{"id":17388,"date":"2022-06-23T15:18:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T13:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1668024"},"modified":"2022-06-23T15:37:12","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T13:37:12","slug":"is-david-tennants-doctor-who-return-the-work-of-the-celestial-toymaker","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/is-david-tennants-doctor-who-return-the-work-of-the-celestial-toymaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Is David Tennant\u2019s Doctor Who return the work of the Celestial Toymaker?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Morgan Jeffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 23 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Doctor Who fans are an observant bunch, so when Ncuti Gatwa was announced<\/a> as the latest actor to be taking up the TARDIS controls, the fact that nowhere in the accompanying press materials was he referred to as the \u201c14th Doctor\u201d immediately raised some eyebrows.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s possible this was simply a tactic to avoid dating the show \u2013 you can absolutely imagine returning showrunner Russell T Davies insisting that Gatwa not be referred to as the 14th Doctor but simply as \u201cthe Doctor\u201d to ensure everything about his casting felt fresh and new \u2013 the news that David Tennant would be returning<\/a> to Doctor Who<\/a> as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations does seem to indicate that there might also have been a purely logistical reason for this branding.<\/p>\n

You see, while it\u2019s possible that Tennant is simply reprising his Tenth Doctor \u2013 as he did once before in 2013\u2019s 50th birthday special The Day of the Doctor<\/a> \u2013 photographs snapped during location filming have seen him wearing a new outfit<\/a> and not one of the established variations on his suit, tie and sneakers combo.<\/p>\n

The leading theory is that, rather than having the Tenth Doctor returning via some out-of-time shenanigans, Tennant is in fact playing the 14th Doctor here<\/a> \u2013 a version almost identical to the Tenth, but not the same \u2013 with the actor succeeding Jodie Whittaker in the role before handing over the baton to Gatwa post-60th festivities.<\/p>\n

The question that then presents itself is\u2026 how is this possible?<\/p>

In the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine<\/a>, Davies himself weighed in, having a bit of fun with the speculation and offering various possibilities<\/a> as to how Tennant \u2013 and Catherine Tate, returning as companion Donna \u2013 could be back.<\/p>\n

\u201cA mysteriously forgotten excursion for the TARDIS in between Planet of the Ood and The\u00a0Sontaran Stratagem? Or maybe a multiverse thing; they\u2019re all the rage these days. Maybe this is the Doctor and Donna from Universe 557, all set to collide with our own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen again, maybe, just maybe, this return is so impossible that it\u2019s actually an intricate illusion created by an old enemy of the Doctor\u2019s. Or maybe an old enemy of Donna\u2019s. Nerys!<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I wouldn\u2019t give that away in the pages of DWM, would I? But then again. This magazine is the first place I ever revealed the name of Billie Piper\u2019s Rose (in issue 340). So read carefully. There are truths in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intriguing\u2026 and let\u2019s consider what else we know about the 60th anniversary storylines. Fans are convinced that Beep the Meep<\/a> and the Wrarth Warriors \u2013 characters who have previously featured in DWM\u2019s own comic strip \u2013 will make an appearance, having spotted figures who bear a striking resemblance to these oddball aliens on set. Davies might have even confirmed this in his DWM column, writing that \u201cwe\u2019re six days away from a night shoot in Cardiff in which some monsters might be glimpsed. Monsters which might well be familiar to readers of DWM.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also been announced that Neil Patrick Harris<\/a> will play some part in the 60th anniversary, with an official shot of the Emmy-winning actor in character \u2013 a Geppetto-esque look, complete with apron and craftsman\u2019s tools \u2013 as well as photos<\/a> from Doctor Who location filming in Bristol (which feature a toy shop store front called \u201cMr Emporium\u201d) leading fans to the conclusion that he\u2019s portraying the Celestial Toymaker, a sworn enemy of the Doctor who previously appeared in a 1960s TV serial<\/a> played by Michael Gough.<\/p>\n