One Doctor Who Advice From David Tennant Saved Matt Smith a Lot of Trouble on Set

Being so popular around the world for so many years has its own advantages and disadvantages for Doctor Who. On the one hand, the show has already spawned many successful series with many new actors. On the other hand, the moment the fan-favorite actor leaves the show, the fans begin their war against whoever comes next.

This was the case in 2010 when fans of the 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant, rioted against his successor, Matt Smith. The actor was only 26 when he took over the role of the centuries-old alien, so viewers doubted he could pull it off. His predecessor, however, was much friendlier, and way more helpful.

David Tennant’s Doctor Who Advice

Having played the Doctor for 5 years at this point, David Tennant was already a pro in the fast-moving environment of the BBC show. Since the show was produced and broadcast exclusively in the UK prior to Matt Smith's arrival, budgets weren't large and production had to be done at a chaotic pace that took some getting used to.

So when Matt Smith stepped into the Doctor's shoes, he immediately reached out to his predecessor, David Tennant, for some valuable advice. Breaking down some of his most iconic lines to Variety, Smith shared exactly what he was told:

“He was like, 'Learn all of your lines on Sunday, because you've got to go back and do them.' Because you're shooting like 10 pages a day. [The Doctor is] the vocal point for the exposition, essentially, because he's saying everything that he sees,” he explained.

While Doctor Who has always had some of the toughest, most mind-bending lines, given the sci-fi nature of the show, Matt Smith's run was particularly rich in that department. The 11th Doctor has always been known for his long heroic monologues, some of which the actor can still recite by heart, as evidenced by various conventions.

Given this, it seems that Smith really took the advice to heart and followed it throughout the filming of all three of his series. After that, the baton was passed to Peter Capaldi, and fans are left wondering what advice was given to him.

Doctor Who is currently airing its 14th series, or the first season in co-production with Disney Plus. So if you want to see what adventures the 15th Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday will face, be sure to tune in to Disney Plus every Saturday to never miss another episode.

Source: Variety