David Tennant addresses whether he would return to Doctor Who... again

david tennant doctor who
(Image credit: BBC)

David Tennant just can't keep himself away from Doctor Who. First portraying the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010, when Matt Smith then stepped into the TARDIS, Tennant would reprise the role in the celebratory 50th anniversary episode The Day of The Doctor in 2013.

A decade later he is once again coming back to the show for three specials celebrating the 60th anniversary, alongside returning showrunner Russell T Davies and Catherine Tate's companion Donna Noble. However, this time things are different as here Tennant is playing not the Tenth Doctor, but the Fourteenth Doctor, a role it was believed actor Ncuti Gatwa would be taking on (he's now the Fifteenth Doctor).

All caught up yet? Good, as it doesn't look like Tennant will be stopping there. Speaking to SFX magazine in the new issue, which features the actor as The Doctor on the cover, Tennant addressed whether he would return to the show in the future... again. 

Whilst he admits he currently has no plans, he certainly isn't ruling out the possibility saying: "I think it would be disingenuous to imagine that I might never be asked again because history would indicate that it was always a possibility. So, I’m not going to say never because I don’t think anyone would believe me. That doesn’t mean I know that I ever will. But I suppose until I can’t run down a corridor it’s always a possibility. But I promise to have no plans."

Upon pointing out that the legendary Patrick Stewart is still playing Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek at the grand age of 82, Tennant replied: "Maybe that should be my goal, to have one last outing as The Doctor at 82. I’ve got 30 years to wait."

30 years seems so far away though... but a trip in the TARDIS  quickly solves that issue.

The first of three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials arrives on November 25, with the final two releasing weekly. A new season starring Gatwa as The Doctor will follow in 2024. 

For more, check out our guide to the other best upcoming TV shows to watch out for.

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The above is just a snippet from our interview with David Tennant, which you can see more of from in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, November 1. Keep up to date with all things SFX by signing up to the newsletter, which sends all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.

I'm the Editor of SFX, the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – available digitally and in print every four weeks since 1995. I've been editing magazines, and writing for numerous publications since before the Time War. Obviously SFX is the best one. I knew being a geek would work out fine.

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