David Tennant could potentially take over from Jodie Whittaker for Doctor Who's 60th anniversary and the regeneration theory makes a lot of sense. Jodie Whittaker's time as the Thirteenth Doctor is coming to an end, and current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall is leaving with her. Regeneration is always an exciting time for Doctor Who; it's the secret to the science-fiction TV show's longevity. Every regeneration essentially presents an opportunity for Doctor Who to reinvent itself, and this time the opportunities are particularly exciting. Russell T. Davies is returning as showrunner, and Ncuti Gatwa has been cast as the Fourteenth Doctor.
2023 was already a historic year for Doctor Who, because it is the 60th anniversary. Production of Davies' 60th anniversary special has already begun, but surprisingly it doesn't appear to be featuring Gatwa. Instead, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are returning as the Tenth Doctor and companion Donna Noble. Yasmin Finney is playing a character called Rose, reportedly the daughter of Donna and her husband Shaun Temple. There are as yet no details about the plot - but, naturally, that isn't stopping speculation.
Most viewers had initially assumed this was a multi-Doctor story of some sort; after all, these are something of a tradition for Doctor Who anniversaries. Another possibility is that the story is set sometime during season 4, a previously-untold tale of the Tenth Doctor and Donna. But an increasingly likely scenario is that something a lot more unusual is going on.
Day Of The Doctor Revealed The Doctor Can Regenerate To Old Faces
Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor," was a multi-Doctor story featuring David Tennant and Matt Smith, alongside John Hurt's War Doctor. The final scenes saw classic Doctor Tom Baker return unexpectedly, as an apparent future Doctor who had taken another name - the Curator. "I never forget a face," the Eleventh Doctor observed when he saw the Curator. "I know you don't," the Curator replied. "And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few. But just the old favorites, eh?" The clear implication is that the Doctor is destined to start adopting some of his old faces.
Until the Chibnall era, the idea of revisiting past Doctors would seem like something of a waste of a regeneration. But the Chibnall era has retconned the Doctor as the Timeless Child, a being who became the base genetic code for the entire Time Lord race - and who appears to have unlimited regenerations. There's now no reason for the show not to take advantage of this possibility by bringing back some of the most-loved Doctors - and David Tennant is by far the most popular incarnation of the Doctor since the show's relaunch in 2005.
Matt Smith Already Pointed Out Ten Was A Vain Doctor
The Tenth Doctor was actually surprisingly vain. That ran throughout his entire life; as Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor noted, his past self squandered an entire regeneration to stay the same, back at a time when he didn't know he had unlimited lives. It became even more true toward the end of the Tenth Doctor's life, when he briefly called himself the Time Lord Victorious and attempted to claim mastery over time itself. It's quite easy to imagine a scenario where the Doctor decides to return as the Tenth Doctor - especially now that they know there is no longer a regeneration cap to worry about.
David Tennant's 60th Anniversary Version Has A New Costume... And Whittaker's TARDIS
Set photos strongly support the theory Jodie Whittaker will indeed regenerate into David Tennant - with the Tenth Doctor becoming the Fourteenth. Although he's wearing a similar costume to the one he wore in the past, it's not identical. The pinstripe suit is similar, but the coat is darker. The styling is the same, but the look is undoubtedly a new one. Even more curiously, a couple of set photos have shown him using a new version of the sonic screwdriver. It's exactly what would be expected from a new Doctor, rather than a past one.
Even more striking, though, is the fact Whittaker's TARDIS has been seen on set. Only the most observant viewers will have noticed that Doctor Who tends to regenerate that battered blue police box shell fairly frequently - and typically alongside changes of showrunner. It's quite surprising, then, to see Whittaker's TARDIS on-set. It strongly suggests there is a straight line of continuity between Whittaker's regeneration and the 60th-anniversary special featuring David Tennant.
Tennant Taking Over Is The Perfect Way To Celebrate 60 Years... And Look To Ncuti Gatwa's Future
This would be a smart approach for Russell T. Davies, simply because it would take the pressure off incoming Doctor Ncuti Gatwa. 2023 is Doctor Who's 60th anniversary, and it seems more than a little unfair to begin said anniversary with a brand new Doctor - one who, however accomplished an actor he may be, would undoubtedly need to find his feet before being ready for the most spectacular adventures an anniversary demands. It's impossible to overestimate the pressure that would be resting upon Gatwa's performance should he step straight into Whittaker's shoes as the Fourteenth Doctor.
Instead, though, Davies could celebrate Doctor Who's past by bringing back a familiar face - a past incarnation of the Doctor, the most popular of the current era, David Tennant. What's more, he could even take things one step further, because the press release announcing Tennant's return was very curiously phrased. "One of the most loved pairings in Doctor Who’s history have reunited and are filming scenes that are due to air in 2023," the BBC announced, "to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations." Notice it doesn't confirm David Tennant will actually return in a 60th anniversary special at all - raising the possibility the celebrations will be on an even greater scale. There have been rumors of Matt Smith's return as well, and Peter Capaldi has been spotted in London just 20 minutes away from where Doctor Who is in production. Rather than stick with Tennant, it's quite possible the show will revisit more familiar faces, as the Doctor runs through a series of regenerations for an unknown reason - culminating in the introduction of Ncuti Gatwa as the next Doctor. That would truly be an exciting direction for Doctor Who to take.