Who is the 14th Doctor? Jodie Whittaker’s era as the Doctor has ended with the release of her regeneration episode The Power of the Doctor. Joining Whittaker in departing from the sci-fi series is Chris Chibnall who has acted as showrunner for Doctor Who throughout the 13th Doctor’s run.
Chibnall will be replaced as showrunner by Russell T Davies. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Davies was the man behind the revival of the TV series back in the mid 2000s. He helmed the show from the start of its revival until the end of David Tennant’s time on the show. Davies will be the showrunner for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary, for which David Tennant will return, and then series 14 which will be when Ncuti Gatwa will begin his own time as The Doctor.
This is all very exciting, but it left a big question open as to which of the two actors Jodie Whittaker would regenerate into, and as to who would be known as the 14th Doctor. Now that The Power of the Doctor has aired, we finally have all the answers. So, who is the 14th Doctor?
Who is the 14 Doctor?
The 14th Doctor is technically David Tennant. The reason why there was any ambiguity is because, while it had been confirmed that Ncuti Gatwa would be taking on the role after Jodie Whittaker in series 14, former Doctor David Tennant has been confirmed to be playing the character in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary.
But now we know for sure that Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor regenerated into David Tennant. For all intents and purposes, this makes him the 14th Doctor, so we can assume that Ncuti Gatwa will be the 15th. Whether that’s how it’ll be known in the future, we’re not sure. To keep things simple, Whovians might decide to refer to Gatwa as 14 for clarity. However, the most accurate statement is that David Tennant is the 14th Doctor. We know it’s confusing, but that’s just Doctor Who for you.
This means that Ncuti Gatwa will be taking on the role for the indefinite future when Doctor Who returns for its next full season, but only after Tennant’s story concludes in the anniversary specials. Catherine Tate will also be reprising her role as Donna Noble in the specials, as will the late Bernard Cribbins as Wilf. Those anniversary special episodes will be the first to be helmed by returning showrunner Russell T Davies. Specials by name, specials by nature.
For more time travelling fun, check out out guide to the scariest Doctor Who episodes.