I'll Play For Time With Who

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 

Tennant To Return For Series 3

David Tennant has signed up for the third series of Dr Who, it was disclosed today.
Speaking about the final episode of the second series, portentously entitled Doomsday, Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor’s sidekick Rose Tyler, told reporters she would be returning for series three.
“There are lots of places for Rose to go,” she said.
On making the show, she said: “I have had a ball ... I might still be here in 40 years.”
Tennant, 34, who last year became the tenth Doctor following Christopher Eccleston’s surprise departure, appeared more circumspect about his contract, saying: “Mine’s not as simple as that.”
But a spokesman for programme makers BBC Wales later confirmed to the Press Association that Tennant was “committed to Dr Who through 2007” for the third series.The stars were speaking at the launch of the second series at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, which saw a screening of the first episode called New Earth.The episode sees the Time Lord and Rose share a kiss, but the scene has a twist as 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, Piper joked that “we did not do tongues” and said they had been eating egg and cress sandwiches. She said they only had three attempts at the scene.“It’s not the last kiss of the series,” Tennant added.Paying tribute to the script writing, he said: “Each script that we get is more funny and wilder and more inventive than the last.”He said reading the scripts was “never a chore” because they were all written by the “cream” of British television writers.“Each one’s a page turner,” he said.Piper, 23, said the final episodes of the last series “completely blew my mind“.She said she had been quite “shocked” by the latest scripts, describing them as “really dark” but “in a good way“.Tennant described an episode of the second series, called Love and Monsters, which features comedian Peter Kay as “unlike anything you’ll have seen in Dr Who before“.The pair both paid tribute to Kay, who wrote to script writer Russell T Davies to get a part in the new series.Piper said she had to pinch herself between takes to stop laughing while Tennant said the comedian seemed to see destroying takes as “a badge of honour“.Piper added: “I love his ’Dalek bread’ gags.”The new series also sees Rose’s boyfriend Mickey Smith join the TARDIS, something which Rose is not so keen on as she likes to keep the Doctor to herself, Piper said.Talking about how he would categorise his portrayal of the Doctor, Tennant said: “I would leave that to other people.”He said he was working with a “blank canvas,” adding: “You’re not obliged to take on a character that already exists. It’s not like James Bond or Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes.”He said every Dr Who fan he had met so far has been “completely charming“.Piper described the new Doctor’s character as “more emotional“.Asked if he was tempted to keep his native Scottish accent for the show, Tennant said: “Russell did not want to do a touring the regions thing,” and said he had used a similar accent to the one he used in Casanova.The pair said they had managed to have a social life while working.While Tennant has been staying in a flat in Cardiff Bay, Piper has been in a hotel, enjoying “telly, beans on toast, the usual,” after working 12 and 13-hour days.“My boyfriend comes down quite a lot – not as much as I’d like him to, but enough,” she said.Tennant said it was “not a problem“, being separated from his girlfriend.Asked if the pair wanted to make a bid for success in Hollywood, Piper said: “I’m loving what’s going on here at the moment“, while Tennant said he had never had a “five-year plan“.“There’s some great stuff on telly at the moment,” Piper added.:: The new 13 episode series of Dr Who starts in April, on a date yet to be confirmed by the BBC. Source: IC Wales 30/03/2006

Why Is The Doctor Kissing Rose?

THIS is the moment the new Doctor Who gets to kiss his glamorous assistant.Rose Tyler flirts with the Doctor, her purple shirt unbuttoned, then clutches his face and plants a passionate kiss on lips as the first episode of the new Doctor Who series unfolds.

