The return of David Tennant to his iconic leading role in Doctor Who has got fans buzzing. From on-set photos to speculation around just how he’s going to come back, it feels just like the old days!
Catherine Tate, who played the Tenth Doctor’s companion Donna Noble, is also returning for the show’s upcoming 60th anniversary special, now in production in Cardiff. And the whole thing will be overseen by former showrunner Russell T Davies, who is also coming back for season 14. The special feels even more like a family reunion than these anniversaries usually do!
Photos from outdoor filming in London show Tennant doing battle with some very familiar monsters as well as Neil Patrick Harris, who will play a villain. But the mystery of how Tennant returns remains. Will Jodie Whittaker regenerate into Tennant, making him both the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors?
Doctor Who boss teases David Tennant’s return
Speaking in this month’s issue of Doctor Who Magazine, showrunner Russell T Davies dropped a few hints. “A mysteriously forgotten excursion for the TARDIS in between ‘Planet of the’ and ‘Sontaran Stratagem’? Or maybe a multiverse thing; they’re all the rage these days,” he teased. “Maybe this is the Doctor and Donna from Universe 557, all set to collide with our own. Then again, maybe, just maybe, this return is so impossible that it’s actually an intricate illusion created by an old enemy of the Doctor’s.”
Davies’ cryptic hints were always a trademark of his first run at the helm of Doctor Who, and he seems to enjoy being back at it. “Of course, I wouldn’t give that away in the pages of DWM, would I?” he asked. “But then again. This magazine is the first place I ever revealed the name of Billie Piper’s Rose (in issue 340). So read carefully. There are truths in here.”
While Davies is unlikely to let the cat entirely out of the bag, it seems likely that somewhere in his words is a real hint. He’s an old master at manipulating the media and drip-feeding suggestions to build anticipation.
“They’re back! And it looks impossible – first, we announce a new Doctor, and then an old Doctor, along with the wonderful Donna, what on earth is happening?” Tennant asked when Tennant’s return was announced. “Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. The only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime.”
Tennant and Tate were last in Doctor Who together for “The End of Time, Part Two” in 2010. Bringing the two back together will undoubtedly please fans.
Doctor Who will return later this year with an as-yet-unnamed special that will see the end of Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whitaker’s time on the show. Doctor Who Magazine Issue 579 is out now.
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