The Doctor is perfectly happy in Chiswick, he assures fans.
David Tennant has debunked rumours that he could reprise the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, following the uplifting ending to the final 60th anniversary special.
The recent trilogy came to its conclusion as the Fourteenth Doctor (Tennant) faced off against the Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris), whose brutal attack provoked a regeneration – or, at least, that’s what it seemed initially.
Instead, fans witnessed a ‘bi-generation’, in which Fourteen split apart from the incoming Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), before teaming up to take on their longtime nemesis together.
We last saw the earlier incarnation sitting in the Noble family’s back garden, enjoying a quiet life after so long spent fighting – but could he return to the frontlines of a planet-threatening conflict in the near future?
Speaking to Radio Times magazine in this week’s issue, Tennant downplayed that possibility: “The Doctor’s happy. He is in a garden in Chiswick, being made mac and cheese by Bonnie Langford!
“The door is not any more open than it ever was, because in Doctor Who if you want to bring someone back, there are endless ways of doing it. It’s very much the end of the story.”
The celebrated actor also refused to get drawn into hypotheticals of what would happen if Earth was invaded while Gatwa’s current Doctor was exploring elsewhere.
He countered: “You could also say, ‘Why has Patrick Troughton not landed here?!’ It unpicks if you think about that too much. I’m retired! The Fourteenth Doctor is retired!”
It seems, then, that fans shouldn’t expect a reunion for Tennant and Gatwa anytime soon, as some had speculated, but the former star did acknowledge the show is a “huge part” of his life and his temporary return was a “real treat”.
Fans can next see Tennant in presenting mode, fronting this year’s BAFTA Film Awards, where some of the world’s biggest names will be vying for the prestigious trophies.
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