He might seem an unlikely star – a lanky Scottish bloke with sharp, off-kilter features – but for more than 35 years, David Tennant, with his exuberant energy and undeniable charisma, has proven himself to be one of Britain’s most versatile – not to mention most beloved – actors.
Like many, I first fell for Tennant in Doctor Who, his role as the Tenth Doctor cementing him as a national treasure. Since then, the 54-year-old has shown remarkable range: wreaking havoc in the Marvel universe as a supervillain in Jessica Jones, terrifying audiences with his turn as a serial killer in Des, and delighting us again as a surprisingly sweet demon in Good Omens.
Tennant has collected plenty of accolades over his career – including Special Recognition at the 2015 National Television Awards – but for me, the real measure of his talent is how reliably watchable he is. Whether he’s carrying a series as the lead or slipping into a smaller supporting role, Tennant always makes it count, turning every performance into something memorable.
So, as something of a Tennant mega-fan, here are my picks for his top 10 performances.
Casanova (2005)
Tennant first waltzed onto our TV screens as the cheeky young Giacomo Casanova in Russell T Davies’ three-part adaption of the Venetian’s dirty diary. His vivacious body language and wily grin brings Casanova to life as a man whose flirtatious tendencies get him into all sorts of trouble – until he falls in love with the mysterious Henriette and attempts to assimilate into high society.
The short series proved a surprise hit, attracting nearly a million viewers – a record for a drama commissioned by the BBC at the time. Crucially, Tennant’s performance also won over Davies himself, who was so impressed that he cast Tennant in Doctor Who, a role that would define his career.
Available to stream on Prime Video
Broadchurch (2013-17)
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Haunted by past failures and plagued by health problems, Tennant’s DI Alec Hardy arrives in the sleepy seaside town of Broadchurch hoping for a quieter life in Dorset. But when the body of local 11-year-old boy Danny Latimer is found, the entire community becomes gripped by the ensuing murder investigation.
Hardy is a gruff, abrasive man (“I hate stupid people … I hate their bloody smiley bloody faces”) with a no-nonsense approach to finding out the truth. But Tennant’s sombre eyes, deadpan delivery and sharp Scottish accent makes his imaginative use of profanity both hilarious and endearing. His partnership with DS Ellie Miller (played with warmth and steel by Olivia Colman) and the pair’s exceptional on-screen chemistry is what anchors the show in humanity.
Available to watch on ITVX
Doctor Who (2005-10)
Converse never officially thanked Tennant for insisting on wearing the brand’s black high top shoes as part of the Tenth Doctor’s costume – but they probably should have. Paired with a pin-striped suit and billowing brown trench coat, those trainers became instantly iconic, inspiring many fans to grab a pair of their own (I personally repurchased mine three times).
Flying through space and time for three series solving intergalactic mysteries and battling daleks, cybermen and weeping angels, Tennant brings a witty, enigmatic air to the Doctor. Compared to his predecessors, Tennant injects a more youthful energy into the character, which won him the Best Actor Bafta. Tennant’s time in the Tardis not only resulted in his status as one of Britain’s finest actors, but it’s also how he met his wife (Georgia Moffett, who played the Doctor’s daughter in a 2008 episode).
Available to watch on BBC iPlayer
Jessica Jones (2015-19)
When I first watched Jessica Jones, I couldn’t conceive that the lovable Doctor himself could play someone so utterly evil. But such is Tennant’s talent that I soon saw him as the aptly named Kilgrave and no-one else.
Tennant sheds every trace of warmth to embody a cruel, narcissistic British villain whose bitterness is rooted in a traumatic childhood of cruel experiments and abandonment. He uses his super power – the ability to control minds – to make people commit terrible acts as well as force Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) into a toxic relationship. He’s obsessive, cruel and immaculately dressed in perfectly tailored suits. Only Tennant could make evil look this good.
Available to stream on Disney+
Litvinenko (2022)
Tennant’s haunting portrayal of former Russian spy Alexander “Sasha” Litvinenko is remarkable. Poisoned with polonium-210 by the KGB on British soil in 2006, Litvinenko was determined to have his story of Putin’s Russia heard. Tennant honours that defiance with a performance that is both fragile and fierce.
Though his Russian accent isn’t flawless, Tennant captures Litvinenko’s quiet determination for justice and dignity as he lies dying in a hospital bed, fighting to expose the truth behind his poisoning. His natural, warm chemistry with Margarita Levieva, who plays Litvinenko’s widow Marina in the four-part drama, deepens the heartbreak of his eventual death.
Available to stream on ITVX.
Good Omens (2019-present)
Put Tennant in a pair of tight black jeans, a fiery red hairdo and some eye liner, and you’ve got his deliciously over-the-top portrayal of the demon Crowley in Good Omens, the television adaptation of the beloved fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
His chemistry with off-screen bestie Michael Sheen as the fussy angel Aziraphale is pure magic, even when the dialogue is occasionally stale. Constantly sneering behind an eclectic range of black sunglasses, Tennant struts and flounces through every scene with a confident, theatrical energy.
Available to stream on Prime Video
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (2005)
Although Tennant only appears briefly in The Goblet of Fire (arguably the best of the film series), he makes the most of every second on screen. Playing Barty Crouch Jr, a disgraced wizard who defected to Voldemort’s extremist group the Death Eaters, Crouch infiltrates Hogwarts disguised as Professor Moody.
Tennant leans into the character’s manic personality, using physical ticks to convey Crouch’s madness. With wild, darting eyes Tennant flicks the tip of his tongue to the side of his mouth while baring his teeth, instantly marking him as unpredictable and dangerous.
Available to stream on Netflix
Rivals (2024)
In the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s gloriously saucy 1988 novel Rivals, Tennant throws himself into the role of Tony, Lord Baddingham (the main villain in this series, if you couldn’t tell by the name). A cigar-smoking, croquet-playing, helicopter-riding media mogul, Baddingham is as flamboyant as he is ruthless (“revenge is a dish best served on television”).
As director of Corinium Television in the fictional county of Rutshire, Tennant’s power-hungry Baddingham will stop at nothing to expand his empire. With plenty of sex scenes thanks to Baddingham’s affair (Tennant reportedly cut his knee while filming one), his gleefully despicable portrayal of Baddingham makes him the kind of character you love to hate.
Available to stream on Disney+
Des (2020)
Unlike the manic, witty energy audiences often associate with Tennant, his study of real-life serial killer Dennis Nilsen is disturbingly restrained. Soft-spoken and eerily calm, Tennant (both the star and executive producer of Des) embodies a man who freely reveals his murders without a hint of remorse.
The three-part true-crime drama explores the chilling psychology of a murderer who viewed his victims as company – bathing and dressing them up long after their deaths and disposing of the bodies by burning or flushing them away. Audiences and critics alike were transfixed by Tennant’s performance, which earned him an Emmy and an NTA.
Available to watch on ITVX
Staged (2020)
With their lockdown haircuts and shaggy beards, Tennant and Sheen play heightened, melodramatic versions of themselves as they attempt – with increasing futility – to rehearse a play over Zoom. The sitcom offers an exaggerated, behind-the-scenes look at their friendship, which mostly consists of bickering and squabbling. It also features plenty of cameos from a string of A-listers – including Cate Blanchett, Whoopi Goldberg, and Dame Judi Dench.
At a time when the world felt lonely and bleak, Staged offered a witty, creative escape, powered by Tennant’s unfiltered wit and willingness to poke fun at himself.
Available to watch on BBC iPlayer
