| The Fourteenth Doctor | |
|---|---|
| Doctor Who character | |
 David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor in "Wild Blue Yonder" (2023) | |
| First regular appearance | "The Star Beast" (2023) |
| Last regular appearance | "The Giggle" (2023) |
| Introduced by | Russell T Davies |
| Portrayed by | David Tennant |
| Preceded by | Jodie Whittaker (Thirteenth Doctor) |
| Succeeded by | Ncuti Gatwa (Fifteenth Doctor) |
| Information | |
| Tenure | 25 November – 9 December 2023 |
| Appearances | 3 stories (3 episodes) |
| Companions | Donna Noble |
| Chronology | Specials (2023) |
TheFourteenth Doctor is an incarnation ofthe Doctor and theprotagonist of the Britishscience fiction television seriesDoctor Who for the2023 specials. He is portrayed by Scottish actorDavid Tennant, who previously portrayed theTenth Doctor and was last seen on the programme in that role in 2013.
Within the series narrative, the Doctor is a millennia-oldalienTime Lord from the planetGallifrey, with somewhat unknown origins, whotravels in time and space in theTARDIS, frequently withcompanions. At the end of each incarnation's life, the Doctorregenerates, changing their physical appearance and aspects of their personality. Tennant's second incarnation is outwardly similar to the Tenth Doctor, but with a more sentimental and affectionate persona, and a weariness that reflects his life experiences in the centuries since.
Prior to the reveal of Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor, the BBC had announced that theThirteenth Doctor, portrayed byJodie Whittaker, would be succeeded as the programme's lead by a new Doctor portrayed byNcuti Gatwa. However, Whittaker'sfinal appearance surprised audiences when she instead regenerated into a form portrayed by Tennant. The BBC later clarified that Gatwa would actually be portraying theFifteenth Doctor, following on fromthree special episodes in which David Tennant would play the Fourteenth Doctor.
The Fourteenth Doctor's run consisted of three special episodes as part of the BBC's commemoration ofDoctor Who's 60th anniversary, led by returning executive producerRussell T Davies. Tennant was praised for his performance, though some criticised the move to bring back an actor who had previously portrayed the Doctor.
The Fourteenth Doctor first appears at the conclusion of "The Power of the Doctor" (2022) immediately following theThirteenth Doctor's regeneration. The Doctor notices that his appearance has reverted to a form similar to that of theTenth Doctor (played byDavid Tennant).[1] The following month,Doctor Who Magazine announced that their monthly comic strip would feature the Fourteenth Doctor inLiberation of the Daleks, a story that picks up straight after the ending of "The Power of the Doctor", depicting roughly the first hour of the Fourteenth Doctor's life.[2]Liberation of the Daleks leads directly into the Fourteenth Doctor's next televised appearance – a minisode aired during theChildren in Need telethon on 17 November 2023, informally titled "Destination: Skaro".[3] A short comic strip titled "Under Control", published as part ofDoctor Who: The Official Annual 2024, depicted the Fourteenth Doctor shortly after regeneration confronting theSycorax, a recurring alien species in the series.[4] On 24 November 2023, Tennant appeared in character as the Fourteenth Doctor for theCBeebies Bedtime Story.[5]
As part ofDoctor Who's60th anniversary specials, the Fourteenth Doctor next appears in "The Star Beast". Arriving inCamden Town, the Doctor bumps into former companionDonna Noble (Catherine Tate) – who had her memory of the Doctor wiped following aTime Lord biological metacrisis by him in his similar-looking tenth incarnation – and her daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney). Encountering the alien Meep who plans on destroying London, the Doctor is forced to trigger the metacrisis, granting Donna access to the knowledge that will enable them to save the city. Donna seems to perish until it is revealed that Rose has inherited some of her mother's repressed Time Lord abilities, allowing the DoctorDonna's powers to be shared safely between the two.[6] Later, Donna spills coffee on the TARDIS console, forcing it into an uncontrolled dematerialisation. TheTARDIS crash lands aboard a spaceship that is adrift at the farthest edge of the universe, where they encounter shape-shifting entities known as "Not-Things". When they return to Camden, a few days after their departure, they discoverWilf (Bernard Cribbins) has been keeping watch for the TARDIS, who warns them that the world is coming to an end.[7] The Doctor and Donna team up with UNIT, where the Doctor is reunited with several allies from past adventures to combat a plot by theToymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) to create global anarchy. In the ensuing battle, the Fourteenth Doctor is shot by the Toymaker, but instead of regenerating, the Doctor "bi-generates" – a supposedly mythical Time Lord process where the new incarnation splits off as a separate physical entity. The Fourteenth Doctor teams up with the newFifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) to defeat the Toymaker. The Fifteenth Doctor warns his predecessor that he's worn himself out and needs to process the psychological impact of recent events. The Fourteenth Doctor settles down with Donna and her family, while the Fifteenth Doctor goes off in a duplicate version of the TARDIS to embark on new adventures.[8]
The Fourteenth Doctor appeared inComic Relief'sRed Nose Day special for 2023, in which hostLenny Henryregenerates into him as the Fourteenth Doctor rushes off to host the show.[9] A costume based on the Fourteenth Doctor's was also added to the video gameFall Guys as part of a promotion for the 60th anniversary specials.[10]
Tennant, Tate, and showrunnerRussell T Davies participated in the "Doctor Who: Lockdown" events, which werewatchalongs of various episodes of the show held by theDoctor Who community during theCOVID-19 pandemic, with informal discussion between the three as a result of "Lockdown" leading to the 60th anniversary specials and the reprisals of Tennant and Tate's roles.[11][12] Davies initially teased their return by not disclosing the true nature of it, hinting that Tennant and Tate may have been reprising their roles via flashbacks or via analternate universe.[13] Davies originally planned to bring back Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, and not as a separate incarnation, with the 60th anniversary specials instead being flashbacks to unseen Tenth Doctor adventures.[14]
