Doctor Who will soon see a massive change, with Chris Chibnall, Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, John Bishop, and many crew members all leaving and Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner returning. Davies' and Gardner's first foray back into the show will be special because of that reason, but it will also be the 60th Anniversary of the show, which first aired all the way back in 1963.
For better or worse, many Doctor Who fans have started to look past the 13th Doctor's final episode to focus on the 60th Anniversary instead, with many posting set photos and filming online in the hopes of discovering more about the plot. The pressure is on for the 60th Anniversary, with many fans expecting to see certain things in the Anniversary episode(s) and for Doctor Who's future seasons.
6 Returning Villains
While some fans may be fatigued with returning villains due to their frequent appearances in both Series 12 and Series 13: Flux, as well as the 13th Doctor's final episode, others are not. In any period of great change for Doctor Who in-between the baton being handed on to a new showrunner, there are ways to make the transition smoother. Some fans did love Series 12's returning villain count and may be hungry for more.
In The Eleventh Hour, for instance, there was an Atraxi database visual montage of all the past Doctors before the Eleventh Doctor steps through. In the Twelfth Doctor's debut episode, Deep Breath, both the Paternoster Gang (Madame Vastra, Jenny, Strax) and the Eleventh Doctor return. One way of easing the transition to Davies' second era of the show could be for a cameo appearance of a returning villain to go up against the returning Doctor David Tennant.
5 David Tennant To Be The 14th Incarnation
David Tennant and Catherine Tate are both returning for the Anniversary episodes off the back of the announcement of Ncuti Gatwa as the next Doctor. There have been rumors online for a while of David Tennant coming back to be the 14th incarnation of the Doctor. There could be a reason for this, as viewers know the Division are capable of changing the course of people's lives, including the Doctor's, so perhaps they could be involved?
While it is not yet clear whether Ncuti Gatwa is the 14th Doctor or if it is David Tennant, there are fans who approve of almost every rumor surrounding David Tennant's return. One of these is that he is the 14th incarnation who will regenerate into Gatwa as the 15th.
4 David Tennant To Be A Parallel Universe Doctor
Fans that don't subscribe to the David Tennant-being-the-14th-Doctor theory nor believe Tennant returns as the 10th Doctor tend to believe that he is a parallel universe Doctor. The decision to make Tennant a parallel universe Doctor would certainly make it one of the weirder episodes of modern Doctor Who.
Tennant could be returning as the John Smith from Pete's World, who was 'made' back in Davies' Series 4 finale, Journey's End. This duplicate Doctor was born human and went on to live with Rose and her family in the parallel universe. Alternatively, Tennant could be returning as a different parallel universe Doctor from a world not yet seen. Davies has made comments about wanting to MCU-ify the Doctor Who franchise, so it would be logical to see him exploring the Multiverse concept in the show.
3 New-Rose To Be Donna's Daughter
The announcement of Yasmin Finney joining the cast to play Rose had a lot of fans scratching their heads in confusion. Is this to be a Rose Tyler from a parallel universe to go with a parallel universe Tennant-Doctor? Is this a new Rose that Davies is using as his 'lucky charm,' as he did for his shows Bob & Rose and Doctor Who.
One of the more heartwarming theories is that Finney is playing the daughter of Donna, who has named her Rose due to memories of her time with the Tenth Doctor bleeding through into her mind, perhaps due to Donna witnessing the Flux event. If Rose is Donna's daughter, then the real question is whether she is Rose Temple-Noble or Rose Noble-Temple, as quipped by the Tenth Doctor in his Doctor's final episode.
2 For Donna To Remember The Doctor
With Catherine Tate returning to Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary, fans are ecstatic to see the character of Donna Noble once again. The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble remain one of the most iconic pairings of the show and were much-loved by fans. Donna is considered one of the best Doctor Who companions, which is why her return is a sure bet to make a lot of the fans happy.
When viewers last saw Donna in The End of Time Part Two, she was happy and newly-married to Shaun Noble, retaining none of her memories of her time with the Doctor. If she was ever to remember, she would burn up and die. Her reappearance in the show does suggest she's in danger. Even if it is only for a moment, it would be nice for Donna to remember the Doctor in the episode and let fans see a follow-up reunion between the pair.
1 Ncuti Gatwa To Feature
Ncuti Gatwa is a busy man, being both the upcoming Doctor and continuing to play his role of Eric in Sex Education. While his announcement has since been slightly overshadowed by the news of David Tennant and Catherine Tate's return and their appearance on set, it seems as though Gatwa may not feature in his Doctor's debut episode until 2024 or beyond.
Fans will no doubt be hoping for at least a cameo of Gatwa before the 60th Anniversary episode (s) is over. David Tennant will certainly serve to be a worthy trade-off for the lack of a new Doctor, but a cameo would at least help to smooth the transition over.