Tenth Doctor

The Doctor

The Tenth Doctor
Doctor Who character
David Tennant as the Doctor
First regular appearance	"The Parting of the Ways"
Portrayed by	David Tennant
Preceded by	Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)
Information
Tenure	2005 – ongoing
No of series	3
Appearances	22 stories (28 episodes)
Companions	Rose Tyler Mickey Smith Donna Noble Martha Jones Jack Harkness Astrid Peth
Chronology	Series 2 (2006), Series 3 (2007), Series 4 (2008) 4 specials (2009)

The Tenth Doctor is the name given to the tenth and current incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant.

Overview

After the successful premiere of Rose and the announcement of a second series being commissioned by the BBC, the story broke that Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor, would not be returning for the second series. On 16 April 2005, the BBC announced that David Tennant had been selected for the role of the Tenth Doctor. His first appearance in the series was for 20 seconds following the Ninth Doctor's regeneration at the end of The Parting of the Ways. His first full episode as the Doctor, barring an appearance in a "mini-episode" during the 2005 Children in Need show, was the 2005 Christmas Special, The Christmas Invasion. He then appeared in the 2006 series, the second seasonal episode, the 2007 series and is also to appear in the third seasonal episode, the 2008 series and in three specials to be aired throughout 2009. There has been no confirmation that he will play the character beyond this point, though a full series is set to air in 2010.

In 2006, readers of Doctor Who Magazine voted Tennant's Doctor "Best Doctor", over perennial favourite Tom Baker.

A thirteen-part cartoon adventure, The Infinite Quest, featuring the Tenth Doctor and companion Martha Jones (voiced by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman) premiered on Totally Doctor Who (the last episode of The Infinite Quest was shown with all previous episodes as an entire Doctor Who episode on Saturday 30th June 2007) on 2 April 2007. It also features Anthony Head as the evil space pirate Baltazar, "Scourge of the Galaxy" and Toby Longworth as Baltazar's robot parrot Caw.

While the previous Doctor was never explicitly referred to as the Ninth on-screen, the exact number of incarnations thus far was confirmed in-series by sketches of the ten Doctors to date in the sketchbook A Journal of Impossible Things that appeared in 2007's "Human Nature" (although only five incarnations are visible on-screen, the other four appear on a two-page scan seen on BBC's website). In School Reunion, the Tenth Doctor commented to Sarah Jane Smith that he had regenerated half a dozen times since they had last met. Sarah Jane last saw the Doctor at the end of the Fourth Doctor serial The Hand of Fear (in the anniversary special "The Five Doctors" (1983), Sarah is paired up with the Third Doctor, and also meets the Fifth Doctor, Second Doctor, and First Doctor). She was also seen with the Third Doctor in the 1993 Children in Need special, Dimensions in Time, however its canonicity is debatable and the point in Sarah Jane's personal timeline at which Dimensions in Time takes place is unspecified. Off-screen, on the DVD commentary for "The Parting of the Ways", Julie Gardner states after the regeneration sequence, 'Tennant is Ten!'. For the soundtrack of "The Christmas Invasion", a specially commissioned piece played during the sequence in which the Doctor chooses his new outfit was titled "Song for Ten".

Biography

The Ninth Doctor regenerated into the Tenth due to cellular damage caused by absorbing the energies of the time vortex at the climax of "The Parting of the Ways". In the Children in Need mini-episode, the Doctor initially exhibited stable behaviour as he introduced his new form to Rose Tyler, showing particular interest in his appearance; but soon began acting erratically and said that his regeneration had "gone wrong". He remained in a delirious or comatose state through most of the events of "The Christmas Invasion" until his regeneration was settled through absorbing the free radicals and tannin from some hot tea, that had dripped onto a power source inside the TARDIS. He then saved the Earth from invasion by defeating the leader of the alien Sycorax using a satsuma.

The Tenth Doctor and Rose went on to rescue Queen Victoria from a werewolf. The Doctor was knighted as "Sir Doctor of TARDIS" as a reward — a title he continued to use as of his first journey with Martha Jones — although Victoria banished them from the British Empire and set up the Torchwood Institute to defend Britain from paranormal threats and wait for the Doctor's return. He would finally encounter the Institute in "Army of Ghosts".

In "The Girl in the Fireplace", he appeared to develop romantic feelings for Madame de Pompadour while attempting to discover why clockwork androids on a 51st Century spaceship were stalking her throughout her life. Ultimately, he was unable to take her with him as the last, asynchronous time window returned him to her after her death.

