April 30, 2012

The Night the Lights Went Out in Ellsinore!

"To be or not to be? The same old question faced Hamlet in July 2008 at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. Hamlet is a cautious fellow. He's been chewing things over for more than four hundred years and still seems some way off from a decision.

As a theater critic I have to sit through about three Hamlets a year. The temptation to shout, "Do make up your mind, mate!" becomes ever harder to resist. Yet this particular July evening in 2008, as actor David Tennant grappled with the lead role, one member of the audience watched with rare interest--British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, himself enough of a ditherer that the subdrama became: Procrastinating politician watches indecisive prince.

The company's actors that evening faced the more pressing tragedy of their radio-powered lighting cues going haywire. The ruddy things worked faultlessly during rehearsals but then conked out unexpectedly. The guards on the ramparts of Elsinore found their electric torches would not work. The entire stage plunged briefly into darkness and Francisco and Bernardo started shouting their opening lines to conceal their panic. Only later did the performers realize that the glitch had been caused by the anti-scramble radio gear carried by the prime minister's bodyguards: Historic play short-circuited by modern political reality." 

Quentin Letts -Nov-Dec 2010 - World Affairs Journal

April 29, 2012

David has not only grace the covers of many magazines he has also been on a few books as well.  The most recent being the copy of Much ado About Nothing published by Nick Hern Books on November 1, 2011.  The new edition featured a rehearsal diary, information about how the production was conceived and developed, interviews and photos with its cast, and design sketches from the production.

He has also appeared on the cover of two editions of Romeo and Juliet

 














 The first one was published May 10, 2001 by Oxford University Press, this series was design for younger readers new to Shakespeare and included the text of the play character analysis, information about the bard's life and other educational materials.

The second published on August 22, 2002 by Arden Shakespeare for their Shakespeare in Stratford series in conjunction with The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.  The book also includes information on David's production and he is mentioned by name several times.

David has certainly appeared as The Doctor an many books including the 30 BBC Doctor Who novels issued between 2006 - 2010 and along with John Simm and the author Russell T. Davies David appears on the cover of The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter. On the cover of the books first release called The Writer's Tale, Russell appears on the black and white cover alone.

Click this link to see the BBC covers.

April 28, 2012

All this week I have been talking about David's magazine covers and it certainly is no shock that we would be on the cover of Sci-Fi and TV genre magazines.  He has also turned up in some places that might not see so obvious but David's Doctor Who fever meant he really was everywhere!

David was on the cover of Reader's Digest in the UK in December 2009, the US edition is different as they don't put people on the cover, but let's face it in December 09 David truly was everywhere.

David was pictured on Equity's end of the year report for 2005 this is an industry, members only, business report. 

Even scholarly publications couldn't escape David's face - he was on the cover of Shakespeare Bulletin's April - December 2009 issue.  They describe themselves as "a peer-reviewed journal of performance criticism and scholarship, provides commentary on Shakespeare and Renaissance drama through feature articles, theatre and film reviews, and book reviews."

April 27, 2012

TV Zone was a monthly British magazine that covered cult TV from September 1989 to December 2008. They also published a yearbook issue at the end of the year and various special issues.

Cover photos here these were hard to find so some are only thumbnail - sorry!

David has featured on the cover 12 times and on special issue covers 6 times.

In 2006 he was on the January cover Billie Piper and the February 'Pick of 2006' cover which he shared with Michelle Forbes and John Simm.  This is a great foreshadowing cover since John was pictured for Life on Mars and wouldn't appear on Doctor Who until June 2007. April 2006 marked the magazine's 200th issue and David and Billie were on the cover. You might remember that they were also given on of the 350th issue covers of Starburst and David got to be on the cover of the 400th issue of Doctor Who Magazine. Billie and David then got the August cover together as well.

In 2007 David once again was on the January and February covers January with Catherine Tate and the "Pick of 2007" with Tori Higginson and Ali Larter. He had four more covers in 2007.  April with Freema Agyeman, September with Catherine, December with Peter Davison and the bonus
Christmas issue with Kylie Minogue.

In April 2008 he had another cover with Catherine and then the December 2008 cover with David Morrisey.

David has also been on the cover of several special issues starting with Spring 2005 Doctor Who Special Christopher in foreground David in the background and then twice in the 2006 for two Doctor Who Specials one with David alone and the other with David and an Ood.
David and Billie had pride of place at the bottom of the 2006/2007 yearbook issue and then David and Freema appeared on the cover of the 2007 Spring Doctor Who Special. David and Freema also had a small insert on the left hand side of the 2007/2008 yearbook.

April 26, 2012

TV & Satellite Week is one of the may alternative guides to weekly TV viewing in the UK was founded in 1993 and is owned by IPC a subsidiary of Time Warner, who also own What;s On TV, TV Times and TV Easy.  Suffice to say you are spoilt for choice when looking for your weekly viewing listings!  These are only a few of the glossies not to mention that all the major newspapers also have a pullout listing each week as well.

This also means that sometimes a collector may find themselves buying 5,6, or more magazines on the same week if for example David was on the cover.  Yes, you know you've done it, feeling like a wally standing in line at WH Smiths with all those books!

David has been on the cover 19 times, including getting the Christmas Cover 4 times - and unlike the Radio Times he has made the cover for other projects besides Doctor Who!  Click for the PIX!

December 17 - 30, 2005: David and Billie Piper - Double Christmas Issue
April 15- 21, 2006: David and Billie - The Easter Issue
May 13 - 19, 2006: David and Cybermen
June 17 - 23, 2006: David and Peter Kay
November 10 - 16, 2007: David and Jessica Hynes -  Learners
December 23, 2006 - January 5, 2007: David and Catherine Tate - Double Christmas Issue
February 24 - March 2, 2007: David and Sarah Parish - Recovery
March 10 - 16, 2007: David and Catherine - Dressed for Red Nose Day Sketch
March 31 - April 6, 2007: David and Freema Agyeman
December 22, 2007 - January 4, 2008: David and Kylie Minogue - Double Christmas Issue
April 5 - 11, 2008: David & Catherine
April 26 - May 2, 2008: David and Freema 
June 21 - 27, 2008: David, Billie & Catherine
December 6 - 12, 2008: David and David Morrisey 
April 11 - 17, 2009: David and Michelle Ryan
November 14 - 20, 2009: David and Lyndsay Duncan
November 28 - December 4, 2009: David solo
December 19, 2009 - January 1, 2010: David, John Simm, Catherine and Bernard Cribbens - Christmas Double Issue
August 28 - September 3, 2010: David solo - Single Father

April 25, 2012

Starburst Magazine was first published in the UK in 1978 and calls itself the world's longest running Sci-Fi magazine.  It was published monthly until issue #365 in August of 2008 and then resumed with issue #374 in February of 2012.  Slideshow of covers here!

David has graced the cover a total of 16 times including five Doctor Who Special issues.  The first time he appeared was in August 2005, on the bottom left hand corner of the cover, the photo they used was actually from Blackpool.  The following month he had the September cover all to himself, the picture was from Casanova with the caption Doctor Who - World Exclusive!

In January of 2006 he finally appeared on the cover in a photo of him as The Doctor with Billie Piper, the TARDIS and a Robo-Santa.  The first Doctor Who Special (#73) with David on the cover was published at the start of 2006 and Billie and David were back on the cover of the May 2006 issue.  The next 2006 Doctor  Who Special (#75) came out in the spring as well with David, Billie, Elisabeth Sladen, a Cyberman and a Clockworkman on the cover.  David and Billie shared the July 2006 cover with Superman!!!!  The Doctor Who Special (#76) was issued in the summer but there was only a very small inset photo on David and Freema Agyeman on the cover, the main picture was of two Cybermen and a Dalek. 

David was back for a solo cover in January 2007 and also with Freema on the Doctor Who Special (#79) at the same time. They also had the Aprill 2007 cover and again in June.  The June 2007 issue was #350 and the 30th birthday for Starburst and the issued 4 seperate covers one with David and Freema, one with Mark Hamill and Darth Vader one with Jamie Bamber and a Cylon and the film poster for 28 Weeks Later.  At the same time Doctor Who Special #81 came out with David and Freema and then at the end of the summer David and John Simm appeared on the cover of the Doctor Who Special #82.  

Freema was in the front center of the March 2008 cover with John Barrowman and David behind her on either side and the following month David and Catherine Tate were on the April cover. 

April 24, 2012

Dreamwatch was a monthly British SciFi magazine covering TV, movies and books published between 1983 and 2007.  It started life as a Doctor Who fanzine called Doctor Who Bulletin and changed it's name to Dreamwatch Bulletin in 1989 when they began to cover other genre shows and films, that way they kept the DWB abbreviation.  In 1994 the first professionally published issued debuted with the name shortened to Dreamwatch.  At the end of March 2007 the publication became produced solely on the web as Total SciFionline.  The Magazine was also published in the US from 2004 - 2007 with different covers.

David has appeared six times on the UK cover and three times on the US cover:

October 2005 - with Billie Piper
January 2006 - with Billie
May 2006 - with Billie
July 2006 - with Billie and Noel Clarke
October 2006 - with Freema Agyeman
February 2007 - Solo

January 2007  - Solo
February 2007 - US - with John Simm and John Barrowman
(March 2007 - US - he is seen as one of the inset photo's on the Spiderman Cover)

Deathray Magazine was also published in the UK, issue one went out May 2007 and the last issue was in October 2009 and in that time David was on the cover four times!

July 2007 with Freeman, January 2008 with Kylie Minogue, April 2008 with Catherine Tate, and September/October 2008 with Billie.






April 23, 2012

Cult Times was a British magazine published from 1995 - 2008.  David appeared on the cover ten times click for the slideshow!

Starting from December 2005 with Billie and a Cyberman and then David alone with the TARDIS in April 2006.  He was on the cover twice in May and December of 2007 and 2008.  David and Freema Agyeman together, then with Catherine Tate and Freema and the last two covers of him alone.

The December 2008 issue #159, with David, was he last published issue of the magazine.




April 22, 2012

To continue my covers theme for the week . . .

SFX Magazine is a monthly British publication started in 1995 covering Science Fiction and Fantasy.  If you are a subscriber you get the magazine sent to you with a clean cover photo, all of the writing except SFX has been removed, which makes for awesome photos.  I have included both covers to show the difference, believe me the scans don't do them justice, IMHO, they are some of the best collectable shots of David as The Doctor!

David's cover appearances on SFX started in November 2005 with him and Billie Piper, then again with Billie on the January 2006 and April 2006.  In 2007 he was on the cover with Catherine Tate in January and with Freema Agyeman in April.  Catherine and David made another cover appearance in April 2008 and then finally he got a solo cover in December 08, SFX 176 featured ten difference covers, one for each Doctor with the caption Who's Best.  2009 saw David once again on the April and December covers April with Michelle Ryan and December all on his own.

SX also publish regular special issues called SFX Collections and David has also featured on some of those the first being in 2006 - SFX Special #24: Doctor Who - Your Ultimate Unofficial Guide to All Ten Doctors David was in the foreground with portraits of William Hartnell, Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston in the background.  SFX Special #33: Doctor Who - Your 2008 SFX Unofficial Guide to the Whoniverse featuring David and Freema with a Cyberman.  In 2009 he was on the Collections cover called 21st Century SciFi.


Here's the slideshow!

April 21, 2012

A few days ago I posted a fact about what David and his appearance to date on the cover of the Radio Times.  That prompted me to go through my research and see just how many other magazine covers he has been on.  Click here for slide show!

