They say you never forget your first Doctor (at least that’s what we saw on a T-shirt at this year’s Comic-Con), and for whole new generation of Doctor Who fans, that means David Tennant’s tenth incarnation of the iconic Time Lord. Since taking over for Christopher Eccleston in 2005, Tennant has helped to expand the audience of the relaunched British science-fiction series well beyond the shores of the U.K. Tall, dark and slightly manic-depressive, the Tenth Doctor has inhabited the TARDIS for more than 40 episodes, but now his time is coming to an end.

Rather than filming a fourth season, the show’s producers decided to film a series of specials, beginning with The Next Doctor last Christmas (a cheeky misdirection based on the announcement of Tennant’s departure). Next came “Planet of the Dead,” which aired in April on the BBC and premieres on BBC America this week. The second half of this year will see the last of Tennant’s reign in two movies: “The Waters of Mars,” expected to debut around November, and the two-part Christmas special “The End of Time.”

Leaving the series along with Tennant are executive producer and showrunner Russell T. Davies and executive producer Julie Gardner, who was responsible for bringing Davies on board the project back when she was Head of Drama for BBC Wales. Gardner has since moved on to BBC Worldwide America, but she returned in a producing capacity for “The End of Time,” and was present on the set during much of the production of the emotional finale. The team leaves the show in the capable hands of new executive producer and showrunner Steven Moffat, who is responsible for writing some of the most popular and critically acclaimed episodes of the new series, and the young actor cast as the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith.

IGN had an opportunity to speak with Tennant, Gardner and director Euros Lyn (who helmed “The End of Time”) at this year’s Comic-Con the day before they were to take the stage in front of 4,000 fans. It was not only the first interview of the convention for Tennant, but his first fan convention full stop (as they say).

IGN: So, this is your first convention interview ever?

Tennant: It’s my first time at any event even remotely like this, yeah.

IGN: Did you get a chance to walk the floor?

Tennant: Not yet, but we just walked from the lift to here. We met the Predator. That was exciting. And a Stormtrooper.

Gardner: I love the Stormtrooper. I thought that was a really good outfit. It was really well made.

Tennant: And as we arrived yesterday we were greeted by somebody dressed as Scooby-Doo, which I thought summed up what I was expecting from the event.

IGN: Have you seen anyone dressed as the Doctor yet?

Lyn: I’ve seen a bunch of Captain Jacks.

Gardner: Have you?

Lyn: And Iantos with scars. [Laughter]

Gardner: Last year there was a group of friends who were the 10 Doctors and they sat in order of regeneration.

Tennant: Excellent. Good for them. We might get the Eleventh this year, if they’ve got another friend.

IGN: You have your Star Wars shirt on, so you fit right in.

Tennant: I do. I thought I should wear something relevant and appropriate, so I’ve got my Millennium Falcon on today.

Gardner: You’ve always got a good line of T-shirts.

You can read a lot more at the Source

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