The Doctor
The Fourteenth Doctor
Doctor Who character
David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor
First regular appearance"The Star Beast" (2023)
Introduced byRussell T Davies
Portrayed byDavid Tennant
Preceded byJodie Whittaker
Succeeded byNcuti Gatwa
Information
Tenure25 November 2023 – present
Appearances2 stories (2 episodes)
CompanionsDonna Noble
Chronology
SeriesSpecials (2023)
Previous versionThirteenth Doctor
Next versionFifteenth Doctor

The Fourteenth Doctor is the current incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Scottish actor David Tennant, who previously portrayed the Tenth Doctor and was last seen in the programme in that role in 2013.

Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a millennia-old, alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, with somewhat unknown origins, who travels in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of each incarnation's life, the Doctor regenerates; as a result, the physical appearance and aspects of the personality of the Doctor changes.

Ncuti Gatwa had previously been announced as Jodie Whittaker's successor as the programme's lead, and many reports stated he would play the Fourteenth Doctor and that Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor would regenerate into an incarnation portrayed by Gatwa.[1][2] Upon Whittaker's final appearance as the character, she instead regenerated into a form similar to that of the Tenth Doctor. This character was confirmed to be the Fourteenth Doctor, with later clarification that Gatwa would actually portray the Fifteenth Doctor following the 60th anniversary specials in November 2023.[3]

The Fourteenth Doctor appears in three special episodes in 2023, executive produced by Russell T Davies, who also returns to the series having executive produced the show from 2005 to 2010.

Casting

Actor Ncuti Gatwa was announced in May 2022 as the actor who would take over from actress Jodie Whittaker in the role following a series of special episodes throughout 2022.[1] At the end of the final special, "The Power of the Doctor", it was revealed following Whittaker's regeneration the Doctor had regenerated into an incarnation portrayed by David Tennant.[4] Tennant had previously starred in the programme as the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010, and is the first actor to portray two different incarnations of the character over multiple episodes. The return of a previous actor as a new incarnation of the Doctor was previously proposed by Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman in a 1986 exchange with then-BBC One controller Michael Grade after the dismissal of Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker; Newman specifically envisioned Patrick Troughton, who portrayed the Second Doctor, returning for one series before regenerating into a female incarnation.[5] Fourth Doctor actor Tom Baker had also returned in the 2013 special "The Day of the Doctor" as the Curator, alluded as a possible incarnation of the Doctor.[6]

Gatwa was confirmed to eventually be starring in the role as the Fifteenth Doctor, with executive producer Russell T Davies stating "The path to Ncuti's 15th Doctor is laden with mystery, horror, robots, puppets, danger and fun!"[3]

Tennant and Catherine Tate are set to appear as the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble in three special episodes to commemorate the programme's 60th anniversary in November 2023.[7] Yasmin Finney is also set to make her debut as Rose Noble.[8]

Costume

The Fourteenth Doctor has a similar appearance to the Tenth, though slightly older, as well as a similar hairstyle. His clothes are also very similar, only with a waistcoat and trousers of maroon and dark green tartan replacing the pinstripe business suits on top of the shirt, and a navy blue tweed overcoat rather than the looser cinnamon brown Alcantara duster the Tenth Doctor wore.[9] These clothes regenerated with his appearance from the Thirteenth Doctor's, rather than him choosing them like in most of his previous regenerations. Davies later 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 and drag culture by having Tennant appearing in clothing designed for Whittaker.[10]

In an interview with BBC News following the announcement of his role reprisal, Tennant commented on his Doctor's appearance saying that "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."[11]

Appearances

The Fourteenth Doctor first appears at the conclusion of "The Power of the Doctor" immediately following the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration. The Doctor notices that his appearance has reverted to the same form as the Tenth Doctor, albeit slightly older, and that his clothes have also changed. The following month, Doctor Who Magazine announced that their monthly comic strip would feature the Fourteenth Doctor in Liberation 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,[12] including the loss of their previous incarnation's sonic screwdriver.[13]

Liberation of the Daleks leads directly into the Fourteenth Doctor's next televised appearance – a minisode aired during the Children in Need telethon on the 17th November 2023, informally titled Destination: Skaro. The Doctor crash lands on Skaro shortly before the creation of the Daleks and meets Castavillian (Mawaan Rizwan), a Kaled soldier working under Davros (Julian Bleach). In the course of their conversation, the Doctor inadvertently inspires Castavillian with the name "Dalek" and the battle cry "Exterminate!" before replacing the Dalek's multi-functional weaponry with a simple sink plunger and departing.[14] On 24 November 2023 Tennant appeared in-character as the Fourteenth Doctor for the CBeebies Bedtime Story.[15].

