Lenny Henry Regenerates into David Tennant (TV story)

As part of Comic Relief 2023, an untitled Doctor Who scene opened the night's programme, later released on YouTube as Lenny Henry Regenerates into David Tennant and on Facebook as Meet the 9.5th Comic Relief Host… Sir Lenny Henry. It saw the second live-action appearance of David Tennant as what appeared to be the Fourteenth Doctor, albeit in an unexpected form.

Not fitting in with the timeline established by The Power of the Doctor, however, the parodical skit featured this Doctor regenerating from an incarnation played by Lenny Henry, and who seemed on some metafictional level to be Henry himself, as he was referred to by that name in dialogue. A YouTube Short upload of the regeneration scene identified Henry as playing a tongue-in-cheek "9.5th Doctor", referencing the numbering of Tennant's original Tenth Doctor, rather than the Fourteenth Doctor he appeared to be reprising.

Synopsis
There was no better way to kick off Red Nose Day 2023 than with Comic Relief icon Lenny Henry regenerating into none other than the Doctor himself, David Tennant.

Plot
Lenny Henry is in his dressing room. A woman knocks on the door asking for him. He is told that it’s ninety seconds until he’s on air. He then looks in the mirror and says “Comic Relief Salford make some noise".

Henry is told he is needed on stage ASAP. He then complains of stomach pains claiming he needs a “Doctor”. His hand starts to glow orange. He then begins to regenerate, turning into a new, Doctorish form, with Henry’s clothes changing at the same time.

The Doctor remarks that he "knows these teeth" and deduces from context clues that he's meant to be hosting Comic Relief. Checking his watch, he realises that he is even late to that responsibility and dashes off.

Cast

 * Lenny Henry/9.5th Doctor - Lenny Henry
 * The Doctor - David Tennant
 * Production assistant - Unknown

Crew
to be added

Story notes

 * This minisode is a recreation of the regeneration from the Thirteenth Doctor into the Fourteenth Doctor at the end of The Power of the Doctor, albeit with Lenny Henry in place of Jodie Whittaker.
 * Previously, the Dead Ringers sketch Tony Blair Regenerates paid homage to the regeneration into the Tenth Doctor at the end of The Parting of the Ways by having Tony Blair, played by Jon Culshaw, regenerate into a new incarnation played by David Tennant.
 * Contradictory to the regeneration scene in Power, the sketch has the Fourteenth Doctor look at his left hand first rather than his right hand, he looks behind himself to see a red nose and exclaim "What?! I’m gonna be hosting Comic Relief?" rather than looking into the horizon, and finally he looks at his watch, exclaims a fourth "What?!" and runs off.
 * The Doctor looking at his left hand is also a break in a long-standing tradition on Doctor Who since The Parting of the Ways in 2005, which has seen the Doctor look at the their right hand first in regeneration scenes.
 * Although, as the 9.5th Doctor starts regenerating, the camera does zoom in on his right hand.
 * In the broadcast of the sketch, She's The Doctor (the Thirteenth Doctor's theme) played during the regeneration, and the 2018-22 theme tune played as the Doctor examined his own body. Both of these tunes were removed in the YouTube upload on "Comic Relief: Red Nose Day".
 * Lenny Henry had previously played a Seventh Doctor emerging from the Sixth Doctor's regeneration in an untitled sketch.