SCOTS actor David Tennant claims he still wants to be Doctor Who when he's a pensioner. The former Casanova star is enjoying playing the eccentric Timelord so much that he can see himself doing it for the next four decades. David and co-star Billie Piper, who plays Rose Tyler, have both signed up for a second and third series on board the Tardis. The time-travelling pair were speaking at the launch of the new series at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, where the first episode, New Earth, was screened. And David was bursting with enthusiasm at the thought of the future adventures for his character. He said: "I love it so much I think I'll still be here in 40 years time.
"What you don't see are the harnesses we have to wear for the scenes because the BBC are so safety conscious. "I can just see it. There I am at 75 being told, 'You've got to come down now David'." And although it seems he is keen to be the Doctor for the foreseeable future, there are rumours that Billie will not last as Rose. The 13-episode series, which will be up against Ant and Dec on ITV with a revival of the Eighties game show Bullseye, sees the Timelord and Rose share a kiss - but all is not as it seems. Rose's body has been taken over by Lady Cassandra, a survivor of the human race who featured in the previous series. Asked if there were any nerves about the kissing scene, Billie joked: "We did not do tongues." She also admitted it was over very quickly and said the pair only had three goes at the scene. David laughed and said: "It was a great kiss but Billie was eating egg and cress. I was all ready for the tongue!" He admitted viewers will see a spark between the Doctor and Rose, but said it was down to the fantastic scripts. He said: "People talk about chemistry like it's something almost mythical. The show's just so well written that each script you get is more inventive, funnier, wilder and more extraordinary than the last and that's what you play off. "It's not the last kiss of the series." David, who has lived in Cardiff for the last nine months while filming, spoke of his first day on the new series. He said: "The worst bit before we started is all the hoo-ha that comes with the show, the fact everyone is so fascinated by it. "That makes it the most wonderful job in the world, but also makes it the most terrifying job in the world. "When I finished my first day of filming, I remember just going home and collapsing." Everything had been building up. It could have been awful, but Billie, Noel and Camille (the actors who play Billie's boyfriend and mother on the show) and the crew were very supportive. David said: "I've never felt like anyone thinks I shouldn't be here, which is always your terror when you start a new job." And he admitted trying to ditch his Scottish accent to play the part. Christopher Eccleston had a broad northern twang when he was the Doctor, but David was asked to play his down. David, who was raised in Bathgate, West Lothian, by his church leader father and mother, said: "Because Chris did brilliantly using his northern accent, I don't think Russell (the writer) wanted to do a touring the regions thing. "When he first called me, he said this is how we are thinking of doing it and I'd like you to do it like you did Casanova. That was the brief, so it was really nothing to do with me, it was how it was written." And he claims, despite his fame, he finds time to see his family and take trips to the supermarket. He also revealed his most thrilling time on set was when his parents came to visit and got involved in rehearsals. He said: "My parents came down and visited the set. "We had a read through episode two and a couple of actors couldn't make it. Because it's set in Scotland, they were delighted to be asked to read in. My mum played a lady and my dad was a captain. "They were in seventh heaven and genuinely cheesed off when they didn't get asked to play the parts for real. "Chill out mum and dad, back in your box. They know everybody now, they are unstoppable when they start introducing themselves around." Billie says she has come through her split with Chris Evans and is now dating law student Amadu Sowe. But David is very defensive when quizzed on his relationship with Thunderbirds star Sophia Myles, 25, who turns up in the Doctor's life as the glamorous Madame du Pompadour. When asked about Sophia he said: "What do you know about that, what have you read? I think we should move on, don't you?" In episode one of the new series the Doctor and Rose find themselves in a hospital set in the future. It's staffed by cats in nursing uniforms and nuns' habits who have been experimenting on humans - like they are lab rats. When the show was written, hospitals and the MRSA bug were in the news and the topic worked its way into the sci-fi story. In another bizarre twist TV chat queen Trisha Goddard will also play herself in the series. The Doctor will discover that Earth is overrun by ghosts before stumbling upon Trisha's show. Two former EastEnders stars are also joining the action. Mona Hammond, who played Blossom Jackson, and Raji James, who was Ash Ferreira, will both feature in the final two episodes. But perhaps the most surprising addition was comedian Peter Kay. And although he played a scary part, he was determined to keep the laughs up on set. David said: "The more takes he can destroy he sees it as badge of honour really. "It's hard when you can't stop laughing. Billie had to pinch herself to stop giggling."

Source: The Daily Record 30/03/2006