Well, the press release for Dreamland has been unleashed so it won't be our little secret for very long. What does it reveal? A little about the plot -
Roswell, Nevada. The dusty strip of desert where nothing ever grows except alien legends and strange stories about flying saucers... The TARDIS touches down in 1958 and another legend is about to be born!
More specifically... 'During a visit to a local diner he (the Doctor) stumbles upon a mysterious alien artefact that leads him on a mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the Viperox and the clutches of the American military.'
So, we have the name of the (apparent) enemy - the Viperox! Now, that's a great name for an alien menace and when we heard screen legend David Warner was going to voice the Viperox we were confident a memorable villain was about to be born! The Viperox! You can already hear the Doctor spitting out the name.
Little wonder Executive Producer Russell T Davies has said, 'Dreamland is a remarkable project and I'm thrilled with it. Phil Ford is a wonderful writer and promises to send the Doctor into a whole new visual dimension.'
And the Doctor gets two - count 'em - two new companions in this adventure! Over the months ahead we'll meet them. Find out how they came to life - how they were written, drawn, animated, voiced... and received!
Right now we can reveal one of them is voiced by Georgia Moffett who played Jenny in the Doctor's Daughter. Cards on table, we lurve Georgia and were delighted she was onboard because apart from anything else, it meant we could grab her for an interview - an interview you'll see on these very pages.
But in the meantime, take a look at the Doctor Who press release.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
SJ tv has fun with a bootleg
Sarah Jane TV has fun with a bootleg of The Sarah Jane Adventures from Thailand, CLICK HERE for article.
SJA Series Three Titles
The 412th Issue of Doctor Who Magazine, which is out on Thursday reveals all 6 titles for the forthcoming third series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. The titles can be seen below.
Prisoner of The Judoon
The Mad Woman in The Attic
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
The Eternity Trap
Mona Lisa's Revenge
The Gift
All are two parters.
Prisoner of The Judoon
The Mad Woman in The Attic
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
The Eternity Trap
Mona Lisa's Revenge
The Gift
All are two parters.
Stars from Buffy, Doctor Who, Addams Family coming to Orlando
News Journal Online reports Slyvester McCoy will be at this years Mini-MegaCon, CLICK HERE for the complete guest list
DS Scoop on those final 'Who' specials
What sort of character is Joshua? How does he fit into the story?
"He's a rather strange individual. He wants to do something remarkable and he seeks the help of probably the most evil person in the universe. And by seeking his help, he sets in motion a series of events that could possibly bring about the end of the world."
Did you have any scenes with John Simm?
"I did, yes!"
How did the part come about?
"Well, apparently Russell T had been trying to get me on to the series for a long time but I'd just been very busy. Finally, I was available, and he basically said, 'Do you wanna come in and do this job?' I wanted to get involved, so we kind of just made it happen."
They were David Tennant's final episodes. What was the atmosphere like on set?
"I'd say it was very charged - people were in tears. It was the end of a very successful partnership. It was obviously David's last outing, and it was also Russell's last outing and Julie Gardner's last outing. So everyone was saying goodbye to what had been a very successful partnership."
How secretive was the plot kept? Were you privvy to the part of the script with his final scene?
"No - we only got four pages, so most of us didn't get to see. I think we'll all be checking in on Christmas Day!"
Did everyone want to find out while you were there?
"Not really, because we all understand what it is and everyone was playing their part and they're keen to keep it under wraps!"
"He's a rather strange individual. He wants to do something remarkable and he seeks the help of probably the most evil person in the universe. And by seeking his help, he sets in motion a series of events that could possibly bring about the end of the world."
Did you have any scenes with John Simm?
"I did, yes!"
How did the part come about?
"Well, apparently Russell T had been trying to get me on to the series for a long time but I'd just been very busy. Finally, I was available, and he basically said, 'Do you wanna come in and do this job?' I wanted to get involved, so we kind of just made it happen."
They were David Tennant's final episodes. What was the atmosphere like on set?
"I'd say it was very charged - people were in tears. It was the end of a very successful partnership. It was obviously David's last outing, and it was also Russell's last outing and Julie Gardner's last outing. So everyone was saying goodbye to what had been a very successful partnership."
How secretive was the plot kept? Were you privvy to the part of the script with his final scene?
"No - we only got four pages, so most of us didn't get to see. I think we'll all be checking in on Christmas Day!"
Did everyone want to find out while you were there?
"Not really, because we all understand what it is and everyone was playing their part and they're keen to keep it under wraps!"
Who's greatest moments
The Official BBC Doctor Who website has an article on the new Doctor Who's Greatest Moments series, CLICK HERE for more details.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sur will be an Adventure
CORONATION Street star Suranne Jones will appear in the new series of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures this autumn.
The actress, 30, who played Karen McDonald, will be a guest star when the children's show returns with a third series on BBC1 and CBBC.
Her character is being kept under wraps, but producer Nikki Wilson reckons that signing up Suranne is an ideal piece of casting.
