After Chris Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker exited Doctor Who, the show returns with Russell T. Davies and a brand new Doctor, but before Ncuti Gatwa makes his on-screen debut, David Tennant returns as the 14th Doctor. Doctor Who is currently the longest-running sci-fi show having first debuted in November 1963, making it 60 years old in 2023. This makes it fitting that the man who revived Doctor Who in 2006 after a long hiatus should lead the 60th celebrations. During RTD’s tenure as showrunner, he worked alongside Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s 9th and 10th Doctors respectively, updating the show for new audiences and restoring much of what a previous generation of viewers loved.
Under RTD’s leadership and continuing with his successor Steven Moffatt, Doctor Who reached new heights of popularity, but unfortunately, Chibnall and Whittaker’s Doctor Who run was not so widely praised. There are plenty of reasons why this could be with some being fairly justified and others less so. The complete overhaul and change in how Doctor Who was recorded, a brand new Doctor and cast of characters, and an intentional attempt to separate itself from previous eras with all new aliens and allies made the show seem very different from what had gone before, and in a series where the main character’s biggest quirk is the ability to change, both in appearance and character, the change was too much for some. Chibnall did acknowledge this issue and through the remainder of his run, old favorites like Daleks, Cybermen, and even the Master featured prominently. Still, the initial departure proved difficult to return from, and it appears that the execs have a plan to win audiences back.
Why Is David Tennant Returning As The 14th Doctor?
David Tennant first appeared as the Doctor in 2006, at the end of Doctor Who season 1. Christopher Eccleston decided to leave after just 13 episodes due to strained relationships behind the scenes, which meant that Doctor Who’s regeneration trick appeared prominently early in its return, and Tennant had a major part in bringing it back as he performed in the leading role for the following three seasons. In many polls, Tennant’s depiction of the Doctor has been voted as the best, and for a whole generation of NuWho viewers, he was their Doctor. This kind of nostalgia and Tennant’s apparent popularity make him the perfect person to restore the show to its former glory once again ahead of Ncuti Gatwa’s stint as the runaway Time Lord.
How David Tennant’s Doctor Who Can Revive The Show
Russell T. Davies loves to play with fans in his interactions and keep people guessing, and while David Tennant is returning to the show and official announcements have marketed him as the 14th Doctor, there was a brief window when Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor before Tennant’s return was revealed. RTD and Tennant are an incredible creative team and it has already created an enormous amount of excitement about the upcoming episodes which will feature Tennant’s 14th Doctor, but how exactly this will work is not yet clear. The 60th special episodes, which will see Tennant and Catherine Tate reunite, will be broken up into three episodes before Gatwa’s 15th Doctor will make his debut and lead his own episodes.
It has already been revealed that Neil Patrick Harris will play the classic Doctor Who villain, the Toymaker, who shapes and bends reality in order to play with other sentient beings. It is entirely possible that some of what will be shown in the 60th special episodes may not be what it first appears. Regardless, the special episodes, both around the holidays and anniversaries have always been used to create fun adventures that don’t exactly need to tie in with the bulk of the other episodes, and Tennant and Tate’s reunion under RTD will be sure to draw in audiences who may have had a break from Doctor Who over the last couple of seasons.
Get Ready For Ncuti Gatwa’s 15th Doctor
The real adventure is set to begin with Ncuti Gatwa’s latest incarnation of the Doctor and his companion, Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson. The new series promises to be a return to what made NuWho great while also building on the progress and steps forward in diversity taken during the Chibnall era. We are moving from the first female Doctor straight into the first BIPOC Doctor. RTD has championed several shows such as It’s a Sin and Torchwood which focused more on stories about members of the LGBTQ+ community. With RTD helming the show, and Tennant preparing the way for the next generation of the Doctor, it appears that the future of Doctor Who is bright.
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