It turns out not one, but three “Doctor Who” special episodes are on the way next year with David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprising their roles of The Doctor and Donna Noble for them.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR “The Power of the Doctor”
Jodie Whittaker’s final “Doctor Who” story closed out with the surprise regeneration of her into Tennant’s Doctor. The BBC has confirmed that Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor in the latter half of the 2000s, has officially returned as the Fourteenth Doctor.
Whilst it was known Tennant had been filming scenes for the sci-fi drama’s 60th anniversary special in 2023, it turns out his involvement was more extensive than first thought, with the special coming in the form of three episodes set to air in November next year.
Incoming new “Doctor Who” showrunner Russell T Davies, returning to that capacity after his running of the Eccleston and Tennant eras, says in a statement:
“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 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.”
After the three specials, “Sex Education” star Ncuti Gatwa will take over from Tennant as the Fifteenth Doctor and a promo trailer for the specials below reveals a first look at Gatwa in character. Also below is Whittaker’s officially released regeneration scene, and the first official stills from those three specials including looks at Tate as Donna, post-regeneration Gatwa, and Neil Patrick Harris as the villain.
The special that just aired saw not just numerous companions return but multiple prior incarnations of the Time Lord, whose guest appearances were kept a close secret.
