David Tennant reveals Doctor Who regeneration is his first ever TV memory
"It’s weirdly specific, especially considering things that have happened in my life since."
It's already well-known the vast number of ways David Tennant's life has intersected with Doctor Who.
Not only has he starred in the lead role - as two separate versions of the Doctor - he is also known to have been a fan from childhood and is the son-in-law of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison.
However, it turns out things go even further than that, as Tennant has revealed that his first TV memory is in fact, you guessed it, Doctor Who!
Speaking with this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, Tennant was asked for his earliest TV memory, to which he said: "Doctor Who – watching Jon Pertwee turn into Tom Baker.
"It’s weirdly specific, especially considering things that have happened in my life since. I remember thinking, 'That man just turned into another man. That’s wild.'
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"It’s so utterly unpredictable the way things worked out [landing the lead in Doctor Who], it’s so fantastically unlikely. The odds are so ludicrously small that if I think about it too much, it makes me feel vertiginous."
The regeneration Tennant references took place in Planet of the Spiders part six, which saw the Third Doctor turn into the Fourth - and which aired on 8th June 1974, when Tennant was three years old.
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Tennant, who is returning to the role of the Doctor later this year for the show's 60th anniversary specials, recently spoke about his initial reaction to the fame he garnered upon being cast in the role back in 2005.
He said: "To be at the centre of the show is wonderful and humbling, but also a bit overwhelming and terrifying. It doesn’t come without some difficulties, such as the immediate loss of anonymity. It takes a bit of getting used to, if that’s not been your life up to that point.
"I was very lucky that, when I joined, Billie Piper [who portrayed on-screen companion Rose] was still there. She’d lived in a glare of publicity since she was 14, so she was a great guide for how to live life under that kind of scrutiny. I owe a degree of sanity to Billie."
Read more:
- Doctor Who's Yasmin Finney reveals "pressure" of taking up title of Rose
- Sacha Dhawan reveals Doctor Who Rasputin dance wasn’t scripted
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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