Several actors and actresses were heavily rumoured to be taking over from Whittaker, includingHugh Grant,Michael Sheen,Kris Marshall,Richard Ayoade,Michaela Coel,Kelly Macdonald, andLenny Henry. Davies's return also led to speculation that an actor he had previously worked with in other projects would join him as the Fourteenth Doctor, withOlly Alexander,Lydia West,Omari Douglas,T'Nia Miller andFisayo Akinade ranking highly in bookies' odds.[15] Rumours also circulated thatDavid Tennant would reprise his role, having previously portrayed theTenth Doctor during Davies' time as showrunner, or thatJo Martin, who debuted as theFugitive Doctor during Whittaker's tenure, would be revealed as the Fourteenth incarnation.[16]
In May 2022,Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the actor who would take over fromJodie Whittaker in the role followinga series of special episodes throughout 2022.[17][18] At the end of the final special, "The Power of the Doctor", it was revealed following Whittaker's regeneration that the Doctor had regenerated into an incarnation portrayed by Tennant, with Gatwa being the fifteenth incarnation of the character.[19][20] Tennant starred in the programme as the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and is the first actor to portray two incarnations of the character over several episodes. The return of an actor as a new incarnation of the Doctor was proposed byDoctor Who co-creatorSydney Newman in a 1986 exchange with then-BBC One controllerMichael Grade after the dismissal ofSixth Doctor actorColin Baker; Newman envisagedPatrick Troughton, who portrayed theSecond Doctor, returning for one series before regenerating into a female incarnation.[21]Tom Baker, who played theFourth Doctor, had returned in the2013 special "The Day of the Doctor" as a character known as the Curator, suggested to be a possible incarnation of the Doctor.[22]
Davies stated in an interview that despite the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors' similarities, the Fourteenth was more "human" than the Tenth.[23] The Fourteenth tends to say things the Tenth would not have said, once saying that he loved his companions.[24] In an interview withBBC News following the announcement of his role reprisal, Tennant commented on his Doctor's appearance, saying: "To a sort of casual viewer, I look like I'm sort of dressed in the same way as I used to be. But actually we've gone for something that's sort of the same, but different. That has echoes of the past, but it's also a bit something of the now as well."[25] The Fourteenth Doctor's clothes regenerated with his appearance from the Thirteenth Doctor's, rather than him choosing them like in most of his regenerations. Davies explained that he wished for the Doctor's clothes to change as part of the first regeneration from a female to a male Doctor, fearing it would be interpreted as a mockery of feminine traits anddrag culture by having Tennant appearing in clothing designed for Whittaker.[26]
Tennant and Tate appeared as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble in three specials to commemorate the programme's 60th anniversary in November 2023.[27] Following the specials and the character's in-universe "bi-generation" into the Fifteenth Doctor, Davies stated that there were no further plans to bring Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor back and that the character was "parked".[28] Davies joked that the Fourteenth Doctor had died following the specials, stating that "He went to Venice, 2063, when the city sank, and he went into a whirlpool, which is really sad..." This was later debunked by a reference to the Fourteenth Doctor made in the episode "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" (2024).[29]
The unexpected return of Tennant was praised by some, though others criticised the move to bring back an actor who had previously portrayed the Doctor; Diane Darcy felt Tennant's comeback to be preemptive damage control by Davies to ward off any potential criticisms ofNcuti Gatwa's incoming performance.[32] Elisa Guimarães ofCollider saw the return of Tennant to the series as a "cop-out", noting how bringing back Tennant after Whittaker's run as the Doctor and before Gatwa's made it seem to casual audiences as though there was little confidence in either's ability to make the show successful. She believed Tennant's return overshadowed both of them and was a "major step back" for the series.[30]
Tennant's portrayal as the Fourteenth Doctor received widespread praise,[33] though there was some mixed feelings towards the concept of bi-generation.[34] Alex Donaldson ofVG247 praised Tennant's performance, stating that while he initially had doubts about the incarnation, Tennant's performance helped to encapsulate and showcase the Doctor's growth since the Tenth Doctor, as well as highlighting Tennant's own personal strengths as the Doctor.[24] Rachel Leishman ofThe Mary Sue noted that despite the feeling of a "cop-out" with Tennant's return, the ability of Tennant's Doctor to come back and expand on the emotions the Tenth Doctor left behind "feels right for what this Doctor is".[35] Vicky Jessop of theLondon Evening Standard additionally praised the return of Tennant's Doctor, noting that it helped draw back fans of the series from Tennant's initial time on the show while being able to become its own separate identity from the Tenth Doctor.[36]
Constance Grady, writing forVox, criticised the character's bi-generation, which allowed the Fourteenth Doctor to live on in-universe. She criticised it for apparent bias towards Tennant's incarnation of the Doctor by allowing him to continue to exist while other incarnations died and changed, stating that "Tennant gets treated as though he is somehow more the Doctor than any other incarnation".[37] Charles Pulliam-Moore ofThe Verge additionally noted that while there were avenues for Tennant's Doctor to explore independently of Gatwa, he felt that Tennant being kept around existed only to placate those uncomfortable with the idea of a black Doctor, noting that "The Giggle" framed the Fifteenth Doctor as emotional support for the Fourteenth Doctor and intrinsically tied to his predecessor, resulting in Gatwa's Doctor having less individuality overall.[31]
Doctor Who:Fourteenth Doctor television stories | |
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| 2023 specials | |
| Minor appearances | |
| Mini episode | |
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
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