Tennant and Tate are coming back for Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary

One of the most beloved Doctor Who pairings is returning to the series. David Tennant’s 10th Doctor and his companion, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), are currently filming new Doctor Who material to celebrate the series’ 60th anniversary next year, the BBC announced on Sunday.

While this news is exciting for longtime Who fans — Tennant is one of the fan-favorite Doctors in the show’s modern era — the announcement is light on details. The two will appear in “scenes” sometime next year. Whether that’s part of a new season or a special is unknown. Instead the announcement blog post simply says they’re coming back and gives a brief summary of where the duo’s story left off.

The Doctor and Donna parted ways when the Doctor had to wipe Donna’s memory, making her forget him, in order to save her life. He left her family with a warning: if ever she remembers, she will die. But with the two coming face to face once more, the big question is, just what brings the Doctor and Donna back together?

Showrunner Russell T Davies gave fans a tease, saying, “Maybe this is a missing story. Or a parallel world. Or a dream, or a trick, or a flashback. The only thing I can confirm is that it’s going to be spectacular, as two of our greatest stars reunite for the battle of a lifetime.”

Tennant originally started playing The Doctor in the second season of the series’ revival, back in 2005. He stayed on for three series and multiple specials before handing the reins over to Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor. Tennant returned to the role in 2013 for the series 50th anniversary.

This news comes only a week after the BBC revealed that Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa would take on the role of the 14th Doctor.

With Tennant and Tate coming back, Gatwa entering the Doctor Who universe for the first time, and the 13th Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, stepping down from the role, all within the next year, Who fans have a lot to look forward to.