Monday Roundup

Monday, 11 January 2010 - Reported by Marcus
The leader of Britain's Conservative Party has brushed off criticism from David Tennant. Talking to Richard Bacon on BBC Radio Five, David Cameron said "You can't win them all". He added "You're never going to win over everybody. I definitely believe there's no point trying to win over everyone. Say what you think, say what you believe in, say what you believe needs to be done and if people will come with you they will come with you." Cameron said he had not watched much of the latest series but grew up with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as the Doctor.

TVshowsonDVD reports that is reporting that both the 1975 original and 2008 remake versions of Terry Nation's Survivors are planned for DVD release in the USA. According to the report the new version of Survivors, which featured Freema Agyeman, will be released after both seasons air in the US.

As NBC in the US scrambles to find programming to fill its 10 p.m. weeknight prime time slot following the cancellation of The Jay Leno Show, several sources report that one option before NBC is to fast-track production of Rex is Not Your Lawyer, the proposed lawyer series starring David Tennant.

Some subscription copies of this month's Doctor Who Magazine appear to have been delayed by the transport problems caused by the current cold weather in the UK. The Magazine was sent out last Wednesday, however many have still not received it. DWM assures readers that the magazine is on its way and should be with subscribers shortly.



For more press items see Doctor Who in the Media.




FILTER: - People - David Tennant

Tennant backs the Labour Party

Saturday, 9 January 2010 - Reported by Anthony Weight

Several news sources, including BBC News and The Mirror, have today picked up on comments by former Doctor Who star David Tennant in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, where he gives his backing to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Labour Party. He also criticises the Conservative Party, particularly opposition leader David Cameron.

In the magazine, published last Thursday, Tennant is quoted as saying:

"I would still rather have Gordon Brown than David Cameron... I would rather have a prime minister who is the cleverest person in the room, than a prime minister who looks good in a suit. I think David Cameron is a terrifying prospect... a regional newsreader who will jump on whatever bandwagon flies past. I get quite panicked at the notion that people are buying his rhetoric, because it seems very manipulative to me. Clearly, the Labour Party is not without some issues right now and I do get frustrated. They need to sort some stuff out, but they are still a better bet than the Tories."

Tennant appeared in a party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party during the 2005 General Election campaign. Although he has made critical comments about the Conservative Party in the past, including in the Radio Times, this is the first time that his political stance has been widely reported by the mainstream media.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Press - Radio Times

NTA Shortlist

Tuesday, 5 January 2010 - Reported by Marcus
NTAThe final shortlists have been released for the 15th National Television Awards, which will take place at the O2 Centre in London later this month.

David Tennant is nominated for Best Drama Performance up against David Jason, David Threlfall and Philip Glenister.

Doctor Who is nominated as Best Drama along with Casualty, The Bill and Shameless.

Torchwood, John Barrowman and Eve Myles were nominated in the first round, but didn't make the final shortlist.

Voting is via the NTA Website.

Doctor Who has won the Best Drama award for the past four years, with a least one of the lead actors taking the Best Drama Performance or its previous actor / actress equivalents. It was during his acceptance for the 2008 award that David Tennant announced he was leaving the role of the Doctor. The winners of the 2010 awards will be announced on 20th January starting at 7.30pm and televised live on ITV1.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Awards/Nominations

Regeneration Day

Friday, 1 January 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Today sees the Tenth Doctor regenerate into the Eleventh, only the tenth time in Doctor Who's forty-seven year history that the Doctor has regenerated.

TennantIt marks the last story for the Tenth Doctor as played by David Tennant, who leaves the series after four years in the role and with 47 episodes under his belt. Tennant departs at the peak of his popularity, and was recently voted the best Doctor ever by the readers of Doctor Who Magazine. His dedication to the role has been tremendous, and he has led the cast of a series that scores incredibly high in the audience appreciation figures. His popularity is such that the BBC made him the centrepiece of its Christmas schedule; he is the first Doctor ever to have featured in a BBC One ident.

Gardner_daviesToday also marks the end of the Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner era of the series. Gardner and Davies have been involved with the show since the return was first mooted in 2003. Together they have been responsible for the realisation of the revived series and have turned Doctor Who into one of the biggest BBC properties in the first decade of the 21st Century. They have been responsible for 60 episodes and have made Doctor Who must-see television which regularly charts in the top ten programmes of the week. They have cast two Doctors, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, and created two spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, both of which have had tremendous success and are due to be commissioned for their fourth series.

