{"id":24380,"date":"2022-10-23T22:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T20:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1726004"},"modified":"2022-10-23T22:40:09","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T20:40:09","slug":"doctor-who-regeneration-twist-as-jodie-whittaker-becomes-david-tennant","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-regeneration-twist-as-jodie-whittaker-becomes-david-tennant\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who regeneration twist as Jodie Whittaker becomes David Tennant"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Published: Sunday, 23 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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There were plenty of twists in Doctor Who<\/a> special The Power of the Doctor<\/a>, but the feature-length episode\u2019s final scenes featured one of the biggest left-turns in the show\u2019s long history.<\/p>\n

In the special \u2013 aired as part of the BBC\u2019s centenary celebrations \u2013 the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) was forced to regenerate after absorbing a fatal blast from a sentient ball of energy.<\/p>\n

After bidding a bittersweet farewell to companion Yaz<\/a> (Mandip Gill), the Time Lord decided to leave the confines of the TARDIS and \u201ctake in one last sunrise\u201d, materialising on a clifftop.<\/p>\n

With a smile on her face, Thirteen delivered her sign-off: \u201cThat\u2019s the only sad thing\u2026 I wanna know what happens next. Right then, Doctor whoever I\u2019m about to be \u2013 tag, you\u2019re it!\u201d<\/p>\n

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James Pardon\/BBC Studios<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Sex Education<\/a> star Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next Doctor in May of this year<\/a>, so fans would have been forgiven for expecting his face to emerge as the golden light of regeneration energy faded. Instead, they were greeted by a more familiar face, with the Doctor once again being played by David Tennant.<\/p>\n

Tennant played the Tenth Doctor between 2005 and 2010 and while his return to the series as part of its own 60th anniversary festivities<\/a> was also confirmed back in May, it was unclear until now how exactly he would be reintroduced.<\/p>\n

In fact, Tennant himself had even stressed that Gatwa would be \u201cthe next Doctor Who\u201d<\/a> when pressed on the matter in an interview with\u00a0The Times<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n

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Ncuti Gatwa<\/span><\/figcaption> Photo by Axelle\/Bauer-Griffin\/FilmMagic<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

But it appears there was some misdirection at play, with Tennant now apparently playing a new incarnation of the Doctor \u2013 albeit one who\u2019s revisiting an old face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know these teeth,\u201d he says \u2013 a reference to the Tenth Doctor\u2019s first words (\u201cNew teeth\u2026 that\u2019s weird.\u201d), before then delivering Ten\u2019s classic \u201cWhat? What?! WHAT?!\u201d catchphrase.<\/p>\n

Though this is the first time that Doctor Who has depicted this twist on regeneration on-screen, the idea of the Doctor assuming a face he\u2019s worn before is not unprecedented \u2013 fans will remember that the enigmatic Curator (Tom Baker), who appeared in the show\u2019s 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor<\/a>, was heavily implied to be a future Doctor who had taken on a form similar to that of his previous fourth incarnation.<\/p>\n

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Doctor Who \u2013 Tom Baker as the Curator<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

It\u2019s now unclear at what point Gatwa will make his Doctor Who debut, though he is expected to start filming on the series in November<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before we meet an entirely new Doctor, though, we\u2019ll be adventuring through space and time with a Time Lord who\u2019s similar but different to the ever-popular Ten, with Catherine Tate also returning as companion Donna Noble under returning showrunner Russell T Davies.<\/p>\n

Departing series boss Chris Chibnall had previously hinted at a jaw-dropping ending to The Power of the Doctor. \u201cEven the tiny bit of the end just made me thrilled about and excited and desperate to see more about what comes next,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Almost six decades in and it\u2019s certainly fair to say that Doctor Who hasn\u2019t lost its ability to deliver a killer cliffhanger\u2026<\/p>

Read more about Doctor Who:<\/strong><\/p>\n