David Tennant fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief, the former Time Lord is set to return to our screens in a new TV show, as a detective!

Tennant, who handed his Doctor Who Baton over to current Doctor, Matt Smith in 2010, has landed a new role as a maverick style detective in a major new ITV drama based on the Danish crime series, The Killing.

The show, that is  is still to be named, has been produced by the company behind Spooks and Hustle and given an estimated £1million budget, which will see Tennant’s character tackle crimes that have been unable to be solved by his colleagues, with a broadcast guideline of January next year.

Producers took the inspiration from The Killing character, Sarah Lund, who used to use unorthodox methods to solve crime, despite her bosses repeated warnings.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “This is not just another detective show with a quirky sleuth. There is more to it. It will be in the same vein as The Killing in that it will be suspenseful — just when you think you know what’s going on, David’s character will turn the whole thing on its head.

“It’s a challenging role but one he is relishing.”

This will be Tennant’s first major TV role since leaving Doctor Who, with the two years since his departure having been spent filming a selection of dramas, including BBC1′s United, about the tragic air disaster that claimed the lives of the Manchester United team in Munich.  Tennant is  currently in Poland filming Spies Of Warsaw, for BBC4.

Watch David’s “hilarious” Graham Norton appearance in the clip below: