Back surgery Not Expected to Slow Down David Tennant
Producer Russell T Davies told the BBC that David Tennant is expected to recover from his back injury in time to shoot the four 2009 Doctor Who specials. The actor required surgery for the injury which also forced him to drop out of the stage production of Hamlet.
Filming on the first of the quartet remains scheduled for January 19.
"We’ll have to be very careful," he said. "I don’t think we’ll be swinging him on a wire on his first day back."
Davies pooh-poohed the notion the scripts would need to be adjusted to accommodate the actor’s condition. "No, there’s been none of that, and I think David would have told us by now because he’s read the first script."
Two of the four specials are said to be filming overseas, possibly including America. "It’s going to be quite exotic," he said. "I can’t tell you where, but we’ve got four days filming abroad, to give it a bit of size and a new feel to it."
In discussing the specials, which will end with Tennant’s departure from the series as the Doctor, he said each would pair the Doctor with a different companion. He’s reserved writing the final two for himself to send off the actor in a grand fashion.
"The big climax is mine, all mine," he said.
He refused to join in the speculation as to who will replace Tennant, which has filled column inches for months even before Tennant formally announced his departure last month.
"I think it could be a while – it’s a very big deal to set up. Whoever becomes the Doctor has got to take on a whole life. It’s not just becoming a part of a TV show," he said.