Doctor Who: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Fourteenth Doctor
There’s much more to David Tennant’s second stint as the Doctor than three anniversary specials…
Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary specials made history by not just bringing back an old Doctor, but making them the new incumbent. And if you’re going to pull off a stunt like that you might as well do it with David Tennant – the Doctor many regard as revived Who’s Tom Baker.
As a result Tennant now has two Doctors to his name, and you can’t talk about “The Tennant Era” without clarifying which one you’re referring to.
On screen the Fourteenth Doctor’s era only lasted three episodes, making it one of the easier ones to binge. However, if you think those episodes tell you everything you need to know about him, think again!
For one thing Tennant was technically the Doctor (again) for a whole year, from his reintroduction in The Power of the Doctor to his bi-generation in The Giggle. And prior to The Star Beast, Fourteen had plenty of adventures off-screen.
There’s also lots that we’ve since learned about his creation – and his potential future.
So, grab some tuna madras and cast your mind back to November 2023 for a deep dive on the 60th anniversary Doctor…
10. Tennant Had Major Input On His New Costume
The whole idea of the Fourteenth Doctor was that he was similar, but subtly different, to the Tenth.
This was reflected in his costume, which incorporated a blue (rather than brown) coat, plaid (rather than striped) suit and square-end (rather than pointy-end) tie.
And being the massive Doctor Who fan that he is, Tennant had lots of input on the design.
As costume designer Pam Downe has since revealed, he chose the Fourteenth Doctor’s coat fabric himself. And in terms of more obscure touches, he insisted on wearing the waistcoat with the top button done up, but none of the others.
No one was quite sure why – not least RTD, who recalled that "in moments like that, you trust your lead actor."
It’s like the way that Doctors often wear big flowing coats, but rarely do them up (even when it’s clearly a bit nippy), because it just looks cooler.
It’s also worth noting that he did something similar as the Tenth Doctor, fastening different jacket buttons for each story (if you don’t believe us go back and check!).
Whatever the case, knowing that so much thought went into the creation of Fourteen’s costume makes it all the more special.