Doctor Who returned to TV screens ten years ago today, with Chris Eccleston in the lead role and Billie Piper as companion Rose. But as the first episode of the initial 13 was being broadcast, Eccleston was already tendering his resignation. Fortunately Russell T. Davies turned to the star of his last big TV series, Casanova, and offered David Tennant the role.
In July 2005, just before shooting began on David's first full episode, The Christmas Invasion, Starburst Magazine caught up with him for a chat.
Starburst - July 2005
Tennant Of Time And Space
David Tennant is in Los Angeles to sing the praises of
Blackpool. Not the town you understand, but the 2004 BBC musical drama that
first brought him to our attention, a series which is now getting a well
deserved broadcast in the US.
We've not heard much from the actor since his dramatic
entrance to Doctor Who was aired in June. yet when we suggest that he's the
actor who is bringing sex appeal to the last surviving Time Lord, Tennant
breaks into a broad grin.
So here we are in the middle of sun drenched Hollywood,
chatting away with the new Doctor. He's an actor who came to the role by
stealth: even before series one had been broadcast, Christopher Eccleston had
quietly shared his decision not to return with executive producer Russell T
Davies. The last scene of Parting Of The Ways, was secretly rewritten, the
pages kept from all but the key members of cast and crew. Tennant was Davies'
replacement choice, they had worked together on his recent three-part BBC drama
Casanova, in which the actor gave a brilliantly effervescent performance as the Venetian lothario.
"I didn't do a screen test because I'd done Casanova, that
became my audition," says Tennant.
"I'd been working so closely with Russell on that. I didn't
know the role was a possibility then and it probably wasn't at that point."
In contrast with any of his predecessors, Tennant is a paid
up fan of Doctor Who. He even said in the past that the show is the reason he
became an actor in the first place. He buys the DVDs, subscribes to the
licensed magazine, and he's been a regular guest actor for the Big Finish range
of audio adventures, popping up in stories such as Colditz, Medicinal Purposes
and the Dalek Empire III mini series. Even then he had to think twice when the
Holy Grail came his way.
"I think when you take on anything that is as big deal as
this, or is as big a commitment as this, you have to think about it," he
insists, "Because it's a long time and it attracts a lot of attention. The fact
that I'm in LA and still talking about it, it's that kind of show, it's got
that kind of reach."
Tennant's casting proved to be one of the biggest secrets in
showbusiness - until, of course, the tabloids ruined the surprise by leaking
news of Eccleston's departure three months before the regeneration aired.
Did the actor tell his parents? "No, I couldn't tell
anyone," he responds.
But how's it possible to keep news like that from your mum?
"Because it was such a high voltage secret that I was aware
that there was really no choice," he says. "I wanted to tell everyone, of
course, and it was pretty hard - my agent was the only person I could talk to
about it."
It's been said that the actor was forced to keep hush hush
about it for six months, is that true?
Born in April 1971 in West Lothian, Scotland, Tennant (real
name David MacDonald) attended Paisley Grammar School, learned his craft at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and quickly established himself as a
classical actor of quality. His stage work has garnered widespread acclaim and
awards, and there has been a steady flow of TV (Randall and Hopkirk Deceased,
Foyle's War) and film (Bright Young Things, Being Considered). The role of Mr
Gibson in the BBC's adaptation of Anthony Trollope's He Knew He Was Right was a
major step in his career; playing love interest DI Carlisle in Peter Bowker's
unique Blackpool showed his undeniable screen presence, while Casanova confirmed
Tennant's status as a rising star.
Doctor Who will change his life forever: he'll be recognised
in the street, mobbed by fans and receive sack loads of fan mail. In fact,
after his explosive introduction in The Parting Of the Ways, the mass attention
has already begun.
"The letters have certainly begun arriving by the van load," he reveals, "But it's lovely, it's great that people are so interested.
It's not really like having any other job. I've done all sorts of different
things, and that's all been great fun, but suddenly I get cast in something and
it's on the news! - The news! I happened to be visiting my parents, and we were
sitting in the kitchen having breakfast, and it came on the news. So that's
just a whole other world of attention.
"But it's great, it's fantastic be involved with something
that's so loved and that people get excited about. And it's quite a privilege
to be part of history, but also a bit daunting as well."
From just a few seconds of screen time so far it's hard to
tell how Tennant will place his stamp on the role. We know the Tenth Doctor has
got new teeth and he's off to he planet Barcelona, and we've observed that
he has an English accent - but that, we suspect, will change.
"I don't know have any sort of big ideas for the part," he
muses. "I'm not going to do it with a limp or anything."
Is he at all nervous about winning over the new generation
of Doctor Who fans, those pre-teens who might believe the role belongs to
Christopher Eccleston?
"Isn't that always the way though?" he says. "I seem to
remember that as a kid, when Peter Davison started I thought 'this can't be
right.' But two weeks later you're like, 'Yeah come on Pete!'."
Tennant has already received the blessing of arguably the
most popular Doctor ever, with Tom Baker enthusing about his casting to The
Sunday Mail.
