The Look Of Love - Our Pick Of David Tennant's Romantic Roles To Watch This Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day later this week and so to get you in the mood for love here's a selection of some of David Tennant's most romantic roles that you might want to check out...

The Decoy Bride

When the wedding of American film star Lara Tyler to tweedy English author James Arber (David Tennant) is sabotaged by a paparazzo, they decide to relocate the event to the one place where the world's press won't find them: the sleepy Scottish Island of Hegg.
However, dilapidated buildings and greedy islanders are the least of the problems that the wedding party and their Hollywood entourage have to deal with, as Marco the ingenious paparazzo tracks them down in his mission to photograph the celebrity wedding of the year. To throw Marco off the scent, Lara's P.A Steve Korbitz  and his assistant Emma devise a plan to use a decoy bride and think that local girl Katie will be perfect for the job. But when James meets Katie, sparks fly, dresses get ruined and love gets complicated. Can an ordinary girl fill the most famous Manolos on the planet?'
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Much Ado About Nothing
The summer of 2011 saw David Tennant and Catherine Tate appear together on stage for the first time in a brand new production of William Shakespeare’s timeless comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Two young lovers Claudio and Hero are to be married imminently but the devious scheming of a resentful Prince looks set to thwart the nuptials. Meanwhile, marriage seems inconceivable for reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick whose endless witty sparring threatens to keep them apart forever. Directed by Josie Rourke, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s great plays and reminds us all of the failings and triumphs of the human condition in our never ending search for perfect love.
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Spies Of Warsaw
At the French embassy, the new military attaché, Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier (David Tennant), a decorated war hero of the 1914 war, is drawn into a world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue in the diplomatic salons and back alleys of Warsaw.
At the same time, the handsome aristocrat finds himself in a passionate love affair with Anna, a Parisian lawyer for the League of Nations. Their complicated love affair intensifies as German tanks drive through the Black Forest.
Spies Of Warsaw is a combination of historically located, intelligent narratives, interlaced with flawed, romantic and utterly compelling characters.
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True Love
How do you know if you’re with the love of your life?
David Tennant, Ashley Walters, Billie Piper, Jane Horrocks, and David Morrissey star in BBC1’s first ever improvised series, exploring five powerful and overlapping love stories set in the same town.
When it comes to love, there is never an easy "right answer" – telling the truth is complicated, and the conflict of desire and responsibility can be explosive.
These stories are life-affirming, visceral, provocative and compelling. Did the characters do the right thing in the end? What would you have done? The themes are universal, yet they provoke wildly different responses.
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Casanova
As an elderly librarian, Giacomo Casanova, has a lot of exciting memories. A young servant girl, Edith, is treated to his lurid recollections and, before too long, she discovers that there's life in this old dog yet. It's enough to burst her bodice!
But this is nothing compared to the escapades of the young, hot and horny master of seduction. The youthful Casanova (David Tennant) cuts a swathe through the women of Europe with his dashing good looks and irrepressible confidence.
But though the ladies offer their full approval (usually expressed horizontally), the law is outraged by his antics. Made an outlaw for offences against government and church, Casanova leads the life of a fugitive.
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Blackpool
Ripley Holden, the ambitious, bullying arcade owner who believes strongly in luck, and who is planning to turn his arcade into a Las Vegas-style casino hotel and thus revive Blackpool's fortunes;
DI Peter Carlisle (David Tennant), the investigating officer of the murder: a charming and good-natured, although extremely manipulative, police officer, who dislikes Holden almost on sight;
Natalie Holden, Ripley's shy, frustrated and lonely wife, whom Ripley takes for granted and to whom Carlisle takes a shine to;
Shyanne Holden; Ripley and Natalie's spoilt daughter, who worships her doting father but is cruel and distant to her mother; and
Danny Holden; Ripley and Natalie's troubled and awkward son, who is constantly belittled by his father.
As the investigation proceeds, it takes its toll on the characters; Ripley, under suspicion of murder, finds his public and private life slowly unravelling as both his bullying nature and long-forgotten demons from his past return to bite him, whilst Carlisle, intent on proving Ripley is the murderer and planning to use Natalie to get to him, finds himself genuinely falling in love with her instead.
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LA Without A Map
Vacationing in the North of England, aspiring Los Angeles actress Barbara stops briefly in a village where she meets town undertaker and obituary writer Richard (David Tennant) -- who just can't stop thinking about her. Flying to California, Richard arrives at the Japanese restaurant where Barbara is a waitress, and a relationship begins -- while Richard learns about Hollywood at the hands of various hustlers and agents.
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Behind The Scenes Look At True Love

Make sure you get you hands on a copy of the True Love DVD which is out now, as not only does it feature five superb improvised dramas starring some of the UK's finest acting talents, but it also has the added extra of a behind the scenes documentary which takes a look at the creative process involved in undertaking a project like this.

