Stayed
In this article by Radio Times, Steven Moffat revealed his plans for Doctor if David Tennant and Catherine Tate did not leave. Had they stayed, most fans would have been very excited. This fan is among those fans.
The combination of Tennant and Tate was tremendous. Their work together is probably one of the better seasons for Doctor Who. Donna was just a regular woman and challenged the Doctor when it was needed. These two made each other better.
Of course, Tate left after the fourth season as did Tennant. But David did work on some specials before regenerating into Matt Smith. Change for fans is difficult, even though change is part of the DNA of Doctor Who. Some fans grumble and get upset about change and don’t want it, but then others just go with the flow. That is what Moffat did when David and Catherine chose to leave.
At the time, David was having a hard time deciding on whether to stay or go as would anyone in his situation. Many fans were hoping that he stayed rather than leaving.
Moffat goes on to say, “To that end, the plot would have been close to what turned into Matt’s debut, with some significant differences.” He goes on to say, “My version of that series would have been the David Tennant Doctor crashing into the back garden about to regenerate, and little Amelia would help him back into the TARDIS and fly off. And then she’d meet him late, but he’d have no memory of that because we’d realize that was the Doctor from the future and we’d make our way through the series to the point where the Doctor gets back to that.”
That is interesting food for thought. What if this is what happens, how would things be different? Some fans would have loved to see David and Catherine for one more season. Of course, David and Karen could have been a great combination. We will never know.
Moffat even goes as far to say, “Frankly if David and Catherine had wanted to continue, I wouldn’t have changed everything, it would have been the same design for the TARDIS [etc]. Because there’s no way that version of the show was worn out.”
After reading the part, this fan will agree with it. The team of David and Cathrine did not get old. They kept each other in check and worked well together. If they choose to stay, Matt Smith and Karen Gillian wait for one more year before coming to Doctor Who.