All three leave a strong legacy for the new production team to build on in 2010 as the series returns with a new Doctor and a new Executive Producer in the Spring.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Production - David Tennant - Julie Gardner

Tennant on Breakfast

Thursday, 31 December 2009 - Reported by Marcus
BBC News have uploaded this morning's interview with David Tennant. The item contains two clips from The End of Time Part Two, which contain spoilers from Part One.

Tennant later appeared on a BBC Radio 5 Live phono-in, which is available on the BBC iPlayer.

BBC News have also published an article on regenerations past and present.

David Tennant has also talked to MTV about his 'Doctor Who' Mementoes.




FILTER: - Specials - David Tennant - Series 4/30 Specials

Press Notes

Wednesday, 30 December 2009 - Reported by Marcus
A new clip from The End of Time - Part Two has been made available today. An audio version of the clip was played on Who on Who on BBC Radio 2 and the full version was seen later on Alan Carr Chatty Man.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate have sparked off a debate on how to pronounce 2010. The topic was one of those discussed in last Saturday's Radio 2 show hosted by the pair when Tennant claimed that the BBC compliance rules insisted on twenty-ten while guest Bernard Cribbins said older people would prefer two thousand and ten. Although the BBC later denied there was any rule, the discussion has been picked up by many papers including The Telegraph in the UK and several papers around the world.

Meanwhile The Daily Mail, always quick to find a story to knock the BBC, has claimed that Tennant has taken over the BBC this Christmas. The paper claims the actor will have made over 75 appearances on the BBC over the holiday period and accuses the BBC of freezing out young acting talent by giving audiences an overdose of Tennant. Conservative MP Nigel Evans has been quoted by the paper as saying : "Sadly the BBC seem to have got themselves stuck in the rut of chasing ratings and going populist". he added "Their public service remit was always about bringing on fresh talent", perhaps forgetting that relative newcomer and 'fresh talent' Matt Smith takes over the role of The Doctor shortly.

For more press items in the last few days see GallifreyBase's Media Summary.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Press

Press Roundup

Sunday, 27 December 2009 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC has uploaded an exclusive clip from Part Two of The End of Time onto the official website. You are strongly advised not to click on the link if you have not seen Part One as it contains major spoilers from the end of Part One. The clip is only available on the official site in the UK.

David Tennant has spoken of his love for Doctor Who and how it lead him to choose acting for a career. Speaking on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio Four, to be broadcast Sunday morning, he tells how it was watching Jon Pertwee in the role as a child, that made him want to go into the profession. He also tells of meeting Tom Baker while Baker was playing the fourth Doctor.

Various papers have reported the UK ratings for Christmas day with The Times describing the figures as disappointing for the BBC, while the Guardian concentrated on the BBC's dominance of the chart. The Mirror focused on EastEnders, but describes The End of Time as terrific, while The Star discribed the Christmas audiences for BBC One as huge.

For more press items in the last few days see GallifreyBase's Media Summary.




FILTER: - Ratings - David Tennant - Press

Radio Times Tribute

Thursday, 24 December 2009 - Reported by Marcus
Radio TimesRadio Times is marking the end of the Tenth Doctor’s tenure with a souvenir of the David Tennant and Russell T Davies years by releasing a 164-page glossy tribute book complete with episode guides and photos shot exclusively for Radio Times, many never seen before.

This book will not be in the shops – available only through an order form in Radio Times magazine or via the 24-hour order line 0844 543 9822 (calls cost 5p per minute at all times from a BT landline). The book is £6.99 including P&P.

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FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Magazines - David Tennant - Radio Times

Mammoth news round-up

Friday, 18 December 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
The flurry of Doctor Who news stories in the run-up to The End of Time has begun. But first, North American viewers will be able to enjoy The Waters of Mars tomorrow on BBC America and Canada's Space channel. In North American media, Canadian entertainment website dose.ca has an interview with Russell T Davies, and The Philadelphia Daily News, The Vancouver Sun and McClatchy News all have interviews with David Tennant.