She said: "We conceived the character in a story meeting about 18 months ago and immediately named Suranne as perfect to play her - never imagining we'd actually get someone who's in so much demand.
"But as soon as she saw the script she said yes."
The story will also feature former Drop The Dead Donkey star Jeff Rawle.
Elisabeth Sladen, who plays Sarah Jane, will also be joined by Nigel Havers in series three.
A fourth series is being made.
•
CANADIAN actress Sarah Chalke, 32, who plays Dr Elliott Reid in US medical comedy Scrubs, and her lawyer fiancé Jamie Afifi are expecting their first child this winter.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
NEW Doctor Who assistant poses
NEW Doctor Who assistant Karen Gillan looks simply out of this world as she lazes in her lingerie
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Forget David Tennant.. I am still the real Doctor Who, says Tom Baker
TOM BAKER reckons he's never stopped being Doctor Who - 28 years after his last adventure.
"There was no last time," he points out. "I am the Doctor."
The 75-year-old may have become a household name to a different generation as the narrator of Little Britain, but to anyone growing up in the Seventies and Eighties, he is to Doctor Who what Sean Connery is to James Bond.
And although it's been almost 30 years since he battled Daleks, Tom is still the most popular Time Lord. Now, the fourth Doctor is back in a series of new audiobooks which will be released next month.
And while Matt Smith, 26, prepares to take on the UK's best sci-fi role when David Tennant relinquishes the keys to the Tardis at Christmas, Tom isn't about to give him any advice.
"Idon't give advice to the young," he revealed."I have often noticed that the young shudder at the sight of the old, so I keep silent."
Although Tom has enjoyed success on Little Britain and as the wonderful Donald Ulysses MacDonald on Monarch of the Glen, it's still as DoctorWho that most remember him.
He was the Doctor between 1974-1981 and is the longest-living incarnation in the show's on-screen history.
Most recently, however, Paisley boy David Tennant has snapped at his heels. But rather than put him down, the veteran is hugely generous in his praise for the Scottish actor.
"David Tennant is a wonderful actor, a huge star," he admitted. "He is young and handsome. I never saw him in that role, but then, I never saw myself as the Doctor either."
Tom took over from Jon Pertwee in 1974 and was working on a construction site at the time.
He was dubbed "Boiler Suit Tom" by the media at the time, as he had been supplied for a press conference with some old studio set clothes to replace his modest garments.
However, Tom soon found an image - with his iconic long scarf, the hat and of course, his curly hair.
While the curly hair is a little flatter and whiter these days, Tom didn't need the rest of his costume to reprise his popular role.
Tom stars in a series of five audio adventures from BBC Audiobooks titled DoctorWho: Hornet's Nest, which also features Rula Lenska as the Hornet Queen, former Coronation Street actress Susan Jameson, and another old DoctorWho face, Richard Franklin, who reprises his role as Captain MikeYates for the series.
It was written by Paul Magrs and is the first full adventure with Tom since Logopolis - a four-parter which ran from February to March 1981 and saw the first appearance by fifth Doctor, Peter Davison.
Tom has been seen as the Doctor twice since then since. He appeared in the 20th Anniversary special The Five Doctors, but only in the form of footage from the uncompleted DoctorWho series Shada, which was never completed due to a BBC strike. Tom also reprised the role for a brief cameo for Children in Need in 1993.
Paul Magrs said: "It feels fantastic to write for Tom again. He's quite unlike any other Doctor.
"He's witty, dangerous, courageous and erudite. He's also the most facetious, but also the most serious when his dander's up.
"Tom is very passionate about his Doctor and rightfully protective. I was honoured he wanted to do this series of stories.
"He was engaged in the scripts - he made suggestions and changed things here and there to make it as good as possible."
Of course Tom only has to speak and he's the Doctor and admitted it was "very easy" to get back into playing the character for the first time in 28 years.
"I never went away. I have been standing in the shadows waiting," he pointed out, adding "The hat and scarf are in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.
"I didn't really have to do anything to the script to make it more like the fourth Doctor."
The new series, which will be available to buy from September 3, sees the Doctor in fighting form.
The action doesn't start in the Seventies when Tom was the Doctor and instead - in typical Time Lord tradition - flicks back and forward through time.
Tom said: "The story starts now, shifts to 1930 then to 1840. It then moves to an eleventh century convent, where my sonic screwdriver caused a sensation."
While there are now three working Doctors, the older actor refuses to be drawn on rumours that all the surviving Doctors will be brought back for a Children in Need special.
If so, Tom would be joined by Scots David Tennant and Sylvester McCoy, 65, who was the seventh Doctor. And, as new Doctor Matt Smith's companion Karen Gillan is also a Scot, does Tom reckon there's something tartan about the Tardis? "The character has lots of links with many places in many time zones." he said.
"Perhaps he could switch accents from time to time.
"But Scotland is a mysterious and strange place, but that's not the only reason we admire the Scots."
Tom has many links with Scotland. He was born in Scotland Road in Liverpool, toured the country with The National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company and also performed at the Edinburgh Festival a handful of times.