You can purchase True Love on DVD from our shop here or why not try your luck and see if you can win yourself a copy in our special competition here.

View behind the scenes photos here.
Watch a clip from the documentary below:

Win A Copy Of True Love On DVD

Thanks to Universal Pictures we have five copies of True Love on DVD to give away to our readers!
The Dominic Savage series which recentley aired on BBC One starred David Tennant, Ashley Walters, Billie Piper, Jane Horrocks and David Morrissey in a series of improvised dramas, exploring five powerful and overlapping love stories set in Margate.

In order to win a copy of True Love on DVD simply answer the following question:
In David Tennant's episode of True Love, where had Nick's ex girlfriend Serena recently returned from?

Send your answer along with your name and address to Sarah@David-Tennant.com
Please put True Love Comp as the subject of your email.
This competition is open to UK residents only.
Closing date for enteries is Monday 2nd July 2012. We will notify winners by email.

True Love is out on DVD now and can be purchased in our shop here.

True Love Released On DVD Today

True Love, the five part drama series starring David Tennant, Billie Piper, David Morrissey and Ashley Walters, is released on Region 2 DVD today.

The series, which aired on BBC One between the 17th and 20th June, is the creation of Dominic Savage and produced for the BBC by Working Title. From their website:

True Love

How do you know if you’re with the love of your life?

David Tennant, Ashley Walters, Billie Piper, Jane Horrocks, and David Morrissey star in BBC1’s first ever improvised series, exploring five powerful and overlapping love stories set in the same town.

When it comes to love, there is never an easy "right answer" – telling the truth is complicated, and the conflict of desire and responsibility can be explosive.

These stories are life-affirming, visceral, provocative and compelling. Did the characters do the right thing in the end?  What would you have done?  The themes are universal, yet they provoke wildly different responses.

If you haven't done so already, you can order True Love here

True Love - Fan's Reaction

Last night saw David Tennant's episode of True Love air on BBC One. David played, Nick, a married father of two, who cheats on his wife (Joanne Froggatt) after meeting up with an ex girlfriend (Vicky McClure). The drama used dialogue improvised by the actors and David says he found it pretty nerve wracking at first, but he did an amazing job! We particularly liked the scene about Serena's grandmother's smelly caravan. Kippers!
Thanks to all of you who were kind enough to let us know what you thought of True Love, you can join in the debate and leave your thoughts on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Here's a selection of fan's thoughts :

