Major Doctor Who stars who’ve talked about coming back to the show
The TARDIS door is never truly closed for former Doctor Who stars. As we’ve already seen, some actors can return to the show even after a 43-year absence.
That’s partly because the loyal fandom is always open to old faces returning, and partly because a show that moves through time and space can basically do whatever it wants.
And with actors comfortably able to play more than one character on the show, that probably explains why pretty much every single former Doctor Who performer (whether they’re a Time Lord or not) gets asked if they’re up for a comeback.
Here’s some of our favourite responses to that inevitable question.
Warning: They’re not all positive. Allons-y!
David Tennant
Get ready to feel very old. David Tennant’s regeneration into Matt Smith, in 'The End Of Time', will have been a full decade ago this Christmas.
Of course the two teamed up in 2013 for 50th anniversary episode 'The Day Of The Doctor', making Tennant one of the rare Time Lords to return to the role. Could he do it again for his pal Jodie?
"It would be fun to do," he said. "Jodie, Peter, and Matt are all mates now. It would be wonderful to be on set with them.
"Chris [Ecclestone], I don't know as well, but I'm a huge admirer of him and I've always enjoyed meeting him, so it'd be fun if we were all on set together."
"I suppose the opportunity has historically been there for Doctors to return to an extent," he said.
"There would come a point where I wouldn't be able to get away with it. I wouldn't be able to fit in the suit or get my hair to stand up at the end like I used to.
"There's a 60th anniversary in a few years, and the question will inevitably come up. But it won't be for me to decide."
If it was up to us, Tennant would be pulling that iconic pin-stripe suit back on for the 60th, 70th, and 80th anniversary episodes.
John Barrowman
Captain Jack made his final appearance in the Whoniverse in ‘The Blood Line’, the tenth and final episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day. The character has lived on in Big Finish’s excellent audio plays, performed by Barrowman, but could he return to the main show? Maybe not, but don’t rule out a movie...
"I can't remember what ceremony it was," Barrowman said, "but I was speaking to [ Russell T Davies] – he'd picked up an award for A Very English Scandal – and we said: 'Wouldn't it be great if we could do a Torchwood or Doctor Who movie with Jack, David and Billie?'"
He continued: "If I can boast, the three of us, we all call each other 'The Golden Age' [laughs]… The three of us made such an impact that people still talk about us to this day, which is great!"
Russell T Davies
Speaking of Davies, it sounds like he’s definitely up for returning to the characters, right? Right? Um… Wrong.
"It'll be like coming back to a job I did 10 years ago, wouldn't it? Who would do that?" Davies said.
This isn't the first time he's ruled out a return, with the writer saying last year in Doctor Who Magazine: "Really, think about it. Go back to the job you had 13 years ago.
"Or go back to your old school. Walk in, say hello, take your old seat. And start giving instructions! Watch everyone's faces. Shortly before they call the police. Move on! And besides. Why look back? The future is golden."
Freema Agyeman
Unlike John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman hasn’t returned to Who in any form since her final episode, 'The End of Time', in 2009. So, no Big Finish plays for Martha Jones – not yet, anyway.
"Big Finish are brilliant and the stuff they do really fills the timeline gaps for the fandom," she told Digital Spy.
"I have been asked by them a couple of times but timing-wise it hasn't worked out – I think there might be something coming up soon but I can't say what."
Could Martha be about to make a Torchwood return, in audio form? Time will tell.
Pearl Mackie
Pearl Mackie’s Bill Potts made a huge impact on Doctor Who fans during her one and only season in 2017. Her final episode, 'The Pilot', was hugely emotional. So it’s probably no surprise that it’s too soon to talk about the idea of a comeback.
"I think I need more time, to be honest. I still feel quite close to Bill. I need to miss her before I want to play her again, you know?” she explained.
"I think I need to [do that] and find a way to add to her story before wanting to go back and play her again.”
"This has happened a few times subsequently, but I’ll always remember when a girl came up to me to say that she identified with Bill so much that it enabled her to come out to her family and without me she wouldn’t have been able to do that.
"That’s not something that I ever dreamed to do as an actress, but if I’m able to give support, even in a secondary way, to a community that is marginalised then that’s wonderful and that is a fantastic gift to me."
Michelle Gomez
Of course, Missy made her final appearance in 2017 but unlike Mackie, Gomez had inhabited the role for a couple of years – and she’s definitely ready to return to face the thirteenth Doctor.
"Oh gosh, yeah, of course I would," she said. "I'd love to have a little run-around with [Jodie].
"I don't know if that's ever going to happen, but I'm completely open to it and I'd love to see Missy come back in and just get to play her again.
"I don't know how that's going to work, but I'm open to offers."
Alex Kingston
River Song fans, prepare to get very excited. Alex Kingston hasn’t just met Jodie Whittaker, they’ve discussed the idea of a return for her fan-favourite character.
"I did meet her. We chatted about me coming back to Doctor Who," Kingston said. "I love the character, and I think that, my gosh, there are wonderful potential opportunities down the road. But it's not my decision."
Kingston feels Song’s return would be relatively easy, because her relationship with different versions of the Doctor (Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi) has been so consistent.
"The fact is, because they're all the same person ultimately, I don't think she would think of her any differently to any of the others in a way. Because they're the same spirit inside. It's just a different, deep love."
Amen to that.
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