And of course, he played that wonderful colourful character in Monarch of the Glen, which was perhaps the one show that helped to dispel those sci-fi tags. He may have played over the top characters such as Captain Redbeard Rum in Blackadder or Wyvern in Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) but admits he has never been able to shake his most famous role.
"It was impossible, I am the character," he said.
Tom revealed it's not just viewers who have taken a shine to him.
While filming Monarch near Newtonmore, in the central Highlands of Scotland, the actor - who has been married three times and has two sons - was plagued by the midges.
Tom said: "The midges adored me. They just couldn't get enough of me. They just ate me up.
"It took me back to my youth," he added with a twinkle.
He is, of course, also known as the voice of Little Britain.
Tom started on the comedy when it was on BBC Radio Four in 2001 and carried on when it made the leap to television.
Thus his unmistakable, booming theatrical voice will always be linked to the David Walliams and Matt Lucas comedy.
Of course, witty quotes such as: "In Paris, Anne is paying a visit to the Louvre. At my age I'm up all night visiting the Louvre" took many by surprise.
He also quoted rap lyrics such as Salt n' Pepa's Push It and House of Pain's Jump Around, while Tom even got to read the continuity announcements on BBC One as part of the launch of the third series of Little Britain in 2005 with lines such as: "In half an hour, Jenny Dickens's classic serial Bleak House. But first, let's see what the poor people are up to in the first of two visits this evening to EastEnders."
Tom said: "It was fun. A new generation of young fans found a chauvinistic old fool funny."
"The lines were all created by Matt Lucas and DavidWalliams. I just said them and the youngsters howled."
"There was no last time," he points out. "I am the Doctor."
The 75-year-old may have become a household name to a different generation as the narrator of Little Britain, but to anyone growing up in the Seventies and Eighties, he is to Doctor Who what Sean Connery is to James Bond.
And although it's been almost 30 years since he battled Daleks, Tom is still the most popular Time Lord. Now, the fourth Doctor is back in a series of new audiobooks which will be released next month.
And while Matt Smith, 26, prepares to take on the UK's best sci-fi role when David Tennant relinquishes the keys to the Tardis at Christmas, Tom isn't about to give him any advice.
"Idon't give advice to the young," he revealed."I have often noticed that the young shudder at the sight of the old, so I keep silent."
Although Tom has enjoyed success on Little Britain and as the wonderful Donald Ulysses MacDonald on Monarch of the Glen, it's still as DoctorWho that most remember him.
He was the Doctor between 1974-1981 and is the longest-living incarnation in the show's on-screen history.
Most recently, however, Paisley boy David Tennant has snapped at his heels. But rather than put him down, the veteran is hugely generous in his praise for the Scottish actor.
"David Tennant is a wonderful actor, a huge star," he admitted. "He is young and handsome. I never saw him in that role, but then, I never saw myself as the Doctor either."
Tom took over from Jon Pertwee in 1974 and was working on a construction site at the time.
He was dubbed "Boiler Suit Tom" by the media at the time, as he had been supplied for a press conference with some old studio set clothes to replace his modest garments.
However, Tom soon found an image - with his iconic long scarf, the hat and of course, his curly hair.
While the curly hair is a little flatter and whiter these days, Tom didn't need the rest of his costume to reprise his popular role.
Tom stars in a series of five audio adventures from BBC Audiobooks titled DoctorWho: Hornet's Nest, which also features Rula Lenska as the Hornet Queen, former Coronation Street actress Susan Jameson, and another old DoctorWho face, Richard Franklin, who reprises his role as Captain MikeYates for the series.
It was written by Paul Magrs and is the first full adventure with Tom since Logopolis - a four-parter which ran from February to March 1981 and saw the first appearance by fifth Doctor, Peter Davison.
Tom has been seen as the Doctor twice since then since. He appeared in the 20th Anniversary special The Five Doctors, but only in the form of footage from the uncompleted DoctorWho series Shada, which was never completed due to a BBC strike. Tom also reprised the role for a brief cameo for Children in Need in 1993.
Paul Magrs said: "It feels fantastic to write for Tom again. He's quite unlike any other Doctor.
"He's witty, dangerous, courageous and erudite. He's also the most facetious, but also the most serious when his dander's up.
"Tom is very passionate about his Doctor and rightfully protective. I was honoured he wanted to do this series of stories.
"He was engaged in the scripts - he made suggestions and changed things here and there to make it as good as possible."
Of course Tom only has to speak and he's the Doctor and admitted it was "very easy" to get back into playing the character for the first time in 28 years.
"I never went away. I have been standing in the shadows waiting," he pointed out, adding "The hat and scarf are in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.
"I didn't really have to do anything to the script to make it more like the fourth Doctor."
The new series, which will be available to buy from September 3, sees the Doctor in fighting form.
The action doesn't start in the Seventies when Tom was the Doctor and instead - in typical Time Lord tradition - flicks back and forward through time.
