AUDIO INTERVIEW: David Tennant Talks To Front Row

David Tennant has spoken to BBC Radio 4's Front Row after being selected as one of their People Of The Year for his extensive TV work in 2013 including Broadchurch and The Escape Artist and his return to the stage as Richard II with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

You can listen to his interview below:



More interviews with Front Row's People Of The Year, including David's Broadchurch co star Olivia Colman are available on the BBC website here.

RADIO: David Tennant On Front Row - People Of The Year 2013

David Tennant will be one of the subjects of  BBC Radio 4's Front Row this Christmas. In new interviews, Mark Lawson talks to the people who have had exceptional years in the world of arts, culture and entertainment in 2013, in two special programmes airing on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th December on BBC Radio 4 at 7.15pm GMT.

The programmes will also feature interviews with Dame Helen Mirren, David Suchet, Hilary Mantel and Olivia Colman. 

David Tennant talks about his roles in the two most highly anticipated television events of 2013 - the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special and the final episode of Broadchurch. He discusses which accent he decided on for his roles in The Escape Artist, the Politician's Husband and to play Shakespeare's Richard II on stage. His interview is expected to air in part 2 on Tuesday 24th December.

Listen in worldwide via this link

David's extended interview will feature here on the BBC Radio website from next week

PODCAST: David Tennant And Gregory Doran Talk To Mark Lawson On Front Row

Mark Lawson's interview with David Tennant and Gregory Doran about the preparations for the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Richard II is now available as a podcast. The interview was broadcast yesterday on Front Row on BBC Radio 4 and is the first feature on the programme.

Download the podcast from the Front Row Daily page on the BBC website

Richard II starring David Tennant and directed by Gregory Doran opens at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avonon 10th October 2013 and will run until 16th November 2013. It will then transfer to the Barbican Theatre in Londonfrom December 9th 2013 until 25th January 2014. Both the Stratford-upon-Avon and London runs are currently sold out.

The production will be filmed and streamed live from the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre into cinemas around the UK on Wednesday 13th November, and subsequently into UK schools and to cinemas worldwide in screenings running until February 2014.

Find out more about Richard II starring David Tennant here

Listen To David Tennant On Front Row Tonight

David Tennant and Greg Doran will be interviewed about Richard II on BBC Radio 4's Front Row tonight at 7.15pm BST.

The Radio Times says:

Mark Lawson talks to actor David Tennant and director Gregory Doran as they prepare a staging of Richard II for the Royal Shakespeare Company, opening in Stratford-upon-Avon.

You can listen online worldwide via the official site here.

Richard II will open at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon on 10th October 2013 and will run until 16th November 2013. It will then transfer to the Barbican Theatre in London from December 9th 2013 until 25th January 2014. The cast includes David Tennant, Emma Hamilton, Nigel Lindsay, Michael Pennington, Jane Lapotaire and Oliver Ford Davies and it is directed by Gregory Doran. Both the Stratford-upon-Avon and London runs are now sold out.

The production will be filmed and streamed live from the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre into cinemas around the UK on Wednesday 13th November, and subsequently into UK schools and cinemas worldwide in screenings running until February 2014. More details are available via the Live fromStratford-upon-Avon link.

Find out more about Richard II starring David Tennant on our website

David Tennant & Greg Doran To Guest On Front Row

David Tennant and Greg Doran will be interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on Tuesday 1st October at 7.15pm BST.

The Radio Times says:

Mark Lawson talks to actor David Tennant and director Gregory Doran as they prepare a staging of Richard II for the Royal Shakespeare Company, opening in Stratford-upon-Avon.

You can listen online worldwide via the official site here.

Richard II will open at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon on 10th October 2013 and will run until 16th November 2013. It will then transfer to the Barbican Theatre in London from December 9th 2013 until 25th January 2014. The cast includes David Tennant, Emma Hamilton, Nigel Lindsay, Michael Pennington, Jane Lapotaire and Oliver Ford Davies and it is directed by Gregory Doran. Both the Stratford-upon-Avon and London runs are now sold out.

The production will be filmed and streamed live from the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre into cinemas around the UK on Wednesday 13th November, and subsequently into UK schools and cinemas worldwide in screenings running until February 2014. More details are available via the Live fromStratford-upon-Avon link.

Find out more about Richard II starring David Tennant on our website

Murray Gold Talks BBC Proms And Composing For The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

Murray Gold was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Front Row yesterday when he talked about scoring Doctor Who, his new composition for the 50th Anniversary and the thrill of having his music played as part of the BBC Proms. The interview also included clips of his earlier compositions, including Vale Decem, the song played during David Tennant's regeneration scene. He said of having his music featured at such as prestigious event as the Proms, 

"It's a great privilege. I think everyone who writes background music would like to have the same treatment."

Murray's new composition Song For 50 will be premiered at the concert on Saturday, a piece of music written in tribute to five decades of the Doctor. He says, 

"We thought it would be appropriate to write something to commemorate the birthday. It's essentially happy birthday to a lovely TV show. I think the last words are 'Happy Birthday Doctor You', which I'm sure the whole audience is going to mishear and say, 'You must never call him by that name!' But because I've been in the Royal Albert Hall with this body of music I know how people react, and it's a real privilege to be able to write directly for an audience that you know, so I wrote, effectively, a long song to speak for everybody in that room."

Murray finds it quite easy to imagine his score performed as individual, titled compositions.

"Something I've always done is I've tried to give something very memorable from the outset and play it enough times that it's stuck by the end of the first episode. 

"I like to have a slow, developing melody with a sense of triumph about it ...the idea of embattled people, in the case of the Doctor,not that he's embattled but he is a bit of a nerd - a bit like the way The Smiths would write anthems for the defeated. You want it to travel, you want it to resonate with as many people as possible as quickly as possible."

He has no idea who might be in line to take up the role of the Twelfth Doctor following Matt Smith's departure at Christmas.

"I'm just the organ-grinder. So long as they get good scripts, so long as it's full of heart and generosity, that's all that matters with the show - masses of imagination on top of a lot of heart and generosity"

Finally, he talked about working on the score for the 50th Anniversary special, some of which he did on a recent plane trip.

"I flew over and I had the 50th on my laptop and I did constantly check over my shoulder for any potential Doctor Who spies. But it was mostly stewardesses asking me what I was up to. I said, 'Oh, it's just a hobby!'"

Listen to the whole interview on BBC Radio 4's Front Row - the programme also includes a feature on Olivia Colman's new drama Run.

The Doctor Who Prom takes place on BBC Radio 3 from 7.30pm BST on Saturday 13th July and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. You can listen worldwide here

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special stars Matt Smith, David Tennant, Jenna Coleman, Billie Piper, John Hurt and Joanna Page. It will be shown on BBC One on Saturday 23rd November. Keep up with all of the latest news on our website

Front Row Interview

David & Catherine Tate were interviewed about Much Ado About Nothing on last night's Front Row. Download an MP3 of it here.

Thanks to Lora as always :)