But Rose is possessed by the evil of Lady Cassandra, the last pure human, who featured in the last series, and so, yet again, a real kiss between the hero lead role and his sidekick has been thwarted.The stars David Tennant, 32, and Billie Piper, 23, were at the launch of the second series at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, which saw a screening of the first episode called New Earth. Asked if there were any nerves about the kissing scene, Piper joked that "we did not do tongues" and said they had been eating egg and cress sandwiches. She said they only had three attempts at the scene.  
"It's not the last kiss of the series," Tennant added. They will have to wait for episode four for another chance to embrace.But executive producer and script writer Russell T Davies warned, "It will have a twist again."And while Swansea-born Davies described the pair as very sexy he promised fans he wouldn't ruin the show by bringing the on-screen pair together."They're best friends and they love each other but we wouldn't do that."Well except the moment we start losing ratings," he laughed. As BBC Wales' second series prepares to air Doctor Who: New Earth next month, the team are about to finish filming - tomorrow is the last day and both Piper and Tennant know it's going to be hard work. "An awful lot of scenes aren't filmed yet," said Tennant. For 178 days the stars and a 200-strong crew have filmed across Wales and worked around the clock to complete the 13 episodes that make up series two.When it returned to our screens last year the first series brought families together for prime-time Saturday night viewing, won countless awards and Tennant's first outing won a Christmas 2005 audience of 10 million.It's no wonder Piper is glad to be back. She said, "It was just exciting to do another one. Everyone was pulling together to have another crack at it."And I think the scripts are brilliant this year, you couldn't top them."Taking inspiration from MRSA scare stories Davies hopes the boil-ridden, walking human enemies of the first episode will prove popular in the playground.He said, "I want children on the Monday morning to be walking around with their arms out trying to touch tag each other."Paying tribute to the script writing, Tennant said,"Each script that we get is more funny and wilder and more inventive than the last." He said reading the scripts was "never a chore" because they were all written by the "cream" of British television writers. "Each one's a page-turner," he said. Piper, who has stayed in a Cardiff hotel for the 13-hour working days, said she had been quite shocked by the latest scripts, describing them as "really dark" but "in a good way". Unfortunate humans might be the enemies in episode one but the new series promises a host of monsters and the Devil himself. Davies said, "It is something that has never been seen before on Doctor Who. It's a bit scary, we take the Doctor and ask what he believes in."Even award-winning actress Piper said she's been scared filming the Devil episodes. But writer Davies says he will never go too far as he always wants it to be a family show."I never want this show to be banned. There's not any credit in scaring kids. But we have made our own rules for the show. A human does not shoot another human in Doctor Who, and they never will."Still the new Doctor, who Piper describes as "more emotional, with good hips" gets to do plenty of stunts in the new series.Tennant said, "I ride a horse, a Vespa and do a bit of abseiling. And there was so much chaffing going down that lift shaft [for the first episode]."And he admitted he and Piper were covered with bruises after filming.But luckily their final days have been cheered by comedian Peter Kay, who will appear in episode 10, Love & Monsters. Tennant says the episode is "unlike anything you'll have seen in Doctor Who before". The comedian has been making both Piper and Tennant laugh so much they've struggled to do their scenes.Piper said, "It's hard because he's so funny I have to pinch myself during takes and I actually can't look at him during filming.Tennant, who has been staying in a Cardiff Bay flat during filming, agreed, "The more takes he can destroy the better. I think it's a badge of honour."But that doesn't worry Davies. He said, "It's been like an end-of-term treat for David and Billie with Peter on set. But the episode will be quite a scary one."As well as cameos from Pauline Collins and Anthony Head, this series also sees the return of some of Doctor Who's friends and enemies. K-9 and Sarah Jane are reunited with the Doctor and he again faces the Cybermen challenge.But even before the first episode has aired, Davies is already praising the series two cliffhanger. He said, "It's called Doomsday and it's the best last episode you'll ever see. The whole world is in danger, Rose and the Doctor could die." The new 13-episode series of Doctor Who starts in April, on a date yet to be confirmed by the BBC. Speculation was mounting last night that the first episode will be shown on Saturday, April 15.  Source: The Western Mail 30/03/2006

Tennant Back As The Doctor

DAVID Tennant has signed up for the next series of Dr Who. Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor's sidekick, Rose Tyler, also said she would be returning for series three.
Russell T Davies, the executive producer and scriptwriter for the series, said he would not rule out reincarnating the Time Lord as a woman.
Speaking at the launch of the series in Cardiff, he said it would be possible to have a Welsh Doctor, such as the actor Michael Sheen, whom he described as "brilliant". Source: The Scotsman 30/03/2006

Timelords To Keep Travelling

Dr Who stars David Tennant and Billie Piper want to continue their time travel escapades for another series.
Piper said she would be returning for series three as series two received its officicial launch.
She said: "There are lots of places for Rose to go. I have had a ball. I might still be here in 40 years."
BBC Wales also confirmed that Tennant was "committed to Dr Who through 2007" for the third series.
Tennant described an episode of the second series, called Love and Monsters, which features comedian Peter Kay as "unlike anything you'll have seen in Dr Who before".
The pair both paid tribute to Kay, who wrote to script writer Russell T Davies to get a part in the new series.
Piper said she had to pinch herself between takes to stop laughing while Tennant said the comedian seemed to see destroying takes as "a badge of honour".
Piper added: "I love his 'Dalek bread' gags."
Meanwhile, executive producer and script writer Russell T Davies, said he would not rule out reincarnating the Time Lord as a woman.
Mr Davies said he would "have the nerve" to have a woman playing the role.
And he said it would also be possible to have a Welsh Doctor, such as the actor Michael Sheen, whom he described as "brilliant". Source: ITV