In "Rise of the Cybermen", the Doctor was forced to fix the broken TARDIS by giving up the energy from ten years of his life (but he claims that it is worth every second). Given the general longevity of the Time Lords, whether this will affect him to any significant degree is yet to be seen, although it could also be interpreted as affecting his biological age (the Sixth Doctor said in Attack of the Cybermen that a few decades were "a handful of heartbeats for a Time Lord").

In Blink the Doctor and Martha were temporarily trapped in 1969. It's not shown how long they were there but Martha had to work in a shop to support him, indicating they were there for at least many days.

The Tenth Doctor has used his psychic abilities more often on screen than his previous incarnations. He continues to use the Ninth Doctor's psychic paper, but has also been seen using telepathic techniques several times (for instance, in "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "The Shakespeare Code"). In "Last of the Time Lords", he uses his telepathic skills over a year to tap into the Archangel satellite network to rejuvenate himself with humanity's belief in him. He is then able to manipulate the combined energy apparently created by that belief, using it alternately as a shield and as a weapon, in the form of telekinesis.

In Voyage of the Damned the Tenth Doctor states that he is 903 years old. This contradicts previous statements about the Doctor's age, as the Seventh Doctor states his age as 953 in the episode Time and the Rani.

Companions

The Tenth Doctor "inherited" Rose Tyler as his companion, who left in "Doomsday", the final episode of the 2006 series. At the end of the same episode, a bride named Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, appeared in the TARDIS as a result of her Huon particle intake, and appeared in the 2006 Christmas special, "The Runaway Bride". In the episode's dénouement, she refused his offer of full-time companionship, instead suggesting he find someone else. She is now set to return as a full time companion in Series 4.

Rose's boyfriend, Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke), a recurring character from the previous season, joined the TARDIS crew as a regular companion in "School Reunion". Mickey departed the TARDIS in "The Age of Steel", replacing his deceased counterpart on a parallel Earth. He returned and departed for good in the 2006 two-part series finale, "Army of Ghosts" and "Doomsday".

Rose's mother, Jackie Tyler, was also a recurring character in the first two series, and played a major role in several episodes, notably "The Parting of the Ways", "The Christmas Invasion" and "Love & Monsters", finally travelling in the TARDIS by accident in "Army of Ghosts". Though she travelled in the TARDIS with the Doctor she is not necessarily considered a companion.

In series three the Doctor was joined by a new companion called Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman. Agyeman previously played Adeola in "Army of Ghosts", a character who died during the course of the episode, later revealed to be Martha's cousin. Martha joins the Doctor after they save each other's lives during a Plasmavore attack, and the Doctor offers her a single trip in the TARDIS by way of thanks. She continues as his companion following a trip to the Globe Theatre, and was made an official companion — by receiving a key to the TARDIS — in "42". Martha returns to Earth to finish her medical training in "Last of the Time Lords", but leaves her superphone with the Doctor so she can call him if she wants to come back, which she is set to do in 5 episodes of the fourth series, teaming up with the Doctor and Donna as they battle Sontarans.

Previous companion "Captain" Jack Harkness was originally to have rejoined the TARDIS crew in the 2006 series. However, this plan was abandoned, in part because of Harkness' role in the new Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood. It was initially announced that there would be no crossovers between the two series, but Harkness returned to Doctor Who in "Utopia" for the final three episodes of the 2007 series. In "Last of the Time Lords", the Doctor offers Jack full-time companionship but the events of the episode causes Jack to realise that his friends need him, declining the offer he had pined for.

The Doctor was also reunited with previous companions Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 (Mark III) in "School Reunion".

Although she is not considered an official companion, the character of Sally Sparrow in the 2007 episode Blink fulfils many of the functions of a companion in this episode, in which she is "recruited" by the Doctor to rescuing him from 1969; the episode focuses on her as she follows clues left for her by the Doctor and several allies throughout time, before she actually meets the Doctor at the story's conclusion. The episode The Girl in the Fireplace has the Doctor offering Madame de Pompadour the chance to become a companion (if briefly), but circumstances render this impossible and she dies before being able to take him up on the offer.

