March 06, 2017
In the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine — issue 510 out tomorrow, read all about it here — Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant pays tribute to the man behind the War Doctor, Sir John Hurt.
In an interview with DWM, Tennant talks about working with Hurt on The Day of the Doctor, the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special which saw the Tenth Doctor team up with the Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith, and the War Doctor. He recalls:
“Matt and I just sat like small children at the fireside, letting him tell us about Eric Clapton and The Beatles, and this extraordinary life that he had lived.
… he’d known Tom Baker very well during Tom’s time as the Doctor. So he was very aware of it, and he was very thrilled to be part of the legend. I think he just thought that it was something he couldn’t quite resist. He entered into it wholeheartedly, with great brio and gusto. He was just a joy to have around.”
On his role as the War Doctor, Tennant enthuses about Hurt’s desire to part of Doctor Who history:
“He was very keen to make sure he was part of the legacy. There was no fudging it, that he was a ‘pretend’ Doctor, or anything like that. He very much wanted to be in all the line-ups.”
“He had such a joy for life, that he’d love to communicate, both in his acting and in his personal life. It was a real privilege to be around him.”
You can read David Tennant’s full interview in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine which also includes more tributes to Sir John Hurt.
