Feature: Following Tennant, Which Other New Who Doctors Could Return for the 60th?
Feature by Craig Sightings.
The weekend saw the big news that David Tennant (and Catherine Tate) will return for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary. Tennant was always the most likely Doctor that would return, and now many fans are left wondering, will any other New Who Doctors be back? Let’s take a look at the likelihood of each…
Christopher Eccleston
There’s a slim chance Eccleston could return, which is actually better odds than it was 10+ years ago. As many long-time fans will recall, the Ninth Doctor actor turned down the 50th anniversary, still feeling resentment about how he was treated during his time on the show.
However, Eccleston has somewhat softened his outlook on Doctor Who in the last couple of years. Not only has he participated in multiple Doctor Who conventions, but he has also reprised the role in multiple Big Finish audios. In March of this year, he didn’t rule out a return to TV either, he just had a condition.
He said: “Creatively, [multi-Doctor] stories never worked for me. I looked at the script for the 50th anniversary and I felt as soon as I said I wasn’t doing it, it got better because, well, if i’m not in it, it’s better.”
He added: “The Ninth Doctor, in particular, is a one-man-band. Definitely. So he doesn’t work with other Doctors. If you want me back, you’d get me on my own.”
This was an attitude change from Eccleston, who in 2020 said he’d only come back “when hell freezes over”. The big question is whether his working relationship with Russell T Davies and the production team has been repaired to allow such a comeback. If it did, a special focusing on just his Doctor could allow a way for Eccleston to come back…
Matt Smith
Smith is definitely up for returning. On multiple occasions over the years since he left, Smith has always talked warmly about his time on the show and expressed interest in coming back.
In November 2021, Smith said: “Who knows? I mean, look, I’m pleased Russell’s back. I think he oversaw one of the great 10 years of Doctor Who.
“He’s a great guy, he’s a brilliant writer, I think he manages to get in the cultural zeitgeist, which is what that show needs to do.”
He continues: “It’s an exciting move for the show, so, I’m sure one of his scripts would be just brilliant. I haven’t heard, and no one’s picked up the phone yet.”
In March 2022, Smith was asked if he would rather star in a Morbius sequel or return to Doctor Who, and with no hesitation he chose Doctor Who, calling Doctor Who “the best part in the world”. In other words, if Smith is invited back, it’s almost a certainty he’ll take it up.
Peter Capaldi
There is no doubt Peter Capaldi loves Doctor Who. However, since he left, his comments about returning don’t leave us too optimistic, unfortunately.
There were reports that Capaldi didn’t actually leave the role of his own choice due to Chibnall requiring a female Doctor as one of his conditions of taking over as showrunner. So that could be a factor.
When asked in 2021 about returning, has said he “wouldn’t really fancy” returning in a multi-Doctor story.
He added: “There are so many Doctors now. I’m quite happy with what I did, you know, I loved my time on Doctor Who, but I think the more multi-Doctor stories you have the less effective they are, really.”
In many ways, his comments above echo Eccleston’s. Rumours suggest there could be multiple specials, so a solo outing with Capaldi is a possibility, but this one isn’t looking too good.
Jodie Whittaker
There’s not much to say on Jodie as she hasn’t left yet (on screen at least) and obviously, there’s nowhere near as many interviews asking her about coming back yet.
However, in November 2021, she was quizzed on the subject and said: “I’m very lucky [RTD] allowed me to have his number. For all the people to pass the baton to, I mean it’s an absolute honor and joy. It’s certainly in the safest and most exciting hands, and what a wonderful time for the show. Once you’re in Doctor Who you never want to leave. I suppose it gave me a bit of hope — like, ‘Oh, when you do leave, it doesn’t necessarily mean you leave forever.'”
Would it be too soon for her to come back just a year after leaving though? Perhaps a little cameo is the best Thirteen fans can hope for.
