Doctor Who fans rejoice! Russell T. Davies' rebooted and refreshed new series has arrived, with Ncuti Gatwa as the titular Time Lord, and a whole lot of sweet Disney money to make the stories bigger and better than ever. The new episodes are wild, irreverent, intergalactic, time-traveling fun.
Before Ncuti Gatwa entered the TARDIS to usher in a new era, David Tennant completed three specials as the Fourteenth Doctor, a new incarnation of the character who bore the same face as the Tenth Doctor. This marked the second time Tennant returned to the franchise following his "official" departure in 2010. He previously returned for a fun, multiversal adventure alongside Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor for the show's 50th anniversary.
Given Tennant's affinity with the Doctor, he just can't seem to stay away from the role. Everyone wants him back. However, in a recent interview with The Times, showrunner Russell T Davies made it abundantly clear that there's no way Tennant returns again. "David is parked and retired and it’s all Ncuti’s show now. Genuinely," he said.
"Not that David might be coming back — he’s absolutely not coming back," he added.
Russell T Davies says David Tennant is "retired" from Doctor Who
In the 60th anniversary specials, the Fourteenth Doctor completed the first-ever bi-regeneration, splitting himself in two and introducing Ncuti Gatwa as the brand new Doctor. Meanwhile, the Fourteenth Doctor officially retired, living a happy ending with the Noble family. So technically he's still around, but he's no longer saving all time and space.
Tennant previously played coy about one day returning. "The door is not any more open than it ever was, because in Doctor Who if you want to bring someone back, there are endless ways of doing it," he told Radio Times. With that said, he doesn't expect to return. "It’s very much the end of the story."
The Fourteenth Doctor's ending was perfect. He deserved a happy finale after the Tenth Doctor's heartbreaking conclusion. It was a story that needed to be told. To bring Tennant back now would betray the fitting ending his story was given. Let's look to the future, where Ncuti Gatwa is doing a fantastic job!
Doctor Who continues weekly on Disney+. The first two episodes of the new series, "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord," are now streaming.
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