BBC Fighting To Stop David Tennant From Seeming Too Much Like The Doctor

Date: Apr 9, 2012 | Author: Josh Tyler | Category: Sci-Fi

Like it or not, in the minds of million David Tennant will always be The Doctor. Matt Smith has done a fine job stepping in during the latest incarnations of Doctor Who, but Tennant is still most often identified with the Doctor. But the BBC seems to be hoping everyone will forget that he played the character, at least outside of BBC approved times for Tennant as The Doctor discussion.

The thing is, Tennant has done a new commercial for Virgin in which he sits on a couch and talks about their programming. At no point in the spot is Doctor Who actually referenced, but the BBC is pressuring Virgin to suspend the advertisement because they believe it infringes on their Doctor Who trademark. Here it is..

According to The Daily Mail, the BBC contends Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile time machine in the background there, is a sly reference to Doctor Who and they aren’t going to stand for it. Since the time machine doesn’t really look anything like the TARDIS or for that matter even work anything at all like the TARDIS, to me it seems that what they’re really saying is David Tennant can no longer be in anything which references time travel.

And that hardly seems fair to David Tenannt.

It’s particularly ridiculous when you consider all the commercials actors like William Shatner have done over the years. Half his appearances seem to reference Star Trek in one way or another. And what about actors who show up at conventions to sign autographs for fans of their character? Aren’t they trading on the brand too?

Frankly, I think this ad doesn’t go far enough and that they should have found a way to get Tennant in a nice trenchcoat, maybe had him call Virgin “brilliant” or something. Because really, who cares? It’s David Tennant, let The Doctor live on in any way he can.

Comments

Queenrhiannons

Actually I think it might be in reference to the episode the Lazarus Experiment – where the villain goes into a machine (that looks a lot like the one above) and comes out younger – it was a David Doctor Who episode – where his companion was Martha Jones
- JT
  
  I doubt it. I mean that’s a great episode but that premise is a pretty common one which was been used in time travel stories long before that Doctor Who episode. They can’t claim ownership over every time travel cliche in existence and then forbid David Tennant from appearing in stories which involve them. Just isn’t logical or fair, don’t you think?
http://twitter.com/Jebuz_Mutation Micheal

the BBC are just grasping at straws.
- http://www.facebook.com/andrew.ness1 Andrew Ness
  
  Or the Daily Mail are making up another story.
Karl Johnson

It does reference Dr Who (see 0:26) but I hate the way the BBC do this kind of thing. I think they’d like to wipe our memories once an actor stops working for them…
- JT
  
  I’m not sure listing David Tennant’s acting credits counts as “referencing” Doctor Who though. I mean it shouldn’t. The BBC doesn’t own David Tennant’s past, right?
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.paris1 Chris Paris

If they are going to cripple Tennant’s career like this, he needs to get a huge, fat royalty check JUST FOR EXISTING, and be paid every day he’s alive.

If Tennant sends BBC THAT invoice, I am betting they drop this nonsense. This is like indentured servitude… the guy has to follow their rules, and he doesn’t even work there anymore.
- http://www.facebook.com/andrew.ness1 Andrew Ness
  
  Really wouldn’t take the Daily Mail’s word for it.
  - http://www.facebook.com/christopher.paris1 Chris Paris
    
    Ouch, you’re right. I blew right past that fact.
    
    Good catch.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001271254015 Joe Borzacchiello

Loved Tennant’s work as the Doctor. Matt Smith is good, but can’t hold a candle to David.

BBC is really reaching in regards to trying to stop him from doing a time travel commercial. Are they also going to stop him from doing any sci-fi movie if he chooses to do so? Nice way to re-pay someone who had people tune in to your network to watch.
- http://www.facebook.com/andrew.ness1 Andrew Ness
  
  The source for this is the Daily Mail, they are notorious for inventing stories that portray the BBC in a negative light.
http://www.facebook.com/andrew.ness1 Andrew Ness

“According to the Daily Mail” = Completely untrue made up garbage.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Al-Pa/100001996399447 Al Pa

i like thier commercial they should just work out a agreement give them say a few thousand or so for the commercial lol just a small fee i mean its a dr who thing, but hes a actor and yea he gets to reference his work, but if they wana be fair nothing wrong with a small fee to the other guys as wlel etc… but thats the key.. .small reasonable fee… its a coooommerciiaal
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7SDWN7NX2IS35ILJWX4GYHTU7Y Emily Hanson

how stupid is that? what is up with those morons at the BBC. Talk about the thought police! You can no longer think of David as the Doctor…….F You BBC! I’ll think of ANY actor I want to as the Doctor. My favorite is Tom Baker! They sound like the same archaic pinheads who decided that Clayton Moore could no longer wear the Lone Ranger Mask. Because they wanted everyone to think of the new actor as The Lone Ranger. LOL! look how well that turned out. NO ONE thinks of the new actor as the Lone Ranger. And the movie bombed at the box office. NOT SAYING anything is wrong with Matt. I think he is doing a pretty good job considering those embarrassingly stupid scripts that are archaic and boring. better scripts better acting. just saying.
But those idiots need to stop trying to force people to think a certain way! That smack of the way communists think. Last thing any democratic country needs.
Jdincalif

uhmmm, the “video has been removed by the user” – is this censorship at work? Did the BBC get to Giant Freakin Robot?

Giant Freakin Robot