Guess Who’s Returning to Who: David Tennant and Catherine Tate Reuniting for Doctor Who’s 60th

BBC series Doctor Who is fast approaching its 60th anniversary and fans are in for nostalgia, surprises, and returns from fan favorites. The BBC has officially confirmed that David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor from 2005-2010, and Catherine Tate, who played the Doctor’s companion, Donna Noble, from 2008-2010.

Donna originally appeared on the show in the 2006 Christmas special, The runaway Bride, and had not been expected to return. It was only after she expressed interest in returning that the showrunner, Russell T. Davies rewrote series four to incorporate her as the official companion. Between her initial introduction and official return, the Tenth Doctor traveled with medical student Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman).

Donna is initially introduced as a somewhat whiny, brash personality, but through her time with the Doctor she grows tremendously. Through her journey, she becomes less self-centered and more resilient. She holds him accountable for his actions and pushes him to help people rather than punish wrongdoers. Their time together ends tragically. When Donna absorbed the Time Lord’s intellect, her mind was overwhelmed (after all, a human’s mind isn’t meant to hold thousands of years of knowledge the way a Time Lord’s is). The Doctor was forced to remove all her memories of their time together in order to save her life. When he left, he warned her family that should she ever remember their time together, she would die. How will that play out when they reunite? What brings them back together?

Davies says about the reunion: 

“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.”

Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary will be celebrated in 2023.

Photo: David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Courtesy of Alistair Heap/BBC STUDIOS.