Doctor Who Magazine:

2005 - Twice - Once alone and once with Billie Piper
2006 - Eight - Twice alone - Five times with Billie, Once with Freema Agyeman
2007 - Eight - Once alone - Three times with Freema, Twice with Catherine Tate Once with Peter Davison and Once with John Barrowman and Freema
2008 - Ten - Once alone, Once with a Dalek on the Bad Wolf cover, Once with Kylie Minogue, Once with Peter Davison, Once with Freema, Once with Georgia Moffet as the lower right inset, Twice with Catherine, and he appears on two of the four covers that were issued for DWM 398, one was him with Catherine, Bernard Cribbens and Jaqueline King and the other was him with Billie, Camille Coduri, and Noel Clarke.
2009 - Eight  - Three times alone, including the multiple issue 413 celebrating the top 200 episodes, David had one of the three covers were, Tom Baker Peter Davison, Christopher Eccleston.  The other 2009 covers were David with David Morrisey, Dervla Kirwan, Michelle Ryan, Elisabeth Sladen and Lindsay Duncan.
2010 - One cover with John Simm and Bernard Cribbens.
2011 - He is the small inset picture on the lower left side on issue 432.

He also appears on the covers of Doctor Who Specials, number 14 with Billie, number 17 with Freema and John B, number 20 with Catherine and Billie, number 22 with William Hartnell, number 24 with Billie, Freema, Catherine and Christopher E, number 25 with John Simm and Bernard Cribbens, and number 28 with Elisabeth Sladen and Matt Smith.

April 20, 2012

David certainly has a great love and appreciation for music and will sing at the drop of a hat. Maybe he was influenced by his musical older brother.  He went from punk rock drummer to Virgin Music to Sony to Columbia and beyond!  I've collected some of David's singing for you here!

Hired Man

Modern Major General 

Me and the Farmer 

Music Music Music 

500 Miles 




April 19, 2012

This is one of my favourite comments from David's Dad about his acting and the fact that he is a minister:

 'I'm very proud of him, he's been very successful and he's a fantastic actor. I will watch Casanova, I watch everything he's in. If there are bits in Casanova I want to shut my eyes at, I'll shut my eyes. I can always switch it off.

'I've closed my eyes at some of the things David has done in the past and I'll do it again.'  'He has done raunchy things, but that happens in real life and as an actor his job is to portray life. For me to start saying what he should and shouldn't do wouldn't work.' He added: ' I wouldn't expect David to turn down a part because it's a hideous character, when it's a good part for him.'


Daily Mail  - November 12, 2004 CHRISTINA STOKES 

April 18, 2012



It was 20 years ago today . . . April 18, 1992, David was on stage for closing night of Merlin at the Edinburgh Royal Lyceum. He played Arthur and Richard Baron was the assistant director, he directed David four more times in Shinda the Magic Ape, A Long Day's Journey into Night, The Glass Menagerie and Look Back in Anger.



Later that year he played Arthur again in a panto called Merlin the Magnificent and the Adventures of Arthur at the Dundee Rep.


Happy 41st Birthday to David. 

April 17, 2012

I'm sure everyone knows this poster of David as Hamlet for the RSC, here is an in depth look at the meaning and symbolism behind the original image and the slightly changed pose David appeared in.

"As part of a season-long marketing campaign that placed leading performers in facsimiles of famous paintings, the poster and program for Hamlet featured Tennant in the guise of Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer Before the Sea of Fog (1818). Often considered the archetypal Romantic image, the original painting invites the viewers to subjectively project themselves into the position of the lone traveler contemplating the vastness of nature and, in Friedrich's philosophy, the mystery of the divine. Thus, the piece seems an ideal correlative to Hamlet, itself considered a masterpiece by the Romantics, with its hero cast as the embodiment of the subjective, thoughtful, Romantic man.

