Praise for Nigel Goodall’s previous books:
Kylie Naked:
‘The book to be seen with this summer!’ - Heat
Winona Ryder – The Biography:
‘Early on Goodall admits his unabashed affection for his subject. Yet despite the warning, this remains a balanced and sprightly read that paints a rounded picture, yet it refrains from the usual muckracking in favour of a detailed appraisal of her film career and family life. A sustained and erudite piece.’ - Total Film
Being Davina:
‘In this intriguing biography, Davina’s life so far is told with painful honesty. It follows her from a difficult childhood, through her retreat into drugs, alcohol and destructive relationships and on to her huge television success as the host of Big Brother. The Story of a survivor.’ - The Sun
Demi Moore – The Most Powerful Woman In Hollywood:
‘This biography attempts to separate myth and fact in order to paint as clear a portrait of Demi Moore as possible. Clearing away the detritus of gossip and hype, the author conjures an objective a portrait as possible of the controversial star. The book isn’t officially sanctioned, so fawning isn’t on the agenda, so Ms Moore’s good and bad characteristics leap from the pages.’ - Ladies First
The Secret World of Johnny Depp:
‘Goodall has done his homework. It’s all here, from Depp’s early days as a troubled rock musician to various tempestuous romances (Juliette Lewis, Winona Ryder, Kate Moss and Vanessa Paradis, the mother of his two children with whom he still has a relationship) and his rebellious, anti-establishment tendencies. It’s not so much dirt as a little grime that’s been uncovered using trusted sources. An enjoyable read, it adds to the mystique of a talent we can only hope to grasp.’ - Heat
For my Godson, Alistair Pries. And to
the memory of his father, Robert,
an irreplaceable, kind, generous and
brilliant individual.
‘I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord. I’m from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous, I’m nine hundred and three years old, and I’m the man who’s going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. Got a problem with that?’
- David Tennant, The Doctor, Voyage of the Damned
CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Acknowledgements
Foreword by John Highfield
1. Behind Closed Doors
2. The Boy From The Highlands
3. Down South
4. Bright, Light City
5. The Dream Comes True
6. Playing Evil
7. Goodbye, Billie Rose
8. Identity Crisis
9. From Cybermen to Daleks
10. New Companions
11. Under Pressure
12. The Beginning of the End
Glossary
Filmography
David Tennant’s Doctor Who Episode Guide
Awards and Nominations
About the Author
Also by the same author:
Copyright
This book is also dedicated to the memory of my doctor, Jeffrey Darwent, who died unexpectedly in October 2009, aged 57. His untimely death from a heart attack left my local community in shock and sadness. I still miss his good advice and counsel.
In writing this book, my first thanks must go to David Tennant. Even though I did not meet or interview him for this book, it has still been an absolute pleasure to write about his life and career so far. I would also like to thank my fabulous researchers, Keith Hayward and Mike Wilson, for coming up with so much valuable information and helping to make this book what it is – and also, Sean Delaney at the British Film Institute Library for the long out-of-circulation articles, production notes and other forgotten materials. I really must salute my very special Danish friend, Charlotte Rasmussen, whose glossary at the end of this book offers one of the best understandings for film language and film-speak that I have ever come across and deserves to be published in its own right. Further thanks to John Highfield, one of Britain’s leading entertainment journalists for doing such a fabulous foreword, and also for some lively debates on the merits of celebrity, and to Sophia Nelson at 2entertain for the Doctor Who DVD box sets, and the copy of David’s audition tape for Takin’ Over The Asylum. My thanks also to Peter Zimmerman for the great author photo that appeared on the hardback edition of this book, and to Chris Farley for setting it up with Ray James and Linda Weil who very kindly supplied the use of Dalek Caan. Thanks too, to Graeme Andrew for the stunning cover and brilliant design that he always comes up with; my publisher John Blake for asking me to write this book without even seeing a proposal for it, and of course, my editors: Joel Simons, Vicky McGeown and Jane Donovan for their usual tweaking of the manuscript, and especially to Vicky for the fabulous picture research and captions. I would also like to thank the official ‘David Tennant Site’ on the Internet that I consulted during my research and found very useful in helping to make this work as accurate as it can be without the participation of David or his agent, despite my request that they did so.
Some personal thank-yous to my sister Sue, who gave me so much new insight about my parents that it led me to examine more thoroughly David Tennant’s own heritage; Cynthia Shepperd for all her years of friendship and for finding me again; and Jon Terry, a great accountant and a great friend since my amateur drama days. And, finally, my biggest thank you of all goes to my son and daughter, Adam and Kim, for their love and support and, as always, spurring me on, and to my grandsons Harvey and Kenzie, who are the readers I most want to share this book with.
BY JOHN HIGHFIELD
When Christopher Eccleston announced that he was quitting his role as Doctor Who after just one season as the 21st century’s radically overhauled Time Lord in 2005, a whole new generation of fans reacted with shock and outrage. With Eccleston’s almost sinister, brooding presence at the heart of the show, creator Russell T Davies had taken a brand that had long been consigned to the pages of TV history and transformed it into a major hit for the BBC, reinvigorating the Corporation’s tired Saturday evening schedule.
But the fans really shouldn’t have worried because Davies had an essential piece of Time Lord business to play with … regeneration. So just as the show’s original 1960s star William Hartnell transformed into Patrick Troughton, who then became Jon Pertwee before taking on the personality of Tom Baker – true admirers will fill you in on the names of all the subsequent Doctors – November 2005 saw Eccleston hand over one of the most coveted roles in British television to David Tennant.
Where Eccleston had been a mysterious outsider, Tennant brought with him a truly 21st century metrosexuality, making his Doctor a winning blend of action hero