Show featuring past and present Drs fuels speculation over future one

December 18, 2008Dec 18, 2008, 11:00 PM GMT

As Doctor Who fans wonder over the identity of the next Time Lord now David Tennant is to vacate the Tardis, a Christmas Day special featuring flashes from the hit programme's past has further fuelled speculation.

Word is that the new resident of the time machine may be revealed during the Christmas day programme. In the frame for the role is David Morrissey, who is to guest star in the episode, teasingly entitled The Next Doctor.

In addition to looking to the future, the special will also include 'appearances' by nine previous Time Lords, including Peter Davidson, Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee. The three actors will all take a role in the hour-long special, while those who played the first three Doctors will also be present through the use of archive footage.

While details of the special are shrouded in secrecy, tantalising opening shots show the current Time Lord face-to-face with David Morrissey's character, who declares: "I'm the Doctor, simply the Doctor. The one, the only and the best."

David Morrissey joins David Tennant in the hour-long Christmas special, leading fans to wonder whether he's the next Time Lord. The current Doctor, who is recovering from a back operation, will begin filming his final four episodes in January Photo: © BBC

In the opening scene of The Next Doctor, David comes face-to-face with a character also claiming to be a Time Lord Photo: © BBC

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.