The Tenth Doctor is also the first since the Second Doctor to actually say "goodbye" to a companion rather than simply leaving, or giving some platitude when a companion leaves of their own accord. He has made mentions of Rose Tyler since her departure to Martha Jones and Donna Noble (and has had references of her made to him), although in past incarnations, he has also made the occasional repeated reference to the likes of Susan Foreman and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. At one point he used "Doctor James McCrimmon" as an alias, another reference to a previous companion.

Pop star Kylie Minogue appears in the 2007 Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned". She played a character named Astrid Peth, 'a one-off companion' for the episode.

Personality

File:Tennantdoc.jpg

The Tenth Doctor in his original costume

The Tenth Doctor generally displays a light-hearted, talkative, easy-going, witty and somewhat cheeky manner, but combines this with a somewhat egocentric sense of unstoppability when facing his enemies. He is perhaps as ruthless and dangerous as his seventh incarnation ever was, although much less inclined to, or capable of, complex schemes and set goals. This emerged early on when he sent the Sycorax leader (who was attacking him from behind) tumbling to his death while commenting that, with him, there were "no second chances." In "School Reunion", he acknowledges that he is less merciful than he used to be and has stuck to his "one warning" code, punishing his enemies if they persist in their hostilities. This was most explicitly demonstrated in "The Runaway Bride" when he drowned the Empress of Racnoss' children, and in "The Family of Blood" where he gave each Family member an individual and eternal punishment. His strong personal sense of justice makes him quick to anger when he feels it is violated, as in "New Earth" when he learned of the plague farm run by the Sisters of Plenitude, and after Prime Minister Harriet Jones had given the order to destroy the retreating Sycorax ship, the Doctor warned her that he could "bring down" her government with six words ("Don't you think she looks tired?", whispered to Jones' aide, Alex).

Like the Seventh and Ninth Doctors, the Tenth sometimes uses a cheerful, energetic façade to mask inner emotions. He has a tendency to babble, mixing apparent nonsense with vital information, sometimes acting erratically to put his enemies off guard like some of his earlier incarnations. He can also be rude on occasion, and is not always aware of it. He has a tendency to use technobabble to describe scientific concepts before substituting it with a simpler, analogous explanation. Further to this, he tends to infantilise names and concepts - his description of non-linear temporal physics as "(a wibbly wobbly ball of) timey wimey (stuff)" is perhaps the most well known example. He is also able to rapidly switch between moods, from mania to anger to nonchalance and uses this as a form of reverse psychology on several occasions ("Fear Her", "Love & Monsters" and "Army of Ghosts"). In the latter, by switching gears suddenly after failing to dissuade Yvonne Hartman from her current activities, he is able to make her uncertain enough to get his way. Unlike the Ninth Doctor, who showed off his vengeful, rage-filled dark side when up against the Daleks, the Tenth Doctor displayed a more confident, self-assured side when around them, but did not hesitate to taunt them.

It has been made clear that the Doctor is, despite constant interaction with others, a lonely person deep down. In "School Reunion", he describes the ability of Time Lords to live so long as a curse, because while his human companions all someday leave him and eventually die, he continues to live. Other characters have also commented on the Tenth Doctor's loneliness. During a phone call with the Master, he admits that, since the end of the Time War and the loss of the other Time Lords, he has been "lonely ever since", viewing the Master's return as the end of this loneliness. Indeed, when the Master subsequently dies, the Doctor openly weeps over his body. While the Ninth Doctor was somewhat standoffish in certain situations, particularly "domestics", the Tenth is more extroverted and gregarious, quickly establishing a firmer rapport with Rose Tyler's friends and family than he ever did in his previous incarnation, though his talkativeness sometimes irritates others not used to him. The Tenth Doctor is also fonder of mankind, and is apparently in awe of their tenacity and curiosity, a trait exhibited by his fourth incarnation. In "The Impossible Planet", he hugs the leader of an Earth expedition for daring to explore a planet orbiting a black hole. In "The Age of Steel", he describes human beings as both brilliant and stupid in the same sentence while arguing the necessity of emotions with the Cyber-Controller. However, he is also quick to criticise mankind when he feels it is necessary.

The Tenth Doctor and Rose often faced their adventures with a cheerful, almost blasé attitude, even when terror and death happened around them, contrasting his previous selves, who displayed more serious attitudes when in trouble. Queen Victoria commented on this in "Tooth and Claw" when she banished them, and producer Russell T. Davies hinted that there would be consequences to this carefree attitude later in the series. In "Doomsday", the two were separated seemingly forever when Rose was left in a parallel universe as a consequence of foiling a Dalek and Cyberman invasion of Earth.

