James R | On 15, May 2022

Dave Tennant and Catherine Tate are reuniting to return to Doctor Who, Russell T Davies has announced.

Davies will soon take over as showrunner on the sci-fi series, following the departure of Chris Chibnall and current Doctor Jodie Whittaker later this year. Whittaker and Chibnall’s final outing will be a special timed to celebrate the BBC’s Centenary and will see a host of familiar foes uniting against the Doctor, with other friends also returning, including Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) and Sophie Aldred (Ace). You can see the trailer for the special and more details here.

Last week, Davies sent shockwaves through the Doctor Who world with the announcement that Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa would be taking over the TARDIS from Whittaker.

At the same time, there were also rumours of David Tennant potentially making a return to reteam with Davies, after his stint as the Tenth Doctor under Davies as showrunner. Now, we’ve got another surprise announcement, with Davies confirming today that David Tennant will indeed by stepping back into the TARDIS, and reuniting with his companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.

The Doctor and Donna parted ways when the Doctor had to wipe Donna’s memory, making her forget him, in order to save her life. He left her family with a warning: if ever she remembers, she will die. But with the two coming face to face once more, the big question is, just what brings the Doctor and Donna back together?

That’s the question that’s not quite clear yet, with the BBC only cryptically revealing that the duo are “filming scenes that are due to air in 2023 to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations”.

Davies says: “They’re back! And it looks impossible – first, we announce a new Doctor, and then an old Doctor, along with the wonderful Donna, what on earth is happening? Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. The only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime.”

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