Yes, Digital Spy Went There: Of Course David Tennant Isn’t Returning To Doctor Who

Jonathan Appleton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

David Tennant has seemingly ruled out a return to Doctor Who… for the foreseeable future at least.

Speaking to Digital Spy after the National Television Awards in one of those post-show interviews grabbed outside as the stars are on their way to find a kebab and a taxi home Tennant said that, whilst filming the 50th anniversary special had been ‘great fun’, another return would most likely be some way off:

“I think you have to ration these things. It’s probably got to be at least 10 years before that happens again, I think.”

Watch the full interview below.

There are all sorts of reasons why bringing old Doctors back wouldn’t be a great idea, of course. It’s understandable, even expected to have a multi-Doctor story to celebrate a landmark birthday but the more these tricks are tried, the less memorable the results would most likely be. The show needs to look forward rather than be constantly harking back to its past and it would arguably be unfair on the current Doctor to have their limelight stolen by an eye-catching appearance from one of their predecessors. And it’s easy to imagine Tennant’s agent advising him against another return to the role when he clearly has so many other opportunities to pursue.

As has often been commented, appearances by past Doctors can be one of those things that are more fun in the imagination than on the screen. Patrick Troughton had such a good time filming The Five Doctors that he immediately asked John Nathan-Turner if he could do another one and whilst it was welcome to see the Second Doctor at the controls of the TARDIS again in The Two Doctors, the resulting story has hardly gone down as a classic.

So perhaps Tennant is only voicing a common-sense view that, like Advocaat and selection boxes, these things have to be reserved for special occasions. After all, 2023 isn’t that far away in relative terms and if he keeps himself in shape he won’t look so very much older than he did when he was the Doctor by the time The Fifteen Doctors comes around to mark the big 6-0.

Now if only the BBC would give Big Finish permission to record stories based on the new series, that would be a different matter…

What do you think? Is this Tennant right to have moved on with no forwarding address? Or should he pop back to pick up his post and meet the new occupant? Let us know!

The post Yes, Digital Spy Went There: Of Course David Tennant Isn’t Returning To Doctor Who appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.