The 2006 series continued the exploration of the Doctor's romantic aspects, with the Tenth Doctor sharing kisses with Rose (albeit while she was possessed by Lady Cassandra) and Madame de Pompadour. In "School Reunion", Sarah all but confesses that she had been in love with him. In "Doomsday", during their farewell, Rose tells the Doctor she loves him; he begins to reply but only manages to say her name before the transmission is cut off, leaving him alone in the TARDIS with tears on his cheeks. After this, whenever he is reminded of Rose he sometimes becomes depressed or pensive. In the audio commentary for "Doomsday" the executive producer Julie Gardner claims that she will confirm to the nation the Doctor was going to 'say it back'. In 2007 episodes, the Doctor learnt that Martha harboured unrequited feelings for him before she left his company and also exchanged kisses with Astrid in honour of "an old tradition" from her home planet.

The Tenth Doctor sometimes dons a pair of spectacles, like the Fifth Doctor, whose youthful appearance he shares. In the Children In Need special, Time Crash, the Tenth Doctor notes other inherited/inspired tendencies when meeting the Fifth Doctor aside from "the brainy specs" (which he observes were worn by the Fifth simply to look clever rather than out of necessity, therefore implying that his are used for the same reason) such as wearing plimsoles/trainers and both of their voices becoming high-pitched when shouting. He also exhibits a remarkable sense of taste, again similar to the Fifth Doctor, ("Planet of Fire"), able to identify the blood type of a blood sample ("The Christmas Invasion") or the presence of mistletoe oil ("Tooth and Claw") just by licking. The Tenth also admitted to the Fifth that he was his favourite past incarnation.

The Tenth Doctor speaks with an Estuary English accent, rather than the Northern inflection that the Ninth Doctor used, the Received Pronunciation of most earlier Doctors, or Tennant's natural Scottish brogue. In a December 23 interview on BBC Radio 1, Tennant explained that a line had been scripted for the Christmas special explaining that the newly regenerated Doctor had imprinted on Rose Tyler's accent, "like a chick hatching from an egg," but the line was cut from the final programme. (Had the line been kept, it might have caused a continuity issue, since the first voices both the Sixth Doctor and the Eighth Doctor heard were American, and the Seventh Doctor sounded slightly Scottish despite first hearing an R.P. (or possibly Gallifreyan) accent. The Tenth Doctor also briefly affected a generic American Appalachian accent in the Children in Need special and "The Christmas Invasion", and a Scottish accent (David Tennant's own) in "Tooth and Claw".

Appearance

The Doctor seemed disappointed that his tenth incarnation was not "ginger" (red haired). He wears a dark brown (blue pinstripe) or blue (red pinstripe) suit, a shirt and (usually) a tie, a light brown overcoat (which he claims was given to him by Janis Joplin), and a pair of trainers with colours ranging from cream (brown suit), black (tux) or maroon (blue suit), a costume which Tennant described as "geek chic". The blue suit debuted in Series 3, episode 1, "Smith and Jones" and both suits were worn from his adventures with Martha Jones onwards. According to an interview on Parkinson, David Tennant and Russell T Davies got the idea for the Tenth Doctor's costume from an outfit Jamie Oliver had worn on Parkinson just after David had taken the role. Another additional part of the Tenth Doctor's costume is a pair of dark tortoise-shell rectangular frame glasses; since The Christmas Invasion he has required them in numerous episodes. As noted above, the Tenth Doctor credited the Fifth Doctor with inspiring his trainers and glasses.

Knowledge of popular culture

Like his predecessor, the Tenth Doctor shows a fondness for human popular culture — a characteristic not all of his previous incarnations seemed to share — but even more so, to the point where he finds himself unconsciously quoting the song "Circle of Life" from Disney's The Lion King during a confrontation with the Sycorax leader. In School Reunion he responded to a student with 'correctamundo', an exclamation often made by The Fonz on the TV show Happy Days. In "The Girl in the Fireplace", he sings "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the musical My Fair Lady. He also appears to be a fan of pop music, quoting Kylie Minogue and Status Quo, and has made quips about Balamory (in "Tooth and Claw"), EastEnders (in "The Impossible Planet"), and Ghostbusters (in "Army of Ghosts"). He also has a fondness for pop/rock music, attempting to take Rose to an Ian Dury and the Blockheads concert in 1979, and Elvis Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in NYC in the 1950s (he fails to reach his destination both times). Also, in "42" he refers to the Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun". In "The Shakespeare Code", he mentions having read the seventh Harry Potter novel (which made him cry), and shouts out "Expelliarmus" as a magic word for Shakespeare to use, as well as referencing Back to the Future when explaining the infinite temporal flux to Martha. In "The Christmas Invasion" he compares himself to Arthur Dent, a character from Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books, referring to Dent as a "very nice chap". Whether the Doctor actually met Dent or if he was just teasing Rose is unclear; the Seventh Doctor once referred to one of Adams' lines in "Ghost Light".

