Doctor Who Showrunner Offers Cryptic Clues About David Tennant's Return

By Jamie Lovett

David Tennant will return to Doctor Who for the show's 60th anniversary season and returning showrunner Russell T. Davies is offering some puzzling clues about the nature of the Tenth Doctor's reemergence. Tennant is joined by Catherine Tate, who plays companion Donna Noble. Davies spoke to Doctor Who Magazine, offering some tantalizing teases and possibilities. First, he suggested this may be a missing chapter in the Doctor and Donna's adventures set between two episodes of Doctor Who's fourth season. Alternatively, maybe this is Doctor Who getting in on the multiverse trend, or perhaps an old enemy has returned and is creating an elaborate illusion.

"A mysteriously forgotten excursion for the TARDIS in between 'Planet of the Ood' and 'Sontaran Stratagem'?" Davies suggested (via Digital Spy). "Or maybe a multiverse thing, they're all the rage these days. Maybe this is the Doctor and Donna from Universe 557, all set to collide with our own. Then again, maybe, just maybe, this return is so impossible that it's actually an intricate illusion created by an old enemy of the Doctor's. Or maybe an old enemy of Donna's. Nerys!"

Then again, Davies could just be having fun with fans. However, he concludes his statement by assuring fans there's some hidden truth in what he's suggesting.

"Of course, I wouldn't give that away in the pages of DWM, would I?" Davies teased. "But then again. This magazine is the first place I ever revealed the name of Billie Piper's Rose (in issue 340). So read carefully. There are truths in here."

Davies was similarly cryptic when announced Tennant and Tate's returns. "Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback," he said. "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."

While Tennant and Tate are returning for the new Doctor Who season, it's Ncuti Gatwa taking over the lead role of the series as the Fourteenth Doctor. There's also the mystery of Neil Patrick Harris' villain, which some fans think they've cracked. And then there's the mysterious Rose, played by Heartstopper breakout Yasmin Finney, who many fans believe is Donna's daughter, but whose relationship to the Doctor and his companion remains unconfirmed.

Doctor Who is filming now, but the 60th anniversary season of Doctor Who won't air until 2023. This year, fans will still bid farewell to Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor and current series showrunner Chris Chibnall in the upcoming Doctor Who BBC Centenary Special. The episode brings back two classic Doctor Who companions. The episode debuts in the fall. You can get caught up on Doctor Who with our streaming binge guide to the series.

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