Will there be a Doctor Who spin-off with David Tennant as 14th Doctor? How The Giggle ending teased new show

Doctor Who fans are hopeful that series favourites David Tennant and Catherine Tate will return in a spin-off series, following the surprise ending of the final anniversary special, The Giggle.

It had been rumoured before the episode aired that it would not see the end of the 14th Doctor, and now we know that Tennant’s incarnation is still alive in the Doctor Who universe, even if he is supposed to be living a quieter life.

But some fans were concerned that a spin-off series with The 14th Doctor as the main character would undermine Ncuti Gatwa’s role as the 15th Doctor just as he was getting started. This is everything we know about a possible spin-off so far:

What happened at the end of The Giggle?

The final 60th Doctor Who anniversary special, The Giggle, introduced Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor. Although fans of the show had been mentally preparing themselves to say goodbye to David Tennant’s incarnation again, the moment wasn’t as devastating as had been expected.

In a showdown with The Toymaker, an eternal being last seen in a 1966 serial, Tennant’s Doctor is shot through the chest with a space laser, causing him to begin his regeneration. As Donna and his old companion Mel Bush hold his hands, he says that something feels different this time.

Donna and Mel pull on each arm, and The Doctor splits into two versions of himself, with Gatwa’s 15th Doctor emerging from his body and Tennant’s 14th incarnation still alive.  

The Doctors explain that they have just experienced a bi-regeneration something they didn’t believe was possible. The 15th Doctor then explains to his earlier self that the bi-regeneration happened because The Doctor needs to rest after dashing across the universe for more than 1,000 years without stopping.

The 15th Doctor then claims his own prize for defeating The Toymaker, requesting a second TARDIS, in which he leaves to continue his adventures. The 14th Doctor stays Earthbound with Donna and her family, who have brought him into the fold.

Will there be a Doctor Who spin-off with David Tennant?

The BBC has not confirmed what the ending of The Giggle means for the future of Doctor Who, now that there are two Doctors existing at the same instance. This shouldn’t matter with The Doctor having a time machine, but as many of his adventures take place on present day Earth, there is a risk of overlap.

The whole point of the bi-regeneration seems to have been to give The Doctor a chance for some R & R to deal with the trauma and burnout of all his adventures. A spin-off which sees The 14th Doctor embroiled in danger time and again would contradict the fact that Ncuti’s Doctor is refreshed and healed.

David Tennant is arguably the most popular Doctor of the modern era, and Catherine Tate’s Donna was also a well-loved companion. Leaving them both alive and with access to a TARDIS certainly leaves the door open for a spin-off, but it would need to move away from the continual peril of the main series, both to differentiate the shows and to maintain continuity with the plot of the regular series.

Currently, the BBC has not said anything about a new spin-off series, so watch this space for further updates.