David Tennant Shouldn’t Return to Doctor Who... As Fourteen

Since Jodie Whittaker will be leaving her role as Doctor Who behind, rumours have circulated that David Tennant may reprise his role as the famous doctor.

Jodie currently plays the 13th regeneration of the Doctor and will bow out from the series in a special episode that will air later this year. According to a “BBC source”, David Tennant has been cast as the next Doctor. This would be a first, as no Doctor has regenerated backwards into a former casting.

The source states that Tennant will not be a rehash of the Tenth Doctor; he will be the fourteenth. Tennant will be used for three specials, including the 60th anniversary before a new actor is cast as the fifteenth Doctor. Seemingly, this approach is being used in the hope of bringing back viewers.

Honestly, I really hope this is just a rumour. David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor was a pivotal time in my childhood and set my expectations for future Doctors. Still, I’d be less inclined to watch it if Whittaker regenerates back into Tennant. It’ll be taking a massive step backwards for the series, where they’ll clearly be relying on nostalgia to gain viewership. But shouldn’t this show be about regeneration? Reinventing itself with new characters and stories that have a distinctive era.

I take issue with trying to recapture that nostalgia, especially as many characters from Davies’ era still exist in that universe - even a version of Tennant’s Doctor in human form living in an alternative reality.

Plus, Tennant has returned to the role multiple times with Big Finish Productions. His reprisals have seen him collaborating with former companions and even Classic Who characters, with each audio drama complimenting and developing his specific era as the time lord.

Furthermore, I don’t think the show should need to recapture the nostalgic vibes of the early 2000s. If they plan to bring characters back, shouldn’t it be former companions or the current companions with a new actor taking on the Doctor?

Considering Russel T Davies is returning to the showrunner’s role, he’d surely want to challenge himself with writing for a completely new incarnation of the Time Lord or Lady. If Tennant was to return, it should be in his character’s human form and not the Doctor. Otherwise, the writers will be using a cheap ploy to bring in a specific audience.

Like I said previously, each era should be distinguishable from the other - whether by the casting, the writing or a combination of the both. Whittaker’s era had some diamonds in the rough - she’s a phenomenal actress, but the scripts rarely let her demonstrate her acting range until much later. Flux and Eve of the Daleks were two of her standout performances as the Doctor.

This is why I have some misgivings about a former showrunner returning as the showrunner and not just as a screenwriter because it will either go one of two ways: a total reimagining or falling back on what’s familiar. This is why I hope he leans towards the former and challenges his vision of Who.

If I were sat in the BBC’s Writersroom and were asked my opinion of who should play the 14th Doctor, I’d probably go for Michaela Coel. She’s another great actress, one who’s proven she could play both comedy and drama. While we’re on my dream TARDIS team, I’d cast Ruth Madeley as a companion - the TARDIS is a living conscious and a time machine. I’m sure it could adapt itself to be wheelchair accessible - with Mandip Gill returning as Yaz.

While this would be my casting for what I’d want to see in Doctor Who, I am interested to know where the show is heading when Whittaker takes her final bow.

And don’t get me wrong, I was a huge fan of Tennant’s run of the Doctor - which is why I’ve enjoyed several of his outings at Big Finish. Anyone who misses his era or his companions, definitely head over to their website. But I think it’s time a new actor or actress gets their chance to create their own era.