David Tennant’s most demanding role to date: Labor supporting the Doctor Who star is seen cheering on the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in scenes from the Rivals adaptation
It’s unlikely that being a cheerleader for Margaret Thatcher was high on David Tennant’s bucket list.
But a job is a job, and these exclusive Mail on Sunday photos show the Labor-supporting Doctor Who star cheering on the late Prime Minister in scenes from a new adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel Rivals.
Part of the author’s racy Rutshire Chronicles, the book is set in the cutthroat world of commercial television in the 1980s.
Tennant, 52, plays ruthless media magnate and colleague Tony Baddingham, who is embroiled in a battle with the series’ best-known character, Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black, for control of fictional channel Corinium Television.
In our photos, Lord Baddingham is accompanied by flag-waving Corinium employees as Mrs Thatcher, played by an unknown actress, visits their headquarters. Earlier this year, the Scot – who featured in Labor party political broadcasts – described the Tories as a bunch of ‘bastards’, and in 2005 said: ‘When I started working in the theater in England, I met people and they said : “Oh, I voted for Margaret Thatcher.”
Tennant, 52, plays ruthless media mogul and colleague Tony Baddingham, who is embroiled in a battle with the series’ best-known character, Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black
In our photos, Lord Baddingham is accompanied by flag-waving Corinium employees as Mrs Thatcher, played by an unknown actress, visits their headquarters
“The first time I heard someone say that, I really thought he was joking. I’d think, “I’ve never met anyone from your world. What’s it like? Do you roast kids over an open fire?” I still find it impossible to believe that anyone in the arts votes conservative.’ In contrast, he has praised Keir Starmer’s “mature” Labor leadership.
Rivals caused a sensation when it came out in 1988. While there’s no release date for the Disney+ adaptation, it’s expected to be one of the most talked-about shows. Other cast members include Shakespearean actor Alex Hassell as Campbell-Black, Poldark’s Aidan Turner and Ballykissangel’s Victoria Smurfit.