David Tennant Interview

Thursday, 8 November 2007 - Reported by Marcus

This week's edition of The Stage features an interview with current Doctor David Tennant, who claims to be the least sexy man on the planet.

In the interview Tennant talks about his forthcoming engagement with the RSC as Hamlet, his new role in the guise of a driving instructor for the BBC1 comedy-drama Learners and of course his current tenure as the Time lord.

Talking about Doctor Who he says:

"You could find yourself in the present or hundreds of years in the past – or five billion years in the future. And the standard of the writing and of the stories is extremely high. I might tweak the odd line here or there, but I'd never dream of pointing out to the writers, in that hackneyed phrase, that my character wouldn’t say this or do that. Russell [T Davies] is the best, so why play around with the best?"

FILTER: - David Tennant

Tennant's Fincham praise

Thursday, 1 November 2007 - Reported by Anthony Weight

The Stage, The Guardian and The Sun all give coverage today to David Tennant's praise for former Controller of BBC One Peter Fincham and his Head of Publicity Jane Fletcher at last night's National Television Awards ceremony in London.

Fincham and Fletcher were forced to resign from their positions at the BBC last month following the so-called "Crowngate" controversy, where an audience of journalists at a BBC press launch were shown a misleading preview of a programme about the Queen. Both were publicly acknowledged by Tennant during his acceptance speech, screened live last night on ITV1.

Although Fincham arrived at BBC One after the first season of the new Doctor Who had already been a success in 2005, Tennant praised the support both he and Fletcher had given the programme over the past two years, and said that they would be greatly missed.

The Stage quotes Tennant as saying that: "Peter and Jane were fantastic supporters of our show and brilliant at their jobs. It is a real shame they have gone. They were very much a part of our team. It feels very different without them and I am sad about that."

The Guardian adds praise from Freema Agyeman, particularly for the ex-Head of Publicity Fletcher. "She always had so many other shows [to work on] but it felt like a personal relationship."

FILTER: - Production - David Tennant - Press

Tennant Interviews Minogue

Thursday, 1 November 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

David Tennant can be heard interviewing Kylie Minogue for an hour-long programme later this month on BBC Radio 2.

The BBC Press Office says X-amining Kylie is to be broadcast on Tuesday, November 27 at 10.30pm, and will feature Tennant talking to Minogue about her life and work.

Minogue plays the character Astrid in the forthcoming Christmas special Voyage Of The Damned.

The radio programme coincides with the release of her tenth studio album, X, and will feature a track-by-track sample of it as well as an exclusive song.

The press office adds that a revised version of the programme, Re-X-amining Kylie, featuring extra material about Doctor Who, will be broadcast on Radio 2 after Voyage Of The Damned.

FILTER: - People - David Tennant - Radio

Tennant In Extras Trailer

Sunday, 7 October 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

David Tennant is among the many stars in the Extras Christmas special trailer that has been released.

The 80-minute final offering of the comedy series by Ricky Gervais andStephen Merchant, for which Tennant has been signed up, will be shown in the UK by the BBC.

A number of sites are hosting the item, including Digital Spy. Scroll about halfway down the story for the feature. Blink, though, and you may miss both of Tennant's non-speaking appearances in the trailer!

NB: The 2' 26" item contains adult language and references.

UPDATE (10 OCT): The item is now at the bottom of the first page of the site. It will, presumably, soon be shunted on to the next page and continue down as other stories are added at the top.

FILTER: - David Tennant

Tennant's 1988 Dream Job

Friday, 5 October 2007 - Reported by Josiah Rowe

David Tennant has said on numerous occasions that playing the Doctor is his dream job. Well, an enterprising individual known asderooftrouser on LiveJournal hasdiscovered proof that Tennant held that opinion as long ago as 1988. Click here to see an excerpt from a 1988 edition of "The Grammarian", a publication of Tennant's alma mater, Paisley Grammar School. Drooftrouser has a transcript of the articlehere, and a photocopy of the original article here. The article refers to Tennant as David MacDonald, his birth name; he adopted Tennant as a stage name because there was another David MacDonald in Actors' Equity.

In the article, Tennant says that he has two screen idols: John Cleese andDerek Jacobi. (Cleese made a cameo appearance in the 1979 Doctor Who story City of Death, and Jacobi appeared opposite Tennant as the mysterious Professor Yana in the episode Utopia earlier this year.)

The "Grammarian" article says: "There is however one particular role which David would love to play – Dr. WHO. The reason? 'I have a fettish [sic] about men dressed in plastic suits !!!!' " It concludes: "Who knows, maybe one day David will be as famous as Peter Howitt (Joey, from "BREAD") who was also a pupil at Paisley Grammar School."

Peter who?

(Thanks to The Researcher on the Doctor Who Forum at Outpost Gallifrey.)

FILTER: - David Tennant

Tennant to be an Extra?

Wednesday, 5 September 2007 - Reported by Anthony Weight

What's On TV and The Sun are reporting that Doctor Who star David Tennant is to guest in an 80-minute Christmas special episode of the popular BBC Two / HBO sitcom Extras, playing himself. The series, written by and starring Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, features celebrity guests playing parody versions of themselves in each episode, and according to the What's On TV report: "TV bosses are keeping quiet about David's appearance in the final episode of the award-winning comedy - but insiders have hinted that it will be linked to his role as The Doctor."

Tennant's girlfriend, Doctor Who guest star Sophia Myles, appeared in an episode of the second series of Extras in 2006.

FILTER: - David Tennant - Press

Blackpool Illuminations

Friday, 31 August 2007 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As reported back in May, tonight sees David Tennant flicking the switch for the annual Blackpool Illuminationsparty tonight (31st Aug). The event will take place around 9:30pm and will also be broadcast live on a BBC Radio 2show presented by Dale Winton (8:30-9:30pm).

More details can be found on the illuminations website, and has been reported today by Pendle Todayand24dash.

Jackie Potter, Strategic Director, Tourism and Regeneration said on 22nd August:

We are absolutely delighted that David Tennant has accepted our invitation to switch on the Lights on Friday 31 August 2007. Blackpool’s Switch On celebrations are enjoyed by a huge family audience and we are sure this will be a popular choice.

The free concert during which he will throw the switch marks the start of Blackpool’s Big Switch On Weekend. We hope that thousands of fans of David, and of Blackpool, will join us in the celebrations and that they stay to enjoy all the free events Blackpool will be hosting throughout the weekend and indeed during the Illuminations Season.

The 2007 Illuminations will also be a delight for Doctor Who fans, as Illuminations bosses are soon to unveil plans for a new display featuring characters and creatures from forthcoming episodes.

Tennant joins an illustrious list of stars to have launched the lights including the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, who illuminated the town as Doctor Who back in 1975.

Sci-Fi fans are in for a real treat with the 2007 display, as the most menacing, mysterious, and mean monsters from the most recent series of Doctor Who make their Illuminations debut. These new displays are situated outside the Dr Who Exhibition.

FILTER: - Special Events - David Tennant

Tennant hits the stage

Thursday, 30 August 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

The Royal Shakespeare Company have announced their 2008 line-up, which featuresDavid Tennant in two roles.
From July 24th until November 15th 2008, Tennant will be starring in the title role in Hamlet, alongside Patrick Stewart playing Claudius. Fans of the new series will also be excited to note that from October 2nd until November 15th 2008, Tennant will be playing Berowne in Love's Labour's Lost. Love's Labour's Lost was a major plot point in Series 3 episode The Shakespeare Code.

FILTER: - David Tennant

BBC warns about imposters

Thursday, 30 August 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

The BBC have issued a statement reminding fans to be alert and watch out for online imposters. "There have been several recent cases of people posing as David Tennant in internet chat rooms and forums - as well as setting up social networking profiles in his name. David would like to point out that neither he, nor Catherine Tate use these kinds of sites, chatrooms or forums, and wouldn't want fans to be disappointed or misled if they thought they were talking to the real actors. We would strongly advise all Doctor Who fans for their own safety to ignore any such postings and not be fooled by impersonators - it will never be David or Catherine online."

Follow-up statement from the Outpost Gallifrey site editor: "We support this statement by the BBC. While David Tennant has indeed visited Outpost Gallifrey in the past -- he has stated so several times in interviews with Doctor Who Magazine and other sources -- he has not posted in our Forum, nor is he likely to, and anyone attempting to post in his name would be immediately removed."

FILTER: - Online - David Tennant

Tennant for a full Four

Friday, 24 August 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

In an interview with Doctor Who Magazine, Russell T Davies has confirmed thatDavid Tennant will be playing the Doctor for the entire run of series four of Doctor Who.

When asked if the constant tabloid rumours that Tennant would be quitting the show halfway through the next series were true, Davies answered, "No, he's doing the whole series. It was never even discussed that he might leave after six episodes. That's completely invented by the papers."

The story has also been reported on david-tennant.com, which has recently been renamed David Tennant - The Site.

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

Previous 10 Stories

David Tennant Interview

Tennant's Fincham praise

Tennant Interviews Minogue

Tennant In Extras Trailer

Tennant's 1988 Dream Job

Tennant to be an Extra?

Blackpool Illuminations

Tennant hits the stage

BBC warns about imposters

Tennant for a full Four

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