Third Series For The Doctor And Rose

Doctor Who is back for a second series and the Time Lord will be around for a while, because star David Tennant has signed up for a third. Billie Piper, his assistant Rose Tyler, has also confirmed she is on board the Tardis for the third run of the return of the BBC's sci-fi hit. The pair were in Cardiff for a preview of the first episode of the 13-part second series, which begins in April. It revealed Rose kisses the Doctor - although all is not quite as it seems. Without wanting to give away the plot, it must be said that Rose is not responsible for the lip-smacking action. Even so, Piper, 23, revealed she still enjoyed the task.

Looking approvingly at her co-star, she joked: "I could not wait. I only got three goes. It was very disappointing." There is another kiss in the fourth episode, apparently, but this scene also comes with a twist.
The sexy and streetwise start of the first episode, New Earth, is indicative of the bright, pacy tone fans of the 21st Century Doctor Who have come to expect under executive producer and lead writer Russell T Davies. Filmed by BBC Wales in Davies' native south Wales - the Gower Peninsula near his home town, Swansea, is a location in the first episode - this series is promising the return of some classic characters, goodies as well as baddies. Russell T Davies at the launch party with producer Phil Collinson
So the silver-suited cybermen and the doctor's faithful robot dog, K9, are set to add a touch of back to the future. Another blast from the past is Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith, assistant to previous Doctors Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker in the mid-1970s. She is not above giving Rose Tyler a bit of competition for the doctor's attentions. Piper revealed the pair get into a what she called a "bitch fight". Other guest stars in the second series include Pauline Collins, Anthony Head, Maureen Lipman and the comedian Peter Kay, who is to play a villain in the tenth episode. Davies said he delighted in making the guest appearances possible. In fact he would like to cast his net wider - with Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien films, top of his wishlist. "I would love to have someone from Hollywood," he admitted. Tardis Tennant's predecessor, Christopher Eccleston, brought a northern accent to the part. But Davies revealed he did not want Tennant "touring the regions" by bringing his own Scottish accent to the role. Davies had asked him to keep the same accent he used in the BBC period drama, Casanova.  Many scenes are filmed in Wales, and others on a London estate
But with Tennant at the controls of the Tardis for another couple of series, it will be some time before the script writers have to deal with the Doctor's next "regeneration." If only because while a third series is in the bag, a fourth series has yet to be confirmed. If and when that regeneration moment comes, anything could happen. Under questioning, Davies said he had no qualms about the Doctor coming back as a woman. He said: "I have no problem with that. I would do it." However, while both Piper and Tennant seem keen to return for series three, the BBC's comment raised some unanswered questions. A BBC spokeswoman said: "All parties want more of Rose Tyler as was confirmed at the press launch for Doctor Who series two. "However it is too early to confirm in what shape, form and how that will be for series three."  Source: BBC Wales 30/03/2006

Look Who's Kissing Billie Piper

David Tennant has agreed to play Dr Who in a third series, it was revealed yesterday.
The BBC said that Tennant, who became the 10th Doctor following Christopher Eccleston's departure last year, is committed to the programme until 2007. His sidekick Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, will also return.The two stars were speaking at a launch for the second series due to be screened next month.
Viewers will see the duo share their first on-screen kiss, right, be beamed to distant alien planets and share scenes with the comedian Peter Kay, who was given a part after writing a begging letter to the show's producer and script writer Russell T Davies.
Mr Davies said at the launch that the pairing of Tennant and Piper was proving successful because of a "natural chemistry". The first episode of the new series, which features plague carriers grown in a research laboratory, draws parallels with the subject of animal testing.
Piper said that she had been shocked by the latest scripts, describing them as "really dark".
Work on the third series had already begun. It is understood that Stephen Fry will play a part in one of the episodes.                Source: The Telegraph 30/03/2006

