UPDATE: |Doctor Who legend David Tennant reveals he was ‘warned’ not to take on iconic role News

The Scottish actor’s version of the character ranks as one of fans’ favourites

Doctor Who legend David Tennant has revealed that he was ‘warned’ not to take on the iconic role on the BBC sci-fi series.

The 53-year-old actor played the Tenth Doctor on the hit sci-fi series from 2005 to 2010, replacing Christopher Eccleston one year after the BBC’s revival of the series.

Going on to become one of the most popular versions of the character, David acted alongside the likes of Billie Piper and Catherine Tate before Matt Smith took on the role.

David briefly returned in 2023 to play the Fourteenth Doctor in a series of episodes for the BBC show’s 60th anniversary specials.

Speaking on his podcast David Tennant Does a Podcast With… the Scottish star admitted that his former agent told him not to take on the part.

“There was definitely a moment where I wasn’t [going to do ‘Doctor Who’]. About 48 hours after they asked me, and I had to go process everything that it meant.

“I had an agent at the time who was like, ‘Don’t touch it. It’s not going to work’. Not my current agent. A previous brilliant agent who’s since retired, but she didn’t call that correctly,” he recalled.

Despite the role changing the course of his career, David admitted that there are some uncomfortable things that come with being a household name.

He explained: “Suddenly you’ve got to establish what the rules are for yourself, and there’s not really anyone to help you or teach you. And that can be a little bit challenging.

“I’ve found things like my parents being doorstepped a lot early on, I found that really difficult because I felt like I had to protect them and they were not interested in being protected.”

Previously saying he has ‘no plans’ to play the role again, David recently admitted there is always a chance that he’ll return to the Tardis.

He told SFX magazine, he said: “I think it would be disingenuous to imagine that I might never be asked again, because history would indicate that it was always a possibility.

“So I’m not going to say never because I don’t think anyone would believe me. That doesn’t mean I know that I ever will.

“But I suppose until I can’t run down a corridor it’s always a possibility. But I promise to have no plans.”

Since wrapping up his time on Doctor Who, David has gone on to win critical praise for his performances in ITV’s Broadchurch and Disney+’s Rivals.