David Tennant confirmed as Fourteenth Doctor as we get first look at Ncuti Gatwa’s [Fifteenth] Doctor as teaser drops for 60th anniversary

Well, it has to be said – and I’m as surprised as anyone – last night’s The Power of the Doctor was some of the best Doctor Who we’ve had in some time.

It was thrilling, fun, and packed with some wonderful callbacks and cameos that were handled with the reverence they deserved and, without going into too much detail, I loved that they didn’t bother with deepfakes or de-aging effects for some of the more beautiful returns. It was, honestly, quite touching in places.

The fact that it was current showrunner Chris Chibnalls final episode was actually infuriating because it proved that, despite his track record, he actually did have some good Doctor Who adventures in him… pity he saved it for his last outing. And that of the Thirteenth Doctor, Jodie Whittaker who finally got an epic adventure worthy of her talents… again, it’s so infuriating that it all came so late in the game.

However, one of the biggest mysteries of recent Whovian news was finally addressed – who is the Fourteenth Doctor? Was it returning David Tennant who was the wonderful Tenth Doctor or newcomer Ncuti Gatwa? Well, it was Tennant and you can watch his return here as Whittaker’s Doctor regenerates into Fourteen.

But is he Fourteen or is he an impostor? A trick of the Master’s or some devious alien scheme? Well, no… he’s the next Doctor.

The BBC themselves confirmed that Tennant is now the Tenth and the Fourteenth Doctors (here) and when Gatwa steps into the TARDIS he will be the Fifteenth Doctor.

Returning Showrunner Russell T Davies has been talking about what’s comng next year for the show’s 60th anniversary – three one-hour episodes next November (2023) starring Tennant and returning Catherine Tate as Donna Noble (my favourite companion in New Who) and he confirms that we’re going to have a fast jump through three Doctors in the next 12 months or so: “If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way!

“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!”

This has us wondering… presumably Tennant’s return will see him regenerate into Gatwa next November meaning, could we get Gatwa’s first adventure over Christmas? We’ve heard rumours that Davies wants to bring Doctor Who back for Christmas Day adventures and I think it would be great to get a new Doctor during the most wonderful time of the year much like we did with Tennant in Christmas 2005.

And, speaking of Gatwa, we also got our frist look at him as the Doctor in the first teaser for next year’s adventures:

You’ll notice that Gatwa’s Fifiteenth Doctor, also below, is wearing Tennant’s shirt and tie as he exclaims: “Someone tell me what the hell is going on here!” This likely means we’re seeing him as he regenerates into his fiftheenth incarnation… although we’re still wondering why, when Whittaker’s Doctor regenerated into Tennant’s, his suit and coat also appeared as traditionally, the next Doctor will be wearing the previous Doctor’s clothes until they pick new ones (yes, we know the Second Doctor was wearing his new clothes when he regenerated but this seems to have long-since been ignored as the lore has grown and thrived)… something isn’t right with this regenration and we can’t wait to see what Davies has instore for us!

Did you enjoy The Power of the Doctor? Let us know all your thoughts, gang…