The RSC, however, wore their Friedrich with a difference. While the figure in the painting is turned away from the observer, allowing maximum audience identification with the anonymous profile, Tennant was invited to face the viewer head on, looking out of the picture with what might be described as fear or contempt. The slight variation was almost certainly motivated by a desire to sell tickets (and posters of a pinup star), but it is also possible, given Tennant's performance, to view the shift of the actor's shoulders as far more significant than it initially appears. The combination of charismatic casting of a major star with the use of Friedrich's iconic image seems to imply a Romantic approach to Hamlet, a reading that encourages audiences to identify subjectively with an emotionally tortured soul. I would suggest, however, that Tennant's turn towards the camera signals a rather different approach to the play. Gazing at the viewer, the sharply individualized figure in the poster forbids subjective identification. By turning back from the cliff's edge--away from "not to be" and towards "to be"--the figure shifts from personal introspection towards revenge action where madness is a tactic rather than a state of mind and Hamlet is no wilting flower or, as Goethe would have it, shattering vase. To the contrary, Tennant's Hamlet was a figure more than up to his task, a man whose behavior--not just his potential--marked him as the most exemplary member of a brilliant and cunning court circle. In short, Gregory Doran's "backwards" production, signaled by the turn of the lone wanderer's back in the poster, flew in the face of its own Romantic, character-driven marketing strategy and offered an interpretation influenced by Neoclassical views of the play as a tale of intrigue and revenge."

Shakespeare Bulletin 26.4 (Winter 2008) Laura Grace Godwin. 

April 16, 2012

David's likeness appearing in Jonathan Ross's comic has been in the news this past week but he has appeared in several comics as Doctor Who.

IDW - an American Comic Book company and they produced the first ever story created specifically for the American market.  Doctor Who (2008) issues 1-6 (Jan - Jun) were supposed to have been separate stories each month but ended up being one story as a mini-series and the series was also re-marketed as a graphic novel called Agent Provocateur.  The cover of the novel was the same cover as issue one and the story was written by Doctor Who story editor Gary Russell.  These comics were not available in the UK.


The next 6 issues from August 2008- January 2009 were called Doctor Who: The Forgotten and featured all ten Doctors.

 The next issues were one shots stand alone stories.  The Whispering Gallery in February 2009, The Time Machination in May 2009 which featured the  tenth, fourth and sixth Doctor.  The June 2009 issue was called Autopia, July 2009 Room with a Deja View, August 2009 Cold Blooded War!, and September 2009 Black Death White Life.  Many of these titles had multiple covers and some even featured a photo of David on the cover.

There was a two part story in July and August 2009 called Silver Scream, a four part story called The Fugitive from September - December 2009, two parter called Tesseract January - February 2010 and two more four parters, Don't Step on the Grass - March - June 2010 and Final Sacrifice - July - October 2010.  

IDW were the last place to create original stories featuring the Tenth Doctor. 

His likeness appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comics each month  from issue 365 - 416.  Doctor Who Adventures Magazine which was created for the tenth Doctor's younger fans had a comic featuring David from issue 1 - 159.

Issued from September 2006 Doctor Who: Battles in Time Magazine, issued in conjunction with the trading cards of the same name, also featured a strip each issue.   The Doctor Who Annuals from 2007 - 2010 also featured 2 comic strips each.  The Doctor Who Storybooks 2007 -  2010  all contained illustrated stories and one comic strip each.






April 15, 2012

It was six years ago today that David's first regular season Doctor Who episode aired.  New Earth was seen by 8.6 million people that night April 15, 2006.
It was the first episode of the revived series to be set on an alien planet.  All of Christopher Eccleston's episode's were set either on Earth as was Christmas Invasion, or on space stations or spaceships in orbit around Earth.  It is also the first time we see The Doctor use his psychic paper.

The press screening for the episode was held at The Millenium Centre in Cardiff which was also used to film the hospital scenes.  The spot where The Doctor points out he'd put a little shop is where the Centre's real Portmerion shop is located.

Adjoa Andoh who plays Sister Jatt, one of the cat nun's, in this episode, appears in season three several times as Martha's mother Francine Jones.

The giant "BAD WOLF" graffiti written on a paved public area of Rose's estate (seen in Doctor Who: The Parting of the Ways) is still visible, though faded, at the start of the episode.

April 14, 2012

In an interview at the press showing of the Doctor Who episode Tooth and Claw David and Russell put to rest all the rumors that the BBC forced Davies to get rid of David's accent: 

"It didn't bother me one way or another," says Tennant. "It doesn't make me any less Scottish not doing a Scottish accent. But it was nice to have one episode where Russell came up with the idea of the Doctor having a Scottish accent - which remarkably the doctor could do..."

