The Doctor Was In the House – and Nearly Brought the House Down!
Just introducing the panel for “Doctor Who” brought screams from the fans and, just when you thought your eardrums had already been blown to smithereens, David Tennant walked out onto the stage and the audience just went INSANELY WILD. Handling this like an old pro at this rock-star greeting, David Tennant was the master of the stage, graciously bowing and waving for the fans. He also confessed that this was his first appearance ever at a convention and thus felt it was a bit overwhelming, especially seeing his face plastered all over t-shirts, cakes and even children’s pants, like in England. (After which Russell T. Davies exclaimed, “spread the word – get Doctor Who on children’s pants here too!”) Tennant also explained that he is not always prepared for the extreme reaction of the fans as “they don’t really prepare you for that in drama school.”
Even Russell T. Davies, who re-jump-started the “Doctor Who” television franchise five years ago, said that he “never ever, ever, ever imagined [“Doctor Who”] would be this successful” and that “it’s gobsmacking,” the intense and wide-spread global reception and popularity of his reimagining of “Doctor Who.” Davies too was beaming with pride and happiness at the enthusiastic response from the fans.
The one infinitesimal moment of dismay was when Julie Gardner announced that she was not sure where that rumor got started, but she firmly stated they were not prepared to make any announcement regarding a “Doctor Who” movie. There was a collective “booooo” by the crowd, but it quickly dissipated when Gardner announced that they would be showing clips of the upcoming 2009 Christmas Special “Doctor Who: The End of Time.”
From the very first moment the words were uttered from the screen: “It is said that in the final days of the planet Earth, everyone had bad dreams,” the audience was unable to contain itself and the jubilant screams of 4,000 rabid fans echoed against the walls of Ballroom 20. The clip was taken from David Tennant’s last appearance as the 10th Doctor in the 2009 Christmas Special “Doctor Who: The End of Time,” which features return appearances by Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, Alexandra Moen as Lucy Saxon, and John Simm as The Master. Once the clip ended, Tennant insisted that it be run a 2nd time just so he could enjoy it once more with the fans — a suggestion that was met with great enthusiasm. Afterwards, Davies shared that the voiceover during the clip was indeed former James Bond himself, Timothy Dalton, who would also play a role in the “Doctor Who” special. Another round of loud yells and whistles greeted this news as well.
Euros Lyn, who directed this last bow of the 10th Doctor, stated, “It is overwhelming. You will need Kleenex. He will knock four times.” And spookier words have not been uttered since that final parting warning from “The Planet of the Dead.” What a wonderful way to say good-bye to the 10th Doctor and welcome Matt Smith, who will pay the 11th Doctor starting next year.
In a nod to the previous nine incarnations of The Doctor, Tennant shared that he tries to meld them all into his performance and that “there are bits of them all in there.” He is very conscious of the legacy bestowed upon him and has carried it with ease and thoughtfulness all along the way. And just as graciously, he will pass the mantle along to his successor Matt Smith, who will portray the 11th Doctor. Tennant gave a nice shout-out to Smith by stating, “There is no one in Britain who has worked with Matt who hasn’t raved about him.”
When queried about whether his trademark long brown coat is a nod to the Joss Whedon series, “Firefly,” Tennant was forced to admit that it was not. It was just a prop of his character. (Link to video “I love Firefly, I love Serenity. They’re excellent”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJkHI6RuOQs)
Tennant also let it slip that he will be appearing in an upcoming episode of the “Sarah Jane Adventures” entitled “The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith” – that will undoubtedly break all ratings records with that little appearance on “SJM.”
Then, in a special tribute right in the middle of the panel, the Guiness Book of World Records arrived to present “Doctor Who” with an award for having the most successful sci-fi series on television. To which Davies’ exclaimed, “Eat it, Supernatural!”
Davies, when asked about the character River Song which was introduced in the bookend episodes “Silence in the Library” and “Forest of the Dead” and whether she will cross paths with the 11th Doctor, said, “I think if you go online and do a little search for River Song, you might be very happy.” (Taking his hint, I took a peak at Wikipedia and saw that it indeed offered a bit of a spoiler as it revealed that Alex Kingston, who plays River Song, has been spotted leaving the film set of Series 5.)
Look for the next installment of the Tenth Doctor series in “The Waters of Mars” to air sometime later this year on BBC America. The preview clip for it was absolutely creepy and amazing all at once!