Doctor Who boss recalls David Tennant casting: "There was no audition"

One of the most intriguing parts of the one-off special was the admission that David Tennant originally only wanted a minor role in Doctor Who, perhaps as some kind of monster that would only appear for a day.

That's right, the fan favourite Doctor could've been little more than a temporary villain, but showrunner Russell T Davies had faith in the actor – so much so that he didn't even ask Tennant to audition for the role.

Speaking about the casting process for Tennant, Davies said in the Imagine episode that he was "already working with him on Casanova, and he turned out to be a Doctor Who fan".

Tennant continued: "I finally was on set and met Russell – one of the first things I said to him was, 'If there’s any little walk-ons in Doctor Who, I’d be very happy to come and wave a tentacle in a suit for a day.'"

But Davies clearly couldn't see the tentacle vision for Tennant, saying: "In my mind, he kind of melded over and became the Doctor quite naturally. There was no audition for him, it was a simple offer."

Of course, fans most recently got to see Tennant return to Doctor Who as the Fourteenth Doctor, being part of a surprise bigeneration with the Fifteenth Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa.

The new Imagine episode goes behind the scenes of Doctor Who as fans gear up for not just a much-anticipated goblin-filled Christmas special, but also a brand new series with Gatwa and Millie Gibson at the helm.

Read more:

• Rare Doctor Who photographs discovered after 53 years
• Doctor Who newcomer Millie Gibson reveals which actor is 'her Doctor'

According to the synopsis for the episode: "Imagine… follows one of Britain’s most celebrated TV writers as he prepares to once again return as the showrunner of Doctor Who.

"Back in 2005, Davies was responsible for relaunching the action-adventure series after many years away from our TV screens. Few could have imagined the phenomenon it became. And now, in the programme’s 60th anniversary year, he’s back – with two Doctors and bigger ambitions.

"Imagine… goes behind the scenes at Cardiff’s Bad Wolf Studios to see the adventures of the time travelling hero being filmed, touring the enormous sound stages and meeting Ncuti Gatwa, the 15th Doctor, ahead of his eagerly anticipated tenure as the Time Lord following the unexpected regeneration of David Tennant."

It continues: "Doctor Who is just one of Russell T Davies’s many TV successes, and Alan Yentob traces the evolution of his writing, from his beginnings in BBC children’s TV to finding his voice as a queer writer on Channel 4’s landmark gay series Queer as Folk and to more recent successes, including 2021’s critically acclaimed AIDS drama, It’s a Sin.

"The film also features interviews with David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Ncuti Gatwa, Helena Bonham Carter, Olly Alexander, Sally Wainwright and Caitlin Moran."

Doctor Who will return for The Church on Ruby Road on BBC One at 5:55pm on Christmas Day. Previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.

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