Doctor Who recently released a new look at the outfit worn by David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor in the BBC sci-fi series' upcoming 60th anniversary specials.
The photos appeared on Twitter and coincide with the BBC's Red Nose Day telethon, which Tennant is co-hosting. They consist of predominantly behind-the-scenes images of the actor in costume as the Fourteenth Doctor, although a more polished promotional still of Tennant and Comic Relief charity co-founder Lenny Henry is included, as well. Presented in relatively high resolution, the photos represent the clearest glimpse yet at the Fourteenth Doctor's costume, which is seemingly an updated version of the clothing favored by the Tenth Doctor (also played by Tennant).
Tennant's return to Doctor Who was first revealed in 2022 special The Power of the Doctor. His comeback caught the show's fanbase off-guard, as the BBC had previously announced that Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa would portray the next incarnation of the Doctor. Incoming showrunner Russell T Davies later clarified that Tennant was indeed portraying the Fourteenth Doctor and not the Tenth Doctor as some fans speculated, with Gatwa debuting as the Fifteenth Doctor following the 60th anniversary specials' release.
Ex-Doctor Who Boss Discusses Whittaker's Tenure
Tennant passing the baton to Gatwa comes after he himself received it from the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker. The Power of the Doctor marked the end of Whittaker's tenure in the Doctor's time and space-traveling TARDIS, which (in keeping with franchise tradition) involved her regenerating into her successor. Former showrunner Chris Chibnall recently revealed that the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration scene played out differently in The Power of the Doctor's script, as the character's last two lines were flipped in the editing room.
Chibnall later confirmed that fans almost didn't get to witness Whittaker's swansong at all, as the BBC considering cutting her stint as the Doctor short over COVID-19 pandemic-related financial concerns. According to Chibnall, the fate of Doctor Who Season 13 (subtitled "Flux") hung in the balance for "a week" before the BBC decided to move forward with it. "[The] BBC was just like... where's the money coming from? How are we going to do this? Is it too difficult?" he said. "And it literally went down to the wire." The decision to greenlight Doctor Who Season 13 paved the way for the three 2022 specials that followed it, culminating in Whittaker's exit in The Power of the Doctor.
Doctor Who returns for a three-episode arc in November 2023 on BBC and BBC America.
Source: Twitter