The highly anticipated Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special served as a Christmas Day treat for fans in the form of a trailer, showing the returning David Tennant in a surreal reunion.Tenant, the fan-favorite alumnus who famously starred as the Tenth Doctor, recently returned as the show's star, setting up a fateful reunion with his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). However, things will be awkward for both. After all, the titular time traveler recently made an unprecedented backward regeneration, making the Tenth Doctor into the Fourteenth -- much to his own confusion. Moreover, with Donna's memory of her entire experience with the Doctor having been wiped, the sight of him is clearly creating a triggering experience. Additionally, the trailer arrived alongside new stills of returning Tennant-era supporting characters Sylvia Noble (Jacqueline King) and Shaun Temple (Karl Collins) and newcomer Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley).
Doctor Who Rings in a New Era
Yet, amid a montage of new creatures, the clip culminates with footage of Ncuti Gatwa's imminently debuting version of the Doctor, albeit footage that was already released. It was announced in May 2022 that Sex Education star Gatwa was cast as the Doctor, taking up the reins from Thirteenth Doctor Jodie Whittaker, who took the role in 2018. At the time, it was unknown how or in what capacity Gatwa would appear until Whittaker's Doctor regenerated in her final special, "The Power of the Doctor." To the great surprise of audiences, it was the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant, who returned as the Fourteenth Doctor instead of a new face. Showrunner Russell T. Davies later confirmed that Gatwa would in fact step in as the Fifteenth Doctor.
In addition to Gatwa's debut, Season 14 of Doctor Who will feature many other new and returning stars, several of which made their first appearance in the new trailer. Millie Gibson will play the Doctor's newest companion, Ruby Sunday, and Neil Patrick Harris has a villainous role which has been kept a mystery so far.
However, Davies also promised a wild ride for the next season, beyond Tennant's reprisal. "If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!" he said. "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!"
As for the newcomers to the series, Gibson called her role "a dream come true," and added, "And what better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa’s side, I just can’t wait to get started." Likewise, Gatwa said Gibson "just is the companion." FIlming on Season 14 began in December.
Doctor Who will be available to stream on Disney+ in late 2023, with new episodes of the series premiering on the BBC.
Source: Twitter