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Being a part of Doctor Who is a role that sticks with an actor forever. From main Doctors to one-off companions, many stars have openly declared their wish to step back into the TARDIS. Here are 10 actors who have said they'd love to return to the Doctor Who universe.
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00:00Doctor Who is one of those shows that actors can never fully shake.
00:04You can appear as a cannon fodder supporting character in a single episode, and for the
00:09rest of your career that will be the most iconic thing you've ever done.
00:14You'll be attending fan conventions and signing autographs for decades, and it will be the
00:19thing you get asked about the most on social media and in interviews.
00:23Now sure, the vast majority of Doctor Who actors would probably return if asked to,
00:29But there are times when said actors, from main stars to companions to one-off supporting
00:35characters, have publicly discussed that idea, openly declaring their wish to step back into
00:41the TARDIS for another jaunt around the universe.
00:44So with that in mind then, I'm Ellie with Who Culture, and here are 10 actors who want
00:50to return to Doctor Who.
00:52Number 10 – Michelle Gomez
00:54Michelle Gomez last played the wickedly funny villainess Missy in 2017's Series 10 finale,
01:01where she was seemingly killed off by her prior, rather angry incarnation.
01:06However, in typical master fashion, Missy survived this apparent demise and soon went
01:11on to torment the 13th Doctor.
01:13Gomez's infectious energy made her an instant hit with fans, and she clearly had a blast in
01:19the role, so it's no surprise that she's eager to return at some point in the future.
01:24In 2019, the actress told Radio Times that she was completely open to stepping back into
01:30Missy's shoes, expressing particular interest in squaring off against Jodie Whittaker's
01:3613th Doctor, stating,
01:47With Whittaker set to regenerate at the end of 2022, a Missy 13 showdown doesn't seem to
01:53be on the cards.
01:54But hey, who knows?
01:56Maybe Chris Chibnall has managed to squeeze that confrontation into November's centenary special.
02:019. Billy Piper
02:03After leaving the show in 2008's emotional series 4 finale, followed by a brief cameo
02:09in 2010's The End of Time Part 2, 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor saw Billy Piper
02:15return to Doctor Who, swapping the down-to-earth charm of Rose Tyler for the steely power of
02:20the Time Lord superweapon, The Moment.
02:23As for another return to the show?
02:25Well, there was a time where she seemed completely disinterested in the idea, telling The Guardian
02:30that she wouldn't go back.
02:32But in recent years, she does seem to have warmed to the idea, explaining in a 2021 video
02:37that if the circumstances and story were right, then she would be more than willing to step
02:42back into the TARDIS, adding that she's now been away from the show long enough to start
02:47to miss it.
02:48Rose is one of the most popular companions to come from the modern series.
02:52And seeing as it was Russell T Davies who created her, it would seem somewhat poetic for
02:58him to include her in his second era as showrunner.
03:01Number 8, Alex Kingston.
03:03The story of River Song was wrapped up beautifully in the 2015 Christmas special.
03:09But there are so many reasons why it would make sense for River to come back.
03:14Chief among these is her wibbly-wobbly timeline, which makes it easy to say that her next adventure
03:19takes place anywhere between Let's Kill Hitler and the husbands of River Song, with little explanation
03:25necessary. Combining this with the fact that she's one of the most fun companions in the
03:29show and a perennial fan favourite, and it's no surprise that Alex Kingston is gunning for
03:35River to reappear, declaring that I love the character and I think that there are wonderful
03:39potential opportunities down the road in a 2019 interview.
03:44With such an open-ended timeline, it wouldn't be a shock to see River pop up for another one-off
03:49adventure.
03:50She is the Doctor's wife, after all.
03:52Number 7, Carol Ann Ford.
03:54As companion Susan Foreman, Carol Ann Ford's last Doctor Who appearance was in 1983's The Five Doctors.
04:01We don't talk about dimensions in time.
04:03So it's been a fair old while since we saw her in the role.
04:06Despite this, Ford clearly doesn't feel like she's lost that spark, or that she's rusty.
04:12In a 2020 interview with SFX Magazine, the actress was asked if she wanted to return to the show,
04:17perhaps for an adventure with Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor, to which she responded in the affirmative.
04:24Ford also told a hilarious story about the time she visited Peter Capaldi on the Doctor Who set.
04:30According to her, Mr Attack Eyebrows danced around the TARDIS singing,
04:34I want you to come back, I want you to come back, which prompted her to think,
04:38my god, I'd love to work with him.
04:40A photograph of Susan famously appeared on the 12th Doctor's desk in the Series 10 opener.
04:46So if we take this to mean that the Doctor is still thinking about her,
04:49then there is an inbuilt story reason to bring Susan back.
04:53That and the fact that the first Doctor literally promised Susan that he would visit her again,
04:58a promise he has yet to fulfil.
05:00Number 6, David Tennant.
05:02Since regenerating into Matt Smith in early 2010, David Tennant's 10th Doctor has been in so many
05:08comics, video games and audio dramas, and a starring role in the 50th special,
05:14that it never really felt like he truly left.
05:16Given his willingness to come back for all those expanded media projects over the years,
05:21it isn't a surprise that he's also keen to return in an on-screen capacity.
05:25Stating in a 2019 interview that he'd love to see a 60th anniversary special,
05:31that united him with Whittaker, Capaldi, Smith and Eccleston's Doctors.
05:36In a more recent 2021 interview, he added,
05:39anything is possible.
05:40Never say never to anything.
