David Tennant is returning to the world of Doctor Who for a new Big Finish special, where he will be teaming up with Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor to battle the fearsome Cybermen. Tennant has remained an active part of the Whoniverse since he left the show in 2010, both through the audio adventures from Big Finish and from limited reappearances on the series itself. Doctor Who: Out of Time 2 – The Gates of Hell will be his latest foray back into the world of Time Lords.
For more than two decades, Big Finish has produced original Doctor Who audio adventures with former stars of the show returning to voice their iconic roles. Former Doctors like Tom Baker, Colin Baker, and Paul McGann have all returned to reprise their versions of the time-traveling alien, allowing fans of past iterations to continue enjoying their favorite Doctors. Recently it was announced that Christopher Eccleston would even be returning as the Ninth Doctor in an upcoming Big Finish special – a surprising move given the star’s criticisms of his time on the show.
A newly announced Big Finish audio adventure – Doctor Who: Out of Time 2 – The Gates of Hell – will star David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor and Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor in a united battle against the Cybermen. “A collision of two Doctors’ timelines triggers a temporal catastrophe, granting the Cybermen dominion over the Earth,” the official synopsis reads. “The Doctors must travel back in time to find the source of the Cyber-invasion and close the Gates of Hell…” The new special is the second in a series of Doctor team-ups, the first of which saw David Tennant join forces with Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. The Gates of Hell releases in June.
Tennant and Davison (the latter of whom happens to be the former’s father-in-law) are easily two of the most popular actors to have played the Doctor, though their tenures came decades apart. The new special should be a fun surprise for fans of either iteration or for anyone looking for new Who adventures while waiting on the next TV season to arrive. Due to covid-induced production delays, that could still be some time.
In the interim, some rumors have begun circulating as to the franchise’s future. Chiefly, a report came out that the next season would be Jodie Whitaker’s last as the Doctor. That has not been officially confirmed or denied, but it does seem in-line with how long other recent stars like Peter Capaldi and Matt Smith have played the character. Whatever the future of the Doctor Who show holds, fans can look forward to more adventures coming from Big Finish.
Source: Big Finish