Doctor Who boss explains the difference between the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors

When David Tennant returns as the Fourteenth Doctor in the 60th-anniversary specials of Doctor Who, he will make history as the first actor to play two separate incarnations of the titular hero: the Tenth and the Fourteenth Doctors.

Not only is Tennant returning, but so is his iconic onscreen companion Catherine Tate, who reprises her role as Donna Noble. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, showrunner Russell T. Davies is marking his triumphant return after several years away. The dream team is back!

That said, it’s easy to forget that David Tennant isn’t returning as the Tenth Doctor; rather, he’s playing the next chronological incarnation of the Time Lord. So expect a little personality change, although apparently nothing too significant. In an interview with SFX Magazine, Davies confirmed that the new Doctor won’t stray too far from what we’re familiar with. If you change him too much, fans could find it a little jarring.

“I wouldn’t expect vast differences, because there’s no way you bring back one of the world’s most popular Doctors and make him different!” Davies said. “Outside fandom, my sisters would be sitting there going ‘What the blinkin’ flip have you done?'”

"So it doesn’t make much sense. But, of course, you’re talking about one of the world’s greatest actors who doesn’t need me to feed lines and cues and subtext and meanings. You just hand it over to David, and of course he’s naturally all over it, of course he’s got new spins and new depths to it. When you get to work with someone like that, you don’t need to worry."

Tennant has previously spoken about how his new run as the Doctor is different from his last. Specifically, he can’t move quite as fast anymore, and he found filming quite physically demanding. With the upcoming specials set to be the Doctor’s biggest challenge ever, we’ll let him off if he felt a bit drained.

Russell T. Davies won’t un-write Chris Chibnall’s work

During Davies’ absence from the Whoniverse, Chris Chibnall took hold of the reins during Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Thirteenth Doctor. Chibnall came up with some wild storylines, most notably in The Timeless Children. That episode was divisive among viewers, and many wondered whether Davies will retcon it.

“Let’s stare that question right in the eye. I’m not going to unwrite my good friend Chris Chibnall’s work on The Timeless Children. I’m not going to deny what he wrote. I’m going with it. It’s absolutely fine,” Davies confirmed.

The first of three 60th-anniversary specials of Doctor Who premiere on November 25 on BBC One and Disney+, with new episodes airing weekly after that. In the meantime, the BBC recently dropped almost all of the classic Doctor Who episodes on BBC iPlayer. These are exciting times for Whovians!

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels