Posted in: BBC, Disney+, TV | Tagged: baftas, david tennant, doctor who
How Doctor Who and David Tennant Continue Giving Each Other a Boost
The BBC is happy to have David Tennant promote Doctor Who, and he's still thrilled to be associated with the show - it's mutually beneficial!
Article Summary
- David Tennant remains one of the most popular Doctors on Doctor Who in the modern era, rivalling Tom Baker in classic status.
- The BBC benefits from Tennant's continued association with Doctor Who; he's happy to promote it.
- Hosting the BAFTAs showcases Tennant's enduring popularity since his Doctor Who days.
- Tennant's fandom and willingness to return as the Doctor offer continual boosts for the show.
It's quite obvious that David Tennant is the most popular Doctor Who of the modern era. Fans of the modern series who began watching the series in the 21st Century still can't get enough of him and he's still associated with the show the same way Tom Baker continues to be seen as the face of the classic era. And even though Tennant is no longer the Doctor (for now), the BBC continues to use his time on the series to promote it, and he continues to promote the show.
Doctor Who – David Tennant.
10th Oct 2023
Photo By Alistair Heap
©Alistair Heap +44(0)7967 638858
Tennant became Doctor Who at the right time. The internet was just taken off, and social media wasn't as big as it is now. The modern series' first season with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper was barely seen in the US since it wasn't picked up at the time. Tennant stayed the customary three seasons, advice actors cast as the Doctor have taken up to avoid getting typecast. Russell T. Davies and writers like Steven Moffat were still hungry to prove the show could be all things to all fans, and many things written for the series felt new and fresh. Tennant got to play a whole gamut of stories that showed off his range as an actor, including Davies' emphasis on a more romantic Doctor. Female fans made him the first Internet Boyfriend in the online age. Matt Smith was and is only slightly less popular than he is.
The BAFTAs are this weekend, the entire British Film and TV industry's biggest awards ceremony and usually a precursor to the year's Oscars, and once again, Tennant is the host. It's like he and the BAFTAs are now. He wouldn't be here if he hadn't been Doctor Who. Of course, the BBC would release yet another compilation of his scenes from the series as a way to promote the show. This reinforces the idea that he will always be associated with Doctor Who, no matter how many acclaimed TV series and theatrical plays he has since appeared in and given even more era-defining performances. Tennant is now one of the most in-demand actors in the UK and is considered one of the finest actors of his generation. Yet he remains a diehard fan of Doctor Who and is happy to promote the show whenever he can, and the BBC is happy to use him to promote the show. It's become a mutually beneficial relationship. And if he agrees to play the Doctor again, they would probably be overjoyed. Ratings galore!