Tom said: "The story starts now, shifts to 1930 then to 1840. It then moves to an eleventh century convent, where my sonic screwdriver caused a sensation."
While there are now three working Doctors, the older actor refuses to be drawn on rumours that all the surviving Doctors will be brought back for a Children in Need special.
If so, Tom would be joined by Scots David Tennant and Sylvester McCoy, 65, who was the seventh Doctor. And, as new Doctor Matt Smith's companion Karen Gillan is also a Scot, does Tom reckon there's something tartan about the Tardis? "The character has lots of links with many places in many time zones." he said.
"Perhaps he could switch accents from time to time.
"But Scotland is a mysterious and strange place, but that's not the only reason we admire the Scots."
Tom has many links with Scotland. He was born in Scotland Road in Liverpool, toured the country with The National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company and also performed at the Edinburgh Festival a handful of times.
And of course, he played that wonderful colourful character in Monarch of the Glen, which was perhaps the one show that helped to dispel those sci-fi tags. He may have played over the top characters such as Captain Redbeard Rum in Blackadder or Wyvern in Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) but admits he has never been able to shake his most famous role.
"It was impossible, I am the character," he said.
Tom revealed it's not just viewers who have taken a shine to him.
While filming Monarch near Newtonmore, in the central Highlands of Scotland, the actor - who has been married three times and has two sons - was plagued by the midges.
Tom said: "The midges adored me. They just couldn't get enough of me. They just ate me up.
"It took me back to my youth," he added with a twinkle.
He is, of course, also known as the voice of Little Britain.
Tom started on the comedy when it was on BBC Radio Four in 2001 and carried on when it made the leap to television.
Thus his unmistakable, booming theatrical voice will always be linked to the David Walliams and Matt Lucas comedy.
Of course, witty quotes such as: "In Paris, Anne is paying a visit to the Louvre. At my age I'm up all night visiting the Louvre" took many by surprise.
He also quoted rap lyrics such as Salt n' Pepa's Push It and House of Pain's Jump Around, while Tom even got to read the continuity announcements on BBC One as part of the launch of the third series of Little Britain in 2005 with lines such as: "In half an hour, Jenny Dickens's classic serial Bleak House. But first, let's see what the poor people are up to in the first of two visits this evening to EastEnders."
Tom said: "It was fun. A new generation of young fans found a chauvinistic old fool funny."
"The lines were all created by Matt Lucas and DavidWalliams. I just said them and the youngsters howled."
Tennant 'nervous' at Hollywood audition
David Tennant has revealed that he recently had his first ever movie audition in Hollywood.
The Doctor Who star told BBC Wales that he was "nervous" because he had not had to audition for a part since Casanova in 2004.
Tennant said: "I had my first ever Hollywood audition yesterday. The terrible thing is I've been very spoilt in Britain for the last few years - I haven't done an audition.
"I went to this room and I found the place and I had to get past the security guard who wanted to see some ID, and I said, 'I've not brought any ID!' I didn't realise that was something you needed to do to come for an audition."
He added that he had some difficulty when the casting director asked him to "just go off script" because of the limited knowledge he had about the role.
"You have a few sides, you're having to intuit from a few lines what this character may be or what his story may be," Tennant continued.
"So you end up having to improvise around this character's life about which you know nothing and about which you're invited to know nothing. It was sort of alright."
He added: "It was for quite a big Hollywood film, I won't get it!"
The Doctor Who star told BBC Wales that he was "nervous" because he had not had to audition for a part since Casanova in 2004.
Tennant said: "I had my first ever Hollywood audition yesterday. The terrible thing is I've been very spoilt in Britain for the last few years - I haven't done an audition.
"I went to this room and I found the place and I had to get past the security guard who wanted to see some ID, and I said, 'I've not brought any ID!' I didn't realise that was something you needed to do to come for an audition."
He added that he had some difficulty when the casting director asked him to "just go off script" because of the limited knowledge he had about the role.
"You have a few sides, you're having to intuit from a few lines what this character may be or what his story may be," Tennant continued.
"So you end up having to improvise around this character's life about which you know nothing and about which you're invited to know nothing. It was sort of alright."
He added: "It was for quite a big Hollywood film, I won't get it!"
Tom Baker: 'I won't advise Matt Smith'
Former Doctor Who star Tom Baker has admitted that he would be reluctant to offer advice to the show's new lead actor Matt Smith.
The 75-year-old, who played the Time Lord's fourth incarnation from 1974 to 1981, revealed that he would prefer to leave Smith alone as he discovers his own approach to the role.
Speaking to the Daily Record, he explained: "I don't give advice to the young. I have often noticed that the young shudder at the sight of the old, so I keep silent."
Smith started filming for the iconic sci-fi show in Cardiff last month alongside his new co-star Karen Gillan (Amy Pond).
The 26-year-old will make his debut on the programme when David Tennant bows out as the Tenth Doctor at the end of three specials in early 2010.
Baker added: "David Tennant is a wonderful actor, a huge star. He is young and handsome. I never saw him in that role, but then, I never saw myself as The Doctor either."
