David Tennant and Catherine Tate will return to Doctor Who for the franchise's 60th anniversary.
It was confirmed by the BBC that both Tennant and Tate will reprise their respective roles as the Tenth Doctor and fan-favorite companion Donna Noble for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2023. The two actors are currently filming scenes for their return, though the nature of their return is currently unknown.
"They're back!" said showrunner Russel T. Davies in a statement. "And 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."
Tate first appeared as a guest star opposite Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2006 episode, "Doomsday," and the subsequent Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride." Later, Tate's Donna Noble would return as a companion in Doctor Who's series 4 in 2008. Both Tennant and Tate made their final appearances in Doctor Who in the two-part 2010 Christmas special, "The End of Time," which saw the Tenth Doctor erase all of Donna's memories of him as a way to save her life.
News of Tate and Tennant's return comes after rumors that Tennant would return as the Tenth Doctor in some capacity for the show's anniversary. "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," Tennant said in April regarding a potential return. "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."
It was recently announced that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa would take over as The Doctor for Season 14, a role held by Jodie Whittaker since 2017. "Ncuti dazzled us, seized hold of the Doctor and owned those TARDIS keys in seconds," said Davies about Gatwa's performance. "It's an honour to work with him, and a hoot, I can’t wait to get started." Davies is credited with reviving BBC's cult, sci-fi drama in 2005 and served as showrunner until Steven Moffat took the reigns in 2009.
Doctor Who Season 14 is expected to debut in 2023.
Source: BBC
