David Tennant says he won’t return to Doctor Who again – at least "for a while"

He added: "And part of what makes it such a vibrant show is that it keeps renewing and finding new ways to tell stories... and as far as I'm aware, that's happening without me for a while."

Addressing rumours that he might return to the series again, he added: "I promise you I'd tell you if it was true!"

Of course, Tennant first played the Tenth Doctor for a widely acclaimed three-season stretch between 2005 and 2010, and has since made a couple of high-profile returns – most recently for three specials to mark the show's 60th anniversary in 2023.

In those episodes, he played a different incarnation of the Time Lord – designated the Fourteenth Doctor – and was involved in the show's first ever bi-generation, a game-changing twist which saw him split into two rather than undergo a traditional regeneration.

At the end of the special, the Fourteenth Doctor was given what looked to be a fairly definitive ending – and last year Tennant appeared to confirm during an interview with Radio Times magazine that this was the end of the road for him.

"The Doctor’s happy. He is in a garden in Chiswick, being made mac and cheese by Bonnie Langford!" he said.

"The door is not any more open than it ever was, because in Doctor Who if you want to bring someone back, there are endless ways of doing it. It’s very much the end of the story."

So it looks like fans shouldn't count on seeing Tennant back in the TARDIS any time soon...

Doctor Who continues next Saturday (17th May), with new episodes available from 8am on Saturdays on BBC iPlayer in the UK and later the same day on BBC One. The series is available on Disney+ outside of the UK.

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