When Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated I had no idea what would happen next. I knew Ncuti Gatwa was cast as the next Doctor. But I also knew David Tennant and Catherine Tate were returning for a trilogy of specials for Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary next November. Whose face would I see when the regeneration energy faded?? In all my time watching Doctor Who, there’s never been a regeneration mystery like this! Jodie Whittaker smiled into the rising sun, arms wide…and then there was David Tennant! The announcement posted on the BBC’s Doctor Who site immediately after the episode aired made if official-official, “As Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated on Sunday 23rd October, it was none other than David Tennant who appeared as the Fourteenth Doctor.” They included a statement from Russell T Davies as well, “If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti’s Fifteenth Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun! And how is it connected to the return of the wonderful Donna Noble? How, what, why? We’re giving you a year to speculate, and then all hell lets loose!”[1]
So, David Tennant is the Fourteenth Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa is the Fifteenth Doctor. And Russell T Davies has invited us to a year of speculation (hence my “Part 1”). How fun :D. Let’s get started!
My Comic Relief 