It’s safe to say that last night’s Doctor Who special, ‘The Power of the Doctor’, pulled the rug from under us quite successfully.
The special included appearances from former Time Lords, but it was the final revelation that truly shocked us and gathered quite a few cheers across the sofas of Britain.
Whittaker’s run as the Doctor has been tumultuous, with many criticising her casting in the first place. While critics were generally favourable of Whittaker’s swan song, many felt she deserved better. David Opie of The Digital Spy felt that the episode “fails the Doctor AND Yaz”.
Who is the new Doctor Who?
David Tennant was, surprisingly, revealed as the new 14th Doctor. It was previously announced that Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa would be the next Doctor, but that Tennant had filmed scenes for next year’s 60th anniversary specials.
Tennant memorably played the 10th Doctor between 2005 and 2010. His last appearance was in ‘The Day Of The Doctor’ in 2015 for the 50th anniversary of the show.
‘The Power of the Doctor’ now confirms that Tennant is in fact the 14th Doctor, while Gatwa will play the 15th iteration of the character after next year’s three specials celebrating 60 years of Doctor Who. Catherine Tate will also return as the Doctor’s companion, Donna.
Russell T. Davies, returning as showrunner for the iconic British series, said of the surprise revelation: “If you thought the appearance of David Tennant was a shock, we’ve got plenty more surprises on the way.”
He added: “The path to Ncuti’s 15th Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun.”
When will Doctor Who air?
The three specials are scheduled to air in November 2023 with Gatwa’s first appearance planned for the festive season of 2023.
Credit: BBC
We still have a way to go before we’ll see the good Doctor again, but ‘The Power of the Doctor’ is still available to stream on BBC iPlayer in case you fancy watching it again.
