10 TV Characters You NEVER Thought Would Return

Doctor Who is nothing short of a British institution, not to mention a global phenomenon. Since William Hartnell portrayed the Time Lord for the first time back in 1963, there have been 13 more iterations of the character, including Ncuti Gatwa's current take.

Everyone has their own personal favourite Doctor, though one of the most popular of all time is David Tennant as the 10th. Replacing Christopher Eccleston and ultimately regenerating into Matt Smith, Tennant's tenure is certainly looked back on fondly. However, as soon as he was replaced by Smith in 2010, no one could have truly expected the Broadchurch star to return.

David Tennant shocked the world in October 2022's The Power of the Doctor. Five months earlier, Ncuti Gatwa had been confirmed to be the new Doctor, and so when Jodie Whittaker began to regenerate, there was absolutely no reason not to expect the Sex Education star to make his first appearance.

Instead came the 14th Doctor, back in his 10th form, just as confused and surprised as the audience. Tennant would go on to return for three specials with Catherine Tate's Donna alongside him before Gatwa took over properly a year later. That's one way a show that has been going on for as long as Doctor Who can keep the masses guessing.