Doctor Who star Karen Gillan reacts to speculation that she’ll reprise the Amy Pond role as part of the sci-fi show’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
Former Doctor Who star Karen Gillen recently addressed rumors that she’ll return as Amy Pond in one of the iconic BBC series’ upcoming 60th anniversary specials.
Gillan neither confirmed nor denied that she’ll reprise the Amy Pond role in one or more of the specials during an interview with the Radio Times. “It’s always nice when people appreciate anything that you’ve done,” she said. “But no, it’s cool to see that people are still intrigued by Amy Pond and whether she could return. Maybe, maybe not — I don’t know!” Gillan first portrayed Amy in Doctor Who Season 5’s debut episode, “The Eleventh Hour,” which established her as the companion of Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor. The Scottish actor exited the sci-fi show halfway through Season 7, although she made a brief cameo in the 2013 special “The Time of the Doctor.”
While Gillan’s return remains up in the air, several other Doctor Who veterans are locked in for the 60th anniversary special. Notably, David Tennant is back at the controls of the Doctor’s time-and-space-traveling TARDIS, having taken over from outgoing series lead Jodie Whittaker at the end of 2022’s “The Power of the Doctor.” That said, Tennant isn’t playing his previous part, the Tenth Doctor, in the anniversary specials, but rather the Time Lord’s newest incarnation who shares the likeness of his predecessor. Tennant won’t headline Doctor Who for long, either, as his Fourteenth Doctor will pass the torch to Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor by the time Season 14 drops in 2024.
Doctor Who Reunites Tennant and Tate
Tennant will get to enjoy at least one major reunion before he goes, though. The Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials will see him act opposite his former co-star Catherine Tate, who played the Tenth Doctor’s companion Donna Noble in Season 4 and several specials. Donna features prominently in the 60th anniversary specials’ trailer released by the BBC on Christmas Day, which confirms that her amnesia regarding her adventures with Doctor remains intact. The trailer also confirmed that Donna’s mother, Sylvia (Jacqueline King), and husband, Shaun (Karl Collins), will appear in the 60th anniversary specials, as well.
With Donna officially onboard for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials, many fans are now speculating about the possibility of an appearance by another companion from Tennant’s tenure, Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler. Piper expressed willingness to revisit the Rose role in a recent interview — on one condition. “If it was shot in London — sorry that’s a really loveless answer!” she said. “There’s a running theme here, I don’t want to work much. [If Rose’s return] was like four episodes all shot in London, then yeah, I’d be like a rat-up-a-drainpipe for that.”
The three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials are set to premiere on Disney+ in November 2023.
