The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of
the Doctor, the main protagonist of the
BBC science fiction television franchise ''
Doctor Who''. He is played by
David Tennant
David John Tennant ('' né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the ...
in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of the Doctor, the character has also appeared in other
''Doctor Who'' spin-offs. Tennant's time as the Tenth Doctor is highly regarded among
fans of the show and is generally regarded as one of the most iconic incarnations of the character, often ranked alongside
Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...
.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old
alien Time Lord
The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, the Doctor, is a member. Time Lords are so named for their command ...
from the planet
Gallifrey
Gallifrey () is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It is the original home world of the Time Lords, the civilisation to which the protagonist, the Doctor belongs. It is located in ...
who
travels in time and space in the
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ...
, frequently with
companions. At the end of life, the Doctor
regenerates; as a result, the physical appearance and personality of the Doctor changes. Tennant's portrayal of the Doctor is of an outwardly charismatic and charming adventurer whose likable and easygoing attitude can quickly turn to righteous fury when provoked.
This incarnation's companions include working-class shop assistant
Rose Tyler (
Billie Piper), who had travelled with his previous incarnation, medical student
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, ''Torchwood''. She is a companion (Doctor Who), ...
(
Freema Agyeman), and fiery
temp worker Donna Noble (
Catherine Tate
Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...
). He eventually parts ways with them all by the end of the 2008 series finale, "
Journey's End", after which he attempts to travel alone for the duration of the
2008–2010 specials before being accompanied by Donna's grandfather
Wilfred Mott (
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades.
During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records "The Hole in the Groun ...
) on his final adventure in "
The End of Time". In 2022, Tennant returned to portray the
fourteenth incarnation of the Doctor for three specials commemorating the program's 60th anniversary in 2023.
Overview
Executive producer
Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', ''The Second Coming'', '' Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...
revived ''Doctor Who'' after a 16-year absence with the premiere of "
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can b ...
" in 2005. Following the BBC's announcement of a second series being commissioned, the story broke that
Christopher Eccleston, who played the titular
Ninth Doctor, would not be returning for the second series. On 16 April 2005, the BBC announced that David Tennant had been selected for the role of the Tenth Doctor. His first appearance in the series was for 20 seconds following the Ninth Doctor's regeneration at the end of "
The Parting of the Ways". His first full episode as the Doctor, barring an appearance in a "
mini-episode" during the 2005
Children in Need show, was the 2005 Christmas Special, "
The Christmas Invasion". He then appeared in the
2006,
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
and
2008 series. Rather than a traditional series run, 2009 and early 2010 featured Tennant in a series of four specials. He also guest-starred in the 2009 two-part ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures'' story ''
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith''. Tennant also appears in two animated serials ''
The Infinite Quest'' and ''
Dreamland''. In 2013, Tennant reprised his role as the Doctor for the 50th anniversary special, "
The Day of the Doctor", and will return to ''Doctor Who'' as the
Fourteenth Doctor in 2023 for three
60th anniversary specials.
Personality
The Tenth Doctor speaks with an
Estuary English
Estuary English is an English accent associated with the area along the River Thames and its estuary, including London. Phonetician John C. Wells proposed a definition of Estuary English as "Standard English spoken with the accent of the sou ...
accent, rather than the
Lancashire dialect
The Lancashire dialect or (colloquially, Lanky) refers to the Northern English vernacular speech of the English county of Lancashire. The region is notable for its tradition of poetry written in the dialect.
Scope of Lancashire dialect
La ...
(Christopher Eccleston's own dialect) that the Ninth Doctor used, the
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geog ...
of most earlier Doctors, or Tennant's natural
Scottish English
Scottish English ( gd, Beurla Albannach) is the set of varieties of the English language spoken in Scotland. The transregional, standardised variety is called Scottish Standard English or Standard Scottish English (SSE). Scottish Standa ...
. David Tennant told ''
SFX
SFX may refer to:
Entertainment
* Special effects (usually visual), illusions used in film, television, and entertainment
* Sound effects, sounds that are artificially created or enhanced
* SFX (magazine), ''SFX'' (magazine), a British magazine c ...
