One of the nice things about the announcement of the new series was that, for the first time, I had heard of the actor playing the incoming Doctor. I knew Christopher Eccleston mainly as the bad guy in 28 Days Later. I thought his character was really evil and vile, so if you only know him as the 9th Doctor, you may want to check him out in that, if only to see Eccleston in a different light. I also knew him as Nicole Kidman's husband in The Others

Harry Potter fans will probably already know the face of the 10th Doctor, as David Tennant played Barty Crouch, Jr. in the most recent movie.

Some bits of DW casting trivia that I found interesting:

Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor) once appeared in an episode of Magnum, P.I., which thanks to DVD, I'll finally get to see one day.
Joseph Marcell, who played Geoffrey the butler on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was in "Remembrance of the Daleks".

Billie Piper is amazing in both her episode of "Canterbury Tales" and the BBC Shakespeare-told adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" where she plays Hero (as a weather girl, as the story has been moved from a villa to a local TV station, and Claudio is the sportscaster, and Beatrice and Benedick are co-hosts).

I haven't seen "Our Friends in the North" yet, but of CE's work, I've seen and adored "Second Coming" (also written by RTD) and ""Revengers Tragedy" directed by "Sid & Nancy's "Alex COx--which is a lot like "Hamlet" meets "The Crow" filtered through "Mac Headroom" and co-stars Eddie Izzard and Derek Jacobi. It's good crack. Seriously. And I still love "28 Days Later" liek whoa.

Tennant is WONDERFUL in RTD's "Casanova" and that will eb showing up on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" in 2006 so watch for it. He's also absulutely amazing in "Blackpool" which just aired (cut to ribbons, alas) on BBCA. And if you can find "Takin' Over the Assylum" I can't recommend it enough.

Also, the BBC live "Quatermass Experiment" from last spring not only co-stars Tennant, but also has DW writer Mark Gattis as well. And the special features o the DVD are one great big DW love-fest. No lie.

Our Friends In The North and Jude are my favourite CE roles. He's pretty good in everything but I think at heart he is an old-school TV actor - he's often spoken in interviews about the importance of the old Play For Todays and other intelligent, socially engaged TV drama in the days before reality shows took over.

It's really hard for me to shake the tendency to think of Eccleston as the Duke of Norfolk in Elizabeth even after prologed Doctor Who exposure. I keep expecting him to refer to someone as 'that heretic gehl'.

I went to see The Producers (the new movie version) while I was in the middle of getting through the new first season of Who, and nearly jumped out of my seat when suddenly John Barrowman showed up as a singing Nazi.

As an American, the only time I think I had seen CE was in Gone in 60 Seconds. Not a great movie (some good music though), but his role was good. Of course.

Barrowman also has a nice singing part in De-Lovely.

CE is also Detective Billborough in the first series of the UK version of Cracker. That's where I knew him first.

I adored Tom Baker's appearance in Blackadder II as an insane, legless old salt. "You have a woman's hand!"

I had the same reaction. He was also one of the policemen who come to arrest them after the opening night. I almost didn't connect who he was, it was the blonde hair. I think I like him better with dark hair.

I also had a weird reaction seeing David Tennant in Harry Potter and that was before I'd even seen TCI.

LJC writes:


If you haven't seen it, it's worth your while to hunt down Jude, which is out of print in North America; Eccleston is very powerful in it (and he shares a scene with David Tennant!).

I've loved Christopher Eccleston ever since the 'Cracker' days.
Nobody's mentioned "Shallow Grave" with Ewan McGregor.
It was a great film. Chris was better known than Ewan at the time so he really got the plum role in that one.

And as other people have said, David Tennant's 'Casanova' is not to be missed. And 'Blackpool' - I loved how he was constantly eating in that show)

And John Barrowman in anything where he sings. He's got a great voice.

Christopher Eccleston is also in "I Am Dina", an English-language Scandinavian movie based on a Norwegian novel. (Ironaically, everyone speaks English in the movie, but CE is the only native English speaker and plays a Russian. Heh.) He's hot, the movie is so-so. The movie is infamous here for having the biggest budget ever in Norway, and I didn't even realise where I'd seen CE before Doctor Who until I saw his Imdb page. Heh.

David Tennant will also be voicing a character for the English version of Norway's biggest ever animated feature, "Free Jimmy".

I find this amusing.

Or skates - he ruled in Dancing On Ice, and was very wrongly eliminated halfway through, but I won't get into that...

Bonnie Langford (companion Mel in the old series) was in it too of course, and also went out earlier than she probably should have done.



He was great in Elizabeth, so virile! And in the sex scene he had he showed off a very nice rear end indeed.

I loved him in Elizabeth and am about to see this film again. I had no idea who he was when I saw it at the cinemas but was hypnotised by him. When he turned up as Dr Who I couldn't beleive he was the same man. Still sexy but... so different!!!!

John Barrowman is in the Producers? Why didn't anyone TELL me? Sheesh! I skipped that movie due to so-so reviews. Teach me not to religious imdb!!!!

He's not in The Producers that much though - one song, but a good one.

And, ahem, there's even more of Eccleston naked in Jude, should you wish.

In that case, permit me to suggest, the show Hey Mr Producer, he does an amazing number in that. and if memory serves, he wears leather trousers during it.

[.]

:faints:

Oh, that does sound lovely....

A slightly obscure one. Jack Tarlton (the reddish haired BBC reporter from Aliens of London and WWIII) was in Coram Boy at the National Theatre (in London) this winter as Mish/Meshak. He was my favorite character in the play, so it was quite a shock to see him in DW (I didn't see them until Christmas).

I agree about the Dancing on Ice elimination. Hugely unfair. I haven't managed to see the final yet (on video) so must get round to watching to find out who won.

John Barrowman was fab in 'A Few Good Men' last year, playing opposite Rob Lowe. Really, really good. And the Uniforms certainly added to the charm..

I keep meaning to watch the Producers - I guess I'll wait for the DVD now.

Watching music TV over the weekend, I was quite surprised to see that Mary Tamm (Romana I from the original series) is in the video for The Streets' new single, ‘When You Wasn't Famous’. If you watch it, she's wearing a pink skirt suit in the part of the video where Mike Skinner's at the self-help group. She still looks great.

Wow, that's her? She does look great. Hard to believe it's been nearly 30 years since she first popped up in "The Ribos Operation".

Is this the video? She looks pretty good.

I became a Chris Eccleston fan with "Shallow Grave" and he was also superb in "Othello" with Eamonn Walker ("Oz"-Said) and Keeley Hawes. Eccleston was Ben Jago (Iago) and you either loved him or hated him...completely over the top making wood chips of all the scenery. It worked! That "modern" day version of Othello is still one of the best I've ever seen. Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones, Tipping the Velvet, etc.) adapted it and did a bang up job.

David Tennant was terrific in "Blackpool", its only redeeming feature (ducks...I wasn't a fan.) I remember him from his very first movie "The Last September" where he played a gob smacked soldier in love with Keeley Hawes (again) who met a tragic end. The movie had a terrific cast, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Fiona Shaw, etc.

As for Piper? She is almost a cartoony version of a pretty girl. I just wish she would close her mouth once in a while. She does act better than she can sing, but that isn't saying a lot. This role fits her though.

Agh, a dilemma! I love Mary Tamm, but I loathe The Streets with the fiery passion of a thousand burning yadda yadda. Can I bring myself to watch a video for that ghastly chav 'rapper' just to see how she's looking almost 30 years after being my first crush?

Fast forward through it. Her appearance is very brief.

Dry your eyes, mate. I know it's hard to take.

Mary Tamm, Gallifrey One 2006.

I first saw CE in "The second coming," so I was used to him being a good guy. Did that show in America? It was written by Russel T. Davies as well, and I think the fat guy who gets possed by the devil is in Aliens of London too.

I totally had a crush on John Barrowman when he presented The Movie Game.

Oh and Billies Dad built my Dads neighbours conservatory.

The Second Coming with Christopher Eccleston is available on DVD in the US, as in Revengers Tragedy.

I'm not sure if the "The Second Coming" would air in the US since the subject matter seems very religious.

Also when you search for "The Second Coming", you'll want the 2003 title with Christopher Eccleston on the cover, not 1995 title (which has sort of an interesting cover considering it from 1995).

When you all mention "Blackpool," are you talking about "Viva Blackpool," the weirdish musical mini-series thing they showed on BBC America this winter? Or something else?

It's the same show. It was just called Blackpool in the UK and for some reason BBCAmerica felt the need at add Viva to the title.

John was the presenter of THE MOVIE GAME!!!! Oh.My.God. How did I not notice/know that?! I loved that show!

Anyone see Noel (Mickey) in Metrosexuality? Wasn't a great series, but it was fun and he was good in it.

I saw Casanova this weekend and David Tennant was marvelous in it. I also thought Russell T Davies's writing was stronger than on Who, but its not surprising, given its more pure character than hard plot.

Apologies if this is already mentioned, but I just realized; 'Coyote Ugly' star Adam Garcia appears as Alex in Christmas Invasion. Do you think he was doing bartop stripteases for Harriet Jones, Prime Minister?

I'm not sure, but I doubt it has. I just watched it recently via Netflix and was thinking that it would have never been produced in America because of the way religion is handled, which is a shame. There are too many puritans and fundamentalists out there trying to dictate what people can watch, as recent FCC sanctions seem to bear out.

David Tennant was in The Chatterley Affair on BBC4 on Monday. He played Richard Hoggart, one of the expert witnesses for the defence in the Lady Chatterley's Lover obscenity trial. He was only on screen for a couple of minutes but he managed to pack in a goodly number of words which are unlikely to occur in a Who script (or even Torchwood). Dig the quiff!

It's repeated on Friday night, if you're interested. I'd recommend it.

I'm sure I read somewhere that The Second Coming was shown on BBC America, but I could be wrong.

As for John Barrowman's movie career, he was in the wonderfully terrible Shark Attack 3 which has to be seen to be believed, especially for his delivery of what's known as 'the line'.

BBC America did indeed screen The Second Coming, in late 2003 or early 2004.

I'd watched Elizabeth a fair number of times before ever seeing previews for the new Doctor Who, and the Duke of Norfolk always intrigued/scared the shit out of me/made me want to kill his evilness. But he was always interesting. And then I was drawn to Doctor Who because of some goofy-looking guy with a big smile and watched the first two episodes without even knowing who he was or that I'd seem him before. And then IMDB tells me he's Norfolk! Astounding.

Also, Tennant, I think, was suitably creepy/crazy in Goblet, but having hated that movie, I've repressed most of that memory.

David Tennant's role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was unfortunately limited mostly to him being twitchy, which is sad since that is probably the first time most of the American audience has seen him.

I loved him in the Quatermass Experiment, but then again I'm a sucker for guys speaking in foreign languages and I don't even know if his German was any good at all.

I loved him in Blackpool, even though you just have to laugh at the silliness of people breaking out into lip-synching and dancing in the middle of a murder mystery.

I have a copy of Casanova, but I've only gotten through the first 20 minutes before I had to stop. For some reason it makes me cringe, which oddly enough is the same reaction I get to most sitcoms.


I've been meaning to watch Elizabeth for the longest time, but now that I know Christopher Eccleston is it, I'll have to get off my bum and rent it.

Aarrggh! Same to both, in reverse. The Doctor seemed so familiar, but I couldn't place him. Elizabeth is one of my favorite movies...I've seen it probably two dozen times, but have it only on VHS and my tapes have been packed elsewhere for the last few years. Then I read the former post and was dumbstruck. Hello! I'm usually an ace at spotting actors in different roles.

The Duke of Norfolk was deliciously evil and subversively sexy. So wicked! So magnetic! So mesmerizing! The epitome of fuckable, to put it bluntly.

While watching "The Unquiet Dead" tonight, I could not see the Doctor without an Elizabethan collar and goatee. Like he is here. I fear for my virtue. The treachery! OK, I'm taking my thoughts to the Doctor thread.

Exactly! I haven't seen Elizabeth post-Doctor Who exposure, but that's what I'm doing as soon as I get off of this airplane.

I finally remember Crouch Jr. and he keeps flicking his tongue out. Gross.

I first saw John Barrowman in "Central Park West," a short-lived, trashy primetime soap. He played a JFK Jr. type character who I think accidentally murdered his low-class wife who had turned into a shrew. Or something. It's been awhile!

A very odd Eccleston movie is "Anchoress," in which he plays a medieval priest who is excited that a local farm girl has been having heavenly revelations and he wants to wall her up as an anchoress into the wall of the church. It's pretty interesting, if you like things set in that time period. I saw it for a class in college, and I seem to recall all snickering about the anchoress's very phallic loaf of bread. A bizarre movie. Eccleston plays another quasi-baddie.

I must say, I think I prefer Eccleston as a baddie. I liked what Eccleston did with his character in "28 Days Later" -- a lesser actor would have gone all-out, remoreslessly evil with it, but he made it nuanced so that you could tell there was still some humanity about him, but he had to do what he had to do. I would like to think, however, that it would take more than a month without sex for men to resort to gang-raping a 15-year old -- that sort of didin't ring very true to me.

Rose's mum was John Goodman's stripper girlfriend in "King Ralph."

I first saw John Barrowman in "Central Park West," a short-lived, trashy primetime soap. He played a JFK Jr. type character who I think accidentally murdered his low-class wife who had turned into a shrew. Or something. It's been awhile!

That just reminded me - he was also in the series 'Titans', which TWOP recapped for a while.

For anyone who likes David Tennant being all dark'n'creepy'n'stuff, see if you can track down the ITV adaptation of "Secret Smile". He is by turns charming and utterly terrifying. The whole thing is a bit blah, but his performance is brilliant.

Awesome! That show was so deliciously bad. Poor Casper van Diem. So hot, but so not good at the whole acting like a human being, and not an animated Ken Doll, thing.

Reading Christopher Eccleston's IMDb page is bizarre. I've seen a handful of stuff that he's been in, but before I started watching Doctor Who his name was unfamiliar and I didn't recognise him at all. And I'm usually good at recognising actors and their names! Of course, I was almost at the end of "Father's Day" before I realised that Pete looked familiar because of Touching Evil, so maybe I'm slipping.

I've been meaning to watch Elizabeth and Cracker for ages. Now that I know CE is in them I might actually do so.


I thought it was decent but it didn't blow me away. It had some nice moments, like the confessional scene, but if it weren't for David Tennant's awesomeness I never would've watched it all.