"It makes me feel very happy and proud," said Baker. "I have
caught a glimpse of Tennant and he has a kind of mercurial quality. You can
believe that he has secrets."
"You know when I heard about that", beams Tennant. "I was
completely thrown, that's very lovely. I haven't actually confirmed it, I've
only heard it third hand, and of course I never believe anything I read in the
newspapers. I'm choosing to believe it's true because I am a huge fan of his."
William Hartnell was 55 when he first played the Doctor,
although his performance suggested a more frail and elderly figure. Patrick
Troughton was 46 when he took over, while Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston
inherited the role at 41. Might Tennant, at a sprightly 34, be a little too
young to play a 900 year old eccentric who has travelled through time and
space.
"I think he can be anything," insists the actor. "Peter
Davison was younger than me when he did it, Paul McGann I think was about the
same age. The Doctor started as an old man but he has got progressively
younger, and I think that's the joy of it, it can be whatever it is, and
hopefully the part shrinks to fit."
Nevertheless, he is clearly mindful of the fact that a large
factor in the success of Doctor Who's first series was the tangible screen
chemistry between the Doctor and Rose. With Eccleston's departure, that
relationship will need to be defined again, and Tennant and Billie Piper have
already made the effort to get to know each other.
"Yeah we've met a few times," he explains. "We've had dinner a couple of times and she's very easy to get on
with, a very lovely girl so hopefully we will work together quite well. She's
the perfect companion. She's spunky and she's modern but she's still sexy and
sassy and she's all the things that you need for Doctor Who."
It's Thursday 14th July when Starburst meets Tennant. His
visit to America will be brief; the following Monday he is due to begin
rehearsals for the One-hour long Christmas Special, with shooting commencing on
Monday 21st July. Which means of course, that preparations are far advanced,
and the actor has already been fitted with the costume that will define the
Doctor's tenth life.
"Obviously as we start on Monday we have chosen it" Tennant
admits. Did he have much input?
"I did yeah, It's interesting I think the clothes in the old
show did get quite wacky, especially towards the end. Nowadays it's a different
kind of show. I don't think you can get away with frock coats and frilly shirts.
We won't be doing that. I said I'd be playing it in a kilt as a joke one
night and somebody wrote it down as a fact."
Maybe it's time then, to star a brand new rumour that can be
interpreted as Gospel.
"I'm wearing a large space watch throughout," he laughs.
On a more serious note, the first series brought terror to
London - albeit in the form of an alien invasion. In Rose the city was attacked
by Autons, in Aliens Of London a giant spaceship crashed into the Thames, while
World War III saw the destruction of Downing Street. Could the appalling events of July 7 affect the way that the Doctor Who writers address the portrayal of
alien assaults in the city?
"That's a very interesting question," ponders Tennant. "There's certainly nothing in the scripts that we're starting with that would
give pause for thought."
Following the undisputed success in the ratings, the BBC has
wasted little time in assuring the future of Doctor Who, contacting Davies to
oversee at least another 28 episodes. Given Eccleston's sudden departure, one
might also hope that the corporation has locked his replacement into a long
term contract, but Tennant is remaining tight lipped about his terms of
employment.
"Oh I think we'l just take it as it comes and see. I don't
want to say 'Oh I'll stay for 10 years', and then get kicked out after one,
that would look rather a mess if I did that. I'm doing 14 episodes and we'll
see what happens."
Casanova was written by Russell T Davies and starred David
Tennant. Doctor Who is written by Davies, and likewise will star Tennant too.
Will people who saw the rumbustious period piece recognise any similarities to
the upcoming second series?
"Well as Russell's writing them they'll both they'll have a
similar joy and wit," he says. "Casanova was one of the finest scripts that I
have ever worked with, so when you've got him in charge of it you kind of know
it's going to be OK. Even on a bad day, Russell's better than most."
And might the Tenth Doctor have anything in common with
Giacomo Casanova?
"Well there's less shagging in Doctor Who!" grins Tennant. "Although who knows we might change that too!"
Tennant On TV
He knows his Rutans from his Jagrafess, but he probably
couldn't speak a word of Klingon even if his life depended upon it. Tennant is
proud to classify himself as a fan of Doctor Who, but admits that other SciFi
series like Star Trek leave him cold.
"I've never been a big Star Trek fan," he says. "I never
quite got Star Trek to be honest. I think it's a great show, but there's
something about the slightly homely quality of Doctor Who, that I think made it
more accessible, to me anyway. Just the fact that he's travelling round time in
a battered old police box which is hanging together with string, and it doesn't
always work, and it needs a kick now and then. Whereas Star Trek is all quite
plush with doors that slide open. Blake's 7 was another favourite of mine, which was really a
poor man's Star Trek."
So who's his favourite Doctor?
"I grew up watching Tom Baker, and you kind of impregnate on
the one you grew up with, I guess. I was still only 10 or 11 when Peter Davison
was doing it, so they are the two I identify with."
What TV show is he watching now?
"I'm a big West Wing fan. I've just seen season four, and I
bought season five on DVD. I heard it goes down a bit, but then someone told me
it gets better again in season six - so the world is fine!"
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