never mind, the Tardis takes matters into its own (metaphorical hands).

With a great little cameo from 82-year-old Sylvester McCoy (the seventh Doctor), this really does push all the right buttons when it comes to providing an entrance for KC and QC at the opening ceremony.  Talking of buttons, Hoy and McHugh don’t really know how to drive a Tardis... watch the video below.

At least we know that the royal party arrived eventually – and what a rapturous reception they (and the Tardis) received. And there wasn't a dalek in sight! If you would like to see what happens directly afterwards, then this video picks up pretty much where the previous one left off.

Fan reactions below the (first) video have varied. One wonders out loud: “Does this make Sylvester McCoy the current Doctor?” while another opines: “This is the best episode of Doctor Who this year. Which is a statement when you consider it’s the only one.” Still more warn that King Charles is possibly a werewolf, a reference to the 2006 David Tennant episode Tooth and Claw, in which the Doctor meets Queen Victoria, who is temporarily infected by werewolf blood. Another notes that, when the TARDIS mistakenly lands at Loch Ness, perhaps the Skarasen - the cyborg monster from 1975’s Terror of the Zygons that inspired the Nessie legend - should have put in a guest appearance. All told, and despite the usual fan scepticism about the future of the show, the comments have been very positive.