There was a big time-hop between Jodie Whittaker and David Tennant’s regeneration shoots

Screen OD staff

We all know that Doctor Who is about adventures in space and time, but the shoot for The Power of the Doctor, the episode that coincided with the 100th birthday of the BBC and saw the shock regeneration of Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor to David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor took this to its logical conclusion, with the regeneration taking seven months to complete.

It turns out that Jodie Whittaker’s part of the iconic regeneration was shot in October of 2021 and was directed by Jamie Magnus Stone along with the rest of The Power of the Doctor. However, the part with David Tennant wasn’t filmed until seven months later, and Stone was out of the country in Australia at the time – so a different director, Rachel Talalay had to step in to oversee the scene.

Doctor Who Magazine has revealed that Tennant’s part of the regeneration was completed “on a similar, slightly smaller green screen just up the road at Roath Lock Studios.”

But what did Stone think of all this? Well it turns out he was more than happy with the outcome…

“I can’t imagine anyone better.”

He added: “I’m an enormous fan of Rachel’s episodes. I think she’s the best director Doctor Who has ever had.”

And Talalay it turns out is also very pleased to be back in the Doctor Who family having directed several episodes during seasons 8 and 9.

“I am so lucky I get to do this. That I get to re-regenerate David Tennant is phenomenal. I was already incredibly interested in returning,” she told the magazine.

“Just the fact that Russell was coming back was enough. When I was told it was David too, that took me to a whole other level.”

Three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials are due to air on the BBC in the UK and Ireland and on Disney+ across the globe in November 2023. These will be the first episodes overseen by returning showrunner Russell T Davies and the first as part of the new deal between Disney and the BBC.

David Tennant will star in the episodes as the Fourteenth Doctor alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and Neil Patrick Harris who is featured in the sizzler reel for Doctor Who in 2023.

It is not known how much of a role Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor will play in the episode, but his first full episode is expected to air around the festive season of 2023 with a full season in 2024.