Doctor Who fans have been left in a state of shock as David Tennant made an explosive return to the BBC series.
Sunday (23 October) night saw Jodie Whittaker make her last adventure in the Tardis in the feature-length special episode “The Power of the Doctor”. You can read The Independent’s review of the episode here.
The episode ended with Whittaker regenerating, with fans suspecting that she was going to turn into Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa, who will be playing the Doctor in the next series.
However, in a shocking twist, she instead turned back into former Doctor Who star Tennant.
Tennant’s Doctor could be seen running his tongue over his teeth, before saying in surprise: “I know these teeth.”
He then looked down at his hands and costume and repeated the phrase: “What?”
Tennant appeared in the BBC series as the Time Lord from 2005 to 2010. He will return alongside former companion Catherine Tate for three special episodes airing in November 2023 celebrating Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary.
Fans were left delighted by Tennant’s comeback, suggesting it harked the return to the old days of Doctor Who.
“So DAVID TENNANT is the current Doctor! Just let that sink in for a moment…” one tweet read.
Star Wars actor John Boyega shared his excitement, tweeting: “David Tennant- The best doctor ever!!!”
“DAVID TENNANT IS BACK AS THE DOCTOR! I am lost for words currently,” one fan commented.
Another tweet read: “OMFG THE DOCTOR ACTUALLY REGENERATED INTO DAVID TENNANT HE’S BACK AS THE DOCTOR I HAVE CHILLS.”
Tennant will be returning to the show at the same time as showrunner Russell T Davies, who was responsible for reviving the show back in 2005. On Monday (24 October), he opened up about what “worried” him when the idea of returning to the series was brought up.
While it had been known the actor was returning for the anniversary episodes next year, fans hadn’t known Whittaker would regenerate into him before Gatwa.
In an interview, Davies confirmed that Tennant would be considered the 14th Doctor, while Gatwa would be the 15th. He will appear on the show for three episodes, in which Neil Patrick Harris will also star as a villain.
“If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!” he said.
“The path to Ncuti’s 15th Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”
Gatwa’s first episode will air in the 2023 festive period.
Doctor Who returns November 2023 on BBC One.
