As rumours swirl about David Tennant returning to Doctor Who, the actor has said that he’s not coming back any time soon.

When asked at the BAFTAs about why the show’s lasted and if he’d return, Tennant, who played both the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors, replied:

[P]art of what makes it such a vibrant show is that it keeps renewing and finding new ways to tell stories… and as far as I’m aware, that’s happening without me for a while.”

When further pressed about rumours of his return, he went on:

“I promise you I’d tell you if it was true!”

Admittedly, this was before Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor seemingly regenerated into Billie Piper, aka Rose Tyler. Now the media really is reporting that Tennant will come back alongside Piper for a special at some point next year.

That seems like jumping the gun a bit, given that decisions about Doctor Who‘s future are still to be made.

Still, if showrunner Russell T Davies needed David to appear in order to bridge a gap between eras or explain Rose’s face showing up in the regenerative rota, we’re sure he’d do so.

So: is David Tennant returning to Doctor Who? We don’t know. I hope that helps.