Posted By John Bowman

David Tennant can be seen in Hamlet in London from December 3 to January 10, 2009, it has been announced.

The Royal Shakespeare Company production will be transferring from Stratford-upon-Avon to The Novello Theatre in Aldwych.

The news has not been universally well received, though. In an article in today'sTimes, acclaimed director Sir Jonathan Miller hit out at what he called "an obsession with celebrity" by West End producers. In the interview, Miller referred to Tennant as "that man from Doctor Who". However, Michael Billington, theatre critic of The Guardian newspaper for the past 37 years, has written a rebuttal of Miller's views, claiming that Miller was "ignoring the fact that Tennant has a strong classical pedigree including a first-rate RSC Romeo".

Miller's production of Hamlet in Bristol, with Jamie Ballard in the title role, was highly praised but Miller says London producers weren't interested in it without any star names. (Jude Law is also to play Hamlet in London. That particular production will be at the Wyndham's Theatre from May 2009 as part of the Donmar West End season.)

Tickets for the Novello Theatre run of Hamlet go on sale to the general public from September 12. Priority booking for RSC members runs from June 16to September 5.

Love's Labour's Lost, in which Tennant plays Berowne, is apparently not transferring from Stratford.

(With thanks to Rod Henderson.)

David Tennant was a special guest on the BBC1 Sunday morning programme The Andrew Marr Show.

Sandwiched between the Mayor of London and the Home Secretary, and appearing primarily to promote the DVD release of the BAFTA winning Taking over the Asylum and his forthcoming appearance as Hamlet, Tennant also talked about his role as the Doctor.

Asked whether he would be appearing in the fifth series, Tennant said he hadn't yet been asked, but would consider the question if it came. He confirmed he will be appearing in four specials to be shown in 2009.

The interview can be viewed here and a transcript can be read here. The whole programme can be watched on theBBC iPlayer.

David Tennant also joined current show-runner Russell T Davies and show-runner elect Steven Moffat in this week's Doctor Who Podcast. As well as providing a commentary to Moffat's Forest of the Dead, the trio discussed Moffat's appointment as the head of the series as well as their favourite Borusa and their thoughts on The Keys of Marinus.

Tickets are selling fast for the Royal Shakespeare Company's production ofHamlet staring David Tennant in the title role and Patrick Stewart as Claudius.

The season, which runs from 24 July until 15 November 2008, at the Courtyard Theatre, is almost sold out before rehearsals have even begun. The websiteseatchoice.comreports that the show is the fourth hottest ticket in the United Kingdom, beating West End blockbusters such as Hairspray.

Hamlet is penciled in for a London run following the season in Stratford.

David Tennant discussed his role in the production with Jonathan Ross on BBC Radio 2 last Saturday. The interview can be heard on a Podcast and on the Radio iPlayer. The interview contains spoilers for the 2008 Christmas episode.

Tennant will also be a guest on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday 8th June.

Thanks to Daniel Smith

David Tennant has joined the campaign to prevent cutbacks at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. The academy has to make 600,000 pounds of savings in the coming year.

In a statement Tennant said: "Nothing I have managed to achieve in my career would have happened without my training at the RSAMD. The drama training I received was world class and the idea that the opportunities I got there might be compromised for future generations is deeply upsetting."

Other famous alumni include Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, Tom Conti, Alan Cumming, Emma Fielding, Denis Lawson, Ian Richardson and Ruby Wax.

Full story from BBC News

Thanks to Ian Kildin

Posted By John Bowman

David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be star speakers later this year at the Times Cheltenham Literary Festival, it was announced today.

They will talk about working with the Royal Shakespeare Company as well as on Doctor Who.

The event runs from October 10 to 19. Precise dates for appearances have yet to be announced.

Reported by thelondonpaper and the Press Association.

David Tennant was interviewed by Simon Mayo on BBC Radio Five on Wednesday. APodcast of the interview is available for the next seven days.

A reminder that David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be guests on Friday nights Jonathan Ross show on BBC1.