DAVID Tennant has signed up for the third series of Dr Who.  And Billie Piper, who plays the Doctor’s sidekick Rose Tyler, will also return for series three. "There are lots of places for Rose to go," she said. "I have had a ball ... I might still be here in 40 years." David, 34, who last year became the tenth Doctor following Christopher Eccleston’s surprise departure, appeared more circumspect about his contract, saying: "Mine’s not as simple as that." But a spokesman for programme makers BBC Wales later confirmed David was "committed to Dr Who through 2007" for the third series. The stars were speaking at the launch of the second series at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, which saw a screening of the first episode called New Earth. The episode sees the Time Lord and Rose share a kiss, but the scene has a twist as 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" and said they had been eating egg and cress sandwiches. "It’s not the last kiss of the series," David added. Asked if the pair wanted to make a bid for success in Hollywood, Billie said: "I’m loving what’s going on here at the moment", while David said he had never had a "five-year plan".                                              Source: The Sun 30/03/2006

David Tennant signs for more Who

David Tennant and Billie Piper have signed up for another series of Doctor Who, it was revealed on Thursday. While speaking about the final episode of series two, called Doomsday, Billie told reporters: "There are lots of places for Rose to go." David Tennant seemed to be enjoying making the show: "I have had a ball ... I might still be here in 40 years." They were at the launch of the second series in Cardiff, where the first episode, called New Earth, was shown.

That episode features Rose and the Doctor share a kiss, but as you might expect from the top sci-fi show, there's a bit of a twist. Rose's body has been taken over by Lady Cassandra, the last surviving human from the previous series. David Tennant spoke about the high quality of the writing in the new series: "Each script that we get is more funny and wilder and more inventive than the last." Meanwhile, writer Russell T Davies has said he wouldn't rule out a female Doctor. Speaking at the launch event, he said he would "have the nerve" to give the role to a woman. The new 13 episode series of Dr Who starts in April. Source: Newsround 30/03/2006

Doctor Who Takes On Flesh Eating Bugs and the Almighty

It has already revived the Daleks and carried a clear anti-war message. Now the writers of BBC's hit revival of sci-fi classic Doctor Who plan to mix current affairs and television nostalgia with plotlines inspired by subjects ranging from the MRSA epidemic to Hammer Horror films. The second series of Doctor Who, starting on BBC1 on Easter Saturday, takes the time lord to places he has never been. For the first time, the Doctor, played by David Tennant, falls in love and ponders God's existence.In a further break from tradition, the chief scriptwriter Russell T Davies said he "wouldn't think twice" about casting a woman in the lead role when the Doctor next regenerates, adding that he would love Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien film trilogy, to appear.The opening episode takes place on "New Earth" in New New York (actually the Gower peninsula). There, a race of nun-like catwomen run a hospital with a dirty secret. Hidden in the basement are thousands of humans infected with every known disease. Davies said that when he was writing the episode: "Everyday, MRSA was in the newspapers."There are also parallels between the storyline and the debate over animal testing. "That's the way I write. I can't help it. I'm not saying I'm against animal testing," said Davies.From contemporary to historical, the second episode features a fictional Queen Victoria, who is waylaid by a werewolf on her way to Balmoral. "It's very British - that Oliver Reed, Hammer Horror thing," said Mr Davies.
In other episodes, the Doctor and his assistant Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, encounter the Devil, a squid-like monster and winged Gremlins. Old Doctor Who favourites such as the Cybermen and the robot dog K9 also make a comeback.The first series of the revived Doctor Who drew more than 10m viewers on Saturday nights, and a star-studded cast has been signed up for the second, including the comedian Peter Kay, who wrote a letter to Davies asking for a part, Zoe Wanamaker and Shirley Henderson. Stephen Fry is writing for the third series.Piper refused to comment on speculation she is planning to leave the show. But insiders said she was likely to leave early in the third series. She was upset not to have been nominated for a Bafta."I was hoping to be there... because I love the Baftas. I would be lying if I said it didn't mean anything... but I'm 23 and I've got the rest of my life to do it," she said.Tennant said he was enjoying the freedom that the role of the Doctor allows."One of the things with the Doctor is you're not obliged to take a character that already exists. It's not like James Bond or Tarzan or Sherlock Holmes. Part of the point of the whole regeneration thing is you've got a blank canvas," he said.  Source: The Independent 30/03/2006

  

 Source: The Sun 30/03/2006

Source: The Daily Star 29/03/06

 

Source: The Sun 29/03/06