The veteran actor recently announced that he is to return as the Fourth Doctor in a new audio series.
The 75-year-old, who played the Time Lord's fourth incarnation from 1974 to 1981, revealed that he would prefer to leave Smith alone as he discovers his own approach to the role.
Speaking to the Daily Record, he explained: "I don't give advice to the young. I have often noticed that the young shudder at the sight of the old, so I keep silent."
Smith started filming for the iconic sci-fi show in Cardiff last month alongside his new co-star Karen Gillan (Amy Pond).
The 26-year-old will make his debut on the programme when David Tennant bows out as the Tenth Doctor at the end of three specials in early 2010.
Baker added: "David Tennant is a wonderful actor, a huge star. He is young and handsome. I never saw him in that role, but then, I never saw myself as The Doctor either."
The veteran actor recently announced that he is to return as the Fourth Doctor in a new audio series.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tom Baker Q & A on "Hornets Nest"
Q: Have you enjoyed reprising your role as The Doctor?
A: Yes, yes! Oh yes.
Q: The excitement amongst fans is building by the day in the run up to the release. What can they look forward to in the Hornets’ Nest first instalment ‘The Stuff of Nightmares’?
A: These Hornets are not just any old Hornets; oh no! They are PRIME BBC Hornets, the likes of which have never been seen or heard of before. And of course BBC Hornets are the stuff of nightmares! And as lovers of nightmares, the fans will not be disappointed.
Q: Doctor Who has a tremendously loyal fan base, what do you think sets fans of the show apart?
A: Their unswerving loyalty. Their good taste. Their BLIND LOVE.
Q: You’ve often described yourself as a performer rather than an actor, where do you think the difference lies and how has this affected your choice of roles?
A: Is that a quote? What’s the difference? I think of myself as an entertainer.
Q: The Brits hold a particular affection for Doctor Who, what do you think is the key to the show’s appeal?
A: The formula is so good. Benevolent alien, a being with secrets. A sonic screwdriver, but I’m sworn to secrecy by the BBC. They pay me 30 pieces of silver every month to be discreet.
Q: What was the appeal of recording a new series of audio dramas?
A: The scripts arrived at a good moment. I’m a bit capricious about what I accept. I asked some hard questions and made some impossible demands. The BBC agreed to everything I asked on condition the details would be locked in a strongbox in the Bank of England. They will be revealed on the BBC website on January 20th 2034 at 6.12 AM – the hundredth anniversary of my birth.
Q: Are you a fan of audio books? Which titles have you enjoyed?
A: I’m a great fan of anything that Michael Jayston records. He’s a magnificent teller of the tale. What a guy! What an actor, and a very tricky bowler at cricket.
A: Yes, yes! Oh yes.
Q: The excitement amongst fans is building by the day in the run up to the release. What can they look forward to in the Hornets’ Nest first instalment ‘The Stuff of Nightmares’?
A: These Hornets are not just any old Hornets; oh no! They are PRIME BBC Hornets, the likes of which have never been seen or heard of before. And of course BBC Hornets are the stuff of nightmares! And as lovers of nightmares, the fans will not be disappointed.
Q: Doctor Who has a tremendously loyal fan base, what do you think sets fans of the show apart?
A: Their unswerving loyalty. Their good taste. Their BLIND LOVE.
Q: You’ve often described yourself as a performer rather than an actor, where do you think the difference lies and how has this affected your choice of roles?
A: Is that a quote? What’s the difference? I think of myself as an entertainer.
Q: The Brits hold a particular affection for Doctor Who, what do you think is the key to the show’s appeal?
A: The formula is so good. Benevolent alien, a being with secrets. A sonic screwdriver, but I’m sworn to secrecy by the BBC. They pay me 30 pieces of silver every month to be discreet.
Q: What was the appeal of recording a new series of audio dramas?
A: The scripts arrived at a good moment. I’m a bit capricious about what I accept. I asked some hard questions and made some impossible demands. The BBC agreed to everything I asked on condition the details would be locked in a strongbox in the Bank of England. They will be revealed on the BBC website on January 20th 2034 at 6.12 AM – the hundredth anniversary of my birth.
Q: Are you a fan of audio books? Which titles have you enjoyed?
A: I’m a great fan of anything that Michael Jayston records. He’s a magnificent teller of the tale. What a guy! What an actor, and a very tricky bowler at cricket.
David Tennant: rich, talented and famous.. but still likeable
REASONS to hate David Tennant? Loads. He's Doctor bloody Who, for starters. He's snogged Billie Piper.
He's rich and famous and jet-sets back and forth across the Atlantic the way us mere mortals go between home and work. And he can probably bed any girl he wants.
However, the most annoying thing about the 38-year-old from Ralston, Paisley, is this - it's practically impossible to dislike him.
He's cheerful and friendly, annoyingly modest and self-deprecating and laughs off the whole stardom thing like it's the most ridiculous idea he's ever heard.
