Former Doctor Who star David Tennant shares his excitement for Ncuti Gatwa, who will be taking up the mantle as the next Doctor. The long-running British sci-fi series is split into two eras: classic and modern Who, with the classic episodes occurring between 1963 and 1989, and the reboot starting up again in 2005. After the eight actors to take on the role of the titular Time Lord during the classic era, Christopher Eccleston led the rebooted Doctor Who for a brief stint, until Tennant took over as the Tenth Doctor in the same year. Tennant played the Doctor until 2010, when his iteration of the character regenerated into Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor.

Currently, Jodie Whittaker, who took over after Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi in 2017, serves as the Doctor in an historic turn as the first woman to ever play the Time Lord in the popular series. Whittaker's final appearance is set for an episode titled "The Power of the Doctor", which will air this month. Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the Fourteenth Doctor in May of this year, and the rising star will become the first Black actor to play the Doctor. Whittaker is among the many Doctor Who stars to express their excitement for Gatwa, a list which also includes Tennant.

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In a conversation with BBC News, Tennant reports feeling "a little bit jealous" of Gatwa "starting on this exciting journey" as the next Doctor. The former Doctor Who star shares his honest and earnest reaction to Gatwa's upcoming tenure. See Tennant's full quote below.

"Ncuti is brilliant. He's a lovely, lovely man and he's full of beans and he's really talented. I mean he's like scary-talented. So I'm thrilled for every Doctor Who fan for what's to come and I include myself in that number."

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Tennant's heartwarming response and humility fit perfectly with the version of the Doctor he played on-screen, who was full of heart and bursting with enthusiasm despite his dark sides. Tennant is one of many Doctor Who fans eager to see Gatwa's take on the famous character, but there will be a bit of a wait before that occurs. Gatwa starts filming Doctor Who season 14 this November, making it unlikely that he will appear in this month's "The Power of the Doctor." However, it's possible that Gatwa will show up in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, which is set for a fall 2023 release.

The 60th anniversary special is confirmed to feature the return of Tennant and his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) while also bringing in Neil Patrick Harris. A celebration of the show, the 60th anniversary special will ring in the next era of the historic sci-fi series as well as honoring what came before. Though fans of Whittaker will be sad to see her go, the actor herself has expressed her excitement for the next phase of Doctor Who, which is encouraging for viewers. Though Doctor Who season 14 won't be premiering until 2024, Gatwa's Doctor will likely be worth the wait.

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Source: BBC News