His knowledge of contemporary pop culture is not comprehensive however. In "The Lazarus Experiment" he fails to recognise the term "science geek" when Tish applies the label to him. Once he is provided with a definition he does choose to take it as a compliment, though. In the same episode, the Doctor states that he had increased the volume on a cathedral organ from 10 to 11, a reference to This is Spinal Tap.

His references are not all restricted to modern pop-culture. In "Tooth and Claw", his description of Rose as a "tim'rous beasti" is an allusion to the poem To a Mouse by Robert Burns, an 18th century Scottish poet. In The Shakespeare Code he quotes from the poem "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas and displays an expansive knowledge of the works of William Shakespeare, both directly and indirectly suggesting famous lines to the man himself, unsurprising considering the Fourth Doctor completed the first draft of Hamlet on (an older) Shakespeare's behalf. He has also quoted from the T.S. Eliot poem The Hollow Men, referencing both the "Falls the Shadow" and "This is the way the world ends" passages.

On the DVD, a full-length version of his list of instructions to Martha in the episode Human Nature can be seen. In it, he states his favourite band is The Housemartins, and talks about a gig he went to in Scottland which resulted in them splitting up. Since this scene was not shown in the actual episode, it may not be considered canon.

Much as the Ninth Doctor frequently declared things "Fantastic!", this Doctor has also favoured certain phrases on various occasions such as "What!?" (when referring to something unexpected happening, an exclamation also favoured by the Fourth Doctor), "Brilliant!", "That's impossible!", "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" and the French expression "Allons-y" ("Let's go").

The Doctor also displays a knowledge of gay subculture when, in "Time Crash" in response to the Fifth Doctor asking if The Master still has that "rubbish beard", the Tenth Doctor replies "no, no beard this time" and then "well, a wife" - a reference to the use of the term beard in gay slang.

Personality quirks

A scene filmed for the episode Human Nature but cut from the final broadcast (but included in the Deleted Scenes feature in the Season 3 DVD set) reveals that the Tenth Doctor has a strong dislike for pears, to the point of ordering Martha to prevent the Doctor, during his period disguised as John Smith, from eating any. The scene was adapted from the original "Human Nature" novel by the same writer, where it applied to the Seventh Doctor. The canonicity of the scene, seeing as it was cut from the final broadcast, is unclear.

Other appearances

Novels

New Series Adventures

• The Resurrection Casket by Justin Richards
• The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
• The Feast of the Drowned by Stephen Cole
• The Nightmare of Black Island by Mike Tucker
• The Art of Destruction by Stephen Cole
• The Price of Paradise by Colin Brake
• Sting of the Zygons by Stephen Cole
• The Last Dodo by Jacqueline Rayner
• Wooden Heart by Martin Day
• Wetworld by Mark Michalowski
• Forever Autumn by Mark Morris
• Sick Building by Paul Magrs

All bar the last three of these novels have been released as far on audio, being read by a Doctor Who cast member.

Another set of three novels has been announced as being intended for publication on December 26 2007:

• Peacemaker by James Swallow
• The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier
• Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale

Three more novels has been announced as being intended for publication in March 2008:

• Martha in the Mirror by Justin Richards
• Snowglobe 7 by Mike Tucker
• The Many Hands by Dale Smith

These adventure novels are a series of books which the player controls the fate of the Doctor and Martha and were first released on 5 July 2007:

• The Spaceship Graveyard by Colin Brake
• Alien Arena by Richard Dungworth
• The Time Crocodile by Colin Brake
• The Corinthian Project by Davey Moore
• The Crystal Snare by Richard Dungworth
• War of the Robots by Trevor Baxendale
• Dark Planet by Davey Moore
• The Haunted Wagon Train by Colin Brake
• Frozen Earth by Kay Woodward