He's massively, childishly enthusiastic about his work - especially when it comes to all things Tardis - and he even admits he gets starstruck when he meets famous people, chickening out of talking to them just like you or me.
The annoyingly likeable David said: "I still get that thing where I think, 'Oh,I'd love to say hello to him,' but then think, 'Oh, leave him alone.' I sawMorrissey once having a pizza in a restaurant in London.Meat-free, not aMeat Feast - that would have been a coup.
"I've not even ever been that big a Smiths fan - I've always liked them and I like his solo stuff - but there's something about Morrissey. He's a 'thing' isn't he? A creation. He just comes with aura.
"He was looking remarkably normal. He was just sitting there with a mate, laughing and joking.
"So I still do have that fan worship a little bit. You meet someone... but I stop myself now. I suppose when you've been on the other side of it a little bit, you kind of know what it is.
"The other day I was in Cardiff Bay - as Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff - buying a coffee and there was the little fella fromManic Street Preachers. James Dean Bradfield.
"But I thought, 'Leave him alone. Let the man have his coffee.' But I couldn't remember his name. Which was probably the other reason I thought, 'Don't go up to him.'"
When it comes to his own fame, David seems to find the notion that people flock to see him - thousands were turned away from his appearance at Comic-Con in the States - utterly ludicrous.
The prospect of stardom going to his head is one he simply can't get his head around.
David said: "Well all that's just silly isn't it? I don't really know how to answer that.Maybe if I had been 21 when it all happened, maybe not. It's difficult to say. I was very well brought up, that's what it is."
He now faces the difficult task of following his dream job after quitting as the Time Lord in Russell T Davies's hit reimagining of Doctor Who.
While rumours swirl around linking him with just about every major film franchise in Hollywood and beyond - notably The Lord Of The Rings' prequel The Hobbit - he reckons it's all nonsense. In fact he's worried people will be disappointed when they find out he's up to.
David said: "We're slightly worried.We're doing a bit of expectation management because there are so many rumours. Whatever is bouncing round the web isn't true. We just need to manage expectation.
"There's a new rumour about me every day. I'm playing The Hobbit, apparently. No phone calls about that yet but I don't know, no idea.
"I don't think I'm in Harry Potter. There is a film at the moment - I'mplaying the villain in St Trinians 2 - but beyond that, who knows?
"We've done Hamlet. It's a TV version. It's a record of the stage play, so it's not a full-scale stage drama but it's the production that we did on stage last year and that'll certainly be on the BBC at Christmas."
With a Tardis-free future ahead and no notable roles to announce at the moment, many actors would wonder if they had done the right thing.
No such doubts for David - and despite his decision to quit after three seasons, his unmistakable love for the character shines through.
He said: "It's a Saturday night TV event. And it was when we were kids as well. I grew up obsessed with it really, so it's strange to be sitting here at 38 and be in it.
"It's still the same show, the story continues. I'm the same man asWilliam Hartnell, I'mjust wearing a different wig.
"There are bits of all those old Doctors in there somewhere, yet you make the role new and of yourself because that's how it works.
"It's not like James Bond or Sherlock Holmes or other characters reborn in the same mould.We want to break the mould a bit, make him a new man, which is why I went with a different wig than William."
David's input into the look of his Doctor didn't stop with the hair - he insisted on wearing his own shoes in his first episode as the wardrobe department wouldn't give him a pair he felt looked ruined enough.
He said: "The very first pair of shoes that I wore were my own shoes because I wanted them to be old and battered and hanging off my feet. And one thing that costume designers hate is things being really knackered.
"I really wanted them to be scruffy and knackered so I got my own shoes and said, 'I'mjust going to wear these.' The soles were flapping. "They were very old. But they really did fall apart,
"We sold them for Children In Need. So somebody's got an old pair of shoes rotting in the corner of their bedroom somewhere. Cherishing them. As they rot."
With Matt Smith stepping in to fill David's stinky shoes, it has hit home that he really has walked away from the Tardis for the last time.
But David is happy to have handed over the controls of the famous police box - and insists he was careful not to have any input whatsoever into the new boy's interpretation of the role.
He said: "We've met. I've chatted to him several times. He was down in Cardiff doing a recce.
"It's weird because I'mvery excited for him and at the same time I don't want to get in his way.
"We talked a bit and then he said, 'Well, what advice have you got?' and I said, 'I don't have any advice really.'
"He's a great actor - he's got no worries from that point of view - he knows what he's doing.
"He'll bring his own energy and enthusiasms with him, and that's how it should be really. And he doesn't need my advice - it's the same character but a different man every time.
"Doctor Who is a big thing and you get attention, some of which is nice and some that's intrusive. But he'll cope. He's bright, normal, and down to earth."
We haven't seen the last of David as the Doctor yet -he will be on screen in three more specials as well as popping up in spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
But the massively hyped talk that he could return for the 50th anniversary appear to be just that - hype. He is most insistent that there are no actual plans whatsoever in place.
David said: "Who knows what will happen? But, you know, 50th anniversary, 2013. We did talk about it ... so never say never but I have no plans.
