The David Tennant Puppet

Kathleen has been making puppets of the Doctors for many years, as you know. Back in 1991 a friend of hers managed to get one to Peter Davison.

So this weekend I was at a Wizard convention that David Tennant was at. She gave me her puppet of Tennant’s Doctor and asked if I could try to get it to him.

It took me three days of maneuvering with the Wizard personnel, but finally on Sunday they okayed bringing me over to Tennant to present it to him. They escorted me to the front of the line of about 1000 people (that’s no exaggeration) and I apologized to the young lady they put me in front of, but she seemed fine with it.

I brought the puppet forward to David with the understanding that I’d be as fast as possible. He seemed enchanted by it and immediately put his hand into it and started playing with it.

I said, “It’s a gift for you, made by my wife, Kathleen David. My name is Peter David and I’m–”

I was about to say “a writer for Marvel comics,” but Tennant cut me off. He looked at me wide-eyed and said, “The writer?!”

Astounded, I nodded. I managed to say, “Yeah.”

“I LOVE your work on Hulk!” he said.

I turned to the crowd and shouted, “David Tennant knows who I am!”

PAD photo 11066525_10155392174585389_4084143375386027435_n_zpsge3ydspl.jpgPhoto copyright Wayne Marshall

28 comments on “The David Tennant Puppet

  1. I wish I could say I’d do the same thing, but to be honest, even were I in a profession where someone like Mr. Tennant *might* recognize my name I think my brain would turn to mush at that particular moment and I wouldn’t be able to say a bloody thing.

    Well done sir. Well done.

  2. Congratulations to the amazingly talented kathleen on another puppet masterwork (or is that Doctorwork?) and to PAD for that gratifying feeling when someone whom you admire unexpectedly knows and admires you. It’s a great feeling, though doubless more common for you than for most of us mere mortals.

  3. Hi Peter,
    I took the above photo of David with the puppet. I have one more i can send you if you’d like it.
    Let me know,
    Wayne

  4. I seem to recall that Tennant was a much bigger genre geek than most people realize. When Sheelagh was makeup chief on Tennant’s first season of Doctor Who, he was blown away when he discovered that not only had she co-written a book on Blake’s 7 with me, she had also worked on the series itself. Come to think of it now, I don’t think she ever got her copy of the book back…

  5. Fortunately, he didn’t think you were the other writer Peter David. : -)

    (Theoretically could’ve met him and Davison during this past year’s Hugo ceremony, as they were sitting two rows in front of me next to people I knew…but despite looking in that direction and seeing said people, I didn’t see either of them from an angle where I could recognize them, so I didn’t learn it was them until well after the ceremony ended).

  6. PAD,

    You’ve made my day. The puppet of David Tennant as Doctor Who that your wife, Jane, created is fantastic. It looks like it could have been created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Now that Peter Davidson and David Tennant have their own Doctor Who puppets I would not be surprised that they created their own puppet version of The Two Doctors. It would be akin to a Doctor Who Lost Tales with puppets as written by Straczynski.

    1. I seem to recall that Mrs. David did some time as an intern at Henson, some years ago.

  7. That is hilarious! As mentioned up top, Tennant is a pretty huge geek and one with great tastes it seems.

    FWIW, he’ll always be the one and only Doctor to me.

  8. Mouth dropped in joy. Such a happy story! Congrats to you. And David Tennant is a PAD Hulk fan. Of course he is. Yay! I wish I could have made that show.

  9. Lovely story!
    DT was a Marvel fanboy growing up – he’s mentioned collecting Marvel comics back in the day. And to this day, when you think of great Hulk runs, one name comes to mind:)

  10. Great story (and photo)! It’s always fun when someone as well-known and accomplished as PAD gets a chance to let their inner fanboy out — and to get an equally fanboy-ish reaction from the person who had them starstruck!

  11. As it so happens, I’m right now partway through re-reading your run on the Hulk. (He’s with the Pantheon right now, midway thru the Ghost of the Past arc.)

    I’ll join Tennant in his sentiment. I’m LOVING your work on Hulk (again).

  12. To know that someone “who’s” writing saved me from many rainiest days was SURPRISED by an icon’s immediate fan appreciation of said writer and intimate gift is proof positive that some creatives are absolutely in it for the love of the game: Being a representative of a better tomorrow.

    Tom Baker told me who the Doctor is then David made it necessary for me to follow him.

    Davies gave us David.Photo within photo within photo of David receiving gift from a David confirms that all roads lead to Rome and that time itself is built upon cycles. Cycle enough creativity and ANYTHING is possible!

    I almost envy you for turning cliche into indisputable fact.

    PAD, you dámņ cad.

    Allons-y Monsiuer David! C’est un plaisir de recontrer!

  13. As much as I dislike Mr. Tennant’s Doctor, he’s always seemed like a nice fellow. Good to see that confirmed in your experience.

    1. I had mixed feelings on his Doctor. Most of The Doctors (who have their episodes in tact) have that moment early on where they prove to the audience beyond a doubt that he is The Doctor. Even Matt Smith (in my opinion one of the worst Doctors) got that moment during day one. In my mind that moment when Tennant earned his Tardis key was near the end of The End of Time when he chose to save Wilfred.

      If you want to see David Tennant run around the stage clearly having the time of his life, watch Dr. Who. If you want to see him act watch the first season of Broadchurch.

  14. What a great story. Between you and Dan Slott, you’ve each had terrific experiences with Mr. Tennant this last weekend! Very envious!

    Now, I wonder what he might think of being painted beside Bill Bixby amid the other modern Doctors, facing a legion of Hulks…some of whom you were responsible for creating?

    (Yes, the piece exists…I own it and it’s painted by your “Fallen Angel” partner J.K. Woodward!)

    ~G.

  15. Only just heard about this (was out of the country last week). Out-STANDing, good sir. Great story, and it sounds like Tennant’s a good guy as well. Coolness!

  16. This is a wonderful, sweet story. I’M glad to hear that people never get too famous or jaded to be excited about meeting the people they admire.

    1. [whisper]We’re not suppose to tell PAD that he is famous. He still thinks he is an avid fan like the rest of us. [/whisper]

      More seriously, PAD has always been a super fan of science fiction and other genre. I’m happy that he is getting the recognition he deserves.

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