• Esther Kelly absolutely amazing. the fact that it was improvised too only adds to how
  brilliant David is. he made me feel sympathy for him, which in a normal
  situation,I would be against the cheating man! hes amazing and I just love
  him. id watch him do anything.
• Mandy Perryman I think it was a very good story line but it could have gone into more depth if it had been longer. Half hour wasn't long enough, David Tennant played a very good part I actually felt sorry for him.
• Jane Paterson I loved it, and cant wait for the next story. I am guessing that all the stories intermingle as the week goes on. I did feel that the half hour went very quickly, but lost none of the emotion of the characters...a good drama in a nutshell
• Jill Selby I thought David was brilliant and so were the other actors. Thought it was too short though. Nowhwere near enough time to tell the story.
• Susan Lennard Enjoyed it, but felt it should of gone on a bit longer. Certainly gets you thinking though what would happen if we were put in that same situation.....
• Becky Vincent Had so much potential with great actors, but sadly within a 30 minute timeframe you didn't get the chance to really connect with the characters or understand why or anything..let's see what tonights is like x
• Niki Dolan A true reflection of the average marriage and portrayed beautifully. Heartbreaking and touching. Thought the acting was spot on. Well done to all those involved! And yes, David, as usual, looked as handsome as ever!
• Sue MacNeil Enjoyed it tremendously. Agree with everyone else, much too short. You could feel David (Nick's) turmoil. Part of me wanted to see him run off with Serena, but glad he went back to his family.
• Marie BillaSista This first episode was very touching. Nothing is black or white, nobody is good or bad. Serena and Nick had issues about their relationship, and they both needed those few days to finally say goodbye. Joanne Froggatt, Vicky McClure and David Tennant were extraordinary with the improvisation...
• Tracy Dineley Beautifully understated acting of the less is more variety. Loved the storyline and the fact that you could really see what the effects on the characters were. Very emotional piece that brought tears to my eyes! Looking forward to the rest of the series! Well done to all involved, quality drama and writing!
• Naomi Little Considering this was an improvised performance, David created his character beautifuly and his emotions were swiftly delivered in a short amount of time. He is truly talented, and I can't wait to see him on TV again!
• Cynthia Vela I have to say that for 30 minutes full of ad-lib it was absolutely brilliant, specially DT. I cant say much without spoiling it, but I love how he became the character, just as he always does. The way he acted, the way he spoke and the words used...all seemed very very real to me. I connected with his character and I understood him, all inj 30 minutes!. That's never an easy task for an actor to accomplish but David always does and this time was no exception. I think he was absolutely brilliant and I promise you I'm not biased :D I can see projects like this help his career....and I'm sure this one will!
• @mybunnybear Tennant's never played a more unlikeable character. Nick's only "true love" was Nick himself. Such fake remorse @ the end!
• @ilsiux_f DT was superb, his acting felt natural like truly watching snippets of someone's life, torturous and sad +looking gorgeous!
• @littlelisa24 Loved Tennant's performance last night. So flawless and full of emotion. Amazing as always!!! :)
• @MistressJoJo Brilliant stuff - thought the improv added that edge to the performances - very raw & powerful.
• @Nelly_nugget it was so good to see DT in something new, he played his part really well. I'm hooked! Can't wait to see the next ep
• @1stminorx it was an emotional episode where David's natural acting talent poured through and got everyone shedding a tear! (:
• @MarkyHarky  I thought #TrueLove was great...and I'm still thinking about it this morning. Looking forward to tonights episode.
• @tkmcquay His performance was compelling, layered & brilliant. I felt real sympathy 4 his character & his dilemma. Made me think.
• @_Dyana David Tennant's acting was as usual flawless, subtle and filled with emotion. He proved that his improvisation skills are very visceral and gave his performance a raw edge. His character does a questionable thing but you can feel for him and understand the turmoil going on inside his mind and heart which makes you empathise with the reasoning behind his actions. This first episode of True Love was a very touching story with a very talented cast all around.
• @ZoeBrown  'True Love' put me in mind of a modern-day 'Brief Encounter' - amazing performances from everyone, but David was the star!

Watch Clips of David Tennant in True Love

Watch some clips of David Tennant in the Dominic Savage drama True Love. This episode also stars Vicky McClure, Joanne Froggatt and Lacey Turner.
True Love continues on BBC One tonight at 10.35pm and is released on DVD on Monday 25th June. You can pre order the DVD from our shop here.

Screen Caps Of David Tennant From True Love

We have uploaded a collection of screen caps from David Tennant's episode of True Love.
You can view the photos and download the album here.

David Tennant's True Love Seduces More Than 3m Viewers

The first episode of Dominic Savage's new improvised drama series True Love was watched by over 3 million people The Guardian reports.
The episode starred David Tennant as Nick, a happily married father of two, who embarks on an affair with an ex girlfriend after she reappears in his life.
It drew 3.1 million viewers and an 18.1% audience share between 10.25pm and 10.55pm on Sunday.
True Love was up against another showing for movie The Shawshank Redemption on ITV1, which pulled in 1.2 million viewers (10.8%) between 10.15pm and 12.50am.

The second episode if True Love will air on BBC One tonight at 10.35pm.

True Love Item From BBC South East Today

An item on True Love was featured on BBC's South East Today and included clips from David Tennant's episode of the drama.
True Love will air tonight on BBC O5pm (10.50pm Northern Ireland).

Tune In To True Love On BBC One Tonight At 10.25pm

The new Dominic Savage drama series, True Love, starts tonight with David Tennant's episode, 'Nick' airing on BBC One at 10.25pm (10.50pm for viewers in Northern Ireland).
True Love is an improvised series, exploring five powerful and overlapping love stories set in the same town.

About Nick:
Nick is happily married; his wife and children are everything to him. But when his first love appears out of the blue, he suddenly starts to question his life. Can they go back to what they had all those years ago?

