Doctor Who guest star never filmed with David Tennant, Catherine Tate
Nathaniel Curtis filmed his Doctor Who scene talking to an empty tree.
Doctor Who fans got a surprise on Saturday, as the second 60th anniversary special, Wild Blue Yonder, opened in a garden in 1666, far away from the spaceship which had previously been trailed.
There, fans were introduced to Isaac Newton, played by unannounced guest star Nathaniel Curtis, who is best known for his work on Russell T Davies's It's a Sin.
The scene saw the Doctor and Donna land in Newton's apple tree, and make a joke about gravity - something which Newton mishears as 'mavity', leading to a running joke throughout the episode where the word appears to have been permanently changed.
However, it turns out that despite their characters exchanging dialogue, Curtis never actually shot with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, with their sections of the scene being filmed separately, in different times and different locations.
Steffan Powell revealed this in the latest episode of Doctor Who: Unleashed, in which he said: "Sometimes, usually because of a clash with timings, actors can be in the very same scene together, without ever actually coming face to face."
More like this
Read more:
- Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder ratings revealed
- Doctor Who teases Ncuti Gatwa's debut in trailer for The Giggle
He continued: "When it came to filming the Isaac Newton scene in this special, Nathaniel Curtis, who plays the great man himself, was in a walled garden on the Welsh coast, when he was rudely interrupted by a low-flying TARDIS.
"Except the TARDIS, and its occupants, weren't in Isaac Newton's tree. The tree was empty. They were 25 miles away in Cardiff Bay, filming on a different day."
It was then revealed that while Curtis spoke to an empty tree for his scenes, Tennant and Tate filmed theirs against a blue screen.
In the episode of Unleashed, Tennant said: "It's a shame, because I've met Nathaniel and he's really nice, and I would have liked to have a little scene with him."
Tate added: "I would have liked to have met him, I've not met him."
Tennant then joked: "But apparently he asked not to have anything to do with us. He asked to be kept apart, he was very particular. He accepted the part on that very strict condition."
However, Curtis said: "I mean, I love David Tennant. I love David Tennant. A, he's such a lovely man, and B, he's a brilliant Doctor. And I grew up watching David Tennant as the Doctor, so I think that it's a bit surreal, to be honest."
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Doctor Who's third 60th anniversary special The Giggle airs at 6:30pm on Saturday 9th December on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
