Quintessence of Dust

Mostly David Tennant and Doctor Who stuff, with a bit of Shakespeare (and Good Omens) thrown in. Older than your average tumblr user. Apparently I have a thing for looooong posts.

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David Tennant at the Rivals Season 2 episode 6 press event - June 2026

...for Tennant Tuesday (or whatever day this post finds you)

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Climbing up David Tennant - Part Seven Alternate title:  Scaling a tall, skinny Scot

Other parts of this set:  [ camera up tag ]

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Behind the scenes of The Lazarus Experiment (Part One)

Excerpts from Benjamin Cook’s article in DWM 383

David Tennant arrives.  He’s wearing a tux, and black Converse trainers. The director, Richard Clark, wants him to dash across to the control area, and sonic the main panel.  “So,” repeats David, “I say the line, something explodes, then I jump over there…”

“We’ll rehearse a few times before we do the explosion,” clarifies Richard. “You’re going to have to jump as quickly as possible.”

“You any good at parkour, then?” asks Julian Howarth, the sound recordist.

“Oh yes,” smiles David.  “I base all of my work on that.”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” calls out Dan Mumford, the First Assistant director, because the pyrotechnics get saved for the final take.

“Something’s wrong!” screams David.  “It’s overloading!”

“This is the panel that’s exploding,” explains Richard, afterwards, “so this is the one to be on, David.  Another rehearsal, please.”

DWM asks David whether he knows what all of these buttons do.  “Of course,” he insists.  “I recognise some of them: they were on Sanctuary Base Six!”

[after Mark Gatiss arrives on set, and they discuss the extra (whom they have nicknamed “Helga”) whose acting is rather unconvincing]  A take.  At last. Sparks spurt over Helga.  “Helga doesn’t feel pain,” murmurs Mark.

But David does.  He catches his hand on the control panel.  “Ouch!” he yells, only a bit ruder.

As he nurses his finger, DWM distracts David from the painful throbbing sensation by asking him inane questions.  For instance, what age he would revert to if he had his own Genetic Manipulation Device?  “There are things that I’d like to do better in my teenage years,” he admits, “but that’d mean living through them all again.  It’s tempting, isn’t it?  But I suspect that way utter, utter madness probably lies.  No, I’m quite happy being where I am right now.  I don’t feel a yearning for a lost youth.  Maybe that’ll come?”

“Perhaps,” suggests DWM, “you aren’t old enough to yearn for your youth?”

David chuckles.  “Well, I don’t know…! I’m past the first flush.” He considers this. “I’m past the second flush, probably.”

Other parts of this post: [one] [two] [three] [four] All of my previous behind-the-scenes photoset posts can be found here. 

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Link to the [ #whoBtsLaz ] tag, or the [ full episode list ]

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David Tennant's long-long short film Quality Control (1996) is finally here!!!

Well, here it is.

I have to say - for a verrrry long time, Quality Control was one of those David Tennant credits that sat on my research list surrounded by question marks. As I'd shared beore on A Tennantcy To Act, I knew the film had been broadcast, but beyond that, very little seemed certain.

All of that changed very quickly once I found Hannah Lewis, who wrote and directed the film, and Duncan McLean, whose short story inspired it. From them came surviving VHS copies, production records, recovered memories....and eventually, the original 16mm print itself.

None of this would have happened without Hannah's generosity. Not only did she preserve the film all these years, she very kindly gave permission for me to share it with y'all, so that David's fans could finally see it.

So, after years of research and more than a few unexpected twists along the way, I'm delighted to finally share Quality Control.

Enough from me. You've waited long enough.

Watch David Tennant's Rediscovered 1996 Short Film, 'Quality Control'

After decades out of sight, the rare Channel 4 short film survives thanks to a recovered 16mm print, and the generosity of the people who ma

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New/Old David Tennant to watch! How wonderful

With thanks to @consanguinitatum for tracking it down and sharing it with us all! ❤️

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Good Omens and the wrong thing

Bonus silliness:

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David Tennant - Hamlet - Courtyard Theatre - Royal Shakespeare Company - 2008 - Part Four

featuring photos from Tristam Kenton, Alastair Muir, Marilyn Kingwill, Donald Cooper, Ellie Kurttz, Geraint Lewis

Links to [ other posts from this set ]

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David Tennant and Claire Rushbrook photographed at the Rivals 2 episode 6 screening event - June 2026

via dimaHohlovStudio

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A David-Ruffling-His-Hair collection (Part Eighteen)

See also:  hair ruffles tag

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David Tennant - Dracula Press Night - February 2026

…for Tennant Tuesday (or whatever day this post finds you)

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Staged Season One - Promotional Images - Part Four

Featuring David and Georgia Tennant (and most of their kids - blurred) [ Part One ] [ Part Two ] [ Part Three ]

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Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel - Behind the Scenes - Part Ten

Excerpt from a Cult Times interview with director Graeme Harper:

The Age of Steel was filmed in one massive production block that also included episodes Rise of the Cybermen, Army of Ghosts, and Doomsday. This was the mid-point of Doctor Who's Season Two schedule, during one of the coldest winters of recent years, and the cast and crew were forced to endure the big freeze during long stints of night filming. "There's a scene we did in Cardiff, on a strange mound in a park next door to Asda, where the Doctor and his friends rise up an embankment," recalls Harper. "That was the coldest night in the UK. If you listen carefully you can hear David's voice - he just managed to open his mouth to get the words out. His jaw almost locked, it was so cold. It didn't matter how many clothes you put on before you got to the moment, all of the cast were all frozen. But the scene still works."

Additional parts of this set are in the #whoBtsCyber tag The full episode list is [ here ]

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The Fourteenth Doctor throwing himself around with reckless abandon

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David Tennant’s acrobatic left eyebrow - Part 18

Other parts of this photo-set:  [ Eyebrow Action Tag ]

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David Tennant at the Rivals Season 2 New York Premiere - May 2026

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A young David Tennant in L.A. Without a Map

Bonus:

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David Tennant from Rex Is Not Your Lawyer

...for Tennant Tuesday (or whatever day this post finds you)

From the excellent Rex collection at the [ David Tennant Asylum ]

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David Tennant with musicians

With special thanks to @martinsharmony for the suggestion!

Bonus because it's cute: David Tennant with the The Mariachis on The Last Leg in 2023 and The Hack in 2025