There have been a lot of exciting Doctor Who announcements in recent weeks, but for long-term fans of the show nothing can top the revelation that David Tennant is set to return to the series alongside Catherine Tate next year.
While it’s not yet clear exactly how Tennant will be reprising the role of the Tenth Doctor – or for how long – his return has already led to much speculation amongst Whovians as we wait to find out more details, and there’s bound to be all sorts of fan theories between now and the 60th anniversary in 2023.
But for now, it’s a good chance to reflect on Tennant’s original stint as the Doctor – which began after he replaced Christopher Eccleston when the latter opted to leave the TARDIS after just one season in the role.
Over three series and several specials, Tennant’s Tenth Doctor had plenty of great scenes, exciting adventures and touching moments – these are just a few of our favourites.
10. Rescuing Madame du Pompadour
The Tenth Doctor had a lot of great action scenes, but few had the oomph of this mounted rescue through a time portal in The Girl in the Fireplace– even if it did lead to a sad ending for the Doctor and Reinette (Sophia Myles).
The episode is loosely based on Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife – which writer Steven Moffat has now adapted into a new HBO series – and became one of the most acclaimed of Tennant’s tenure in the TARDIS.
9. I’m the Doctor
Gently parodied in the 50th-anniversary special, this speech by the Doctor from the 2007 Christmas special is a fun combination of grandeur and humour that has become one of his most-quoted scenes.
“I’m the Doctor,” he says. “I’m a Time Lord. I’m from the planet Gallifrey in the Constellation of Kasterborous. I’m 903 years old and I’m the man who is gonna save your lives and all 6 billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?”
8. The Doctor and Donna meet again
This moment is particularly relevant right now considering both actors are set to return. It sees the Doctor reunited with Donna after previously meeting her during the 2006 Christmas special The Runaway Bride.
Some of the best moments of NuWho’s fourth series was the bantering friendship between the Doctor and Donna, and this largely silent scene from the series premiere is a particular comedic highlight.
7. Reuniting with Sarah Jane Smith
The reunion between the Doctor and his long-ago companion (Elisabeth Sladen) was a touching moment, with all the history between the two subtly covered and the scene emphasizing the continuity between the different incarnations of the Doctor.
It marked Sladen’s return to the show decades after she’s originally departed the classic series in 1976, and she would go on to make three further appearances during Tennant’s TARDIS stint, in addition to getting her own spin-off show.
6. The Sycorax swordfight
After taking over from Christopher Eccleston, it was vital that David Tennant got off to a solid start – and few fans had many complaints following a thrilling episode that ended with a pivotal swordfight.
Tennant’s debut episode did a great job of introducing the very different new Doctor we were to spend the next few years with – and it was this battle that showed how far the new man would go to defend the Earth.
5. Don’t Blink!
While David Tennant wasn’t in this episode much, when he did appear it had an impact. As a prerecorded Doctor offers advice to Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan), the Weeping Angels approach in a truly frightening scene – that also manages to fit in the oft-repeated “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” description for complicated temporal disturbances.
The episode remains one of the most popular instalments from Tennant’s time on the show – and has probably caused more nightmares than just about any other instalment.
4. The fear of regeneration
It’s safe to say no other incarnations of the Doctor have been quite so reluctant to regenerate as the Tenth, but in this downbeat conversation with Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins) he explains why.
Low-key and genuinely sad, the scene showcases the Tenth Doctor’s love of life and perfectly builds up to the eventual traumatic regeneration.
3. The Doctor’s voice is stolen
An often-overlooked episode saw the Doctor lose control of a pressurized situation as a coachload of travellers was infiltrated by an unknown force.
Watching the usually authoritative Time Lord become completely powerless was an unnerving experience that showed his limitations – no man can save everyone, after all, or even himself.
2. The Tenth Doctor regenerates
Calling this a “best” moment might be controversial for some fans who never got over Tennant’s departure, but as a defining moment for this incarnation, the Doctor’s regeneration can’t be ignored.
Lonely and holding back his regeneration, the Tenth Doctor is nearly a broken man – and a new man is coming to take his place.
1. The Doctor punishes the Family of Blood
After a storyline showing us what the Doctor could have been like as a human (in Paul Cornell’s Human Nature/The Family of Blood), here was a chilling reminder that he really, really wasn’t.
Despite his light-hearted nature, the Tenth Doctor had a core of steel and sense of ruthless justice that truly defined his character – and created one of the Time Lord’s most popular incarnations in the series’ history.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. For more, check out our dedicated Sci-Fi page or our full TV Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.