Get ready to rev up your nearest TARDIS. The BBC has announced that David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be returning for a 60th anniversary Doctor Who special. Filming has already begun with an expected release date for some time in 2023. Tennant played the titular role from 2005 until 2010, with Tate acting as his trusted companion Donna Noble from 2006 until 2010. The 2008 series of Dr. Who remains the most successful of the show, and the pair have since moved on separately to star in other series. Tennant has appeared in Broadchurch and Around the World in 80 Days and won a National Television Award for playing British serial killer Dennis Nilsen in Des. Tate has appeared in the sitcom Big School and The Nan Movie, which was released earlier this year.
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News of the reunion comes one week after the announcement that Ncuti Gatwa will be coming on board as the 14th Dr. Who. Tennant briefly returned before in 2013, joining then-Doctor Matt Smith for the show’s 50th anniversary. It is still not clear whether Tennant and Tate will be reprising their roles for this particular special.
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Doctor Who head writer Russell T. Davies left at the same time as Tennant but is also returning and is teasing fans, saying:
Tennant and Tate’s 13-episode run enjoyed a high level of critical acclaim and their return may bring a ratings boost for a show that has seen a slump over the last two years. In the season 4 finale, “Journey’s End,” audiences saw the 10th Doctor and Donna part ways after Donna absorbed an incredible amount of knowledge from the TARDIS, causing her brain to crack under pressure and forcing the Doctor to wipe her mind of all memories of him. Their farewell episode was one of the most heartbreaking storylines for Dr. Who fans.
“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.’
As many are away, Doctor Who is one of the longest-running programs in the history of television, with William Hartnell portraying the first Doctor Who time lord in 1963.
