After Jodie Whittaker and before Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa, it looks like David Tennant will return to his post as Dr. Who when the show returns in 2023
As part of the BBC’s 100th birthday celebrations, the network aired a 90-minute final episode, titled “The Power of the Doctor.” In it, the departing Whittaker – the first woman to ever play the role – transformed, phoenix-like, into the new doctor, although it happened to actually be an old doctor.
Gatwa – who has made an impression as Sex Education’s charismatic, fashionable and often flustered Eric – landed the role of Dr. Who last May and will come on board as the fifteenth doctor in 2024. Tennant, who was the tenth doctor, returns as the fourteenth doctor for a three-episode holiday stint at the end of next year. Joining him will be his companion, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who had been lost to him after he had to erase her memory to keep her safe.
“If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth 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!” said creator and executive producer Russell T. Davies in a statement issued by the BBC.
In the meantime, the finale featured cameos from several doctors gone by, including Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann.