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BBC confirms new TARDIS Tennant
19 April

In an unsurprisingly move, the BBC has confirmed Casanova star David Tennant as the new Doctor Who.

Tennant, 33, will become the tenth incarnation of the Time Lord when filming stars on the new season in Cardiff this summer (although there are rumours that he has, or is about to, shoot a regeneration scene for the final episode of the current run).

Tennant, the second youngest actor to take over the role, takes over from Christopher Eccleston, who announced last month that he was quitting the series after only one season.

Tennant, who will star alongside Billie Piper, said he was "delighted, excited and honoured."

"I grew up loving Doctor Who and it has been a lifelong dream to get my very own TARDIS.

"Taking over from Chris is a daunting prospect - he has done a fantastic job of reinventing the Doctor for a new generation and is a very tough act to follow.

"I'm also really looking forward to working with Billie Piper who is so great as Rose."

As well as being a fan of the series, Tennant already has a couple of Doctor Who links, having starred in the online animated story The Scream of the Shalka and narrated the A New Dimension documentary aired prior to the broadcast of new series opener, Rose. He also starred as Briscoe in BBC Four's recent live remake of The Quatermass Experiment (right) and can be seen later this year as Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Tennant said he was "chuffed to bits" to be reunited with the series' lead writer and executive producer Russell T Davies, who also wrote Casanova.

Davies said he had already started writing Tennant's debut story. "Regeneration is a huge part of the programme's mythology and I'm delighted that new, young viewers can now have the complete Doctor Who experience, as they witness their hero change his face."

He said that Eccleston reinvented the role of the Doctor so it appealed to the UK's best actors.

Julie Gardner, Head of Drama for BBC Wales, added: "Christopher Eccleston has given an exceptional performance as the ninth Doctor.

"David Tennant is a great actor who will build on the excellent work already done by Christopher in establishing Doctor Who for a new generation."