Doctor Who has become a worldwide phenomenon that proved a show can reinvent itself and literally recast the star time and time again without losing steam. The 2005 revival introduced the time travel series to a whole new audience, and despite the show on its thirteenth Doctor at the moment, David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor remains one of the most popular in the entire 50+ year run so far.
Unfortunately, the nature of Doctor Who with its timelines and fixed points and paradoxes generally means that regenerated Doctors can't just pop back into the mix for fun on a regular basis, but milestone occasions can bring past Doctors back to the TARDIS, and David Tennant's Doctor in particular could have ways to return without upsetting a time stream.
Now, with the 10th anniversary of David Tennant's final appearance as leading man of Doctor Who (which will be celebrated across the United States with an August 7 theatrical release from Fathom Events), Tennant reflected on whether he'd play the Doctor again in the future in an exclusive video. Take a look!
David Tennant did already reprise his role as the Tenth Doctor once since leaving Doctor Who as leading man, when he joined Matt Smith as Eleven and John Hurt as the War Doctor for the 50th anniversary special, called "The Day of the Doctor," back in 2013. The 60th anniversary is only a few short years away, and Tennant sounds willing to return if he's called upon.
Would 2023 David Tennant look just like Ten did before his regeneration in 2009? Probably not, but if Doctor Who fans could accept John Hurt as the surprise Doctor who actually existed between who we knew as Eight and who we knew as Nine with enthusiasm for the 50th, why wouldn't we accept Tennant as Ten at pretty much any age? Besides, Good Omens proved that Tennant's hair can still stand up on end.
You can relive David Tennant's emotional final installment as the Tenth Doctor before his regeneration into Eleven on the big screen in the not-too-distant future. Fathom Events and BBC Studios are bringing "The End of Time" to theaters in the United States on Wednesday, August 7. The screening will also feature a full new interview with David Tennant about his time on Doctor Who and what has happened since.
As fans will undoubtedly remember, the two-parter brought back some of the biggest names in the Doctor Who revival series to that point to say goodbye to Ten, and attendees may want to pack some tissues to take to the theater for this event. Tickets are still available, and you can get them from Fathom Events.
Other than the 50th anniversary, was "The End of Time" really the last time David Tennant would portray the Doctor? As Tennant noted in the exclusive clip, he's friends with Matt Smith (Eleven), Peter Capaldi (Twelve), and Jodie Whittaker (Thirteen) now, so it would be fun to film a whole bunch of Doctors together for the 60th. John Hurt passed away in 2017, so sadly the War Doctor wouldn't be able to return. Would Christopher Eccleston be willing to come back as Nine, even if he didn't reprise the role for the 50th? Could we get Nine through Thirteen in one go?
Well, we have a while to wait before the 60th anniversary rolls around, but we can always speculate about more of David Tennant as Ten. John Barrowman, a.k.a. Captain Jack Harkness, recently suggested the possibility of a Doctor Who movie starring Tennant, Billie Piper (who played Rose), and Barrowman, although Tennant himself couldn't confirm a movie happening. There is another option, though, and it's one where it wouldn't even matter if Tennant couldn't pass for 2009 Ten anymore: the adventures of the Meta-Crisis Doctor.
The fourth season ended with the unlikely creation of a one-hearted version of the Doctor thanks to Ten's regeneration, his spare hand, and Donna's DNA, and that Ten stayed behind with Rose on the parallel world to hopefully live a happily-ever-after together without him needing to spend all his time brooding about outliving her.
It was a bummer (to say the very least) for the Time Lord Ten to lose her again, but it leaves the door open for Doctor Who checking in on Meta-Crisis Ten and Rose. Would David Tennant and Billie Piper be up for it?
Only time will tell. For now, fans can look forward to seeing David Tennant's farewell special of Doctor Who on the big screen, with "The End of Time" playing for one night only in theaters on Wednesday, August 7. The revival seasons of Doctor Who are currently available streaming on Amazon Prime, but they'll be moving to an entirely different platform in the not-too-distant future.
As for when Doctor Who will return with Season 12, starring Jodie Whittaker... well, new episodes aren't expected until 2020 at some point, but some returning villains will be on board once the show is back.
