Who's the greatest doctor of them all? As David Tennant leaves the Tardis, there'll be tears before bedtime



And so, the end is near for David Tennant as Doctor Who. He's fought the Daleks and seen off the Master and will be sadly missed by his legions of fans. Now, as he is about to face his biggest intergalactic challenge yet, he prepares to leave the series with a bang - and his own sonic screwdriver.

David Tennant may stand accused of being a big softie, but the reason for all the emotion is quite simply that the 38-year-old Scot, born David John McDonald in West Lothian, has, by common consent, been the greatest Doctor in the world's longest running television sci-fi series.

Nor will he be leaving the Tardis with a whimper. The first of a two-part final is scheduled for Christmas Day in the evening with the return of his archenemy, The Master, who is in a ferociously bad mood since being shot dead at the end of the episode Last Of The Time Lords in 2007.



Greater secrecy surrounds this Christmas special than does the origins of the universe, but last month a Children In Need trailer revealed that we can expect trouble after Tennant is summoned to the snowy planet of the Ood - a species of alien who (appropriately for Christmas) sports a turkeyish toggle on the lower part of their face.



Final countdown: David Tennant, as the Doctor, receives a warning from the Ood

The telepathic species have called the Doctor to warn him of a shadow which has been cast across the universe, and remind him that he will perish when Death knocks four times.

To add to the excitement, the two-part special concludes on New Year's Day with the emergence of newcomer Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.

Tennant says: 'The forces gathering are quite unlike anything we've seen before. They're on a whole new scale. We've managed to keep a few surprises, even if people think they know what's coming.'

But before that, former 007 Timothy Dalton appears as a senior Time Lord in an extraterrestrial dressing gown. We can also look forward to Bernard Cribbins as Tennant's Tardis companion, as well as Catherine Tate, June Whitfield, Brian Cox as one of the Ood, and Alexandra Moen as the jailed killer of the Master.

Welsh director of the Christmas special Euros Lyn promises a full-scale intergalactic clash of the titans with specially adapted backdrops at mediaeval Caerphilly Castle near Cardiff as well as a Corus steel plant in Llanwern.

Tennant and all the cast testify that it was a hugely emotional shoot, especially when the dreaded four knocks were finally heard to signal the arrival of the Reaper.

'I was nearly a puddle,' confesses Tennant. But Euros Lyn tells a sweet story about how it unravelled: 'When we shot the very final scene, David was 30ft in the air on a big flying rig. We brought him down and he went back to his trailer and it was all a bit flat, so we faked a final shot to bring him back for a round of applause.

'When he realised what we'd done he welled up and tried to make a speech, but he had to stop and sparked everyone else off, too!'

The tears are likely to be infectious. 'It's a stonking two and a half hours and there won't be a dry eye in the house. Even your turkey will be wet!' warns lead writer Russell T. Davies, breathless with excitement.

The first four: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, John Pertwee and Tom Baker

'I wrote my heart out for these specials, because I wanted to give David everything. Together we've loved pushing the Doctor further than ever before and this Christmas is David's final time to fly.'

Davies himself recognises there has been something of the Lennon and McCartney about his relationship with Tennant. 'Surprisingly few lead actors have a sense of humour,' he says. 'I'd written the Doctor as a man full of chat, just having a babble, and David got that instantly.'

Rewinding to the very beginnings provide a useful contrast. William Hartnell (1963-66) launched the Doctor with the look of a 19th century member of the Royal Society with good Masonic connections. As his successor, Patrick Troughton (1966-69) was a much more impish, childlike scruff, with a Beatles mop of hair.

My own first memory of the Doctor was Jon Pertwee (1970-74). Being the Seventies, there was a touch of the Bee Gees about him, but his collection of capes, velvet jackets and frilly shirts, rendered him a debonair Doctor to be reckoned with.

However, the high point of Doctor Who before its current golden age was with Tom Baker (1974-81) who came a close second to Tennant in Doctor Who Magazine's poll to find the best Doctor of all time.

Baker was a hard act to follow and Peter Davison (1981-84), in spite of his boyishness, never matched his predecessor's off-the-wall charisma.



Doctors of the Eighties: Peter Davidson, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann

Still, Davison was the Doctor Tennant grew up with, the inspiration for the 'brainy' specs he pulls out when faced with a knotty problem.

Davison even recalls that when he filmed the Time Crash episode with Tennant in 2007: 'He was a little in awe of me because I was "his" Doctor and I was a little in awe of him because he's such a great actor.'

After that, with the best will in the world, Doctor Who suffered an identity crisis with Colin Baker (1984-86) and Sylvester McCoy (1987-89). But by then the franchise was as wobbly as its low-budget sets. Not even Paul McGann, star of cult film Withnail & I, could raise much kudos for the Doctor in the 1996 film.

And yet, as everyone knows, Doctor Who can always regenerate. Many were sceptical before its relaunch in 2005, especially with Davies, a script writer known only for Channel Four's late-night series Queer As Folk.

But when Christopher Eccleston (2005) appeared with It-girl of the day Billie Piper it was clear that the Doctor had moved on and foresworn polystyrene monsters.

What we got in David Tennant, from 2006, was a combination of all of the best of all the previous Doctors. Thoughtful, scatty, intense, witty, boyish, vain, bookish, youthful and hip all rolled into one.

And Tennant treasures his time in the Tardis. 'I got to do so many more things than I ever imagined. Hanging off things, being blown up, being made up to look nine million years old. It was continually surprising.

'You see the impact the show has and the enthusiasm people have, but until you're in the middle you don't realise how all consuming it is. It's been an incredible time, a real privilege, actually, to be at the centre of something that attracts so much love and attention.



Modern day: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and newcomer Matt Smith

'It's been overwhelming at times because wherever you go people know you as Doctor Who and when you go into the supermarket there's your face on a cake, a T-shirt, a jigsaw and a little plastic figure. It's unlike anything else I can imagine doing as an actor.

'I'm jealous Matt Smith is going through that now, though it couldn't happen to a nicer chap. But I'm looking forward to not knowing what happens next and to being a viewer again.'

He takes with him not just the memories, but also a sonic screwdriver which remains under lock and key at home. Following such an act won't be easy for Matt Smith who didn't sleep for three days after he heard he got the job. Already, cyberspace is bristling with criticism of the young pretender. Many 'Whovian' fans carp that he looks too odd. They don't like the bow tie or the tweed jacket. Above all they think he's too young.

And, at 26, he is the youngest ever Doctor. But what they're really scared of is the fact that they don't know Matt Smith and only time can heal that. Until then it's going to be a painful transition for the fundamentalists who believe David Tennant to have been Doctor Who's finest hour.

And yet, Matt Smith has proved himself one of the finest young actors on the British stage. What's more, just as Tennant had Russell T. Davies, so Smith comes with Steven Moffat leading the team of writers.

Moffat has shown himself to be just as good as Davies and probably a little more adventurous. He says: 'The Doctor is a very special part. As soon as Matt walked through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man.'

Although Smith was stunned by landing the job of the Doctor there is every reason to suppose he'll be just as big as any of his ancestors. And, whatever else he does, he'll also do it his way.



Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One is on Christmas Day at 6pm on BBC One. Part Two will follow on New Year's Day at 6.40pm.