Features

David Tennant and Catherine Tate talk keeping Doctor Who secrets!

The Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble recall keeping secrets in the latest Doctor Who Magazine.

How do you keep the trip of a lifetime secret from all? David Tennant and Catherine Tate talk all about keeping the secret that they were returning to Doctor Who in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, and you can read an exclusive extract below.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine (DWM) is on sale from Thursday 20th July. It is available to order as a subscription, either physical or digital, here.

Read on for an excerpt of DWM's interview with David and Catherine below...

David Tennant and Catherine Tate

David Tennant and Catherine Tate look back to who they told that they were returning to Doctor Who:

“I told my daughter quite early on,” says Catherine.
“Is she good at keeping big secrets, though?” asks David.
“Very very very. And then I realised as I said it… I thought, ‘Oh, I’m not sure I should have given that information to a teenager. To be like, ‘Don’t tell anyone for a year.’ But she didn’t.”
“You don’t want to burden someone with a secret like that, in a way,” considers David. “Because it is a bit toxic when it’s so closely guarded. There were a couple of people who’d obviously got wind of it somehow, who asked me straight out and I just lied to their face. And then last Sunday, whenever the announcement was, I had to do lots of messaging around going, ‘I did lie to your face, I hope you’ll understand, I’m sure you know how it works.’ So there was a bit of that.”


Read more in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

Doctor Who Magazine 593

Highlights of the new issue include:

  • David Tennant and Catherine Tate – the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna ­– talk exclusively to Emily Cook on the set of the forthcoming 60th Anniversary Specials.
  • Snakes Alive! – Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and writer/director Pete McTighe on The Passenger, the new mini-episode of Doctor Who, which sees the return of Tegan and Nyssa.
  • Letter from the Showrunner – Russell T Davies reveals what happened when he made a suggestion for a special piece of set dressing…
  • The DWM 60th Anniversary Poll – the analysis of the results continues, with this issue looking at the rankings of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor’s adventures.
  • Memory Worm ­­­– 1980s script editor Andrew Cartmel puts his knowledge of his Doctor Who career to the test.
  • Production Diary – script editor Scott Handcock files his latest report, direct from Doctor Who’s HQ.
  • Texting at Work – Sophie Cowdrey and Aled Griffiths reveal what it’s like to work as graphics assistants on the new series of Doctor Who.
  • The Omega Man ­– a never-before-published interview with the late Richard Gregory, the props builder who redesigned the Cybermen for Earthshock.
  • Liberation of the Daleks Part Ten – the adventures of the Fourteenth Doctor continue in the epic comic-strip adventure written by Alan Barnes and illustrated by Lee Sullivan.
  • 60 Objects, 60 Years – the latest instalment of the series that tells the story of one object from every year of Doctor Who’s history.
  • The Fact of Fiction unlocks the secrets of the Eleventh Doctor story The Girl Who Waited.
  • Gallifrey Guardian – all the latest official news.
  • Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.
  • Previews, reviews, prize-winning competitions, Time and Space Visualiser and more.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is on sale from Thursday 20th July. It is available to order as a subscription, either physical or digital, here.

More on Features

Sorry there is no content available for your region.

more from the whoniverse

Explore

Show Info

Explore

Stories

Explore

Play

More From Read and Watch

'The Satan Pit' extended cut comes to cinemas for Doctor Who Day

23 Sep 2026

One-night-only movie-length screening marks 20 years of the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler, with previously deleted scenes restored into the story for the first time.

The Satan Pit screening
Events

Arthur Darvill on Rory's reunion with River Song

16 Sep 2026

Ahead of their return in a new series of audio adventures, Arthur Darvill speaks to Doctor Who Magazine about his character's timey-wimey relationship with his daughter...

DWM 634
Features

A Brief History of the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

4 Sep 2026

Everything you need to know about the Doctor's most trusted gizmo...

Fugitive Doctor sonic
Features

Waris Hussein and Carole Ann Ford on working with William Hartnell

27 Aug 2026

The series' first ever director and the Doctor's original companion reminisce together in a new episode of The Whoniverse Show...

Whoniverse Show
Features

David Tennant on the Tenth Doctor's adventures with Rani Chandra

14 Aug 2026

Doctor Who Magazine speaks to David Tennant about stepping back into his old trainers in a new series of Big Finish audio adventures...

David Tennant and Anjli Mohindra
Features

from the store

More from the store

Circuit Breaker 

Momento Mori

Coming 27.08.2026 to Doctor Who: Lost in Time

Not available in your area

Circuit Breaker Product 9
Circuit Breaker

Circuit Breaker 

The Doctor and the Three Witches

Coming 20.08.2026 to Puffin Books

Not available in your area

Circuit Breaker Product 8
Circuit Breaker

Circuit Breaker 

Don't Blink!

Coming 17.08.2026 to UNIT HQ

Not available in your area

Circuit Breaker Product 7
Circuit Breaker

Circuit Breaker 

Castling

Coming 06.08.2026 to Doctor Who: Lost in Time

Not available in your area

Circuit Breaker Product 6
Circuit Breaker