Davies, for his part, strenuously denies that it was a result of any sort of BBC dictat. "I absolutely swear to you on my life!" he protests. 

Scotsman - :April 7, 2006 - Emma Cowing

April 13, 2012

Some actors find it hard to watch themselves on TV  and others are freaked out by seeing their face 20 feet tall in the cinema but of these things are planned activities.  Imagine riding around your town and suddenly seeing your face 20 feet tall, on a billboard!

 Sitting on the bus the other day, actor David Tennant got a fright. Looming above him as he gazed out of the window was a billboard with a giant photograph of himself.

He was draped by two women and looking smoulderingly at the bus passengers as if he'd love to rip their knickers off.

There's one of these posters as you come out of Bristol on the Wells Road, and they're popping up all over the place - . . . "It was 20 feet high!" David gasps, recalling his first sight of himself as the young 18th-century lothario.   "It scared the s*** out of me."

"Casanova cometh soon", woos the sultry billboard.


February 10 2005 western daily press

April 12, 2012

One of the qualities I admire most in David is his modesty:

"I ask if it has been a simple matter for him to transfer his impish charms to the character of the Doctor. Tennant laughs so abruptly that he appears to spray biscuit crumbs through his nose.

'My what?'

Impish charms.

'Ah, bless you for saying that.' He shakes his head indulgently, as if the notion is self-evidently ridiculous. 'I know that in Casanova Russell wrote a lot of that stuff where the character's thoughts change very quickly, so you're still finishing off one thought as you catch up with the next, and he's written the Doctor in the same way, which is great to play because you get to be the guy with all the best lines and the wit, and it really has to be played at a lick. I think that's very attractive to watch in a character, when they're plucking all these extraordinary thoughts down and you have to race to catch up, kind of like The West Wing. Russell's a lot like that himself.'"

The Observer - December 11, 2005 - Stephanie Merritt

April 11, 2012

David Tennant has an intense, boyish look. I can see him scurrying past the window of the cafe where we're due to meet. Against the backdrop of a drab winter's day in north London, he cuts an unmistakably Scottish figure - recalling Sir Henry Raeburn's painting The Reverend Robert Walker Skating On Duddingston Loch.

The Guardian - January 1, 2005 - Tristram Kenton
                                      I don't see it - maybe this




























April 10, 2012

If you have ever watched any Doctor Who Confidential you know that between takes David hardly ever stands still.  He is full of manic energy his dresser during Hamlet said that she had a hard time every night trying to get his bow tie on him because he never stood still.

All this energy extends past the studio and the theatre read this description of David arriving for an interview.

"David Tennant bounds up, all bright-eyed and beaming.. . .  he's all spiky hyper, bouncing in his chair, a mass of gangly fidgets and quick-fire chat." - The Times - February 24, 2007 - John Naish

April 9, 2012

This is a great article about David and fashion - and you can't at all tell that the interviewer was a woman . . .

Excerpts taken from The Guardian - Fashion shoot with David -  April 1, 2006 - Hadley Freeman

Hi, I'm David-in-my-pants," says the very boyish, handsome 34-year-old striding towards me, arm extended, wearing, as promised, his underpants. Perhaps the train journey from London to Cardiff was worth it after all."I just don't have the courage of my convictions about my fashion decisions - I think I need some guidance there," he adds in his charming Scottish accent, his eyes all characteristically puppyish and pleading. Yes, the trip is definitely worth it so far.

(Talking about Doctor Who's clothes) "It's not a million miles from what I usually wear," he says, "so I now have to be careful - if people see me out and about looking too much like Dr Who, that would be pretty naff."The Converse were inspired by Tennant himself - he's been devoted to the brand for more than 20 years - so when I tell him that David Cameron wears them, too, he reels back into the sofa, aghast. "No!" he whispers. "You've just ruined them for me.

