DOCTOR WHO STAR IN BBC TALKS

DOCTOR Who star David Tennant may yet do battle with the Daleks in another full series of the BBC1 cult sci-fi show.
The guessing game over whether the actor will continue in the title role has taken another twist, with a source close to the programme saying the popular star is “talking about coming back” and is “set to open up negotiations”.
And last night a BBC executive admitted: “We just can’t lose him.”
Tennant is currently signed to do three specials in the new year, but has refused to say anything about whether he will sign for a fifth series.
Instead, he has taken a step back from television to play Hamlet in the theatre. This had led to much speculation over who would follow him into the Tardis, with stars from Richard Hammond to David Morrissey each staking a claim to the coveted, and lucrative, role.
Three weeks ago in the Sunday Express, outgoing Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies suggested Tennant may not be lost to the series after all and could go on “for ever”.
He added: “David has brought everything to Doctor Who. I remember exactly where I was when I saw him audition for Casanova,” which was also written by him. “I thought, here is someone saying the lines exactly as they are written.”
Meanwhile, the search is still on for the Doctor’s new assistant. Since the show’s relaunch there have been three – Billie Piper, Freema Agayman and Catherine Tate and the part is considered a plum role for any emerging actress.
A source said: “What we do know is that Patrick Stewart is going to appear in the fifth series as the Meddling Monk.
The character last appeared in Doctor Who in the Sixties. Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, and Tennant have become close friends through starring in the RSC’s Hamlet at Stratford-upon-Avon.
The three specials are due to film in January, February and March next year, while the new series will be shot from June.
A Christmas special will feature Tennant, Morrissey and Dervla Kirwan in a battle against the Cybermen.