Quick Reads

Two short books have been published as part of the Quick Reads Initiative:

• I am a Dalek by Gareth Roberts
• Made of Steel by Terrance Dicks

A third Quick Reads book has been announced for publication in March 2008:

• Revenge of the Judoon by Terrance Dicks

Short stories

• Deep and Dreamless Sleep by Paul Cornell
• 42: Prologue (a prologue to the Series 3 episode 42) by Joseph Lidster
• The Frozen by Rupert Laight
• The Hopes and Fears of All the Years by Paul Cornell

Comics

Doctor Who Magazine

• The Bethrotal of Sontar
• The Lodger
• F.A.Q.
• The Futurists
• Interstellar Overdrive
• The Green Eyed Monster
• The Warkeeper's Crown
• The Woman Who Sold The World
• Bus Stop
• The First
• Death to the Doctor

Doctor Who Adventures

• Which Switch?
• Mirror Image
• Under the Volcano
• The Germ War
• Warfreekz!
• A Delicate Operation
• Blood and Tears
• Fried Death
• Bizarre Humans
• Save the Humans
• Bat Attack / The Battle of Reading Gaol
• Triskaidekaphobia
• Smarts Bomb
• Pinball Wizard
• Gangsters' Paradise / Heads You Lose
• A Date to Remember / Snow Fakes
• The Hunters / Cliffhanger!
• 13 O'clock (2 parts)
• Green Fingers (2 parts)
• The Snag Finders (2 parts)
• The Skrawn Inheritance (2 parts)
• The Green, the Bad and the Ugly (2 parts)
• Minus Seven Wonders (2 parts)
• The Last Soldier (2 parts)
• Signs of Life (2 parts)
• Shipwreck! (2 parts)
• Cold War (2 parts)
• The Klytode Christmas (2 parts)

Battles in Time

• Growing Terror, Hyperstar Rising, Death Race Five Billion, The Macrobe Menace, The Hunt of Doom and Reunion of Fear
• The Glutonoid Menace
• The Power of the Cybermen, Drones of Doom, Enemy Mine and Time of the Cybermen
• Beneath the Skin, The Sky Below, Beyond the Sea and Lonely Planet
• Plague Panic
• Exhausting Evil
• Wrath of the Warrior, The Screaming Prison, Force and Fury and Warrior’s Revenge
• Head Start, Jewel of the Vile, Dock, Stocks and Barrel and End Game

Doctor Who Annuals

• Down the Rabbit Hole

Doctor Who

IDW Publishing (publisher of various Angel, Star Trek and Transformers comic titles) are set to do a devoted series of Tenth Doctor and Martha comics for an American audience. When asked about canonicity, IDW executive editor Chris Ryall dodged the issue by saying all the comics are "blessed" by Russell T Davies but it is up to the individual how canonical each story is. Discussing the series, scriptwriter and comic writer Gary Russell stated

Old monsters are all very well, but using the big guns like Daleks, Cybermen, the Master - it's a bit gauche. If you're going to use recognizable elements from the show - and I think you should where the story allows it - [it should be] a story that enables you to go "oooh I could put MONSTER X in here, that'd be cool" over to "oooh I need to write a story about MONSTER X") now and again, because people like to spot elements they're familiar with, then they need to be fun. Our first issue does feature something from the current show, and a later issue or two features something from waaaaay back in the series history, but these things should be done sparingly or it's no longer an event, it's the norm. And normal is dull. This will all come back to bite me, won't it...

Other

• The Doctor, along with Rose, makes a one-panel cameo in "No Future For You, Part 1", issue #6 of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight comic.
• In the Extras series finale, the Doctor and his Wren companion are attacked by Schlong, a slug-like alien played by Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais).

Successor

Although David Tennant is still playing the role of the Tenth Doctor for the foreseeable future the production team have already been head-hunting for the Eleventh Doctor. Rumored to be in this role is Adrian Edmonson who is known as his current role of Percy 'Abra' Durant in Holby City, but more famously as Vyvyan Bastard from Television's The Young Ones. These rumors were further fueled when Edmonson appeared on Mastermind sporting a brown pin-striped suit and trainers akin to the Tenth Doctor and a plain black v-neck shirt as like the Ninth Doctor.

External links

• The Tenth Doctor on the BBC's Doctor Who website
• Tenth Doctor's theme music
• David Tennant's Site
• Doctor Who series two press launch report and audio interviews at BBC Wiltshire