David Tennant A Year In The Spotlight examines how the media reported David Tennant’s career during 2008.

2008 was a momentous year for David Tennant: he filmed the BBC’s flagship drama Doctor Who for 4 months, played in Hamlet and Love’s Labour’s Lost for the Royal Shakespeare Company, announced live on national television that he would be leaving Doctor Who, filmed the Stephen Poliakoff movie Glorious 39, won numerous awards throughout the year, was interviewed extensively on TV, radio & in newspapers and achieved great reviews from theatre critics. He also had to miss the Hamlet London Press Night due to an operation on his back but made a super-fast return to the London stage in time to complete the Hamlet run.

There was rarely a day that went by in 2008 without David Tennant being mentioned in at least one newspaper either in respect of the publicity surrounding Doctor Who or regarding his theatre career and David Tennant A Year In The Spotlight explores this phenomenon, plus it looks at the responses of his fans online to this unique year.

David Tennant A Year In The Spotlight is 394 pages in length and contains over 350 photos (more than 250 are in colour). It also has a section of the reviews that David’s two plays received.

The price is £11 which includes postage within the UK.

To view full information about this book, and for details on how to order – visit;
http://www.davidtennantbook.com/

I’ve ordered my copy – get yours while you can!

David Tennant is to make his US television debut as the lead role in a pilot for a comedy legal drama.

The former Doctor Who will star as a top Chicago lawyer who suffers from panic attacks and coaches his clients to represent themselves in court.

The NBC hour-long show is titled Rex Is Not Your Lawyer.

Tennant has played the Doctor for the past five years but announced he was leaving last year. He will be replaced by actor Matt Smith next year.

Successful stint
David Semel, who directed the pilot for successful TV series Heroes, will direct the pilot.

Tennant’s last episodes as the Doctor will be screened at the end of this year or early next year.

“I think it’s better to go when there’s a chance that people might miss you, rather than to hang around and outstay your welcome,” he said.

In a sign of his popularity, he was voted best drama performer in a public vote at the National Television Awards.

He has been named most popular actor at the same ceremony for the past two years.

Tennant made his name in TV dramas such as Blackpool and Casanova.

He started his career in theatre and in recent months has returned to the stage with well-received performances in Hamlet and Love’s Labour’s Lost for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He has also starred in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and will also appear in St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold.

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Doctor Who special The Waters of Mars is ‘one of the scariest’ according to star David Tennant.

The forthcoming special which sees the Timelord arrive on Mars in 2059 and battle terrifying zombie like aliens.

Viewers will see the Doctor meet the first human colony of people living on Mars, facing a battle to save them from a parasitic virus that makes them spurt water.

In time honoured tradition the transformation scenes are sure to send children rushing to the back of the sofa.

The episode, which will broadcast on BBC1 on November 15, also shows him facing a moral dilemma about whether to condemn people to their fate or save them and ultimately change the future.

Lindsay Duncan stars as Adelaide, commander of the colony. Tennant, 38, said the special was ‘probably one of the scariest’ yet.

He added: ‘It tells a different story. It is a long time into the episode before the Doctor takes control. We expect him to know [what to do] and take control earlier. It is a long time before he does it.’

Russell T Davies dismissed the suggestion the drama could be too scary for children, and insisted that it was still aimed primarily at the family audience.

He said: ‘It’s a very intelligent story. Six year olds will be able to follow it. The is the sort of challenge you should give them.’

Viewers will also watch as the Doctor is warned of his impending demise by the Ood.

The Waters of Mars will be followed by two final episodes over the Christmas period which will see him battle arch enemy The Master, played by John Simm.

Audiences will also see him reunited with Donna Noble, played by comic actress Catherine Tate before he regenerates.

Tennant, who announced he was quitting the show a year ago, is being replaced by Matt Smith, 27.

He will make a brief appearance in the final special before featuring in the fifth series next year.

Tennant has admitted he is ‘jealous’ of Smith, who is the youngest actor to have played the character.

He explained: ‘I remember how exciting it was starting out on this kind of a journey and nerve-wracking – I’m jealous that he’s going through that now, but it couldn’t happen to a nicer chap.

‘I’m looking forward to not knowing what happens next. I’m looking forward to being a viewer again.’

He added that he had to keep a ’stiff upper lip’ while filming his final scenes.

‘It was very emotional saying cheerio. There is lots of scenes in the final episode that are very sad, and were very sad to play.’

Steven Moffat, who is taking over from Russell T Davies running the popular series, has already hailed Smith as the best Time Lord yet.

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David Tennant said he had to keep a “stiff upper lip” while filming his final scenes for Doctor Who.
“It was very emotional saying cheerio,” Tennant said after a screening of latest adventure The Waters of Mars, to be shown on BBC One on 15 November.

“There’s lots of scenes in the final episode that are very sad, and were very sad to play.”

He added: “On the actual final day I was a bit of a puddle, but kept a mildly stiff upper lip.”

