The BBC has shared unreleased footage of David Tennant’s final scene as the Tenth Doctor inDoctor Who. Tennant portrayed the iconic Time Lord for five years, and wasnominatedcountless times for his take as the Doctor, and has been considered one of the best iterations to come out of the show. Due to his rise in popularity, Tennant is set to return toDoctor Whoas the Fourteenth Doctor for one last go in the show’s60th anniversary special. Then Sex Education’sNcuti Gatwawill take on the legendary role for Season 14. Tennant will be joined by his previous companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) who hasn’t been seen since her emotional farewell as the Time Lord’s companion in the fourth season.
Tennant’s final goodbye asthe Doctorwas incredibly powerful, as he delivered one final line while looking sadly off into the distance: “I don’t want to go.” The newly released footage shows that Tennant found this line to be “very emotive” as it completely sums up how the Doctor (and perhaps even the actor himself) felt at that moment. According to the director of the episode,Euros Lynn, they did four takes of the iconic final line to try and capture a different feeling for the audience. Take one was strangely unemotional and two lacked feeling, so they decided to do a third take with the Doctor breaking down. However, Tennant felt that this didn’t stay true to the Doctor’s strength as a character. He didn’t want the Time Lord to lose his bravery in that final moment, so they came back with the fourth and final take that aired a stoic and strong character who’s ultimately sad to be leaving.
Why Release This Footage Now?
Tennant’s insistence on giving his Doctor the proper, emotional goodbye just adds to his characters' popularity. As we know, Tennant’s Doctor is consideredone of the best versions of the Time Lord. In fact, the 60th anniversary special is not the first time the BBC brought Tennant back toDoctor Who.He joinedMatt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor in the show’s fiftieth anniversary special in 2013. By releasing the unseen footage of Tennant’s final goodbye, the BBC is reminding fans just how much he was loved, and building excitement for his and Tate’s return to theDoctor Whofranchise.
