David Tennant Doubles Down On Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Fate

Summary

• David Tennant confirms that his time as the Fourteenth Doctor is over, as he is retired and content in a peaceful life on Earth.
• There are endless ways in
  Doctor Who
  to bring back characters, but Tennant asserts that his story has come to a definitive end.
• The upcoming season 14 of
  Doctor Who
  will focus on Ncuti Gatwa’s new Doctor, with minimal references to Tennant’s Doctor.

David Tennant addresses the chances of a Fourteenth Doctor return following Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary storyline. After leading the show throughout most of Russell T Davies’ initial tenure as showrunner, Tennant returned alongside Catherine Tate to lead the show’s 2023 milestone celebrations. The 60th anniversary storyline consisted of three specials that reunited the Doctor and Donna to face aliens, unknown extraterrestrial horrors, and a classic villain’s return.

While the Doctor Who 60th anniversary ending left the Fourteenth Doctor on a peaceful note with a TARDIS of his own, Tennant revealed to RadioTimes that he is certain that his adventures in the time vortex are over. Even though the Fourteenth Doctor remains on Earth, it hasn’t changed any chances of him choosing to return. Check out Tennant’s response below:

The Doctor’s happy. He is in a garden in Chiswick, being made mac and cheese by Bonnie Langford! The door is not any more open than it ever was, because in Doctor Who if you want to bring someone back, there are endless ways of doing it. It’s very much the end of the story. You could also say, ‘Why has Patrick Troughton not landed here?!’ It unpicks if you think about that too much. I’m retired! The Fourteenth Doctor is retired!

How Will The Fourteenth Doctor’s Retirement Be Addressed In Future Stories?

While the Fourteenth Doctor is resting on Earth and spending time with the Noble family, Davies stated following the Doctor Who 60th anniversary that there would be few references to Tennant’s new incarnation of the Time Lord in upcoming episodes. While Yasmin Finney’s Rose Noble will return in the upcoming season 14, the showrunner revealed that Fourteen would only be referred to once. As such, it is clear that Tennant’s Doctor won’t make any surprising appearances soon.

While some may be disappointed that the Fourteenth Doctor won’t be in Doctor Who season 14, it is understandable why the show is choosing to minimize references to its past. With Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Who season, Disney has contributed significant funding to the show’s budget per their distribution agreement that allows Disney+ to host the series for international audiences. As such, the season is set to act like a soft relaunch in order to attract newcomers to the franchise.

Tennant’s explanation is understandable. Not only is the actor firm on the Fourteenth Doctor’s story being resolved, but his reference to classic Doctors addresses speculation and debunks the chances of any future appearances. As such, viewers can instead focus on Gatwa’s upcoming adventures across Doctor Who seasons 14 and 15, knowing his predecessor’s journey came to a definitive conclusion.

David Tennant’s
Doctor Who
60th anniversary return is available to stream on Disney+ for international audiences and BBC iPlayer for UK viewers.

Source: RadioTimes