The Scottish actor, who took on the role of the Time Lord in 2005, admitted he had been a “nervous” about seeing another actor on the role.

“I’m thrilled that it’s carrying on,” he said, “and know that everyone who’s there is a great choice, but of course you feel a bit proprietorial.”

‘Intense’
Tennant is being replaced by actor Matt Smith, 27, who will appear as the 11th Doctor next year.

David Tennant and Russell T Davies on their final adventures with Doctor Who

The Waters of Mars will be followed by two episodes over the Christmas holiday that will see Tennant’s Doctor once more pitted against The Master, played by John Simm.

The Waters of Mars is set on the Red Planet in the year 2059, and co-stars actress Lindsay Duncan as Adelaide – the commander of Earth’s first off-world colony.

Tennant agreed that it was “probably” one of the scariest Doctor Who episodes.

“It tells a different sort of story. We expect the Doctor to take control earlier,” he said.

The show’s outgoing executive producer and lead writer Russell T Davies said: “It’s not so scary as intense.”

The episode is dedicated to Barry Letts, the producer of Doctor Who throughout the Jon Pertwee era of the early 1970s, who died earlier this month.

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David attended the premiere for ‘Glorious 1939′ this evening, at Leicester Square in London.  Several MQ images have been added to the gallery!

I’ve added a bunch more HQ stills and promotional images, ready for David’s upcoming appearance in the Sarah Jane Adventures, as the Doctor!

The Wedding of Sarah Jane will be airing at 4.35pm on Thursday and Friday this week!  Expect screencaptures shortly afterwards!

Basically, I’ve not been too well over the past month, and have had to take a little break from online life.  I am sorta back now, and am hoping to revamp/rejiggy the site over the next week or so, so look out for a layout change and new updates coming soon!

David was out and about in London last night, with girlfriend Georgia Moffett, to support Doctor Who co-star John Simm who is currently appearing in West End play ‘Speaking in Tongues’.  They were seen at the press night for the play, and several HQ images have been added from the after-show party.

I’ve added some stills and a promotional image to the gallery about SJA.  The BBC Press Office has released the following sypnosis too;

Overall story summary: “Sarah Jane has met Peter Dalton and wants him to become part of her life; to become a father to Luke perhaps. But Clyde thinks Peter is hiding a secret or two of his own, especially when he and Rani find an empty house where Peter says his home should be…”

Part one summary: “The Doctor returns on the happiest day of Sarah Jane’s life – but a deadly trap is waiting for them all! As the strands of a clever and careful plan draw together, can even a Time Lord save Sarah Jane, on the day of her arch-enemy’s greatest triumph?”

Part two summary: “The Doctor joins the battle – but is it too late to save both Sarah Jane and the Earth itself? As the power of the Pantheon of Discord grows in strength, the old friends are separated across different time zones, and must fight to save each other – but for one, there’s a terrible price to pay.”

Who is the ideal headteacher. Doctor Who, that is. The Time Lord, in his David Tennant incarnation, was the number one choice of primary schoolchildren, who were asked to pick their “dream headteacher”.

Tennant saw off competition from the US president Barack Obama, author JK Rowling and pop star Cheryl Cole.

Asked for reasons, almost half (47%) of the nine- to 11-year-olds polled said they chose their celebrity because they were fun.

A third (33%) said they had picked “someone they could look up to”, while the same proportion cited the celebrity’s popularity. And more than a quarter (27%) chose someone for their intelligence.

Picking from a list of names (see below), 26% of the children went for Tennant, who was followed by Obama, Cole and Rowling with 9% each.

Around one in eight (12%) said they would pick none of those on the list as their dream choice.

The survey, commissioned by the National College for the Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services (formerly the NCSL), also looked at the impact headteachers have on pupils.

Three in four pupils (75%) said their head made them feel happy to be at school.

Almost nine in 10 (88%) believed that their headteacher wanted the best for their school, while just over three-quarters (78%) said their head was fair and understood right from wrong.

The National College’s chief executive, Steve Munby, said: “Being a head is a tough but extremely rewarding job, but you don’t need to be a Time Lord to make a difference to children’s lives.

“I’m not surprised to see David Tennant at the top of the list, alongside positive feedback about their own heads, who are obviously role models in their own right.”

Today’s survey comes a day after research published by the Children’s Society revealed that adults think David Beckham is the best role model for children, followed by Cheryl Cole.

The National College poll, carried out by YouGov, questioned 510 nine- to 11-year-olds in May.

How they voted
1 David Tennant 26%
2 Barack Obama, JK Rowling, Cheryl Cole 9%
5 David Beckham 7%
6 Will Smith 6%
7 Michelle Obama, Alan Sugar 3%
9 Lewis Hamilton 2%
10 Alan Shearer, Jamie Oliver, Rebecca Adlington, Angelina Jolie 1%
14 Victoria Beckham, Jamie Redknapp 0%

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