Is David Tennant the new Doctor Who? Trailer for 14th Doctor episodes - what happened to Ncuti Gatwa?

Doctor Who fans were treated to a surprise at the end of the show’s BBC centenary special, when Jodie Whittaker's 13th Time Lord transformed into David Tennant.

It had previously been reported that the Scottish actor, who first went into the Tardis in 2005 to play the 10th Doctor, would be returning to the sci-fi series for the show's 60th anniversary festivities - but the exact details of his return had not previously been revealed.

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So is he back as the “new” Doctor? Or do the show’s producers have more surprises up their sleeves?

Here is everything you need to know.

Is David Tennant the ‘new’ Doctor Who?

David Tennant as the 14th Doctor, leaning out of the TARDIS (Credit: BBC Studios)David Tennant as the 14th Doctor, leaning out of the TARDIS (Credit: BBC Studios)
David Tennant as the 14th Doctor, leaning out of the TARDIS (Credit: BBC Studios)

Yes, and no. Following Sunday’s (23 October) 90-minute special, the BBC confirmed Tennant will become the 14th incarnation of the famous character.

We saw Tennant briefly reprise his role as the 10th Doctor in the 2013 episode The Day of the Doctor for the programme’s 50th anniversary, appearing alongside the 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith.

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But while Tennant is back as the time-travelling hero, it will only be for three special 60th anniversary episodes set to air in November 2023. After that, Ncuti Gatwa will take control of the Tardis as the 15th Doctor, with his first episode due to air over the festive period in 2023.

Gatwa is perhaps best known for his role as Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education, which has earned him a BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television and three BAFTA Television Award nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance. He will be the first black actor to lead the series as Doctor Who.

Will Catherine Tate return?

Catherine Tate will also be reprising her role as the 13th Time Lord’s former companion Donna Noble for the three special episodes.

After the BBC centenary special episode, a teaser trailer of the 60th anniversary special episodes aired which showed Tennant and Tate facing a deadly enemy played by Neil Patrick Harris and a brief glance at Gatwa’s 15th doctor.

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Fans of the show will remember that the 10th Doctor shared his last episode with Donna Noble in two-parter The End of Time in 2010.

The Doctor was forced to wipe Donna’s memories of their time together after gaining all of his knowledge - something that her brain cannot handle and that threatened to kill her. We last saw Donna marrying fiance Shaun Temple. The Doctor anonymously delivered a winning lottery ticket to Donna to solve all of her financial issues.

Talking about the future, returning showrunner Russell T 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 15th 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.”

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