David Tennant calls time on Dr Who
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
David Tennant is to quit his role as Britain’s best-known time traveller Doctor Who, the BBC said on Thursday.
Tennant, who took up the role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in 2005, will film five more special episodes, to be broadcast in 2009, before he leaves the popular sci-fi show. He will also appear in a Christmas special later this year. There is no series scheduled for next year because of Tennant’s commitments with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards last night. The nomination saw him come head to head with Catherine Tate, who plays the Timelord’s assistant Donna Noble in the show. The series also beat Desperate Housewives, Shameless and The Bill to win the Most Popular Drama award.
“I’ve had the most brilliant, bewildering and life changing time working on Doctor Who,” said Tennant, who described the part as the “best job in the world.”
“I have loved every day of it. It would be very easy to cling on to the Tardis console forever and I fear that if I don’t take a deep breath and make the decision to move on now, then I simply never will. You would be prising the Tardis key out of my cold dead hand. This show has been so special to me, but I don’t want to outstay my welcome.”
The Scottish actor is the 10th incarnation of the Time Lord since the show began in 1963 with William Hartnell in the leading role. He replaced Christopher Eccleston, who took the role for just one series following its relaunch in 1995. Tennant has been widely hailed as the most popular Doctor ahead of the traditional favourite Tom Baker, and was also voted television’s “coolest character” in a Radio Times survey last year.
An average of 8.1 million people per episode watched the latest series in its Saturday evening slot on BBC One.
Russell T Davies, the show’s executive producer, has promised “the most enormous and spectacular ending” for Tennant.
“I’ve been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years - and it’s not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left! After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano,” he added.
