David Tennant reveals the one problem he always had using his Tardis on Doctor Who
When it came to filming inside the iconic blue box, there was one slight difficulty for the Tenth Doctor star
As Jodie Whittaker’s new Tardis was revealed to the world, former Doctor Who star David Tennant was sharing some of his own memories about his time filming with the iconic blue box.
Speaking to Radio Times in an exclusive look back at every Tardis design since the series began, Tennant mostly had warm memories of his years at the helm – though he admitted there was one slight design flaw that made filming the series a bit trickier than you might imagine.
- An idea for David Tennant’s Tardis was recycled for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who series
- Jodie Whittaker cried the first time she went inside Doctor Who's new Tardis
- 13 questions (and some answers) we have about Jodie Whittaker’s second Doctor Who episode
“There’s something very pleasing about stepping out of that iconic box wherever it might land,” Tennant tells Radio Times in our latest Tardis-themed issue, “but with the actual box itself it was always quite hard to close the door, because it was flat-packed.
“It would be assembled usually rather quickly – and very expertly of course – but sometimes, like any Ikea cabinet, the doors weren’t always as flush as they might be when you were making a big exit or entrance.”
In other words, sometimes as the Tenth Doctor made his escape from evil forces, burst dramatically into a scene to save the day or just waved a sad goodbye to an old friend, he then spent a good few minutes furiously trying to jam the door closed, rather undercutting the dramatic heft of the scene (and requiring some judicious re-takes and smart editing).
More like this
Hopefully, a decade on, Jodie Whittaker’s new Tardis is a little bit easier to manage. After all, if she keeps leaving the door open all the heat (and the power of time and space) might get out…
For more exclusive interviews with Doctor Who cast and crew, including Jodie Whittaker, and a first-look tour of the new Tardis, check out the latest issue of Radio Times, on sale in shops and on the newsstand now.
Doctor Who continues on BBC1 on Sundays
