When the unusual choice of Christopher Eccleston was announced as the ninth actor to play Doctor Who, no one quite knew where the show would end up, least of all the producers. BBC brass foresaw ratings of four million. For the opening episode, they got ten. As fans rejoiced and the TV industry wondered what hit it, the programme was rocked by a revelation. Eccleston was only sticking around for one year. The resurgent series had been thrown into flux already. Whoever was going to inherit the mantle had to do so with a fair element of risk, filling big shoes in a situation that moved more rapidly than Davros on a waxed floor. The Beeb would have preferred a big name, of course, but Davies wanted an up and coming star who had been quietly making waves over the past weeks in Casanova. It came to pass that David Tennant emerged from the regeneration prattling about teeth and the rest is history. Just as Patrick Troughton needed to make the part work away from William Hartnell, Tennant had to do the same thing in microcosm. He gave the franchise a further shot in the arm that took it away from the brooding power of his predecessor and across the pond, where his interpretation formed the stepping stone for Whos infiltration of America under Matt Smith. As such, his contribution to one of the planets favourite sci-fi sagas is incalculable. There wouldnt be a Doctor Who as the fans know and love it without this man. What did you think of this list? Ten reasons (ten for the Tenth Doctor!) why David Tennant deserved his NTAs special recognition but are there any that we've missed? Let us know in the comments section below.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
