Filming for Who's 60th-anniversary celebrations is already well underway and several familiar cast have been spotted on the set. David Tennant who played the Tenth Doctor and Catherine Tate who portrayed his companion, Donna Noble are the main cast officially confirmed for the show's anniversary year.
Despite several announcements being made and pictures from the set leaking, very little is known about the momentous year for the show at the moment. With these returning cast already confirmed, fans have been left wondering which other characters from the show's past might make a comeback for the 60th anniversary.
Susan Foreman
When the show first began in 1963, one of The Doctor's original companions was his granddaughter, Susan. Despite being such an important character in the show's history, she is yet to appear in New Who.
When the First Doctor leaves Susan in her original exit he promises to come back for her one day but this is yet to happen. The 60th anniversary is the perfect opportunity to revisit this story and reunite the Timelord with his granddaughter. As the inhabitants of the TARDIS have changed massively over the years, it would be interesting to see Susan interact with a New Who companion to highlight these differences between Classic and New companions.
The First Doctor
David Bradley has already taken on the role of The First Doctor in previous New Who episode, Twice Upon A Time. Due to this earlier return, The First Doctor is one of the easiest Classic Doctors to bring back to the show. Having the original incarnation of the Timelord as part of the anniversary seems only right to celebrate the show's birthday.
Also, as he's so different to many of the modern Doctors it would be interesting to see him interact with any of them. It would also make sense for it to be this Doctor that Susan reunites with after so many years considering their prior history.
K-9
While he may be a metal dog, K-9 is one of the best Doctor Who companions of all time. He previously reunited with his master when Russell T. Davies and David Tennant were last at the helm so it wouldn't be surprising to see him again with them both back.
Expanded media shows that K-9 now belongs to former companion Ace, who fans already know is returning for Jodie Whittaker's final episode so it would be easy to reintroduce him too. Also, the last time he was in the main show K-9 was owned by fellow iconic companion, Sarah-Jane Smith. Including the Doctor's faithful friend in the anniversary could act as a touching tribute to Sarah-Jane.
Rose Tyler
New Who began with Rose Tyler becoming The Doctor's companion and traveling with him in the TARDIS. When Tennant last returned to the show for the 50th anniversary, he was ed by Billie Piper (albeit not as Rose). Including Rose in the 60th would be a great callback to where the show began for many modern fans.
If Susan returns it would be an interesting parallel to see the original Classic companion alongside the original New Who companion. With many theories circulating about whether Tennant will be portraying the 10th Doctor or a different incarnation, Rose could even return alongside the meta-crisis Doctor she left with in Season 4.
Jo Jones
Jo is one of the Classic Doctor Who characters who should return and the 60th anniversary would be the perfect time for her to do so. Although she has appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures, where she met the Eleventh Doctor, she is yet to show up in New Who.
With 60 years of the show being celebrated in 2023, Jo would provide an important link to The Third Doctor's era. Also, with recent set pictures revealing the return of UNIT her reappearance would make sense considering her prior connection to the organization. Due to her links to the Pertwee years, Sarah-Jane and UNIT, Jo would be a great addition to the show's birthday celebrations.
The Eleventh Doctor
Since Tennant's return announcement, fans have been anticipating something similar in regards to Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. It's highly likely that Tennant won't be the only past Doctor returning to celebrate the anniversary and he has previously worked with Smith for the 50th. The two Doctors had a fun and comical dynamic last time around so many fans are hoping for the two incarnations to reunite.
Smith has also expressed interest in returning to the show, saying it's 'the best part in the world' according to Radio Times. With the Eleventh Doctor being so popular and Smith being open to return, it seems inevitable that he'll be back.
Amy Pond
With Tennant returning alongside one of his previous companions, it would only make sense for Smith to do the same. The Eleventh Doctor's most significant companion relationship is with Amy Pond. The two traveled together, along with her husband Rory but the trio was sadly torn apart by one of Doctor Who's scariest aliens, the Weeping Angels.
Karen Gillan has gone on to Hollywood success so her return could also draw in new viewers. Seeing Eleven and Amy back together would certainly be a nostalgic treat for fans of the popular duo.
The Twelfth Doctor
Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor is another character fans are hoping will appear in the show's 60th year. Although he met the First Doctor in his final episode, it would be interesting to see him interact with some of the other New Who Doctors.
If Twelve met Ten or Eleven he would likely react to them in a similar way to The War Doctor in the 50th anniversary and be comically unimpressed with their shenanigans. Ten and Eleven could also bring out a more carefree side to this Doctor. Having as many Doctors as possible return would ensure the 60th year is one of the show's most memorable yet.
Bill Potts
Bill is one of the Twelfth Doctor's companions and has one of the saddest Doctor Who exits. With Tennant and Tate reuniting for the 60th, Capaldi and Pearl Mackie could also do the same.
Bill only features in one season of the show so there's definitely a lot more to explore with her character. Twelve and Bill's teacher/student relationship is also refreshingly different from many of the other Doctor and companion dynamics from New Who. As she has such a unique bond with The Doctor, it would be great to see Bill again.
The Master/Missy
Although The Master has become somewhat overused in New Who, they are a huge part of the show's history. Similarly to The Doctor, many incarnations of The Master, both male and female, have appeared over the years.
Whenever an anniversary comes around, Doctor Who fans expect a multi-Doctor story. That being said, the 60th would be the perfect opportunity for another multi-Master story. Several incarnations of The Master could come together to cause chaos, leading to an epic showdown against several versions of The Doctor.