He insists that becoming a recognised face has not changed his style, but has made him more conscious that he shouldn't wear something more than once because people comment on it. This, naturally, means constant wardrobe updates, which rather goes against a Presbyterian upbringing "that would never permit any conspicuous consumption."Tennant's teenage years were a swamp of fashion mistakes, he says, citing in particular a pink jumper that he wore for years until someone told him that it was, well, terrible.

He recently discovered H&M, he adds, enunciating each of the letters carefully, as if tentatively speaking in a new language. "Plain T-shirts for only a tuppence."Yet despite all this he seems at ease during the shoot. He particularly likes a tan jumper, which prompts him to stroke his hands over his chest in a most distracting manner. "I love this - what is it?"Burberry, comes the answer. "Aren't they really, really naff?" Not any more, the rest of us chirrup. "Oh my God, I'm so yesterday," Tennant groans. Later, when a troublesome belt results in several hands rummaging around his groin for a long couple of minutes, he remains impressively unflustered.

"The stylist brings out a golden brocade coat that looks, Tennant says, "like an old curtain". But by the end of the shoot he seems rather keen on this home furnishing coat, tying it just that little bit tighter around his waist."Maybe you could wear it next season on the show," trills his publicist. "Fashion Dr Who," laughs the stylist."No," says Tennant, sweeping up his coat tails and sitting down. "Dr Fashion."

April 8, 2012

As it is Easter today I thought I'd give you a quote about church from a interview with Aidan Smith in Scotland on Sunday - November 7, 2004:

Tennant (talking about his father Rt. Rev. Dr. Sandy McDonald) reckons there must be a bit of the actor in every man of the cloth. "I remember as a boy watching him preach from the pulpit and thinking: 'That's not Dad.' His passion scared me."

So who is God to him? "I don't think, just because I'm the minister's son, that I must believe. My parents allowed me to come to my own conclusions. Let's face it, organised religion, especially in Scotland, leaves a lot to be desired and the Church of Scotland in particular has a lot to answer for. But I think I have a humanist outlook because of them - Christian in the right way." So how often does ho attend church? "Jings, they'll be reading this. Well, I have been very busy... "

Plus you get another Jings!  for good measure!


April 7, 2012

David Tennant has been on the cover of the Radio Times either alone or with other actors a total of 17 times. Thirteen times dress as The Doctor, fifteen times in costume and twice in his own clothes!

The other two costumes were Casanova, his first RT cover appearance, and Arthur Eddington.

Below are the two covers where he appears as himself:


April 6, 2012

The word for today is JINGS! - If you have been following David through his many radio appearances or even on Doctor Who Confidential you may know that he often uses the Scottish slang word Jings.

In an article from The Scottish Herald being interviewed by Anne Simpson he talks about his fondness for the word:

"Blackpool was tremendous fun. On the page it all looked quite possible to achieve but when we started rehearsing it was: 'Jings, how are we ever going to make this work?';

Learning dance moves, and singing and acting at the same time, it's not easy unless you're a full-on musical theatre twirlie."

Did he really say "jings"? Tennant laughs.

"Well, I started using the word ironically but now it seems to be stitched into my vocabulary even though I'm aware it sounds a little quaint." - June 6, 2005


The Glaswegian and Scottish words translation website defines Jings as "The polite was of saying 'For Fxxx Sake'"

April 5, 2012

Adam James appeared in the West End production of Much Ado About Nothing with David last year but they met in 1999 doing another Shakespeare play, King Lear. They played brother Edgar (Tennant) and Edmund (James) in the Royal Manchester production that ran from September 8th and ran through October 23, 1999. They also appeared together in the Doctor Who episode Planet of the Dead James portrayed D.I. McMillan.

I would have given anything to have been a fly on the wall when they first met and started chatting . . .

Adam: So what do you do when you're not acting.
David: I collect Doctor Who DVD's I am a huge fan of teh show it's what made me want to become an actor.
Adam: (laughing) Really - well Jon Pertwee is my godfather!
David speechless makes a friend for life.

