Look WHO'S back!

DAVID TENNANT on returning to the TARDIS to help celebrate 60 years of adventures in space and time

- STEVEN PERKINS

DOCTOR WHO 
SATURDAY, 6.30PM, BBC1 SCI-FI

Prepare for some epic intergalactic adventures, the screen debut of possibly the world’s cutest alien and the TV reunion of the year, as Doctor Who bursts back on to BBC1 with a trio of specials to celebrate the sci-fi drama’s 60th anniversary.

Fans were left in shock at the end of feature-length episode The Power of the Doctor in October 2022 when Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Time Lord regenerated into David Tennant, who first stepped into the TARDIS in 2005 as the 10th incarnation of the character.

Now, as the action picks up this week in the first new instalment, The Star Beast, David’s 14th version of the Doctor heads to London, where he runs into former companion Donna Noble (returning star Catherine Tate, who made her first appearance in the role in 2006).

At the end of their travels in 2008, the Doctor had to wipe Donna’s memories of their time together in order to save her life, warning that if she ever remembered him, she would die. So will the reunion spell doom for Donna? And how does a cuddly looking alien named Meep the Beep (voiced by Miriam Margolyes) fit into the tale?

The birthday specials, which also include stories Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle, will set the scene for the upcoming festive edition, which marks the first adventure for Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and ex-Coronation Street favourite Millie Gibson as new companion Ruby Sunday.