"For now, I've just done an audiobook, which is due out soon. They might be the last words I utter as the Doctor.
"And I crop up in Sarah Jane. That was my last proper acting in the suit. It's a great show and I'm afraid I just greedily wanted a part, so I just demanded that I be included."
So for now, David will sit back, enjoy his vast array of rich-bloke pursuits like yachting and peasant-hunting, and relax.Well, no.
He said: "I don't have hobbies. I don't have 'pursuits'. I did play squash three times. I was quite good.
"I should get some pursuits. I've started cooking. I've got a Jamie Oliver book that I'm slowly working through. What he says you can rustle up in half an hour will take me three hours. But oh, it works. And you get great satisfaction.
"Tv, I love a good box-set. I've got TheWire ready to go - the first couple of episodes are quite tough but you have to persevere.
"And music, I'ma big Proclaimers fan. I make no secret of that." When David does decide to tell us what he will be up to next, don't expect to hear from him on Twitter - he thinks it's a colossal waste of time. Another good reason to like the man.
He said: "Twitter? Noooo. 'I'mhaving a cup of tea' Who cares? There's plenty of people pretending to be me on Twitter.
"They can tell you that they're having a cup of tea. It'll just be the same. It'll be a different cup of tea but the information's the same."
He's rich and famous and jet-sets back and forth across the Atlantic the way us mere mortals go between home and work. And he can probably bed any girl he wants.
However, the most annoying thing about the 38-year-old from Ralston, Paisley, is this - it's practically impossible to dislike him.
He's cheerful and friendly, annoyingly modest and self-deprecating and laughs off the whole stardom thing like it's the most ridiculous idea he's ever heard.
He's massively, childishly enthusiastic about his work - especially when it comes to all things Tardis - and he even admits he gets starstruck when he meets famous people, chickening out of talking to them just like you or me.
The annoyingly likeable David said: "I still get that thing where I think, 'Oh,I'd love to say hello to him,' but then think, 'Oh, leave him alone.' I sawMorrissey once having a pizza in a restaurant in London.Meat-free, not aMeat Feast - that would have been a coup.
"I've not even ever been that big a Smiths fan - I've always liked them and I like his solo stuff - but there's something about Morrissey. He's a 'thing' isn't he? A creation. He just comes with aura.
"He was looking remarkably normal. He was just sitting there with a mate, laughing and joking.
"So I still do have that fan worship a little bit. You meet someone... but I stop myself now. I suppose when you've been on the other side of it a little bit, you kind of know what it is.
"The other day I was in Cardiff Bay - as Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff - buying a coffee and there was the little fella fromManic Street Preachers. James Dean Bradfield.
"But I thought, 'Leave him alone. Let the man have his coffee.' But I couldn't remember his name. Which was probably the other reason I thought, 'Don't go up to him.'"
When it comes to his own fame, David seems to find the notion that people flock to see him - thousands were turned away from his appearance at Comic-Con in the States - utterly ludicrous.
The prospect of stardom going to his head is one he simply can't get his head around.
David said: "Well all that's just silly isn't it? I don't really know how to answer that.Maybe if I had been 21 when it all happened, maybe not. It's difficult to say. I was very well brought up, that's what it is."
He now faces the difficult task of following his dream job after quitting as the Time Lord in Russell T Davies's hit reimagining of Doctor Who.
While rumours swirl around linking him with just about every major film franchise in Hollywood and beyond - notably The Lord Of The Rings' prequel The Hobbit - he reckons it's all nonsense. In fact he's worried people will be disappointed when they find out he's up to.
David said: "We're slightly worried.We're doing a bit of expectation management because there are so many rumours. Whatever is bouncing round the web isn't true. We just need to manage expectation.
"There's a new rumour about me every day. I'm playing The Hobbit, apparently. No phone calls about that yet but I don't know, no idea.
"I don't think I'm in Harry Potter. There is a film at the moment - I'mplaying the villain in St Trinians 2 - but beyond that, who knows?
"We've done Hamlet. It's a TV version. It's a record of the stage play, so it's not a full-scale stage drama but it's the production that we did on stage last year and that'll certainly be on the BBC at Christmas."
With a Tardis-free future ahead and no notable roles to announce at the moment, many actors would wonder if they had done the right thing.
No such doubts for David - and despite his decision to quit after three seasons, his unmistakable love for the character shines through.
He said: "It's a Saturday night TV event. And it was when we were kids as well. I grew up obsessed with it really, so it's strange to be sitting here at 38 and be in it.
"It's still the same show, the story continues. I'm the same man asWilliam Hartnell, I'mjust wearing a different wig.
"There are bits of all those old Doctors in there somewhere, yet you make the role new and of yourself because that's how it works.
"It's not like James Bond or Sherlock Holmes or other characters reborn in the same mould.We want to break the mould a bit, make him a new man, which is why I went with a different wig than William."
David's input into the look of his Doctor didn't stop with the hair - he insisted on wearing his own shoes in his first episode as the wardrobe department wouldn't give him a pair he felt looked ruined enough.
