Sounding very much like Time Lord Victorious, David Tennant described his return to Doctor Who as the Fourteenth Doctor in three 60th anniversary specials as a “victory lap”.

“The specifics of coming back to Doctor Who took a bit of wrangling,” he told Radio Times. “But we were always receptive to the notion. Initially, it was a casual conversation going, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to do a one-off?’ Then Russell [T Davies] was back running the show and suddenly it could be something bigger. But there’s really no pressure. It’s a victory lap, in a way – you get to enjoy something that had meant so much to you, one last shot before you get too old to do it again.”

Of his successor, Fifteenth Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa whom he has seen at work, Tennant is expectant.

“It makes me feel like I’m just holding the coat till he arrives because he’s very exciting.”

Doctor Who will return in November 2023 with three 60th anniversary specials starring David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as companion Donna Noble. In the following festive period, Ncuti Gatwa will star in his first full Doctor Who episode as the Fifteenth Doctor. A new Doctor Who series starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson will debut in 2024.