'' magazine in 2006 that Russell T Davies had asked him to drop his natural Scottish accent, because he felt "we'd like to not go for another obvious regional accent, because I suppose they'd done that". In a 23 December interview on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
, Tennant explained that a line had been scripted for the Christmas special explaining that the newly regenerated Doctor had imprinted on
Rose Tyler's accent "like a chick hatching from an egg", but the line was cut from the final episode.
The depictions of the personalities of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors shared certain similarities e.g. both being youthful, energetic, friendly, childlike, "good boyfriend Doctors", as
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series '' Doc ...
described them and, according to
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series '' Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...
"very human Doctors" when compared to other incarnations.
Appearance
The Doctor complains that his tenth incarnation is not "
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...
". However, this incarnation was happy to have sideburns and to have more hair than his previous incarnation. He wears his own brown hair in various ways throughout the series (unstyled in "
The Christmas Invasion", a 1950s-style quiff in "
The Idiot's Lantern", and flattened forwards in "
The Runaway Bride" and "
The Day of the Doctor") but mainly styled it in a spiked-up fashion throughout most of the series, with this style being described by friend and later one-time companion Wilfred Mott as being a "modern style sort of hair. All sticky-uppy". He has dark brown eyes and is perceived by most, including companions and other characters such as his future incarnation as "slim and a little bit ''foxy''".
His costume was unveiled on 27 July 2005.
He generally wears either a dark brown (with blue
pinstripes) or a blue (with rust red pinstripes) four-buttoned suit with a shirt and a tie, or a shirt and t-shirt, a light brown faux-suede
duster coat
A duster is a light, loose-fitting long coat.
The original dusters were full-length, light-colored canvas or linen coats worn by horsemen to protect their clothing from trail dust. These dusters were typically slit up the back to hip level for ea ...
(which he claims was given to him by
Janis Joplin), and different coloured pairs of
Converse All-Star
Chuck Taylor All-Stars or Converse All Stars (also referred to as "Converse", "Chuck Taylors", "Chucks", "Cons", "All Stars", and "Chucky Ts") is a model of casual shoe manufactured by Converse (a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003) that was i ...
trainers, depending on his suit. According to an interview on ''
Parkinson'', David Tennant and Russell T Davies got the idea for the Tenth Doctor's costume from an outfit
Jamie Oliver had worn on ''Parkinson'' just after Tennant had taken the role.
David Tennant has commented that he would vary the combination of the buttons he fastened on his jacket in different episodes. Tennant thought the look was very
geek chic.
The Doctor dons a pair of dark tortoise-shell rectangular frame glasses, an affectation (along with his signature footwear) borrowed from the
Fifth Doctor. On one occasion, he wears a pair of Red-Cyan 3D glasses, both as a joke and for practical reasons. Despite appearing in only one story, the glasses became an accessory commonly associated with Tennant's incarnation of the character. The Tenth Doctor's costume became so popular that it has spawned numerous recreations (including a BBC-licensed replica of the Tenth Doctor's overcoat by AbbyShot Clothiers and a white/red version worn by Tennant when he co-hosted
Comic Relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
), and has been cited by costume designer Louise Page as the costume she is most proud of from her time on ''Doctor Who''.
Appearances
Television
The Ninth Doctor (
Christopher Eccleston)
regenerates into the Tenth Doctor at the climax of the
first-series (2005) finale, "
The Parting of the Ways"; he then reintroduces himself to his companion
Rose Tyler (
Billie Piper) in a
''Children in Need'' mini-episode called "Born Again". In the 2005 Christmas special, "
The Christmas Invasion", he is in a comatose state for most of the episode, following his regeneration. After eventually waking up, he defeats the alien
Sycorax and saves Earth; in the process, he loses a hand, which regrows owing to his recent regeneration. Amongst other
second-series (2006) adventures, the Doctor and Rose save
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
(
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off, '' Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography, ...
) from a
werewolf
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposel ...
in "
Tooth and Claw", resulting in the creation of the anti-alien
Torchwood Institute. In "
School Reunion", the Doctor shares an adventure with two former companions, journalist
Sarah Jane Smith (
Elisabeth Sladen) and robot dog
K9 (voiced by
John Leeson), before taking on Rose's boyfriend
Mickey (
Noel Clarke) as a second companion. The TARDIS slips through a crack in the Time Vortex causing them to be stranded on a parallel Earth, where they encounter the
Cybermen
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...
in the episode, "
Rise of the Cybermen". After saving parallel Earth, Mickey decides to stay and help stop the Cybermen around the world despite The Doctor telling him he can never return in "
The Age of Steel". He and Rose become stranded on a planet orbiting around a black hole in "
The Impossible Planet
"The Impossible Planet" is the eighth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television networ ...
", where the Beast is waiting, with a Torchwood team. While there, in "
The Satan Pit", the Beast taunts the Doctor and Rose about Rose's death. During the 2012 Olympic Games in "
Fear Her", The Doctor picks up the Olympic flame and carries it to the end, starting the Games. The series finale takes place in contemporary London, where modern-day Torchwood is the scene for war between the evil alien
Dalek
The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who ...
s and parallel-universe
cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. s the Cybermen; saving the Earth costs the Doctor Rose, who is stranded in a parallel universe, along with Mickey and her mother, in "
Doomsday
Doomsday may refer to:
* Eschatology, a time period described in the eschatological writings in Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios of non-Abrahamic religions.
* Global catastrophic risk, a hypothetical event explored in science and fict ...
".
In the closing scene of "Doomsday", a mysterious bride called
Donna Noble (
Catherine Tate
Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...
) inexplicably appears in his TARDIS. The 2006 Christmas special, "
The Runaway Bride" sees The Doctor and bride-to-be Donna save the Earth; Donna saves The Doctor from going too far in his revenge against the alien
Racnoss, and although she declines his offer of companionship, she tells The Doctor he may need a new companion to keep him in check. In the
third series
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
(2007), The Doctor takes on
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, ''Torchwood''. She is a companion (Doctor Who), ...
(
Freema Agyeman) as his new companion. Together, they witness the mysterious
Face of Boe (
Struan Rodger) prophecy to The Doctor that "you are not alone", in "
Gridlock". They are rejoined by former companion
Captain Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, ''Torchwood''. The character first appears in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode "The Empty Child" and subsequently features in the ...
(
John Barrowman) in a three-episode adventure beginning with "
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...
", where presumed-deceased archenemy and fellow Time Lord
The Master (
John Simm) becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...
and enslaves The Doctor for one year. Martha's plan sees The Doctor infused with the world's psychic energies, and he easily defeats The Master, who seemingly refuses to regenerate and dies in The Doctor's arms. Following this adventure, in the
dénouement of series finale "
Last of the Time Lords", Jack and Martha both depart the TARDIS, and The Doctor is shocked to see what appears to be the
RMS ''Titanic'' crash into it. Set moments prior, another ''
Children in Need'' mini-episode, "
Time Crash", features a brief encounter between Tennant's Tenth Doctor and the
Fifth Doctor (
Peter Davison), containing
meta-humour surrounding the fact David Tennant had watched and loved Davison's Doctor as a child. In parallel with the third series, Tennant lends his voice to the animated serial ''
The Infinite Quest.''
The 2007 Christmas special, "
Voyage of the Damned", sees The Doctor and a waitress,
Astrid Peth (
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
), save the Earth from the impending crash of the starship ''Titanic''; Astrid dies heroically, and The Doctor encounters
Wilfred Mott (
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades.
During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records "The Hole in the Groun ...
