We continue with our review of David's projects this year.
As we move into March and April, Broadchurch finally arrives on UK TV screens, closely followed by The Politician's Husband while we finally got the Doctor Who news that we were all waiting for.
March
TV
The ratings started high with the series winning out against BBC one's rival drama Mayday. By the halfway point at the end of the month it was being watched by over 7 million viewers. Series creator Chris Chibnall told how the ending of the drama was kept a secret while filming even from the cast and also praised David's acting skills. Also a number of cast members featured in interviews:
The mystery of who killed Danny Latimer gripped the public so much that UK bookmakers started giving odds on the outcome. Meanwhile there was controversy when series sponsors Viking River Cruises pulled their ads following scenes of a burning boat.
BAFTA released a podcast of the Q&A session following their screening of the first episode in January, which was attended by David, Chris Chibnall and Olivia Colman - listen to it here
New photos were released of David in The Politician's Husband which was due to begin shortly on BBC Two. Meanwhile David braved the snows of Scotland to shoot The Escape Artist with Sophie Okonedo, which was scheduled for an autumn broadcast on BBC One.
Ahead of the USA premiere of Spies Of Warsaw, BBC America expanded their mini-site for the drama to include, a new trailer, video clips, interviews and photos.
Twenty Twelve, narrated by David, scooped two awards - The South Bank Sky Arts Comedy Awards and Best Entertainment / Comedy at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards
David appeared on BBC One to co-host part of the Red Nose Day 2013: Funny For Money live show on Friday 15th March. Watch a clip of his arrival on the show here
David appeared on the BBC America The Doctors Revisited special dedicated to the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee.
However, the end of March brought the exciting news that Doctor Who fans had been anticipating for months. David, along with Billie Piper, would return for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special.
The episode would begin shooting in April. However, another fan favourite ruled himself out when John Barrowman confirmed that Captain Jack Harkness would not be appearing.
The episode would begin shooting in April. However, another fan favourite ruled himself out when John Barrowman confirmed that Captain Jack Harkness would not be appearing.
Theatre
Booking for Richard II at the Barbican Theatre in London opened this month. The news also came that seats for the run in Stratford-upon-Avon had already sold out, and the play was announced as the fastest selling in the Royal Shakespeare Company's history.
Film
The release date for Postman Pat: You Know You're The One was postponed from May 2013 to a winter release. David voices an as yet unnamed character
Doctor Who
The Gary Russell Tenth Doctor novel Beautiful Chaos was re-released with a newly designed 50th Anniversary cover.
A range of Doctor Who stamps were announced by the Royal Mail to celebrate the anniversary
The BBC announced an official Doctor Who celebration weekend event for the anniversary in November
David talked to BBC America about why people love Doctor Who:
Even though we had no idea in March that by the end of the year there would be a new face in the TARDIS, Sun readers were nevertheless voting for David among people they would like to see as the Twelfth Doctor
Radio
It was announced that David would be playing the role of Sir Walter Scott in three dramatisations of the writer's best known works for BBC Radio 4
Charity
David Tennant and Michael Fenton Stevens launched the Red Nose Bow campaign for Comic Relief
David took part in a brief Q&A session via Facebook just before his appearance on the Red Nose Day live show. He also gave a short video interview:
By the end of March, Red Nose Day had raised £75,107,851
April
TV
Broadchurch continued to pull in huge ratings and to grip the public on ITV
David and Olivia appeared on ITV Daybreak ahead of the climax. The series was presented by Shine International for sale to international territories at MIPCOM and was eagerly snapped up by broadcasters around the world. The haunting Broadchurch soundtrack by Ólafur Arnalds was made available to buy on iTunes
The series climaxed on the 22nd April. Ahead of the final episode ITV released a series of mini '#Closure' trailers. Viewers were urged to watch right to the very end of the credits and were rewarded with the announcement that the drama would return for a second series, Chris Chibnall assured viewers that the second series would be very different and would not just be another murder mystery. It was, he said, another story that he knew that he wanted to tell, even when writing the first series. He also said that David Tennant and Olivia Colman are two of the finest actors in the world and revealed that even he was surprised by the success of Broadchurch:
“I really didn’t expect it to take off on this scale. My parents rang to tell me that people in their GP’s surgery were asking them who the Broadchurch killer was. I overheard people discussing it on the bus."
At the time, Broadchurch was the most tweeted about drama ever
At the time, Broadchurch was the most tweeted about drama ever
Fans were also given a final bonus scene via the ITV website:
The read through for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special took place in London on the 1st April. It was revealed that David Tennant, Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper would be joined by Joanna Page and John Hurt in then unknown roles.
Jemma Redgrave would also return as Kate Stewart of UNIT. The production then moved down to Cardiff where shooting took place in the Cardiff area, at Chepstow castle, and also back in London at Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London. On set sightings also revealed that the Doctors would be facing the classic foe, the Zygons, David's all time favourite Doctor Who alien. The BBC posted some London filming videos while photos also emerged of the filming at Chepstow and John Hurt talked about working with David
However, other actors were still confirming that they had not been asked to return. John Simm reaffirmed that he would not be back, and the classic Doctors, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann also denied involvement, although Paul McGann later hinted that he might yet play a role. It was also suggested that the classic Doctors could appear in digital form
David contributed to the Fourth Doctor special in the Doctors Revisited series on BBC America, focusing on Tom Baker.
It was also confirmed that the drama would air on ARTE in France and Germany in May
The BBC released cast details and photos and interviews with David and Emily Watson. Other interviews:
The Star Wars: The Clone Wars episodes in which David voiced the droid Professor Huyang aired for the first time in the UK on Thursday 18th April
New pictures and synopsis of The Escape Artist appeared on the website of distributors Red Arrow International
Tree Fu Tom made its American debut on PBC Sprout on April 22nd
Bryan Fuller, the showrunner of NBC's Hannibal revealed that David had narrowly lost out on playing the lead role but he would gladly cast him in a guest role
Steven Moffat talked about what might have happened in Doctor Who had David stayed on for another series
Radio
David appeared as the writer in The Great Scott - three adaptations of Walter Scott stories for BBC Radio 4, beginning on April 14th. Listen again here:
The Fair Maid Of Perth
Rob Roy
The Fair Maid Of Perth
Rob Roy
David also appeared briefly on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show from the set of Doctor Who
On April 25th David contributed to Bernard Who?, a BBC Radio 4 show celebrating Bernard Cribbins' 70 years in showbiz
Charity
David showed his support for a campaign to ensure fair treatment for those with MS