Music From Tonight's Episode Of True Love

David Tennant's episode of True Love will air tonight on BBC one at 10.25pm and the BBC have released a list of the music that will feature in the improvised drama:

 Dionne Warwick What The World Needs Now Is Love

 Roberta Flack The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

 Stevie Wonder Blame It On The Sun

 Billie Holiday I'm a Fool To Want You

Watch Preview Clips Of True Love

David Tennant, Ashley Walters, Billie Piper, Jane Horrocks and David Morrissey star in an improvised series, exploring five powerful and overlapping love stories set in the same town.
The series will begin on Sunday 17th June at 10.25pm with David Tennant's episode 'Nick'.

Watch some clips from all of the episodes below:

Nick's Meeting
Serena’s sister Michelle tries to convince Nick to see Serena again. He’s the reason she’s come back, and she’s desperate to see him again before she returns to Canada.
Nick is firm though – he can’t see her; can’t even be having this conversation. Nevertheless, Michelle gives Nick Serena’s address, just in case.


Paul's Secret

Paul’s colleague is certain that something’s up – there must be a reason why he’s grinning. Good night in with the missus? Paul’s adamant that he won’t tell though.

Holly's Class
While Holly struggles to keep control of her English class, Karen finds herself transfixed, part embarrassed by her classmates, part unable to take her eyes off her teacher.


Sandra's Customer

Sandra is taken by surprise when a customer notices that she seems unhappy. She finds herself opening up to Ismail, and they make an unexpected connection.

Adrian's Dating

Adrian’s friend Phil is adamant that looking for love online isn’t going to work – it’s not the British way. But Adrian’s convinced that he really can find true love that way.

Behind The Scenes Of True Love

Writer/director Dominic Savage tells Jon Creamer how he used improvised dialogue and a big name cast to create five luxuriously spare and heartfelt love stories for BBC1

The cast is, of course, stunning. David Tennant, Billie Piper, Jane Horrocks, Ashley Walters and David Morrissey all take lead roles.

But Dominic Savage’s new BBC1 drama series is striking for more than just its star names.

The five love stories set amongst Margate’s faded beauty seem a world apart from most TV drama – stripping away extraneous characters, subplots, whodunnits and car chases to focus entirely on one very small group of characters and their relationships.
The half hour films are, as the title suggests, about true love, and how its course never does run smooth. “The whole thing is bitter sweet,” says Savage. “We know there’s a complexity to all these situations and there are no easy answers. With a series about love, to make it really interesting there had to be consequences so I wanted to find situations where there was a flashpoint or a transgression. Where it becomes interesting is when there’s a dilemma and when lots of other feelings come in like guilt and responsibility and forgiveness. They present moral dilemmas to the characters and to the audience. All of us can put ourselves in the shoes of the characters.”

And the actors’ performances are key to that. As with all of Savage’s work, the actors improvise their dialogue, and that means a very different writing process. The script is “broken down into scene form like you have in a normal drama. The only thing that’s different is the absence of dialogue.” As the actors are cast, the characters shift to suit them too. “The writing goes on in the cutting room as well as on the set. It happens at all stages – at the initial meetings with the actors, the workshops where we discuss character. It’s just a different way of writing. It’s still writing but it’s collaborative.”

The key to making the performances work, says Savage, is trust. “If they trust you and you trust them you can go anywhere when it comes to the shoot. Often some of the scenes are emotionally difficult and they’re opening themselves to us so they need to feel they’re in safe hands and that I wouldn’t do something that was unfair to them.” So it’s important to get to “know the actor quite well quite quickly for the process to work. If they’re closed and don’t give themselves away it’s a difficult process.”
And that’s all part of the preparation which starts with “long discussions with the actors about the themes and who they are, what they are and where they’ve come from – all the back story.” But the preparation doesn’t involve anything that could come too close to rehearsal. “It’s just talking it through but not doing the scenes. Otherwise what’s the point? The spontaneity goes and it loses its rawness.” And although that’s nerve wracking for an actor “because there’s nothing to cling to, they like the fact that they have to jump into it. It’s refreshing for them. Most of the work they do is controlled.”

But the freedom given to the actors means the director can’t know exactly what will come out either. “I quite like that,” says Savage. “It’s always interesting. When we’re going to do that first take no one knows which way it’s going to go.” And besides, the story builds as the actors do each take. “The things we don’t use are useful too. The actors gain a sense of themselves as it progresses. They’re building their character on camera.”

But that slightly looser way of working doesn’t push the shooting schedule as much as it seems. “Each of the films was shot in six days which is tight but that’s an energy that I enjoy. There’s a whirlwind, intense process we go through. Time is a great luxury to have but it doesn’t exist in TV drama any more.” And spending too much time could be damaging. “You can be over indulgent if you’re not careful. If you draw it out the actors might wane and get bored.”

