David Tennant: 'I'm just as geeky as Doctor Who fans'
Having starred as the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors, Tennant is still a mega-fan of the show.
Since leaving Doctor Who back in 2010, David Tennant has returned to star in the show twice – once for 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor back in 2013, and once last year, playing the brand new Fourteenth Doctor in the 60th anniversary specials.
Just like Twelfth Doctor star Peter Capaldi, it's common knowledge that, before taking on the role, Tennant was himself a big fan of the long-running sci-fi show – and he has now said he's just as "geeky" as other fans are.
Speaking as part of a Guardian Q&A, Tennant said: "Am I as geeky as the Doctor who fans? Yes. As a Doctor Who fan myself of old, I can very much can plug into that."
In the Q&A, Tennant also responded to the rumour that he got in trouble at school for writing so frequently about Doctor Who, always relating the subject matter of his essays back to the show.
He said: "I don’t think I ever got in trouble at school. That is one of those stories that’s ended up on Wikipedia. I wrote an essay on Doctor Who, which some unpleasant newspaper found and printed. But I didn’t get in trouble for it. I think I got quite a good mark for it."
In the same Q&A, Tennant also spoke about his kiss with Michael Sheen in Good Omens season 2, saying: "Who enjoyed it the most? Presumably Michael was thrilled.
"How could he not be? But it was another day at work. The most difficult bit was other people’s awkwardness. We thought it was quite fun, so it was fine. He’d brushed his teeth."
Read more:
- Doctor Who releases Ncuti Gatwa's audition script – and hundreds more
- Louise Jameson on Doctor Who return: "I'd be back in a nanosecond"
The end of Tennant's most recent Doctor Who return saw his Doctor 'bi-generate' with Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth incarnation, meaning the two continue to co-exist going forward.
Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor got his own version of the TARDIS and essentially 'retired', living a more settled life with Donna and her family. However, his continuing presence in the Doctor Who universe apparently does not mean we can expect him to pop up again in future seasons any time soon.
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Tennant recently told Radio Times magazine: "The Doctor’s happy. He is in a garden in Chiswick, being made mac and cheese by Bonnie Langford!
"The door is not any more open than it ever was, because in Doctor Who if you want to bring someone back, there are endless ways of doing it. It’s very much the end of the story."
Doctor Who will return in May 2024. Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
