In the fourth season of Doctor Who‘s 2005 revival series, there was an episode called Turn Left that determined the fate of the universe in an alternate timeline based on one small decision. It turns out that David Tennant, who played the Doctor in that episode, had his own Turn Left moment before he took the role. The actor recently revealed that his agent told him not to take on the role that went on to make him a star.
Via Variety, Tennant’s latest episode of David Tennant Does a Podcast with… featured the actor speaking to his wife and fellow performer, Georgia Tennant. At the time Tennant was offered the part in 2005, the Doctor Who revival hadn’t aired yet. Tennant ultimately took over the role from the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, in the first season finale. But Tennant admitted that he didn’t immediately say yes to the offer.
Tennant noted that he “was clearly going to do it,” but added that “there was definitely a moment when I wasn’t… I sort of had to process everything that it meant, and I had an agent at the time that was like, ‘Don’t touch it, it’s not going to work.’ Not my current agent, a previous brilliant agent who’s since retired, but she didn’t call that correctly as it turns out. She said, ‘It’s not going to work, you don’t want to have that hung around your neck.'”
After taking the part, Tennant held the role for half a decade across four seasons and a handful of specials before relinquishing the part in 2010. If Tennant hadn’t taken the role, he may not have ever met his wife, Georgia, who guest starred in a season 4 episode as the Doctor’s daughter, Jenny. Georgia Tennant is also the daughter of Peter Davison, who played the fifth Doctor on the original Doctor Who series.
Tennant reprised his role as the Doctor for the 50th and 60th anniversary specials of Doctor Who. The current incarnation of the series is streaming on Disney+, and it will return for a new season on Saturday, April 12.
