Why fans think David Tennant is returning to Doctor Who

Doctor Who fans believe David Tennant may be returning once again as the Time Lord in the newly confirmed 2026 Christmas Special, which will be penned by showrunner Russell T Davies.

Fans are convinced David Tennant is returning to Doctor Who

Tennant famously portrayed the Tenth Doctor from 2005 until New Year’s Day 2010, later reprising the role for the show’s 50th anniversary in 2013, and then returning as the Fourteenth Doctor for three specials in 2023.

To mark the 20th anniversary of Tennant’s first full episode, The Christmas Invasion, the BBC recently released a fresh new interview with him as part of its online series The Whoniverse Show, in which he reflects briefly on his time as the Doctor. However, fans have noted that such a short standalone interview feels unusual for Tennant and many believe a bigger announcement may be imminent.

With next year’s Christmas Special already confirmed to feature Tennant’s former companion actress Billie Piper, possibly as the Doctor, Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf entity, or another mystery role.

"Find it unlikely that with his VERY busy schedule, BBC got David Tennant to film in a studio for 5 mins to reminisce on a 20 year old episode," a fan said on X. They added, "I think it's safe to say we are getting a Tennant/Piper reunion on Christmas 2026…"

"I don't think they paid David Tennant to come into a specially dressed studio just record 5 minutes of Christmas Invasion reminiscing for the Whoniverse show," another fan said.

"He's been getting so much attention on the yt channel and now this? 100% 14 is coming back for the Xmas special," a fan wrote on X. "Yeah he's 100% coming back for the Christmas special isn't he?"

Tennant’s latest appearance, in the episode The Giggle, confirmed that the Fourteenth Doctor is still out there and in possession of a TARDIS, even though he chose to step back and let Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor handle saving the world.

Moreover, Mark Gatiss has hinted that a script he previously wrote for Tennant could be revived as an audio drama, adding that he considers it “rather good.”

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