Keeping the crew to a minimum on set also adds to the realism and energy. “If you can be in a situation where the camera and crew are as surreptitious as possible it helps. I don’t want it to feel like a big film shoot event.”
Source: Televisual

Front Row Reviews True Love

Last night's episode of Front Row reviewed the new BBC improvised drama True Love.

Front Row say:
BAFTA winning writer-director Dominic Savage returns to TV with a new series exploring five overlapping love stories, all set in Margate - where he grew up. The tales have been created by Savage, but the dialogue is largely improvised by the cast, who include David Tennant, David Morrissey, Billie Piper, Ashley Walters and Jane Horrocks. Rachel Cooke gives her verdict.
Listen to the review via iPlayer here.

Joanne Froggatt and Jaime Winstone appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to talk about their roles in the drama. You can watch their interview online here.

Candyfloss And Heartache

David Tennant talks to the new issue of the TV Choice magazine about his latest drama True Love.

Love Hurts

David Tennant talks to the new issue of the TV Times magazine about his latest drama True Love.

Another Date Added For True Love Screening

Another date has been added to the Bush Theatre's free screenings of True Love.
You can now also attend on the afternoon of Saturday 16th June at 2.30pm as well as on the original dates of Thursday 14th June and Friday 15th June both of which start at 7.15pm.

The Bush Theatre is located at 7 Uxbridge Road London, Greater London W12 8LJ
True Love is the creation of Dominic Savage, the award-winning director, writer and documentary maker, whose new play Fear opens at the Bush Theatre on Monday 18th June.

Read details about the exclusive free screenings of True Love here. Tickets can be booked here

True Love starts on BBC One at 10.25pm (10.50pm in Northern Ireland) on Sunday 17th June, with David Tennant's episode 'Nick'. The other four episodes will be broadcast on consecutive nights - check times as they vary slightly.

David Tennant: 'It was fascinating and terrifying'

David Tennant talks to What's On TV about True Love:

David stars in the first of five one-off dramas running every night this week. In Nick’s Story, he plays a happily married man whose life is turned upside down when his first love Serena (This Is England’s Vicky McClure) suddenly appears out of the blue.

The couple had an intense love affair 17 years ago and meeting up again reignites their passion. But is Nick prepared to break up a happy home with his wife Ruth (Joanne Froggatt) and two children to be with the woman he believes is the love of his life?

The series boasts a great cast including Billie Piper, Jane Horrocks David Morrissey and Ashley Waters. What attracted you to it?
“Dominic’s very name and presence is what made most of us turn up for a meeting. You just think, ‘He’s quite posh and proper. He does good things!’ Then, it was the challenge of doing something that you don’t usually do, which is terrifying and inspiring. In an effort to keep challenging yourself, that’s something worth pursuing.”

As the dramas are all improvised, what kind of brief were you given at the start?
“Before any of the cast met, we got a breakdown of what the stories would be. I was very struck by the fact that none of the characters were being judged. These are just things that happen in life and we all deal with them in different ways. There is no moral high ground taken and no right or wrong thing to do. It was lovely to do a television drama that doesn’t have easy answers.”

Did you find it difficult working without a script?
“It was fascinating and terrifying in equal parts. Fortunately, Vicky McClure is familiar working this way, so I felt a lot safer having her with me on Day One because when the cameras started rolling, I had no idea what was going to come out of my mouth!”

Had you met Vicky McClure before filming?
“No, we’d never met before and I hadn’t seen This is England, which is a terrible admission! But I knew of her by reputation – when you mention her name people go, ‘Oh she’s good!’ which is what you want. There was no rehearsal period and we only had six days to shoot it.”

So with no script, did you have to draw more on personal experience for the part?
“That’s an interesting question. Clearly that’s something you do in any acting challenge. But when the words are not on the page in front of you, it has to be your version of what someone might say in that situation. At the time, I don’t think you’re particularly conscious of that, I think you’re just trying to inhabit the situation and you draw on whatever you can, as with any acting job. It’s just a different process to get there.”

"I don't see why you have to be perfect" says David Tennant

David Tennant's latest interview with the Radio Times is out today and makes for an interesting read. In it David discusses everything from his own doubts about his acting abilities to  the possibility of his phone being hacked and battles with the press. There's also news on his latest projects including confirmation that he is involved with ITV1's Broadchurch.

You can read the full interview below:

The Course Of True Love

The latest issue of TV & Satellite Week is out now and features the following article on David Tennant's new drama True Love: