David Tennant would be up for a return trip in the Tardis, as long as its on the big screen.
While appearing together at LA Comic Con, which took place September 26-28, Tennant and Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler to Tennant’s Doctor Who, were asked if they’d be up for returning to their iconic characters for a Doctor Who movie? Both gave enthusiastic responses in the positive.
“I always was pitching for that,” Piper said. “Where’s the film?” Tennant added, “We’re available!“
Piper actually premiered on Doctor Who before Tennant, as Rose Tyler was also the companion for Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor Who when the series returned in 2005. At the end of that first season, Eccleston was replaced with Tennant, making him the 10th Doctor, with Piper continuing in the role of Rose for Tennant’s first full season.
The two have reprised their characters multiple times over the years after their stints as the main Doctor and companion were over. That includes The Day of the Doctor, Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary special episode. That episode was shown in select movie theaters, so Tennant and Piper have played their characters on the big screen before.
“I loved it that people went to see the last Doctor Who episode in the cinema,” Piper said. “I just loved that. I would love the Doctor Who experience on the big screen. They’re sort of like films anyway.”
There actually have been three Doctor Who movies to date. The first two movies, Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks’ Invasions Earth 2150 A.D., were released in 1965 and 1966, respectively, and featured Peter Cushing’s Doctor Who. The third was 1996’s Doctor Who, which was the lone solo adventure for Paul McGann’s Doctor Who.
Tennant’s last appearance as Doctor Who came in 2023, when he appeared in three episodes of Ncuti Gatwa’s debut season as the Doctor. Piper was most recently seen in a 2025 episode of Doctor Who.
As far as Tennant and Piper’s aforementioned availability, among Tennant’s upcoming projects are Good Omens season 3, which is expected to premiere in 2026, and Rivals season 2. Piper, meanwhile, currently stars in the Netflix hit Wednesday, which has been renewed for season 3.
The future of Doctor Who, on the other hand, is a bit up in the air. Gatwa exited the role after the most recent season concluded, so the search for the 16th Doctor has begun; Piper’s name has even been rumored, though others have made the case why Piper can’t be the 16th doctor.
Whether or not this next chapter of Doctor Who could be turned into a movie is to be determined, but the BBC’s content chief recently said that Doctor Who will continue.
- Release Date
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May 11, 2024
- Network
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BBC One
- Directors
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Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Ben Chessell, Julie Anne Robinson, Jamie Donoughue, Amanda Brotchie, Dylan Holmes Williams
