TVSquad

Former Doctor Who lead actor (or current, depending on how you measure it) David Tennant did a quick television interview with PBS for the TV Critics Press Tour. He'll be taking over as host of their series Masterpiece Contemporary.

In the interview, he briefly glosses over his experience in Doctor Who (as well as the Harry Potter franchise) and discusses the relative importance of public television between England and America. He also discusses his Lou Reed t-shirt. I think Doctor Who has influenced David Tennant's fashion sense. In his personal television appearances, he always seems to sport a casual jacket similar to that of his former character (albeit over a t-shirt).

Any long-time Who fan is very familiar with the relationship between PBS and Doctor Who, as that was the channel that the program could be found on in the 1970's and 1980's. It's a nice interview. Tennant will be a terrific host for that program. The video follows.

It looks like David Tennant had no problem finding additional work now that his run on Doctor Who is ending. He has been signed to host Masterpiece Contemporary (the contemporary version of Masterpiece Theatre) on PBS. It's likely that for this role he will be returning to his native Scottish accent.

There is some mild irony at the fact that in the old days before cable TV, Doctor Who used to be shown ad infinitum on PBS and became the only place for American audiences to enjoy the show. There is even more irony at the fact that Masterpiece Contemporary will be more easily accessible to American audiences than Doctor Who.

Tennant seems a little young to host, but when I think of Masterpiece Theatre (and not it's modern versions), I keep thinking of those SNL sketches from the 70's with Dan Aykroyd as Leonard Pinth-Garnell. But that's probably more an issue with me.