David Tennant and Catherine Tate Return for 60th Anniversary of ‘Doctor Who’

This month, news broke that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa would be joining the iconic BBC series Doctor Who as the 14th Doctor. Gatwa will be joined by returning showrunner Russell T Davies, who rejoins the show after a 12-year absence. And while new cast members have yet to be announced, Davies shared that two familiar faces would be returning to the series for Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary next year: David Tennant as the 10th Doctor and Catherine Tate as his companion Donna Noble.

Davies said, “It looks impossible – first, we announce a new Doctor, and then an old Doctor, along with the wonderful Donna, what on earth is happening?  Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. 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.”

Tennant and Tate left the series in 2010’s “The End of Time”, although Tennant returned for  2013’s 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor.” Both Tennant and Tate have lent their voices to a handful of Doctor Who audio adventures for Big Finish. The duo’s time on the series spanned from 2005 to 2010, in one of the most successful and well received incarnations of the long-running series. In a heartbreaking finale, the Doctor was forced to wipe Donna’s memory in order to save her life.

Since Doctor Who, Tennant has appeared in Jessica Jones and Good Omens. Tate appeared in the final seasons of NBC’s The Office and recently created and starred in the Netflix comedy series Hard Cell.

During an appearance at German Comic Con last month, Tennant was asked if he’d return to the series. He replied, “The thing about this I’ve been asked a version of this question for the last 20 years and I’ve learnt through bitter experience that there’s not any point even answering it 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 to be fudging it. Whatever I say will become whatever the internet wants it to be.”

(via BBC, image: ADRIAN ROGERS/© SCI-FI CHANNEL/BBC/EVERETT COLLECTION)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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