The Independent didn't really like the play but clearly these two made a great impression:

"Some good performances stand out from the prevailing dullness. David Tennant is a striking Edgar who impersonates Poor Tom as a possessed, body-thumping Scot in filthy underclothes, and Adam James brings a sardonic, golden-boy cool to the machiavellian machinations of Edmund." - Paul Taylor - September 21 1999

April 4, 2012

Series two of Twenty Twelve is now being shown on BBC Two with David's great narration.  David recorded the narration for series one in a recording studio in Albuquerque NM while he was filming Fright Night. The director John Morton was giving him direction via the phone!  Luckily they already had a working relationship from David's appearance on Morton's series People Like Us where David plays the aspiring actor Rob Harker.

April 3, 2012

 I think that this is one of David's best descriptions of his craft ever:

"Patrick Stewart has talked about how one of the reasons he keeps being asked to play these iconic science fiction characters is that the training that he has through Royal Shakespeare allows him to give it a gravity and a reality, so it's not just silly men in funny suits.


Well, there's a similar trick - "trick" is underplaying it a bit - to playing Shakepseare and to playing this kind of work: you've got to play it absolutely real. But the language of Shakespeare is slightly heightened, and you have to serve it up. And there's a similar thing to that science-fiction/fantasy stuff, and you have to absolutely ground it in veracity, and yet just serve it up a little bit. I completely get what Patrick says, and I'm sure Ian McKellen might admit to a similar thing. If you can sell that you're the King of Scotland, or Henry V on a tiny stage in a studio theater somewhere, then you can probably sell that you're a starship captain or a time traveler. There is a similar skill there, yeah."

In an interview with Alan Sepinwall - December 24 2009 - on the American website NJ.com

April 2, 2012

In 2008 Sarah Brown interviewed celebrities about their relationships with their fathers for a book called Dads: A Celebration Of Fatherhood From Britain's Finest And Funniest. Co-authored by Gil McNeil the book was published by Ebury on May 29, 2008 and for every book sold, £1 will go to the PiggyBankKids charity.

Sarah Brown, wife of former UK Prime Minister Gordan Brown, founded the charity in 2002. "At PiggyBankKids we work hard to give children the best possible chance of living a healthy and happy life, here in the UK. We want to help as many children as we can: from the vulnerable babies whose lives could be saved with the right scientific breakthroughs, to those kids and young people who have the hardest start in life."

This excerpt from David's interview appeared in the Daily Mail on May 1, 2008:

"When you're a child you blithely assume that your dad knows everything. Now, aged 37, I have to admit that mine probably does.


I don't mean he could rattle off the kings of England in order, or work out the quantity of dark matter in the universe on the back of a napkin (although he'd probably give it a good go); it's the dad stuff he's good at.

Problem with the car? Confusion over the house insurance? Need to put a shelf up? Even how do you blanch broccoli? I'll call my dad.

He'll always have an answer, or at least know where to find one. (Anything involving gadgets, for instance, gets outsourced to his mate John, who lives nearby in a house full of self-soldered circuit boards and half-built computers.)

But it worries me. I'll be 40 in a few years: shouldn't I already know how to tile a bathroom wall?

Where does Dad get all this knowledge from? Is it instinct? Was he born knowing how to replace a fanbelt? Did he rely on his father for all these life skills? Were they passed down like an Olympic torch, practicality burning down the generations?

Trouble is, I think I'm in danger of dropping it. In years to come, when my kids phone me up to ask how to reignite their boiler, I'll have to put them on to Granddad.

I know it's not just me - my brother and sister are the same. Luckily, despite being 70 and with one false hip, my dad is still the most energetic, indefatigable man you're ever likely to meet.

Thank goodness for that. You've got years of cutting down trees and fixing curtain rails ahead of you, Dad. No peaceful retirement for you, I'm afraid. We'd be neck-deep in chaos without you."




April 1, 2012

Since it's April Fools Day today I thought I would post a slide show of David as the Fool in the 1996 production of As You Like It. His debut performance with the RSC was hailed as the most memorable Touchstone in years. Click Here for photo's.

David was in rehearsal for the Dundee Rep production of The Glass Menagerie when he flew to London to audition for the RSC but he was not expecting to read the part of Touchstone so he had not prepared anything for that role!