Doctor Who 50th Anniversary: 5 Things That Are or Aren't Happening (Probably)

2. The Matter of David Tennant

In marked contrast to both old companions and other Doctors (We'll get to them in a minute), there's this guy. Mr. Tennant has not been typical of the rest of the Who cast. Unlike other former Classic AND New Series cast, he's all but said "See you in November!" And this goes back a loooooong way. Even before his departure, he was alluding to his Metacrisis Davey T from "Journey's End" allowing him to come back and age (Although without Billie Piper on board, this seems unlikely now.....thankfully). Every recent TV appearance has seen him asked. And unlike other guarded responses or hopeful "I'd love to if and when they ask" ones, Tennant instead jokes he's on standby; He's got the suits, trainers, and the sonic screwdrivers. He's mentioned meeting for lunch with Moffat and also all but jumped for Who related photo-ops and appearances. I'll be blunt: This man is arguably the most popular and recognizable Doctor after Tom Baker, if not ever. His shadow looms large, and if you had to have ONE Doctor show up this Anniversary year in some way other than via longshot, video edits/flashbacks, or recasting, I'm hard pressed to think of anyone else. And that's coming from someone who finds Matt Smith more "My" preferred Doctor. Or Tom Baker. Or even Eccleston. WILL IT BE ANY GOOD?: I'd be amazed if they blew it. Tennant's also comparable to Tom Baker in another very good way: His performance is always worth your time even if the episode is absolute nonsense. There are days I wish the TARDIS gag from the opening seconds of "Fear Her" was in ANY other episode - Tennant's delivery of it is classic.

Also, in all likelihood Tennant's bit would be written by Steven Moffat. To anyone questioning quality there, I say: 'The Girl in the Fireplace'. 'Blink'. 'Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead'. Yeah, if this happens, it'll be good. OVERALL LIKELIHOOD: I'd rate this higher, but I'm going on Tennant's chutzpah alone. That said: 7/10