) for the first time. In the premiere episode of the
fourth series
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
(2008), "
Partners in Crime", The Doctor is reunited with Donna Noble, Wilfred's granddaughter, who becomes his regular companion. In "
Planet of the Ood", the alien
Ood prophesy the Tenth Doctor's demise. Martha accompanies them for three episodes; in two, entitled "
The Sontaran Stratagem" and "
The Poison Sky", The Doctor battles the war-hungry alien
Sontarans, and last of which sees him become a father of sorts to
Jenny (
Georgia Tennant), in "
The Doctor's Daughter". He meets archaeologist and future companion
River Song (
Alex Kingston
Alexandra Elizabeth Kingston (born 11 March 1963) is an English actress. Active from the early 1980s, Kingston became noted for her television work in both Britain and the US in the 1990s, including her regular role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday in ...
) for the first time from his perspective in the two-parter, "
Silence in the Library" and "
Forest of the Dead"; she dies, but he stores her consciousness to a hard drive to live on forever, after accepting that one day she will come to mean a lot to him. After Donna encounters Rose in a parallel world in "
Turn Left", the Doctor realises that Rose's words to Donna — "Bad Wolf" — must herald the end of the world. In finale episodes "
The Stolen Earth" and "
Journey's End" (which cross over with spin-offs ''
Torchwood'' and ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures''), the Doctor and Donna reunite with former companions Rose, Sarah Jane, Martha, Jack, and Mickey to save the universe from
Davros (
Julian Bleach
Julian Bleach (born 29 December 1963) is an English actor, singer and playwright, who is known as co-creator and " MC" of ''Shockheaded Peter'', a musical entertainment based on the works of Heinrich Hoffmann, which won the 2002 Olivier Award f ...
), the creator of the Daleks. The Doctor was fatally wounded during the event, aborting in mid-regeneration to maintain his current self while transferring the residual energies in his previously severed hand. This results in a metacrisis that creates a half-human Doctor who would live with Rose in the parallel universe while imbuing Donna with a Time Lord's mind, forcing the Doctor to erase his companion's memories to save her life and leave her with her family. A ''
Doctor Who Prom'' mini-episode, "
Music of the Spheres", features a lone Doctor composing his musical ''Ode to the Universe'' before being interrupted by the small alien
Graske (
Jimmy Vee).
In lieu of a 2009 series, Tennant appears as the Tenth Doctor, without a regular companion, in several special episodes over the course of 2008 and 2009, the last of which aired on New Year's Day, 2010. In the Christmas special "
The Next Doctor", The Doctor mistakenly believes he has met a later incarnation of himself in an amnesiac Londoner (
David Morrissey), with whom he saves
Victorian-era London. "
Planet of the Dead" (Easter 2009) features jewel thief
Lady Christina de Souza (
Michelle Ryan) as The Doctor's one-off companion, and The Doctor is presented with a prophecy of his imminent death, with a woman telling him 'he will knock four times'. Tennant makes a crossover appearance in a ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' two-parter, "
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith", in which a powerful being known as
The Trickster (
Paul Marc Davis) also alludes to the Tenth Doctor's impending demise. In "
The Waters of Mars", The Doctor tries to alter history and avert the death of one-off companion Adelaide Brooke (
Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for '' Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and '' Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for '' Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays b ...
); when she commits suicide, he begins to feel his mortality weigh down upon him. In the animated serial ''
Dreamland'', The Doctor is joined by two one-off companions in 1950s
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell () is a city in, and the seat of, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the Roswell micropolitan area. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 48,422, making it the fifth-largest city ...
. In the two-part send-off "
The End of Time", The Doctor confronts the Ood about their original prophecy and is led to contemporary Earth where, in the second part, the again-resurrected Master restores Gallifrey and the Time Lords to existence, although he redeems himself by assisting The Doctor to defeat Time Lord President
Rassilon (
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama ''The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence as ...
