Rise to Success: Career Highlights of David Tennant

How David Tennant built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

David Tennant is a Scottish actor renowned for his roles in television. He gained widespread recognition for portraying the tenth and fourteenth Doctors in Doctor Who. Other notable roles include DI Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, Kilgrave in Jessica Jones, and Crowley in Good Omens. He also played fictionalized versions of himself in the comedy series Staged, solidifying his presence in popular culture and demonstrating his versatility as an actor.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2005: Appeared in Labour Party Political Broadcast

In 2005, David Tennant, a self-proclaimed liberal and socialist, appeared in a party political broadcast for the Labour Party.

2010: Supported Gordon Brown in Elections

In the 2010 elections, David Tennant declared his support for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, lending his voice to a Labour election broadcast.

January 2012: Appointment to the Royal Shakespeare Company Board

In January 2012, David Tennant was appointed to the Royal Shakespeare Company board, where he was involved in the selection committee for the new artistic director.

June 2012: Filming The Politician's Husband

In June 2012, David Tennant began filming the 3-part political drama series "The Politician's Husband" for BBC Two, where he played an ambitious cabinet minister.

2012: Introduced Ed Miliband at Labour Party Conference

In 2012, David Tennant introduced Labour Party leader Ed Miliband onstage at the Labour Party Conference.

2012: Voiced Huyang in The Clone Wars

In 2012, David Tennant provided the voice for the droid Huyang in two episodes of season 5 of "The Clone Wars".

January 2013: Return to RSC for Richard II

On 23 January 2013, it was announced that David Tennant would return to the Royal Shakespeare Company for their 2013 winter season, playing the title role in Richard II at Stratford-upon-Avon.

July 2013: Filming What We Did on Our Holiday

From June 17 to July 30, 2013, David Tennant filmed "What We Did on Our Holiday", a semi-improvised comedy film in Scotland, alongside Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly.

November 2013: Aired in The Escape Artist

In November 2013, David Tennant appeared in "The Escape Artist," a three-part series that aired on BBC One.

2013: Starred in Broadchurch

In 2013, David Tennant began starring in the ITV detective series Broadchurch as DI Alec Hardy.

January 2014: Richard II at the Barbican Centre

In January 2014, David Tennant's performance as Richard II transferred to the Barbican Centre in London, continuing from December 9 to January 25.

September 2014: Release of What We Did on Our Holiday

In September 2014, the film "What We Did on Our Holiday," which David Tennant filmed in 2013, was released.

2014: Reprising role in American remake of Broadchurch

In 2014, David Tennant reprised his role as DI Alec Hardy for the American remake of Broadchurch.

February 2015: Appeared on Just a Minute

On 9 February 2015, David Tennant appeared on the Radio 4 panel show "Just a Minute", becoming the show's most successful debut contestant.

November 2015: Release of Jessica Jones

On 20 November 2015, all 13 episodes of "Jessica Jones", a television series from Marvel and Netflix, were released, featuring David Tennant as the villainous Kilgrave.

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2015: Lent Voice to Labour Election Broadcast

In 2015, David Tennant again lent his voice to a Labour election broadcast.

February 2016: Filming Mad to Be Normal

In February 2016, David Tennant began filming "Mad to Be Normal" (previously titled Metanoia), a biopic of the Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing.

May 2016: Death of Alan Young

In May 2016, Alan Young, the longtime voice actor for Scrooge McDuck, passed away, leading to David Tennant eventually replacing him in the DuckTales reboot.

2016: Richard II at the Barbican Theatre and Brooklyn Academy of Music

In 2016, David Tennant reprised his performance as Richard II at the Barbican Theatre before transferring to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

2017: Continued role in Broadchurch

David Tennant continued his role as DI Alec Hardy in the ITV detective series Broadchurch until 2017.

2017: Appearance in You, Me and Him and Don Juan in Soho

In 2017, David Tennant appeared in writer/director Daisy Aitkens' first feature film, "You, Me and Him", and in Patrick Marber's "Don Juan in Soho" at the Wyndham's Theatre between March and June.

Don Juan in Soho

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2018: Played Cale Erendreich in Bad Samaritan

In 2018, David Tennant played the villain Cale Erendreich in the thriller film "Bad Samaritan", written by Brandon Boyce and directed by Dean Devlin.

February 2019: Launched David Tennant Does a Podcast With...

In February 2019, David Tennant launched his own podcast, titled "David Tennant Does a Podcast With...", featuring interviews with various celebrities.

May 2019: Release of Good Omens on Amazon Prime Video

On 31 May 2019, the first season of the series "Good Omens", in which David Tennant plays Crowley, was released on Amazon Prime Video.

January 2020: Premiered in Deadwater Fell

In January 2020, David Tennant starred as a doctor suspected of murdering his family in "Deadwater Fell," a Scottish true crime miniseries that premiered on Channel 4. He also received his first credit as an executive producer for the series.

January 2020: Release of Good Omens on BBC Two

On 15 January 2020, the first season of the series "Good Omens", in which David Tennant plays Crowley, was released on BBC Two.

September 2020: Portrayal of Dennis Nilsen in Des

In September 2020, David Tennant portrayed Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen in "Des", a three-part miniseries on ITV, and later won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor for his performance.

2020: Starred and produced Staged

From 2020 to 2022, David Tennant starred in and produced three seasons of the TV series "Staged", with Michael Sheen.

September 2022: Starred in Inside Man

In September 2022, David Tennant starred as Reverend Harry Watling in BBC1's "Inside Man," written by Steven Moffat, which premiered on 26 September 2022.

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December 2022: Starred in Litvinenko

In December 2022, David Tennant starred as Alexander Litvinenko in the ITV1 dramatisation "Litvinenko", which was based on the 10-year fight of Marina Litvinenko and the London police force to prove the guilt and release the names of those responsible for the 2006 poisoning of Litvinenko.

August 2023: Voiced Huyang in Ahsoka

In August 2023, David Tennant voiced the droid Huyang in the live-action "Star Wars" series "Ahsoka".

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February 2024: Hosted 77th British Academy Film Awards

In February 2024, David Tennant hosted the 77th British Academy Film Awards.

December 2024: Rivals Renewed for Second Season

In December 2024, the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's "Rivals," in which David Tennant stars as Lord Tony Baddingham, was renewed for a second season.

Rivals

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2024: Macbeth at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Young Jedi Adventures

In 2024, David Tennant's character had a cameo in an episode of season 2 of "Young Jedi Adventures", and he played the lead part in Max Webster's production of "Macbeth" at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

2025: Starring in The Hack

In 2025, David Tennant is due to star as the Guardian journalist Nick Davies, alongside Toby Jones, in "The Hack", a forthcoming ITV drama detailing the News International phone hacking scandal.