David Tennant compares ‘madness' of Doctor Who fame to ‘losing a layer of skin’

Billie Piper, the guest on his latest podcast, agreed it made her ‘uncomfortable’

(Getty Images)

David Tennant has opened up about Doctor Who fame, comparing the intense experience to “losing a layer of skin”.

Tennant starred as the Time Lord from 2005 to 2010, alongside Billie Piper as his companion Rose Tyler.

In the latest episode of David Tennant Does a Podcast With, the actor told Piper: “Entering into that madness... and particularly that loss of anonymity, which I had not really experienced before... because I had you to go on that journey with, I think I survived it much better than I might have done.”

He added: “You knew what it was to lose that layer of skin. It was very helpful to be on that journey with someone who understood what it was.”

Tennant also spoke about how filming Doctor Who “wasn’t like a normal job”. He said: “When we were on location, we'd be surrounded by crowds. There was people buzzing round wherever we went. We were bundled in and out of cars and whisked into places through the back door and chased by photographers.”

Billie Piper and David Tennant in 2006 (Rex Features)

Piper agreed that the experience was extreme. “[Fame] is an uncomfortable position for me,” she said. “I've never really liked that. You become this thing to people and you don't really have any part in that. And so you have to behave a certain way or at least try to, and that's quite annoying.  

“It's not the worst thing in the world, but it means that you can't be yourself entirely. And it means that you become incredibly guarded. And for me, reclusive, always.”

On the same podcast, Piper spoke candidly about her marriage to Chris Evans.