Tennant is busy in the US filming the pilot for Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, and the Los Angeles Times reports that NBC may pick the series up as early as this spring. For those of you who can't get enough pictures of David Tennant wearing puffy winter coats, there are plenty from Rex filming here. In other Tennant news, the Sunday Mercury has an article titled "7 Things You Didn't Know About Dr Who David Tennant" (though readers of this page probably know most of them). What's On TV has a lengthy interview with Tennant about The End of Time, and BBC Newsbeat interviews Tennant about his forthcoming role in "St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold". Down Under, The Age and The Daily Telegraph (both of Australia) have stories on Tennant's TARDIS exit.

SFX continues its month-long Doctor Who celebration, with more excerpts from their interview with Russell T Davies here (talking about classic Doctor Who and multi-Doctor stories), here (talking about American television) and here (talking about "the scene that gets everyone" in The End of Time). Also on SFX's blog, Phil Ford talks about writing for The Sarah Jane Adventures, Alexandra Moen (Lucy Saxon) answers questions from fans, and the blog's staff compile a list of all the times British tabloids have gotten a Doctor Who story spectacularly wrong. Alexandra Moen is also interviewed at Digital Spy.

Davies tells the Western Mail that his final two Doctor Who episodes will be "like all your Christmas presents rolled into one, right from your big present to the tiniest thing at the bottom of the stocking." The South Wales Echo also grabs a snippet from the Western Mail interview. Davies also talked to BBC News about handing over the Doctor Who reins to Steven Moffat.

Bernard Cribbins will be interviewed on stage at the BFI on January 16. The conversation will be followed by a special screening of the 1966 film Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, starring Cribbins and Peter Cushing. In the aftermath of Cribbins' recent special BAFTA award, he was profiled in The Independent and interviewed by Ken Russell in The Times.

Claire Bloom talks to The Times about her life and work, including a vague but possibly spoiler-ish mention of her role in The End of Time.

There have been a slew of stories lately about people who've made full-sized Daleks. One in Surrey is covered here, and another (from Birtley in Gateshead) is covered in tech blogs Übergizmo, Geeky Gadgets, Gizmodo and Electricpig. And an Atherton man who's built a full-size TARDIS replica is profiled in The Leigh Reporter (though it isn't clear whether he's built the interior or the exterior of the ship).

Even Christmas pageants can't escape Doctor Who connections this year; pupils in the tiny North Yorkshire village of Ruswarp are putting on a Christmas pageant with a Doctor Who theme, and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) is directing the Nativity play at his old primary school in London.

It's not all The End of Time, though; Digital Spy interviews Colin Baker about completing "The Missing Stories" on audio for Big Finish.

The Daily Mail has a general preview of The End of Time, and The Sun has a somewhat spoilery photo of John Simm from the story.

The Sun has an article on Catherine Tate's Christmas special, in which she says that she and David Tennant will be "like the Richard & Judy of Christmas", due to being on UK television so much over the holiday season. Of Tennant's appearances, Doctor Who and Hamlet are listed by The Independent as part of its "Twelve TV Treats of Christmas" list.

The Times includes Tennant's Hamlet in its round-up of the best theatre of the past decade, and the return of Doctor Who in its list of the decade's best television. BBC News has also commissioned a "portrait of the decade", which includes the return of Doctor Who as one of the key cultural events and David Tennant as one of the top 20 people of the decade.

Finally, Paul Cornell, writer of the Doctor Who episodes "Father's Day", "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" as well as several acclaimed novels, has published a new Doctor Who story on his blog for Christmas. Cornell says that the story is being presented "purely as fan fiction, with no money being made." It's lovely, and you should read it.





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - People - Guest Stars - Bernard Cribbins - David Tennant - Press - Colin Baker

Tennant Interview

Thursday, 17 December 2009 - Reported by Marcus
David Tennant has given a brief interview to BBC News, talking about his feelings on leaving the role of the Doctor.

The interview was recorded on the TARDIS set in May. As he nears the end of his time in Doctor Who, Tennant tells Lizo Mzimba about how the role has affected him and his thoughts on his final story.

Part of the interview was also shown on the BBC's main evening news programme, The Six O'Clock News.

The press showing of The End of Time is Thursday night in London.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Press