) before disappearing alongside the other Time Lords. However, Wilfred finds himself trapped in a chamber that is about to be flooded with radiation. He knocks on the glass door four times, fulfilling the prophecy of the Doctor's death. The Doctor sacrifices his life to prevent Wilfred's death, exposing himself to 500,000
rads
RAD or Rad may refer to:
People
* Robert Anthony Rad Dougall (born 1951), South African former racing driver
* Rad Hourani, Canadian fashion designer and artist
* Nickname of Leonardus Rad Kortenhorst (1886–1963), Dutch politician
* Radley Rad ...
of deadly radiation and triggering his
regeneration. He holds it back and is shown visiting several companions. He gives Donna a winning lottery ticket on her wedding day, buying it with money he borrowed from her late father in the past, saves Martha and Mickey from a Sontaran sniper, saves Sarah Jane's son
Luke (
Tommy Knight) from a car, introduces Jack to a romantic interest (
Russell Tovey
Russell George Tovey (born 14 November 1981) is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama '' Being Human'', Rudge in both the stage and film versions of '' The His ...
), and finally, just before regenerating into the
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC Science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as fi ...
(
Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series ''House of the Drago ...
), informs Rose in 2005 that she is about to have a "great year". As he begins regenerating once in the TARDIS, his last words are "I don't want to go".
Tennant reprised the role for the show's 50th anniversary in "
The Day of the Doctor" (2013), appearing alongside his future incarnation the
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC Science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as fi ...
(
Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series ''House of the Drago ...
), future companion
Clara Oswald (
Jenna Coleman
Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986), known professionally as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Clara Oswald in the science-fiction series '' Doctor Who'', ...
) and a forgotten past incarnation, the
War Doctor, played by
John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in ...
. In the special, which from the Tenth Doctor's perspective takes place between the
2008–2010 specials "
The Waters of Mars" and "
The End of Time", the Doctor unintentionally marries
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
(
Joanna Page) while luring out a
Zygon. He helps the other Doctors in saving Gallifrey at the Time War's conclusion, but will not retain memories of the event. His final words are, once again "I don't want to go" after being told that he will die on Trenzalore.
At the conclusion of the 2022 specials, the
Thirteenth Doctor
The Thirteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the fictional protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme, '' Doctor Who''. She is portrayed by English actress Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the character, ...
regenerates into the
Fourteenth Doctor, who bears the same form as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant will play the Fourteenth Doctor for the show’s 60th anniversary alongside
Catherine Tate
Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...
as
Donna Noble.
Spoofs
David Tennant has also made numerous cameo appearances as The Doctor outside of ''Doctor Who'', frequently in
spoof appearances. Singer and actress
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed, 21 February 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter and political activist from Cardiff.
Church rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching in ...
spoofs ''Doctor Who'' alongside an actor playing the Tenth Doctor in her own ''
The Charlotte Church Show'' (2006). In an appearance on ''
The Friday Night Project'' in 2007, Tennant plays a female companion to the Tenth Doctor (
Justin Lee Collins) on the Pink Planet, where they are confronted by the alien Gay Lord (
Alan Carr). When the show became ''The Sunday Night Project'', Catherine Tate appeared in a
skit
Skit may refer to:
*
* A short segment in a performance, such as:
** Sketch comedy
** Hip hop skit
** Puppet skit
** Promo (professional wrestling)
* Skit note
Counterfeit money is currency produced without the legal sanction of a state or ...
playing the Tenth Doctor. Tennant starred opposite Catherine Tate in her own ''
The Catherine Tate Show
''The Catherine Tate Show'' is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Derren Litten. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. ''The Catherine Tate Show'' airs o ...
'' special (2007) as
Lauren Cooper's (Tate) teacher Mr. Logan, whom Cooper teases for his resemblance to the Doctor; eventually, he reveals himself to be the Tenth Doctor and shrinks Cooper into a 5" Rose Tyler
action figure
An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are usually marketed ...
. In the final episode of ''
Extras'' (December 2007), a brief scene shows The Doctor and an unidentified
Wren
Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is commonl ...
companion attacked by Schlong, a slug-like alien played by
Andy Millman (
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...
). The Tenth Doctor is also featured in political satire; in a 2007 episode of ''
Dead Ringers'', when faced by the question of
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
's succession,
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of the ...