As part of Doctor Who's sixtieth anniversary specials, the Fourteenth Doctor next appears in "The Star Beast". Arriving in Camden Town and running into former companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) – who previously had her memory of the Doctor wiped to save her life following a Time Lord biological metacrisis – and her daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney). Witnessing a spaceship crash, the Doctor meets UNIT's incumbent scientific advisor Shirley Bingham (Ruth Madeley) and eventually tracks the ship's occupant, the Meep, to Donna's home while being pursued by the Wrarth Warriors. The Doctor is forced to trigger the metacrisis once again, granting Donna access to the knowledge that will enable them to save London from destruction. Donna seems to perish as a result, until it is revealed that Rose inherited some of her mother's repressed Time Lord abilities and allowing the metacrisis to be shared safely between two people. Donna and Rose relinquish the powers of the DoctorDonna.

The Doctor then invites Donna for one more trip in the TARDIS. Donna is reluctant, until the Doctor suggests a visit with her grandfather. Entering the TARDIS and discovering the console room has been reconfigured, Donna spills a cup of coffee on the console, forcing the TARDIS into an uncontrolled dematerialisation. The Doctor, horrified, says they could end up "anywhere in time and space".

After a brief encounter with Sir Isaac Newton (Nathaniel Curtis), the TARDIS crash lands aboard a spaceship which, the Doctor and Donna discover, is adrift at the farthest edge of the universe. As they explore the ship, they encounter a pair of shape-shifting entities that begin to take on the forms of the Doctor and Donna in order to escape the self-destruction of the ship. After a narrow escape, they return to Camden a couple of days after their departure and discover that Wilf has been keeping watch for the TARDIS. After a warm reunion, a riot breaks out nearby and passersby start acting aggressively to one another. Wilf warns them that "They're all going mad!" and begs the Doctor's help. The three take cover behind the TARDIS as a airplane appears to crash overhead.

Personality

While the Fourteenth Doctor is seen to be good-humored and energetic around other people, in private he also carries a tremendous amount of guilt over the events surrounding the Flux. He is also seen stressed and frustrated about the renewed mystery of his origins (as seen in "The Timeless Children").

References

  1. 1 2 "Ncuti Gatwa: BBC names actor as next Doctor Who star". BBC News. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Martin Belam (8 May 2022). "Doctor Who: Ncuti Gatwa to replace Jodie Whittaker, BBC announces". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 Kilbane, Aoife (23 October 2022). "Doctor Who: Here they come..." BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "David Tennant is the Doctor! | Doctor Who". www.doctorwho.tv. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Howe, David J.; Walker, Stephen James; Stammers, Mark (1996). Doctor Who – The Eighties. Virgin Books. pp. 90–94. ISBN 0-7535-0128-7.
  6. ↑ "Doctor Who 50th anniversary special features surprise double cameo appearances". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Fullerton, Huw (24 September 2021). "Russell T Davies to return as Doctor Who showrunner". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Kilbane, Aoife; Allen, Joanna (16 May 2022). "Doctor Who gains its own heartstopper as Yasmin Finney joins cast". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  9. ↑ Doctor Who [@bbcdoctorwho] (23 October 2022). "SPOILERS 🚨 Watch the regeneration of the Thirteenth Doctor... 🔥 #DoctorWho" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Morris, Lauren (10 November 2022). "Doctor Who boss explains David Tennant's regeneration costume twist". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Mzimba, Lizo (23 October 2022). "Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker's regeneration reveals a new Doctor". BBC News. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  12. ↑ "THE FOURTEENTH DOCTOR'S ADVENTURES BEGIN – EXCLUSIVELY IN Doctor Who Magazine!". Doctor Who Magazine. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Belam, Martin (25 November 2023). "Doctor Who: The Star Beast – 60th anniversary special recap". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2023". BBC iPlayer. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Doctor Who takes a break from time travel to read CBeebies Bedtime Story". BBC Media Centre. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
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