As Doctor Who continues its hiatus, David Tennant, who played the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors, has spoken out about the current status of the franchise and where it should go from here.

When Disney partnered with the BBC on Doctor Who, the plan was to expand the reach of the long-running series. Unfortunately, the ratings didn’t live up to expectations, and the Mickey Mouse company could no longer justify the high costs of producing the show. The BBC will soon begin the tender process, in which other companies can submit bids.

Tennant recently spoke to Doctor Who Magazine (via Bleeding Cool) and admitted that he believes the tender will infuse Doctor Who with “new energy” and a “new direction.” So far, there haven’t been any indications that this will negatively impact the franchise, so “you should regard it as a positive.”

While Doctor Who is going through some turbulent times right now (“the fire may have dimmed slightly,” as Tennant put it), it will eventually come back in a new way, the actor believes.

“Only that there’s nothing to indicate that it’s gone away. It’s just going to have a breath and come back in a different form, and that’s probably quite exciting, I’d have thought. It might mean a bit of waiting, but luckily Big Finish exists! There will be plenty of Doctor Who stories. Even in the gap between 1989 and 2005, either side of the Eighth Doctor TV movie, it kept going. The fire may have dimmed slightly, but it certainly never went out. It was always burning fiercely somewhere. I think this will provide a new energy, a new direction. Until you have evidence to the contrary, you should regard it as a positive.”

Radio Times reported Tennant as saying during the same interview that he’s “open to anything that’s suggested” regarding his potential return to Doctor Who in the future since “it’s fun to tip a toe back in these worlds.”

“I’m open to anything that’s suggested, to be honest. It’s fun to dip a toe back in these worlds.”

However, he made it clear that as far as future storylines are concerned, the next group of producers and writers shouldn’t rely on what came before.

The show should “be inspired by the source material,” but it should have a forward-looking vision instead of relying on actors like him continuing to come back, which he did in 2023. “The same show but different” is what he’s looking for.

“I think it probably needs people not to think that way, doesn’t it? Whoever the new team are need[s] to be able to think fresh and think new and not be too hidebound by expectations of what came before. I guess you need to be inspired by the source material, and then you have your own take on it, just like Russell did back in 2005. The same show, but different.”

Tennant isn’t sure who should play the next Doctor, but the casting director shouldn’t feel like they need to complete a “checklist of attributes” in the way that the James Bond franchise has.

“With the Doctor, it can be William Hartnell, it can be Ncuti Gatwa, it can be Jodie Whittaker, it can be Peter Capaldi…All these are correct solutions to the problem,” he said.

If the next production company has a particular actor in mind, it would be a great “way of luring in the BBC, if they got someone shiny.” When asked if his friend Michael Sheen should be the Doctor, Tennant thought the idea was “brilliant” and “amazing.”

“Who’s right is one of those rules that can bend in different directions. With something like James Bond, there are a few set points within the casting; you know, there are various notes you have to hit. With the Doctor, it can be William Hartnell, it can be Ncuti Gatwa, it can be Jodie Whittaker, it can be Peter Capaldi…All these are correct solutions to the problem. So it’s very hard to speculate without any kind of filters on your search.

“Obviously, [Michael Sheen would] be brilliant, and obviously I would tell him exactly how to do it, and he wouldn’t listen to any of my advice. It would be amazing if Michael did it, but who knows? I think it really is impossible to say until you know what the plan is – otherwise it’s just pure speculation.”

Tennant first joined Doctor Who as the Tenth Doctor in 2005, succeeding Christopher Eccleston. He played the character for three seasons before Matt Smith, Capaldi, Whittaker and Gatwa took over the role in subsequent years.

After Whittaker, Tennant came back as the Fourteenth Doctor for the three specials that aired in 2023: “The Star Beast,” “Wild Blue Yonder” and “The Giggle.” Gatwa was the most recent actor to play the Doctor.

Recent reports have indicated that Doctor Who likely won’t return to the air for at least a few years as the BBC goes through the tender process and gets the franchise back on solid ground. Tennant’s hope is that when it does get revived, the new team creates something fresh and exciting for fans.