Thanks to Daniel Smith

BBC Audiobooks have revealed that David Tennant will be the reader of their latest audio-exclusive release Doctor Who: Pest Control. The adventure will be available only on CD and for download and will not be published as a book. It is due for release on the 8th May 2008.

Pest Control was commissioned from author Peter Anghelides. he said "I love David Tennant's work on the book adaptations, so I'm simply thrilled that he's reading this special audio. He phoned to discuss the characterisations, and my younger son picked up. How great is that? A phone call from the Doctor!"

The story is the first to feature Donna as the Doctor's companion and below we can offer a sneak preview of the script.

Thanks to Brian Jacob

Nominations for the Royal Television Society awards have been announced. Included in the list are:

Best Drama Series: Doctor Who
Best Actor: David Tennant (Recovery/Doctor Who)
Best Children's Drama: The Sarah Jane Adventures

The awards will be presented on Wednesday 19th March 2008. A full list of nominees is available on the RTS website.

Posted By John Bowman

Catherine Tate will be heard interviewing David Tennant on BBC Radio 4 on February 21 when Chain Reaction returns for a new series.

In it, they talk about working on Doctor Who - as well as playing extras on The Bill.

The show's format sees the interviewee becoming the interviewer of a different guest the following week, with them talking to people whose work they admire and appreciate.

Next week (February 28), Tennant will be interviewing Richard Wilson, who played Dr Constantine in The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, while Wilson's interviewee the week after that (March 6) will be Arabella Weir, who used to lodge with Tennant and made him godfather to her youngest child.

Weir also played the Doctor in the Big Finish drama Exile - which featured Tennant playing an unnamed Time Lord and a pub landlord. (Weir will round off the series of Chain Reaction by interviewing fellow Fast Show star Paul Whitehouse.)

The half-hour programmes start at 6.30pm. The series was recorded last year.

(With thanks to Jeremy Bentham.)

Posted By John Bowman

People

David Tennant reveals some of his forthcoming work schedule in the February 9-15 edition of Radio Times. In a feature about the listings magazine's annual party for its cover stars, he says he will have all of May off and start rehearsing Hamlet for the RSC in June. (NB: Tennant is also appearing inLove's Labour's Lost in October and November, although he doesn't make reference to that in the feature.)

He appears in Hamlet from July until January 9, 2009 and says he will be back in Cardiff on January 10 to commence next year's Doctor Who specials, adding: "After that, I really don't know. Nothing has been decided . . . honestly!"

Tennant, Freema Agyeman and John Simm are all pictured at the bash.

Sophie Aldred was interviewed by BBC Norfolk while making a guest appearance in the area.

In the lengthy feature, she tells how she tried - unsuccessfully - to persuade Christopher Eccleston to attend conventions. The interview is also in three parts in an audio format. In addition, it includes video interviews with Terry Molloy and Elisabeth Sladen, as they are referred to in the piece, although these may not be playable by overseas visitors to the BBC site.

Meanwhile, BBC South East Today ran an interview with Tommy Knight, who plays Luke in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Broadcasting

Radio Times also reveals that the February 15 edition of EastEnders will feature the storyline in which the characters Stacey and Bradley visit a Doctor Who exhibition in London. The location filming for this was reported by this site in December. (Information elsewhere suggests that the February 14 edition may also include this storyline.)

The teaser for the following week's Radio Times (February 16-22) mentions the character Martha Jones joining theTorchwood team, suggesting there will be a feature about it in that edition. Her debut Torchwood episode will be shown on BBC3 on February 13 at 9.50pm. It will, presumably, be shown on BBC2 on February 20 as part of the series' run on that channel.

The February 13 edition of Late Junction on BBC Radio 3, to be broadcast from 11.15pm to 1am, will include music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and is believed to be a feature about 50 years of the workshop, including its realisation of the Doctor Who theme. UPDATE (February 7): Although the February 13 edition will indeed include music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop archive, it has been announced that it will be the February 12 editionthat will mark 50 years of the workshop with, among other items, a look at the Doctor Who theme. The show will be broadcast in its usual slot, from 11.15pm to 1am.

(With thanks to Tony Clark)