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The 13 mini-episodes will include footage that won't be seen on TV, and back story about the characters and adventures coming up in the next episode, such as the Cat Women who can cure all illnesses and Cybermen being upgraded.

'What better way of travelling with the Time Lord than to have a Tardisode come to you on your phone or PC?, ' said Jana Bennett, BBC Director of Television.

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'We know that there is a huge appetite for Doctor Who and we want to make the whole experience bigger and better for viewers.

'These TV Plus trials will continue to help us understand more about the different ways in which viewers want to enjoy Doctor Who.'

The BBC said that the Tardisodes will have the same high quality elements as the main show and are part of the corporation's trials exploring ways of broadening the output of its leading brands.

'Our aim, when planning the development of all these projects, is to make the interactive content around Doctor Who series two compelling, exciting and intriguing as well as enticing a broader audience to Doctor Who by positioning it on different platforms,' said Tardisodes co-producer Jo Pearce.

Doctor Who returns to BBC One in April. The Tardisodes will be free, although access to the downloads will be via a premium text number. They will also be shown on the programme's website.