Peter Davison on a Doctor Who return: “I’m always very happy to come back”

Returning Doctors to the BBC’s sci-fi series is always a treat for fans. From the classic era anniversaries like The Two Doctors and The Five Doctors, through to the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor and the recent episode The Power of the Doctor, such occasions continue to bring surprise and delight to audiences.

And it turns out, hot off the heels of his cameo in Jodie Whittaker’s last episode, The Power of the Doctor that was made to coincide with the 100th birthday of the BBC, one former Doctor Who actor has made it clear he’d be more than keen to return whenever he’s invited.

“I’m always very happy to come back,” Peter Davison, the actor who played the Fifth incarnation of the Doctor, told Radio Times.

Speaking of the modern era, Davison, who returned last year alongside Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (the Seventh Doctor) and Paul McGann (the Eighth Doctor) said: “I was very envious of the special effects. We didn’t have a lot – we’re mainly down to green screen and rather cumbersome rubber monsters.

“It’s a thrill to be a part of the digital age but, at the same time, when David Tennant first took over as the Doctor in 2006, I went along to see the filming.

“I was very pleased to see the actual programme – although it looked much better with all the special effects on the screen, it was still made with the same degree of chaos and panic and nobody knew what the heck they were doing, as it was when I made it.”

Davison is not only a former Doctor Who lead actor but part of a Doctor Who dynasty in the series. His daughter, Georgia Moffett (now Georgia Tennant) is married to David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor and is returning to the show as the Fourteenth Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials in November 2023. Georgia Tennant also played the Doctor’s daughter Jenny in the series, and it was on the show that she met her husband to be.

It’s not clear at this stage if the 60th-anniversary specials will feature any former Doctor Who lead actors beyond David Tennant.

There has been some speculation that the reason there were no modern-era Doctors in The Power of the Doctor could be because some, like perhaps Matt Smith’s Eleventh, are going to make a return for the specials in 2023. However, at this stage that really is just speculation.

The November specials will be followed by the 14th season of Doctor Who in the modern era which will see Ncuti Gatwa best known for his role of Eric Effiong in Sex Education take over as the Fifteenth Doctor alongside his new companion Ruby Sunday. There is expected to be a festive special followed by the rest of the season, which is filming now, to follow in 2024.

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