David Tennant & Catherine Tate Returning For Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary
“The only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular.”
It’s a big time for Doctor Who fans. Not only have we recently had the identity of the Fourteenth Doctor unveiled, but we now have very exciting casting news for the show’s 60th anniversary. Courtesy of returning showrunner Russell T Davies, the news has broke that previous stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate will return for the diamond year celebrations.
Davies revealed this in the below Instagram post:
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Davies then went on to release an official statement on the return of the Tenth Doctor his companion Donna Noble:
They’re back! And it looks impossible – first, we announce a new Doctor, and then an old Doctor, along with the wonderful Donna. What on earth is happening? Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. The only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime.
Tennant of course played the tenth version of the Time Lord between 2005 and 2010. Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble joined the show as a guest star for the 2006 Christmas special “The Runaway Bride”. She then returned as a full-time companion for the fourth series in the revived run in 2008. Her final appearance lined up with the end of Tennant’s tenure, showing up for the 2009 Christmas special/2010 New Year’s Day special two-parter, “The End of Time Parts 1 & 2”.
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The present Doctor and previous incarnations meeting face to face in some form is the ongoing trend of Doctor Who‘s milestone episodes. The most recent being the 50th anniversary’s “The Time of the Doctor”. This special brought together Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. It also introduced the surprise War Doctor, a hidden incarnation of the Time Lord, played by John Hurt.
As Davies says himself, there are one of many ways in which Tennant and Tate’s return can be rationalised, but I think everyone is hoping for a genuine meeting between them and Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor fourteen. Gatwa’s casting was announced last Sunday (May 8) and was met mainly will acclaim from the fanbase.
Gatwa had the below to say about his casting:
There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling. A mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared. This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my upmost to do the same. Russell T Davies is almost as iconic as the Doctor himself and being able to work with him is a dream come true. His writing is dynamic, exciting, incredibly intelligent and fizzing with danger. An actor’s metaphorical playground. The entire team have been so welcoming and truly give their hearts to the show. And so as much as it’s daunting, I’m aware I’m joining a really supportive family. Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show.
Current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, is due to bow out of the role this October in the final of three specials spread out over the year, which will presumably end with our first look at Gatwa in action. We’ll then return to Doctor Who in late 2023 for the aforementioned 60th anniversary special along with a brand new series.
Doctor Who returns to screens this October.