05:43Given the 10th Doctor's popularity being as high as it is,
05:46and Tennant's old pal Russell T Davies returning to spearhead Doctor Who in 2023,
05:52it almost seems inevitable that we will see Tennant don the converse and browncoat again within the
05:58next few years.
05:595. Georgia Tennant
06:01Whenever the subject of abandoned Doctor Who plot threads is raised, one that almost
06:06always gets mentioned is the fate of Jenny, the Doctor's daughter.
06:11Though Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat have jokingly revealed that she flew into a moon and
06:16died, we don't know what she's been up to since her last on-screen appearance 14 years ago.
06:22Actress Georgia Tennant, David's wife, was never asked to return to the show, but to this day,
06:27she continued to hold out hope that the call might arrive.
06:31In a recent chat with Metro, Tennant stated that she would obviously return to the show if asked,
06:36adding that she even has her own storyline in mind.
06:39I like the idea that she's sort of gone off and had a couple of kids and she's let herself
06:42go a bit,
06:43and she's enjoying her life and then someone comes back and goes,
06:47no, come on, you've got to go back to work.
06:49Considering that the Doctor believes Jenny to be dead, there's quite a lot of dramatic potential
06:54for reuniting these characters on-screen. And if the 14th Doctor is a woman, it would be
06:59interesting to see Jenny's reaction to her father's new look.
07:024. Paul McGann
07:04As Doctors go, Paul McGann's 8th is in a unique position. Having not been granted a full series
07:10of television, audiences don't know his Doctor as well as they know the rest of them. So it almost
07:16feels like a no-brainer to bring him back. McGann himself also shares this stance, telling Doctor Who
07:21magazine in 2016 that he feels like his on-screen tenure isn't yet over, and that there's a bit of
07:28potential in an 8th Doctor return. He then jokingly added, I'm younger than Capaldi,
07:33before explaining that if he were to return, then the story reasons would have to be compelling.
07:38The positive response to The Night of the Doctor proves that there's still a hunger for McGann's
07:43take on the Time Lord, and it just feels right for him to get his due.
07:483. Matt Smith
07:50Matt Smith has made the jump to Hollywood since leaving Doctor Who in 2013. With starring roles in
07:56Terminator Genisys, Netflix's historical epic The Crown, Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho,
08:02and this year's Morbius. Like Karen Gillan, it almost feels like he's getting too big to step
08:08back down into the relatively low-budget world of Doctor Who. But despite all his success,
08:13he still wouldn't mind donning the tweed jacket and bow tie at some point in the future. In fact,
08:19in 2017, he didn't just tell MTV that he wants to come back. He openly declared that he
08:26will be back one day. Yeah, why not? I'd come back. If the timing was right.
08:31Look, I'll be back one day when I'm old and grey, which isn't far off.
08:34Much like The Tenth Doctor, Eleven's popularity makes him one of the top candidates for a return.
08:40And with Smith still being so young, he could get away with playing the role for many decades to come.
08:462. Christopher Eccleston
08:48For well over a decade, the narrative surrounding a potential return to Doctor Who for Christopher
08:54Eccleston has been that he will never do it in a million years, primarily due to the poor
08:58experience he had during his short tenure on the series in the mid-2000s.
09:03And while it's certainly true that he has problems with the way the show was run during his brief
09:08tenure, the actor does seem to have softened on Doctor Who in recent years and has even opened
09:14himself up to a potential on-screen return. Many fans thought they'd never see Eccleston return to
09:19play The Ninth Doctor in any capacity, and yet, in 2020, it was announced that he'd be reprising
09:25the role for a series of big Finnish audio dramas, a clear sign that he wasn't totally averse to
09:30dipping his feet in Hooniverse waters. More recently, he's gone one step further,
09:35indicating that he'd be down for a proper on-screen return, just not in a multi-Doctor special.
09:41Stating,
09:42The Ninth Doctor in particular is a one-man band, definitely. So he doesn't work with other Doctors.
09:47If you want me back, you get me on my own. With Eccleston's rocky history with the show,
09:52it does feel unlikely that we'll see him picking up that sonic screwdriver once again.
09:56But the chances of it happening have increased slightly in recent years.
10:01Number 1. Catherine Tate
10:03In early 2021, it was reported that Catherine Tate had been spotted in Liverpool at the exact
10:09same time that Doctor Who were filming series 13 in that city.
10:14And while it was later revealed that she very much wasn't in Liverpool,
10:18this flimsy rumour caused quite the stir in Doctor Who fan circles.
10:22So you can imagine how hyped people would be if Donna Noble did actually return to the show.
10:28Fortunately then, Catherine Tate is very much open to the idea, telling the one show,
10:33No one's been in touch, but I'm on the same number, I'd just like to say.
10:36So if you've got the money, I've got the time.
10:38Donna is another character closely associated with returning showrunner Russell T Davies,
10:43and so on the surface at least, that does increase the chances of him wheeling her out
10:48for another spin. You simply cannot contain the best temp in Chiswick.
10:52And that concludes our list. If you can think of any other actors who would be willing to return
10:56to Doctor Who, then do let us know in the comments below. And while you're there,
11:00don't forget to like and subscribe, and tap that notification bell. Also head over to Twitter
11:04and follow us there, and I can be found across various social medias just by searching Ellie
11:09Littlechild. I've been Ellie with Who Culture, and in the words of Riversong herself, goodbye, sweeties.
11:34And I'll see you next time.
11:36Bye.
11:38Bye.
11:46Bye.
11:48Bye.
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11:48Bye.