David Tennant has finally addressed the speculation he will be returning to Doctor Who.
The Bathgate-born actor has been a bookies front-runner to reprise his role as the iconic Time Lord on the BBC sci-fi show.
Tennant, 51, played the 10th Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and returned to the role in 2013 for the 50th anniversary special, " The Day of the Doctor ", alongside Matt Smith, John Hart and Jenna Coleman.
The Broadchurch actor is currently the favourite according to bookmakers Coral with, Lydia West odds at 5-2, 5-1 for Omari Douglas, 6-1 for Fisayo Akinade, 8-1 for Rakhee Thakrar, 10-1 for Danny Dyer and 16-1 for Michael Sheen, who stars alongside Tennant in popular Amazon series Good Omens.
Speaking to crowds at last weekend's German Comic-Con, he acknowledged that virtually everything he says about Doctor Who becomes headline news, which makes it difficult for him to field such questions.
"I've been asked a version of this question for the last 20 years and I've learnt through bitter experience that there's not any point even answering it, because whatever I say is spun by whoever wants to hear it," he began.
For this reason, he didn't offer a firm confirmation or denial of the rampant rumours, but chimed in on the idea of his Doctor returning for a second stint on television – which would be an unprecedented move for the franchise.
Tennant continued: "There's no point in me denying it, there's no point in me confirming it, there's no point in me fudging it. Whatever I say will become whatever the internet wants it to be.
"I mean, it would be quite a weird idea and it's not something that you'd necessarily expect from Doctor Who. That's all I can... I'm not going to try giving any more than that because what's the point?"
Speaking to Digital Spy in 2021, he explained: "It all depends. The moment you say yes to Doctor Who, even before you've done an episode, you're being asked whether you'd go back after you finish. I don't know if this happens to James Bonds. I don't know if Pierce Brosnan gets asked if he'd go back to James Bond.
"Because there's that element of fantasy, anything is ultimately possible. You should never say never to anything. I think that way madness lies."
Tennant received critical acclaim for his complexity and humanity and is considered one of the greatest incarnations of the character.
The BBC went as far as to consider ending the show in 2010, thinking it would fail without Tennant.
But since then, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and now Jodie Whitaker have all had a shot at playing the Time Lord.
Jodie is due to step down as the 13th Doctor later this year, while speculation is rife over who will be taking over from her.
But many dedicated Doctor Who fans believe it's possible that Tennant, as well as Smith, Capaldi and Christopher Eccleston, who played the ninth Doctor, could all return to the show for its 60th anniversary special.
The chat comes after showrunner and dedicated Doctor Who fan Russell T Davies, 58, returns to the role after being away for some time.
A TV source told The Sun: 'The BBC wanted something unique to mark six decades of Doctor Who and while getting all the former time lords together will be a challenge, it’s one Russell might just achieve.
After all, he was the man responsible for signing up Christopher and David back in 2005, and he is one of the few people who might convince them to be a part of the show again."
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our weekly Showbiz newsletter here .
