David Tennant makes iconic return as the Doctor

A familiar face is back

As Jodie Whittaker’s time as the Doctor came to an end last night, fans were left ecstatic when it was none other than David Tennant who appeared as the Fourteenth Doctor.

On Sunday, Whittaker’s five-year stint in the iconic role came to an end as she regenerated. ‘The Power of the Doctor’ also marked the end of Chris Chibnall’s time as showrunner.

But it was a familiar face that closed off the episode as Tennant – who played the 10th incarnation of the Doctor from 2005 to 2010 – reprised his role.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Scottish actor would be temporarily returning as the Doctor in three specials next November, alongside former companion Catherine Tate in her role as Donna Noble, as part of the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023.

This followed the announcement that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa would be taking on the fulltime role of the Doctor. Although the vast majority of fans were already aware of Tennant’s return, there was much speculation as to who we would see Whittaker regenerate into at the end of Sunday’s feature-length episode.

And viewers were left beside themselves when Tennant appeared on screen, delivering a classic callback to his arrival in 2006.

SPOILERS 🚨 Watch the regeneration of the Thirteenth Doctor… 🔥 #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/7m4WzWow0q

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) October 23, 2022

David Tennant- The best doctor ever !!!

— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) October 23, 2022

Tennant is also reuniting with former showrunner and the man who revived the series in 2005, Russell T Davies.

In a statement following Whittaker’s regeneration and the cliffhanger, Davies said: “If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!

“The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”

BBC: David Tennant and Catherine Tate are going to reprise their roles for *three* episodes of #DoctorWho in November 2023.

— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) October 23, 2022

The trailer for the specials immediately followed the broadcast of the ‘Power of the Doctor’ and confirmed that Gatwa would be making his onscreen debut as the Doctor.

Following the announcement of his casting as the first Black man to take on the role, he spoke of his love for the show earlier this year, saying: “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling.