Doctor Who: David Tennant & Catherine Tate Never Met Isaac Newton Actor During Filming
David Tennant and Catherine Tate never met the actor who played Sir Isaac Newton on set during the filming of Doctor Who's "Wild Blue Yonder" special.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder.
David Tennant and Catherine Tate never met Sir Isaac Newton actor Nathaniel Curtis despite sharing a scene during the filming of Doctor Who‘s second 60th anniversary special, “Wild Blue Yonder.” The episode saw the Fourteenth Doctor (Tennant) and Donna Noble (Tate) stranded onboard a vessel at the edge of the universe, as the TARDIS dematerializes to repair itself while the pair is stalked by an unseen horror. In the opening moments of “Wild Blue Yonder,” the TARDIS interrupts the moment Newton’s theories surrounding gravity are inspired, leading to the Doctor and Donna unwittingly changing history.
Doctor Who: Unleashed revealed that Tennant and Tate were never present on set with Curtis when working on Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary, with the parts of the scene featuring Newton being filmed on location. The scenes involving the Doctor and Donna in the TARDIS were filmed against a green screen at the Bad Wolf Studios. While Tennant was disappointed to not work with Curtis, he and Tate joked that the actor had intentionally been avoiding them. Check out Tennant and Tate’s exchange below:
David Tennant: It’s a shame, because I’ve met Nathaniel and he’s really nice, and I would have liked to have had a little scene with him.
Catherine Tate: I would have liked to have met him.
Tennant: Yeah. But apparently, he asked not to have anything to do with us.
Tate: Yeah.
Tennant: He asked to be kept apart. He was very particular. He accepted the part on that very strict condition.
Doctor Who’s Brief Isaac Newton Adventure Is A Fun And Important Chapter For Its 60th Anniversary
While the historical detour may feel disconnected from the tense space-bound adventure that the rest of the episode focuses on, the Doctor and Donna’s brief meeting with the influential physicist is nevertheless an important part of Doctor Who‘s 60th celebration. With the final moments of “Wild Blue Yonder” leading straight into the Doctor’s battle with the Toymaker in the final episode “The Giggle”, it is clear that there is little room to explore other adventures between the Time Lord and Donna. The cold open allowed the specials to honor the historical stories within the series, despite how brief it is.
Furthermore, Curtis’ appearance as Newton is extra significant due to his past work with Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies. The actor first worked alongside Davies on his award-winning 2021 drama It’s A Sin, where he portrayed Ash. Curtis joins Neil Patrick Harris, Ruth Madeley, John MacKay, and Michelle Greenidge as actors who have previously worked with Davies during his time away from the sci-fi series.
The surprising cold opening is a fun moment to help ease audiences into a more uneasy Doctor Who story. Since the scene is brief, it’s a bit surprising, but ultimately understandable that filming ended up being so complex. Nevertheless, while Tennant and Tate may joke about the odd scenario, both their and Curtis’ performances under director Tom Kingsley ensured Doctor Who‘s brief visit to Newton’s pivotal discovery was executed as seamlessly as possible.
