Is David Tennant Making a “Doctor Who” Comeback? What We Know So Far
The beloved BBC series Doctor Who is closing in on its 60th anniversary, and a 13th season of the relaunch is on the horizon. Jodie Whittaker (the Thirteenth Doctor) made her mark as the first and only female Doctor in the show’s long history, but her time as the mysterious Time Lord is coming to a close. Rumors have already started circulating about who will take her place in the next season of the revival series. If the whispers are true, it may mean seeing a familiar and much-loved face return to the TARDIS. Current speculations strongly suggest that David Tennant will be the next Doctor. Again.
Not only did Tennant gain widespread popularity as the Tenth Doctor, but he’s been repeatedly recognized by fans and critics as the best Doctor. He originally appeared in Seasons 2–4 after Christopher Eccleston (the Ninth Doctor) and before Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor). After Tennant left the show in 2010, he made a small reappearance as the Tenth Doctor during the 50th-anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” with Matt Smith and John Hurt (The War Doctor). His eclectic, saucy, and confident portrayal of the time-traveling alien instantly won over fans’ hearts and held them tight through three seasons.
Credit: BBC
But what does it mean for the show if Tennant were to return for a third time? These rumors were reportedly leaked from a credible source from inside the BBC and made their way to a fan page on Facebook. The user that shared the news originally, back in January, also said the source was “the same person who leaked the casting of Sacha Dhawan as the Doctor’s nemesis, The Master, in series 12.”
Since the initial leak, more reports have supported the claims of Tennant’s return. It would make him the first actor in the show to play the Doctor at different times. If you’re still not convinced, perhaps the numbers can provide some certainty. The Express announced the odds of Tennant’s likelihood of being next in line for the title:
According to the British betting and gambling company Ladbrokes, he is leading the race with an impressive 11/10 odds as the next Doctor.
As rumors continued, Hugh Grant (Love Actually, Notting Hill) was thrown in the mix as a prospective candidate. Metro Entertainment announced on Twitter that Grant was already in talks to take Whittaker’s place.
How would you like to see Hugh Grant in Doctor Who? 🤔👽
Well, with Russell T Davis' return, it's reported that the show will turn into a 'Marvel-like' universe with the Hollywood actor in talks to take up the role 🙌
Let's discuss 👇 https://t.co/ywhoTvC3jG
— Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) March 21, 2022
The rumor, posted on Twitter on March 21, was quickly shut down by Grant himself that same day. He shared an article from the Guardian, saying, “Nothing against Dr W but I’m not. No idea where the story came from.” Even after a short detour, the gossip quickly turned back around to Tennant. By the start of April, more statistics came out from the experts at the Online Betting Guild claiming, “The company named David, 50, as having a 60 percent chance of reprising the role, with odds of 4/6.”
Now here’s where fans really started losing it. While it’s still up in the air about whether David Tennant will be returning, it’s been confirmed that the revival series’ creator, Russell T. Davies, is returning for the 60th anniversary and 14th season as showrunner. Of course, such news only propelled fans forward. As one of the original (and some of us would say the best) writers of the series, Davies created amazing chemistry between the Doctor and his companions on their joint adventures, conflicts, loves, and losses. If there is a return of both, fans are in for a treat.
We still have yet to get any confirmation from Tennant or the Doctor Who production team. Up until recently, Tennant had been adamant about remaining tight-lipped about any spoilers. However, during a German Comic Con Spring 2022 panel, he finally addressed the rumors.
I’ve learned through bitter experience that there’s not any point in even answering [questions about whether I’ll play the Doctor again] because whatever I say is spun by whoever wants to hear it. So there’s no point in me denying it, there’s no point in me confirming it, there’s no point in me fudging it. Whatever I say will become whatever the internet wants it to be.
Nothing but time (pun intended) will tell us about the future (we did it again) of everyone’s favorite sci-fi show.
