David Tennant is The Doctor again and Doctor Who fans can’t get over it

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of Doctor Who, ‘The Power of the Doctor’.

While David Tennant’s return to Doctor Who was confirmed all the way back in May, fans of the hit BBC sci-fi series still can’t get over the fact that the Good Omens star is now The Doctor for a second time.

Broadchurch actress Jodie Whittaker bid farewell to her thirteenth incarnation of the Time Lord on Sunday, while showrunner Chris Chibnall handed the reigns back to Russell T Davies, who returns after rebooting the series in 2005 before leaving the role of lead writer in 2010.

In the special feature length episode – which also saw the return of companions Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) – the Doctor took on the Daleks, Cybermen and The Master, played by Sacha Dhawan.

After overcoming a forced regeneration in which The Doctor temporarily became The Master, the evil Time Lord attacked Thirteen before appearing to die, leading to Whittaker’s incarnation regenerating into Tennant. Again.

He last played the role from 2005 to 2010 as the Tenth Doctor, and will now return to play the Fourteenth Doctor for three special episodes to air in November next year.

Those episodes, to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary, see the return of companion Donna Noble (comedian Catherine Tate), as well as guest appearances from Heartstopper’s Yasmin Finney and A Series of Unfortunate Events actor Neil Patrick Harris.

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Davies said of the upcoming episodes: “If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way! The path to Ncuti [Gatwa]’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!”

Well, it seems the Doctor Who fandom has already gone wild at the return of a familiar face:

A week before news broke of Tennant’s return to Who, Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa was confirmed as the upcoming Doctor to take control of the Tardis.

Gatwa previously said of his casting: “There aren’t quite the words to describe how I’m feeling – a mix of deeply honoured, beyond excited and of course a little bit scared.

“This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care. I will endeavour my utmost to do the same.

“Unlike the Doctor, I may only have one heart but I am giving it all to this show.”

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