Tennant is leaving

[Sionnach Glic]

David Tennant quits as Doctor Who
David Tennant
Tennant said the role had been "bewildering, life changing, exciting"

David Tennant is to stand down as Doctor Who, after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history of the BBC science fiction show.

Tennant stepped into the Tardis in 2005, and will leave the role after four special episodes are broadcast next year.

Three years was "about the right time" to play the role, he told the BBC.

He made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards.

"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.


I don't ever want it to feel like a job, so I want to move on when it still feels exciting and fresh
David Tennant

His stint in the show had been "the most extraordinary time, it's been bewildering, life changing, very exciting", he said.

"And just so much fun, such a great show to work on.

"That's one of the reasons I think it's right to take a deep breath and bow out when it's still fun, when it's a novelty.

"I don't ever want it to feel like a job, so I want to move on when it still feels exciting and fresh and that means I'll miss it."

Drama award

Tennant, the 10th actor to play the Doctor Who, left fans guessing about his return at the end of the latest series.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate
David Tennant beat co-star Catherine Tate at the National Television Awards

In the last episode, in July, the Doctor had to defeat his enemies the Daleks to save the universe.

Almost 10 million people watched as the Time Lord apparently started the process of regeneration - but did not complete it.

Tennant will appear in a Christmas special, titled The Next Doctor, before filming four more specials in January.

"They'll be the four last stories that I do," 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. That prize has been discontinued this year.

An average of 8.1 million people a week watched the latest series - the fourth since it made a comeback in 2005 - in its Saturday evening slot on BBC One.

'Spectacular' exit

Mr Davies, executive producer, said: "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. But we're planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching."

David Tennant in Love's Labour's Lost
David Tennant has recently acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company

A fifth series of the show is scheduled for 2010.

Tennant replaced Christopher Eccleston, who resurrected the show after a 16-year break.

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.

In December last year, Tennant denied rumours that he was planning to quit after Catherine Tate - his new companion in the Tardis - told the Jonathan Ross radio show she thought the next series of Doctor Who would be Tennant's last.

He said at the time: "Catherine Tate stitched me up good and proper. She goes on Jonathan Ross and makes up a load of old nonsense."

[Deepcrush]

I'd say this is a smart move on his part.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

So we'll be on number eleven now...

[Captain Seafort]

Or twelve, depending on whether you count the "Stolen Earth/Journey's End" regeneration.

[colmquinn]

I doubt they'll count the Journey's end thing as an actual regeneration. Writers are going to want to keep as many options open for future series. I think 13 is the limit mentioned in earlier series but the time lords in the past were able to allow the master have new lease of life I believe. The fact that they're all dead seemingly didn't stop the Dalek coming back from the time war so nothing to say he won't suddenly get a signal from other time lords in the future.

[Captain Seafort]

Whether or not they treat the regeneration as such is debateable - and all it would affect would be when they have to come up with a solution to the 12 regenerations rule, not if. It shouldn't be too difficult - the Time Lords implied the ability to grant the Master a new regeneration cycle in "The Five Doctors", and the Master showed no surprise at their offer. They later demonstrated the ability to grant a new cycle when they brought him back to fight in the Time War. While these could be argued to be special circumstamces (he was inhabiting a non-Time Lord body in the first example, and had to be fished out of the Eye of Harmony in the second), it should be too difficult to come up with an excuse for giving the Doctor additional regenerations. I will, however, be seriously pissed if they don't even mention the issue.

[kostmayer]

I wish they'd kept Jacobi as the Master for a while. Though John Simm dancing to the Scissor Sisters was great.

I heard the BBC lost millions when Christopher Eccleston anounced he was stepping down - they'd already made the toy Eccleston figures for Christmas.

[colmquinn]

I haven't seen the five doctors in a little while now, must dig up a copy of it somewhere. He was the president of Gallifrey (during his Peter Davidson years, and as Tom Baker if I remember correctly) also if he's responsible for somehow bringing them back you'd imagine they'd be grateful to help him out though from what I remember of the ruling council they were a stuck up bunch so prob wouldn't want to break the rules or some such guff. It would be nice to see a whole series with a continuing thread of him trying to bring them back rather than the random wandering around London we've been seeing.
Don't get me wrong I like his randomness its just I'd like to see something again similar to the BadWolf idea except he's clever enough to spot it this time and follow the clues.

[Captain Seafort]

I wish they'd kept Jacobi as the Master for a while. Though John Simm dancing to the Scissor Sisters was great.

Simm always struck me as too barmy as the Master - Jacobi's far more restrained version struck me as being far closer to the character's fundamental nature, and the second best Master of them all, right behind Delgado.

[Captain Seafort]

I haven't seen the five doctors in a little while now, must dig up a copy of it somewhere. He was the president of Gallifrey (during his Peter Davidson years, and as Tom Baker if I remember correctly) also if he's responsible for somehow bringing them back you'd imagine they'd be grateful to help him out though from what I remember of the ruling council they were a stuck up bunch so prob wouldn't want to break the rules or some such guff. It would be nice to see a whole series with a continuing thread of him trying to bring them back rather than the random wandering around London we've been seeing.

I'm in two minds about this, between restoring the Time Lords and the Daleks and leaving things be. The BBC shot themselves in the foot with the whole concept of the Time War - the final battle of "The Parting of the Ways" was the natural finale of the arc, and every reappearance of the Daleks after that became more and more irritating as they kept being "destroyed" only to pop up again. "Journey's End" should have been the big reset - by "breaking the lock" on the Time War, Caan's actions could and should have allowed the restoration of both Empires, but instead it became another case of "wipe out all Daleks forever, until the next time". Plus they missed a trick with Donna - I still think it would have been better if she'd turned out to be a chameleon arched Romana, rather than an excuse for Cartherine Tate at her hyperactive gibbering worst.

[colmquinn]

"Journey's End" should have been the big reset ..... Caan's actions could and should have allowed the restoration of both Empires......

I agree with you on that point.

Plus they missed a trick with Donna - I still think it would have been better if she'd turned out to be a chameleon arched Romana, rather than an excuse for Cartherine Tate at her hyperactive gibbering worst.

Tate was just terrible full stop on that show, then again I don't really like her other shows, so imagine my surprise when she went down in my estimation from the already dizzying heights she held before

[Captain Seafort]

Tate was just terrible full stop on that show, then again I don't really like her other shows, so imagine my surprise when she went down in my estimation from the already dizzying heights she held before

I felt Tate was much better in the series than I expected, "Turn Left" in particular.

[Sionnach Glic]

I have to agree. Upon first hearing that Tate was going to be in the show, my reaction was something along the lines of:
So I went into it fully expecting her to be at her most annoying. Yet, surprisingly, I thought she did quite well.

[colmquinn]

I felt Tate was much better in the series than I expected, "Turn Left" in particular.

Not bad storyline for her but I just can't ever look at her without seeing her huge mouth open saying something stupid. Each to their own though.

Also as a side note I've managed to wangle borrowing some old Who from a guy I know, Seeds of Death, ice warriors with Patrick Troughton, Horror of Fang Rock, lighthouse one with Tom Baker and The Green Death, Jon Pertwee and giant maggots. really must encourage him to buy more

[kostmayer]

They should never have bought the Daleks back so many times, or the Cybermen. Once was enough.

Whilst I didn't like the Dalek becoming more human, I loved the parallels drawm between the Doctor an the last Dalek. One Dalek was enough to make the Doctor scream in terror - having thousands upon thousand on screen only to be defeated dimished them somewhat. And they shouldn't fly around like that.