“I don’t want to go.” Those were famously David Tennant’s last words as Doctor Who‘s Tenth Doctor back before he regenerated in 2010, and the feeling was very much mutual too. Thankfully, it turned out he didn’t have to go forever.
After a quick return opposite Matt Smith in 2013’s 50th anniversary special, Tennant took over the TARDIS solo for three 60th anniversary specials in 2023, in which he played the Fourteenth Doctor, a new incarnation of the Time Lord who just looks like his old self. In the third episode, “The Giggle,” Tennant passed on the sonic screwdriver to Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and off the show goes onto its shiny, brand-new era, kicking off with a Christmas Day special.
And yet the unique circumstances of the Fourteenth Doctor’s regeneration mean that the door for a Tennant return is much wider than it ever was before. But what are the odds of the iconic actor making a speedy Whoniversal comeback?
Is there a chance for David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor to appear in Doctor Who‘s 2024 series?
So, here’s the deal. In “The Giggle,” Fourteen was killed by Neil Patrick Harris’ Toymaker and, as usual, started to regenerate… only he didn’t transform into the new Doctor this time. This time, the new Doctor sprouted out of him! This process is called bi-generation, and is apparently an old Time Lord “myth” (aka something writer Russell T. Davies pulled out of his… ask not).
While Fifteen is off traveling the stars, then, Fourteen elected to do something the Doctor has never done before and settle down, joining Donna Noble and her family in living in present-day London. Retiring this Doctor’s all well and good, but it just so happens that present-day London is the TARDIS’ favorite destination. Plus, with Donna now working for alien-busting organization U.N.I.T. herself, surely the Doctor will soon grow bored of having tea parties in the garden and want to get back to helping save the world. In other words, could Tennant team up with Ncuti Gatwa again in the 2024 season?
Well, within the canon, it would be easy to achieve, but every word the creatives have said on the matter indicates it’s not happening. “The ending is very simple, actually, it’s not much of a tease,” Davies clarified in a behind-the-scenes video shared to the Doctor Who YouTube channel. “It means David is parked. For once, we’ve got a happy Doctor who is no longer saving the universe and is parked with Donna for a happy life.”
In a video commentary for “The Giggle” (viewable exclusively on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.), Davies is a little more candid with how we can expect this arc to play out. Assuming he’s telling the truth, he confirmed that Fourteen would receive “a mention” in season 14 but would not appear. However, with production on season 15 already underway, how long can he resist the temptation to invite his old friend back to play around in time and space once more?
Don’t make us wait for the 70th anniversary, BBC!