(impressionist
Jon Culshaw) regenerates into David Tennant after promising "New Labour is all about renewal", later vowing 100 more years of power. Tennant modifies his first line in "The Parting of the Ways" ("New teeth, that's weird"), to "New Labour, that's weird" and proceeds to address the public in a Tony Blair impression resembling Culshaw's. Tennant also guest-voiced his incarnation of The Doctor in an episode of ''Family Guy'' (2016). He later played the role in full costume for a sketch with The Muppets in a live performance at The O2 Arena in 2018.
Literature
As the face of the ''Doctor Who'' franchise for 2005–2010, the Tenth Doctor appears extensively in ''Doctor Who'' spin-off media; in the majority of these series, the character simply takes after the place of the Ninth Doctor, and in turn is replaced by the Eleventh following the debut of Doctor Who (series 5), the 2010 series. Novels featuring the Tenth Doctor are all published by BBC Books. The character appears in New Series Adventures novels spanning from ''The Stone Rose'' (April 2006) to ''The Krillitane Storm'' (September 2009). A number ''Decide Your Destiny'' novels were published between July 2007 and March 2008, as well as five books published as a part of Quick Reads Initiative, a government-sponsored adult literacy project. BBC Children's Books released their own 10-part series, ''The Darksmith Legacy'', supported by an interactive tie-in website. Additionally, short stories are frequently published in ''Doctor Who Magazine'', ''The Doctor Who Storybook'' series (2007–2010 editions), the BBC website, and annuals and suchlike; one example is the story "The Lodger" by Gareth Roberts (writer), Gareth Roberts, later adapted into an Eleventh Doctor The Lodger (Doctor Who), television episode of the same name. National newspapers ''The Daily Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Times'' have each published one Christmas-themed Tenth Doctor short story. Additionally, the Tenth Doctor appears in a novelisation of his ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' crossover appearance. The Tenth Doctor also appears extensively in comic books, replacing the Ninth Doctor in those published in ''Doctor Who Magazine'', and the younger-audience ''Doctor Who Adventures'' and ''Doctor Who: Battles in Time''. American comic book publisher initially published a 2008 Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones miniseries between January and June 2006. This was later followed by a truly ongoing Tenth Doctor series in July 2009, set during the 2008–2010 specials and lasting sixteen issues before relaunching with the Eleventh Doctor. In stories set after "Journey's End", The Doctor is accompanied by numerous one-off and recurring companions who do not feature in the television series.
Outside of ''Doctor Who'' literature, penciller Georges Jeanty includes a cameo of the Tenth Doctor and Rose in a panel of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' story arc "No Future for You". The Tenth Doctor was utilised in the American Satire, satirical political cartoon strip, ''This Modern World''. Arriving in 2003, the Doctor hints to Sparky the Wonder Penguin (the strip's main character) that in five years' time, the next President of the United States, President could be Barack Obama, a black man, with the middle name Hussein, whose father was a Muslim. The character also appeared in a story arc of the webcomic ''PvP (webcomic), PvP'', in which character Brent Sienna hallucinates materialising in the TARDIS.
Audio drama
As is the case with the BBC Books novels, the Tenth Doctor replaced the Ninth as the face of the List of Doctor Who audiobooks, ''Doctor Who'' audiobook series, beginning with ''Pest Control (Doctor Who), Pest Control'' in May 2008 and ending with ''Dead Air (Doctor Who), Dead Air'' in March 2010. The majority are read by David Tennant, save one read by Michelle Ryan and two by Catherine Tate. A number of Tenth Doctor novels were also abridged to become audiobooks, again featuring David Tennant's voice alongside other cast members such as Freema Agyeman and television series guest stars such as Georgia Tennant, Reggie Yates and Anthony Head; the last of these scheduled is ''Judgement of the Judoon'', for December 2010.
