Today it was announced that new episodes of Doctor Who are headed to Disney+ in 2023. With the arrival of new episodes of the show on Disney+ next year, a familiar face to the franchise will be returning. There will also be a familiar show runner with Russell T. Davies returning to take control of the TARDIS. He was behind the 2005 revival of the show and is generally credited with making the show such a hit. Davies will not be the only familiar face returning to the TARDIS, however. Read below to find out more.
Do not continue this story if you don’t want Doctor Who spoilers.
David Tenant will be returning to the show as the 14th Doctor. Over the weekend during a 90 minute special that ended Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Doctor this news arrived. As she regenerated, many fans assumed that they would see Ncuti Gatwa. This isn’t what happened, though. Instead, David Tenant appeared.
“I know these teeth,” Tennant said in the special. This was a reference to the 10th Doctor’s first words in 2005, “New teeth… that’s weird.”
David Tenant talked to BBC News about returning to the role. He said, “What a lovely, lovely thing to get to revisit something that was such a wonderful, happy, significant time in my life.”
After the regeneration, the BBC released a teaser for the next season of Doctor Who. This season will also be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the show. This shows that David Tenant, who played the Doctor between 2005 and 2010 returning as the 14th Doctor. He will also be joined by Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. Together, they will appear in three specials.
Following the three specials, Ncuti Gatwa will take his place in the TARDIS. His episodes are due to start airing during the holiday season of 2023.
“If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!” said showrunner Russell T. Davies in a statement. “The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”
Gatwa takes over the role of the Doctor from Jodie Whittaker. Whittaker announced her intentions to leave to role last year in July. She toke over the role from Peter Capaldi in 2017. When she did, she became the first woman to take on the role. Whittaker shared that the show was “the best job I have ever had.”
New episodes of Doctor Who will arrive in the UK and Ireland on the BBC and globally on Disney+ in November 2023. What do you think of what you are seeing of this next era of this iconic show? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
