David Tennant says he was "worried" about Doctor Who's big twist

Doctor Who The End of Time
(Image credit: BBC)

David Tennant is back in the TARDIS. As Jodie Whittaker bid goodbye to her tenure as the Time-Lord, the character regenerated into their next form. Everyone was, unsurprisingly, expecting this to be Ncuti Gatwa, who was confirmed to be taking over the role back in May. However, we saw a more familiar face instead. 

"I think I was worried before I got there that it might be difficult to get in the groove again," Tennant told BBC Radio 4's Today program (via TVLine), but instead he found it "weirdly, weirdly straightforward."

"There’s a bit of a precedent in this show that all Doctors maybe turn up for a special now and again, but usually in cohort with the current team," he continued. "So to get another run round the park was a little joy I never saw coming."

Tennant was the tenth actor to take on the role of the Doctor, playing the role between 2005 and 2010. Ten's companions included Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) – the latter of which is also set to return to the series next year. However, Ten's return may not be all that it seems, and fans have their theories about what it could really mean.

Tennant added: "What a lovely, lovely thing to get to revisit something that was such a wonderful, happy, significant time in my life. It’s like being given the loveliest present. It’s been an absolute joy."

Doctor Who returns in November 2023 for the first of its 60th-anniversary specials. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other new TV shows coming your way in 2022 and beyond. 

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.