David Tennant on There She Goes: 'It's one of the things I'm most proud of'

There She Goes sees Tennant and Jessica Hynes (Life After Life) step into the roles of Simon and Emily Yates – stand-ins for Shaun and Sarah – while Miley Locke (The Royals) plays young Rosie, who is directly inspired by Joey.

At an event celebrating the launch of a new hour-long special, which recounts the story of how Joey's disorder was finally identified as she became a teenager, Tennant reflected on his reaction to the pilot script.

"I'd never read anything like it," he said. "As Shaun rightly points out, stories about children like this are very rare. But one that was told so candidly, with such rawness and truthfulness, it just felt so compelling to read.

"I’d met Shaun a couple of times, but I didn't know this was his life experience. It was a total surprise to me and yet I was immediately kind of captured by it… every moment.

"I just thought this is so bold and yet it's so true, and so real and so effective."

Tennant continued: "It remains one of the things I'm most proud to be part of. I think it's really special and really different and really human. I'm just really glad we've got to make it once, twice, and now this special as well, because there's not much else like it.

"I haven't met anyone who's discovered this show who hasn't been absolutely transported by it."

There She Goes has been praised for its authenticity, packed with hard-hitting emotional scenes as Simon and Emily come to terms with the reality of raising a child with such demanding care needs.

Moments of comic relief come regularly also, with Tennant going on to explain that the show's sharp and cynical voice has rung true with viewers who have found themselves in similar situations.

Read more:

• Doctor Who's Sylvester McCoy reacts to "wonderful" Bonnie Langford return
• Robert Carlyle on Full Monty series: “It shows things have got worse”

"This isn't how these stories are often told," added the Doctor Who icon. "They're often told rather sentimentally, they're often told rather coyly.

"The very rawness of this, the sort of political incorrectness of it at times, I think is what makes it particularly sing for a lot of people who have direct experience of this."

There She Goes returns for a special episode on BBC Two at 9pm on Wednesday 21st June 2023. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.

Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.