He said: "The very first pair of shoes that I wore were my own shoes because I wanted them to be old and battered and hanging off my feet. And one thing that costume designers hate is things being really knackered.
"I really wanted them to be scruffy and knackered so I got my own shoes and said, 'I'mjust going to wear these.' The soles were flapping. "They were very old. But they really did fall apart,
"We sold them for Children In Need. So somebody's got an old pair of shoes rotting in the corner of their bedroom somewhere. Cherishing them. As they rot."
With Matt Smith stepping in to fill David's stinky shoes, it has hit home that he really has walked away from the Tardis for the last time.
But David is happy to have handed over the controls of the famous police box - and insists he was careful not to have any input whatsoever into the new boy's interpretation of the role.
He said: "We've met. I've chatted to him several times. He was down in Cardiff doing a recce.
"It's weird because I'mvery excited for him and at the same time I don't want to get in his way.
"We talked a bit and then he said, 'Well, what advice have you got?' and I said, 'I don't have any advice really.'
"He's a great actor - he's got no worries from that point of view - he knows what he's doing.
"He'll bring his own energy and enthusiasms with him, and that's how it should be really. And he doesn't need my advice - it's the same character but a different man every time.
"Doctor Who is a big thing and you get attention, some of which is nice and some that's intrusive. But he'll cope. He's bright, normal, and down to earth."
We haven't seen the last of David as the Doctor yet -he will be on screen in three more specials as well as popping up in spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
But the massively hyped talk that he could return for the 50th anniversary appear to be just that - hype. He is most insistent that there are no actual plans whatsoever in place.
David said: "Who knows what will happen? But, you know, 50th anniversary, 2013. We did talk about it ... so never say never but I have no plans.
"For now, I've just done an audiobook, which is due out soon. They might be the last words I utter as the Doctor.
"And I crop up in Sarah Jane. That was my last proper acting in the suit. It's a great show and I'm afraid I just greedily wanted a part, so I just demanded that I be included."
So for now, David will sit back, enjoy his vast array of rich-bloke pursuits like yachting and peasant-hunting, and relax.Well, no.
He said: "I don't have hobbies. I don't have 'pursuits'. I did play squash three times. I was quite good.
"I should get some pursuits. I've started cooking. I've got a Jamie Oliver book that I'm slowly working through. What he says you can rustle up in half an hour will take me three hours. But oh, it works. And you get great satisfaction.
"Tv, I love a good box-set. I've got TheWire ready to go - the first couple of episodes are quite tough but you have to persevere.
"And music, I'ma big Proclaimers fan. I make no secret of that." When David does decide to tell us what he will be up to next, don't expect to hear from him on Twitter - he thinks it's a colossal waste of time. Another good reason to like the man.
He said: "Twitter? Noooo. 'I'mhaving a cup of tea' Who cares? There's plenty of people pretending to be me on Twitter.
"They can tell you that they're having a cup of tea. It'll just be the same. It'll be a different cup of tea but the information's the same."
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tennant: 'I felt like Robbie Williams'
David Tennant has said that he felt like Robbie Williams after the reception he received from Doctor Who fans at last month's Comic-Con convention in San Diego.
Speaking on an audio postcard recorded for the BBC, the actor said that the streets were lined with people dressed as Stormtroopers from Star Wars and Scooby Doo.
Tennant said: "It was slightly mental. I've never been to San Diego before, so I don't know what it's like normally, but it was just crawling with hundreds of thousands of fans."
Outgoing head writer Russell T. Davies said: "You often get told over there that Doctor Who's not well known and Torchwood's not well known, and I'm beginning to deny that! David, you're far too modest. You were welcomed like a rockstar."
Tennant admitted: "It was a bit like being Robbie Williams for a minute there. I mean they did go crazy, didn't they?"
Davies added: "I was reading all our press clippings last night. I have to say I thought they did that for everyone - no they don't! Yours was really rare and noted by the press and phenomenal.
"I'm really pleased. A lot of press clippings were saying that was an extraordinary welcome for you and how deserved and marvellous it was."
Speaking on an audio postcard recorded for the BBC, the actor said that the streets were lined with people dressed as Stormtroopers from Star Wars and Scooby Doo.
Tennant said: "It was slightly mental. I've never been to San Diego before, so I don't know what it's like normally, but it was just crawling with hundreds of thousands of fans."
Outgoing head writer Russell T. Davies said: "You often get told over there that Doctor Who's not well known and Torchwood's not well known, and I'm beginning to deny that! David, you're far too modest. You were welcomed like a rockstar."
Tennant admitted: "It was a bit like being Robbie Williams for a minute there. I mean they did go crazy, didn't they?"
Davies added: "I was reading all our press clippings last night. I have to say I thought they did that for everyone - no they don't! Yours was really rare and noted by the press and phenomenal.
"I'm really pleased. A lot of press clippings were saying that was an extraordinary welcome for you and how deserved and marvellous it was."
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