Tennant’s Doctor Who return has audiences extremely excited as he reunites with the beloved Donna but this needs to be his last appearance ever.
David Tennant is back as the Doctor for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary and after this, he can never come back. David Tennant’s time as the 10th Doctor is often heralded as the golden era of the Doctor Who revival, as he was paired with Russell T Davies’ writing and some fan-favorite companions, such as Rose and Donna. It came as a wonderful surprise for many when Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor regenerated into the 14th Doctor, played once again by Tennant. The reason for the Doctor regenerating with the same face as 10 came into fruition when the 60th anniversary special was announced and Tennant would be joined by Catherine Tate’s Donna.
The three special Doctor Who episodes are set to release in November and will see the Doctor reunite with Donna to tie up so loose ends. Excitement is building for the Doctor Who specials as showrunner RTD is returning and some classic Who villains are making their first appearances since the Doctor Who revival. Neil Patrick Harris is expected to play The Celestial Toymaker and Beep the Meep is making its TV debut, after first appearing in The Star Beast Doctor Who comics. Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary will inspire plenty of nostalgia for audiences before Ncuti Gatwa leads the new era of Doctor Who as the 15th Doctor.
David Tennant As The Fourteenth Doctor Rules Out Future Cameos
Tennant is no stranger to a Doctor Who reappearance as he joined Matt Smith for the 50th anniversary special, “Day of the Doctor.” Many other regenerations have returned in cameos too, mainly through flashbacks, but the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special is taking Tennant’s appearance to a whole new level. Tennant has done what no former Doctor has before by returning as a proper regeneration. There is no explanation as to why and how this is happening, but the general consensus is that Tennant’s Doctor has to tie up some loose ends which were left after his era, mainly his tragic parting with Donna Noble.
While his return has sparked plenty of excitement, Tennant’s 60th anniversary return has to be his last one. There will be messages of letting go of nostalgia in RTD’s 60th anniversary special and that applies to Tennant too, his constant returns will lose their wow factor and make audiences expect a cameo from him in any Doctor Who special. Tennant is in new territory by returning as a regeneration, but this story will close his chapter as the Doctor and means he should never return again, not even as a future cameo.
David Tennant Believes The 60th Anniversary Is His Last Shot As The Doctor
Tennant himself believes this is his last shot at playing the Doctor before he becomes “too old” (via Radio Times) which all but confirms the 60th anniversary is his swan song to Doctor Who. Ncuti Gatwa, already a global star, combined with the Disney+ collaboration, will bring in a whole new audience. This combined with the length of time since Tennant’s golden era means there will be a large proportion of the audience who are not attached to Tennant’s Doctor. The Doctor Who 60th anniversary is the perfect time for Tennant to do one final victory lap as the Doctor before closing the door on the Time Lord.
Many previous Doctor Who actors have returned to the BBC show in “The Power of the Doctor” despite it being years since their first appearances in the classic era. Plus, Christopher Eccleston has returned with an audio drama after years of refusing to return. However, this time Tennant’s final appearance could be for real. The 60th anniversary special is supposed to be symbolic of moving on from a glorified past and, following this, previous seasons should be honored less. Tennant will always have a strong attachment to the Time Lord, but for his appearance as the 14th Doctor to have the intended impact, it needs to be Tennant’s last ever Doctor Who appearance.
