Doctor Who Exit Interview: David Tennant + Russell T. Davies, with Richard Metzger (BB Video)

(Download / Watch on YouTube, video duration: 20 min.)

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Today in Boing Boing Video: David Tennant and Russell T. Davies of Doctor Who, interviewed by BB guest host Richard Metzger of Dangerous Minds. Richard is a *very* knowledgeable Doctor Who trufan, so the resulting conversation — which we're presenting here in extended 20-minute form — is deep and comprehensive, with lots for hardcore Doctor Who junkies to love. Recently, both Russell and David left the show, and this amounts to the definitive "exit interview." Let the fangasms commence.

Metzger says,

I'm one of those guys who downloads Doctor Who and Torchwood
within seconds of them hitting the torrent trackers. Just a few hours after they air in the UK, I'm watching them in Los Angeles. My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas last year and I said "A new Doctor Who episode, but I'm getting that already." That's how much I love the show (She's a fan too, but drew the line at me using the TARDIS landing for my ring tone).

So it was great fun for me to meet Russell and David. A real treat. They're both friendly, charismatic guys who who were really easy to interview. They clearly enjoy each others company and there was a nice, loose banter between them that I think will be fun for the fans to watch here. They've got their double act down pat, let's just say.

This interview took place at an interesting moment in time for both men as they've only just left behind their respective starring roles in one of the biggest television successes in the world today. As difficult as that may sound, you can only imagine how much pressure is off them after four years of practically non-stop work. I think it shows in this interview, as they're both very relaxed and jovial. David had just come from Comic Con where he was treated with fan adulation bordering on Beatlemania and Russell is starting a new phase of his life here in Los Angeles.

The week we shot this he was just coming off the double whammy career high of Torchwood practically *taking over* British television for an entire week with his brilliant Torchwood: Children of Earth
mini-series (read my review here) and then seeing it launch BBC America's new HD service with a resounding success right afterward here.

How lucky Hollywood is to have Britain's answer to Rod Serling in such close proximity these days and I'm sure it won't be long before we're reading in Variety what David Tennant will do next.
He's an interesting actor and a lot of big people will want to work with him, so expect that it will be something worth watching!

Like I say, I think it's an interesting glimpse into a transitional time for both David and Russell and these were the questions that I wanted to ask them, not as a journalist on assignment, but as a big Doctor Who fan ("David, isn't leaving Doctor Who like Sean Connery quitting James Bond?").

I hope other Who fans around the world will enjoy this as much as I did."

(Special thanks to Mark Kleiman and Stefanie Fletcher for their generous support of Boing Boing Video.)