On 26 October 2015, it was announced Tennant would reprise his role for ''Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, The Tenth Doctor Adventures'', a series of full-cast audio stories produced by Big Finish Productions. The first volume of stories had the reprise of Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, consisting of ''Technophobia'', ''Time Reaver'', and ''Death and the Queen'', which were released in May 2016. The second volume of stories saw Billie Piper reprise her role as Rose Tyler alongside Tennant. The stories consisted of ''Infamy of the Zaross'' (with Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler), ''Sword of the Chevalier'', and ''Cold Vengeance'', which were released in November 2017. A third volume was released in May 2019, once again with Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, in the stories ''No Place'' (with as Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble and
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades.
During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records "The Hole in the Groun ...
as
Wilfred Mott), ''One Mile Down'' and ''The Creeping Death''.
Outside of ''Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, The Tenth Doctor Adventures'', David Tennant has appeared as the Doctor for several special Big Finish releases. He made brief cameos at the end of the ''Jenny (Doctor Who)#Big Finish, Jenny - The Doctor's Daughter'' series and the final story of Big Finish's multi-Doctor anniversary special ''The Legacy of Time''. The Tenth Doctor made a significant appearance in the final story of the ''List of Doctor Who spin off audio plays by Big Finish#Donna Noble: Kidnapped! (2020), Donna Noble: Kidnapped!'' spin-off series starring
Catherine Tate
Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...
as
Donna Noble. In 2020, Tennant appeared alongside Tom Baker as the
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...
in the first story of the ''List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#Special: Out of Time (2020–present), Out of Time'' trilogy and co-starred in three audio plays opposite
Alex Kingston
Alexandra Elizabeth Kingston (born 11 March 1963) is an English actress. Active from the early 1980s, Kingston became noted for her television work in both Britain and the US in the 1990s, including her regular role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday in ...
as
River Song in ''List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#Special: The Tenth Doctor and River Song (2020), The Tenth Doctor and River Song''. Tennant also made an uncredited cameo in series eight of ''The Diary of River Song#Series Eight, The Diary of River Song'' as the Doctor.
In 2021, as well as starring in the nine-part ''Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures#Dalek Universe (2021), Dalek Universe'' saga (which sees the Tenth Doctor trapped in the pre-Time War universe and separated from the TARDIS), Tennant reprised the Tenth Doctor for the second part of the ''List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#Special: Out of Time (2020–present), Out of Time'' trilogy, fighting
Cybermen
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...
with the
Fifth Doctor (
Peter Davison) in ''The Gates of Hell''. As part of the multi-platform ''Time Lord Victorious'' storyline, Tennant co-starred in ''Echoes of Extinction'' alongside Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. He was set to be the first Doctor to appear in the spin-off series ''
Torchwood'', reuniting Tennant with
John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones, for ''Torchwood (audio drama series)#Series 7, Absent Friends''. However, while this story was recorded, its release was cancelled in May 2021.
The ''List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#Special: Out of Time (2020–present), Out of Time'' trilogy concluded in June 2022 with ''Wink'', featuring the Tenth Doctor and the Sixth Doctor battling Weeping Angels. In the same month, Tennant appeared as the Doctor in the seventh series of ''The War Master (audio drama series)#Series 7: Self-Defence, The War Master'' opposite Derek Jacobi as The Master (Doctor Who), The Master. In September 2022, Big Finish released the ''Tenth Doctor, Classic Companions'' special, which reunites the Doctor with
K9, Ace (Doctor Who), Ace, Leela (Doctor Who), Leela and Nyssa (Doctor Who), Nyssa; he retrieves K9 from a temporal anomaly, helps an alternate version of Leela save a village, rescues Nyssa from a criminal using Time Lord technology as part of a scam, and subsequently leaves K9 with Ace after they stop Axos ("The Claws of Axos") from escaping its time loop prison.
