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UPDATE: David Tennant in Doctor Who Series 9 Finale? New Clues

ByBarry Rice|

Last weekend we brought you a very enticing rumor regarding the finale of Doctor Who‘s upcoming Series 9. According to Warped Factor, we could see not one, but TWO former Doctors pop up in the finale: David Tennant and Paul McGann.

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Technically, it was two separate rumors, with the David Tennant story carrying much more weight. Essentially, it was conjecture based on the fact that both Tennant and former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies were known to be in Cardiff last week. We know this because they were spotted around town by various folks on social media:

It may be a stretch to think Davies and Tennant simply being in Cardiff could mean a return to Doctor Who, but when you consider the recent hints from Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat that the show would be returning to the episode ‘The Fires of Pompeii’ to explain why the Twelfth Doctor‘s face resembles that of Roman merchant Caesilius, well… it just makes sense.

Now, Warped Factor have updated their original article with new clues to the Tennant speculation — and again it comes from social media.

The official Doctor Who Twitter account posted a photo yesterday from an episode 12 readthrough that took place last week:

So what’s the big deal? The Doctor Who Twitter and Instagram accounts post photos like this all the time. Well, this image confirms a few things. First, there was a table read for the Series 9 finale that took place last week. That means, regardless of any scheduled location shooting, the cast would have been back at the BBC Wales studios at Cardiff Bay — not far from where Tennant and Davies were spotted.

Second, Tennant’s scruffy beard in the fan photos led some (myself included) to discount the possibility that he was filming Doctor Who, as he would need to be clean-shaven in order to play the Tenth Doctor. But if it was only the table read that took place last week, there would be no need to shave — yet.

Related: 5 Mind-Blowing Fan Theories About Doctor Who Series 9

Warped Factor takes things a step farther, speculating that the redacted episode title in the photo, ‘X,’ could be a reference to the Roman numeral ten, slyly confirming both a Tenth Doctor return and a reference to the Roman city of Pompeii.

No matter what, this is still rampant speculation, but it’s hard not to put the puzzle pieces in place when they seem to fall together so easily.

It does seem odd that Tennant and/or Davies would even risk being seen in the first place if this rumor were true, but if the Tenth Doctor’s return amounts to more than just a quick cameo, it would be pretty hard to hide for long. At any rate, I don’t anticipate we’ll know for sure until episode 12 actually airs — in December (yikes).

Doctor Who Series 9 premieres September 19 on BBC One and BBC America. For more information, check out our full episode guide, Doctor Who Series 9: Everything There is to Know So Far.

What do you think? Could there be any truth to this speculation, or is this just fan wishing gone amok? Sound off in the comments below!

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