The Tenth Doctor has made other Big Finish appearances that did not involve Tennant, using other actors to voice the Doctor. In April 2018, ''List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish#The Doctor Chronicles (2017–present), The Tenth Doctor Chronicles'' featured four new stories and starred voice actor Jacob Dudman as the Doctor and narrator; Jacqueline King and
Michelle Ryan reprised their roles as Sylvia Noble and
Lady Christina de Souza respectively. ''The Churchill Years (audio drama series), The Churchill Years'' featured stories of the show's portrayal of Winston Churchill - played by Ian McNeice narrating in-character - meeting various incarnations of the Doctor, including the Tenth Doctor in the episodes ''Hounded'' and ''Churchill Victorious''. Likewise, the Tenth Doctor appears in three episodes of ''List of Doctor Who spin off audio plays by Big Finish#Tales from New Earth (2018), Tales from New Earth'' voiced by Kieran Hodgson.
In the Big Finish Short Trips, Short Trips range, the Tenth Doctor appeared in the two-part story ''The Jago and Litefoot Revival'' alongside the
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC Science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as fi ...
, narrated by Christopher Benjamin (actor), Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter. Camille Coduri reprised her role as Jackie Tyler to narrate a pair of stories featuring the Tenth Doctor's Journey's End (Doctor Who)#Another Doctor, meta-crisis clone in ''The Siege of Big Ben'' and ''Flight into Hull'' set on the parallel Earth.
Video games
The Tenth Doctor appears alongside his fellow incarnations as a playable character in the 2015 toys-to-life crossover game LEGO Dimensions. He is shown wearing his duster coat and brown pinstripe suit. The character uses voice lines taken from the BBC archives. His
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ...
interior is a location that players can explore.
He, as well as the
Thirteenth Doctor
The Thirteenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the fictional protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme, '' Doctor Who''. She is portrayed by English actress Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the character, ...
, appears as a playable character that users could purchase for free from the Avatar Shop within Roblox for a limited time, which also featured the Pting as a shoulder accessory, and the
TARDIS
The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ...
in the form of a backpack. These items were added as part of a sponsorship between the Roblox Corporation and the
BBC to promote the series finale of Doctor Who (series 12), Series 12.
Reception
The Tenth Doctor has been extremely popular amongst the Doctor Who fandom, ''Doctor Who'' fandom. He received critical acclaim for his complexity and humanity and is considered one of the greatest incarnations of the character.
The BBC went as far as to consider ending the show in 2010, thinking it would fail without Tennant. In 2006, readers of ''Doctor Who Magazine'' voted Tennant's Doctor "Best Doctor" over perennial favourite Tom Baker.
He also won the National Television Awards award for Most Popular Actor in 2006 and 2007, and the award for Outstanding Drama Performance in 2008 and 2010. In a poll conducted by ''Radio Times'' in March 2007, Tennant's Doctor was named the "coolest character on television". IGN ranked the Tenth Doctor the best Doctor in 2011. In 2013, IGN again ranked Tennant as the best Doctor, along with the ''Daily Mirror'' and ''Radio Times'', with Billie Piper also being voted as best companion. Users of Plusnet also voted David Tennant as the best Doctor in 2013. Users of DoctorWhoTV also voted Tennant as 'Ultimate Doctor' in 2013. Voters on ''Digital Spy'' also rated Tennant as the greatest Doctor in 2013 with 50.05% of the votes,
and again in 2015. Readers of ''The Daily Telegraph, The Telegraph'' voted Tennant as the greatest actor to play the Doctor in 2014.
Jenna Coleman
Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986), known professionally as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Clara Oswald in the science-fiction series '' Doctor Who'', ...
, who played
Clara Oswald and appeared with Tennant in "The Day of the Doctor", said that he was her favourite Doctor, along with Tom Baker. Writer Terry Pratchett considered Tennant's portrayal to be the greatest Doctor.
In 2016, ''Digital Spy'' readers voted the Tenth Doctor the best TV character of the 21st century.
Notes
# A serial of ''
The Sarah Jane Adventures'' starring the
Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC Science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as fi ...
called ''Death of the Doctor'' clarifies that the Doctor, in fact, made visits to every former companion.
References
External links
* .
* .
{{Tenth Doctor stories
Doctor Who Doctors, 10
Fictional extraterrestrial characters
Male characters in television
The Sarah Jane Adventures characters
Television characters introduced in 2005
Crossover characters in television