Tennant misses Hamlet performance due to back injury

[Brendan Moody]

BBC News link

One wonders whether three years of Doctor Who filming are a major factor in this "ongoing back injury." Hope he's able to get back on stage soon!

Edit: and let's all be amused at my thread title word dyslexia.

 

[Timby]

What dyslexia?

 

[Brendan Moody]

Thanks!

 

[Admiral Bear]

I blame Georgina Moffett

 

[WillsBabe]

Hope he feels well enough to get back on stage soon. Can't remember who his understudy was now, think it might be the actor who plays Leatres, but his name escapes me.

ETA: His understudy is Edward Bennett, who was an excellent Leartes, and received a standing ovation at the press showing for Hamlet's transfer to the West End. Good for him.

 

[Brendan Moody]

The Guardian is now reporting that Tennant is still too ill to go on and that Bennett will be playing Hamlet for tonight's press night.

 

[The]

I blame Georgina Moffett

 

[Brendan Moody]

BBC News reports that Tennant is having surgery tomorrow for a slipped disc and won't be back in "Hamlet" until at least sometime after Christmas (the London run closes on 10th January).

At this point it's worth wondering how his recovery will impact production on the specials, which are due to start filming on 19th January.

 

[WillsBabe]

^ I think there's something like a 6 week recovery period if he has a microdiscectomy. (I had the emergency version several years ago. Unfortunately for me, my recovery took about 2 years and counting. Hopefully, DT's condition isn't anything like as bad as mine.)

 

[Brendan Moody]

Yeah, I'd heard 6-8 weeks was standard, which would mean missing the rest of Hamlet's London run and at least a slight delay on the specials. Which, in turn, might cause problems getting the Easter special done in time; as it is it'll require a quick post-production process. On the other hand, Tennant says he wants to get back "onstage" as quickly as possible, which suggests there's at least some hope he'll be back for the last couple weeks of Hamlet. People at the Doctor Who Forum are saying there's an improved version of the surgery with shorter recovery time. (Gotta love the ability of fandom to demonstrate strange expertise at every turn.)

 

[WillsBabe]

(Gotta love the ability of fandom to demonstrate strange expertise at every turn.)

Very true. In fact, there's probably a spinal surgeon on the bbs if we ask around!

 

[The]

Very true. In fact, there's probably a spinal surgeon on the bbs if we ask around!

...did someone call me?



Anyway, did they say that Tennant hurt his back after trying to lift his paycheck all by himself?

 

[Starkers]

Anyway, did they say that Tennant hurt his back after trying to lift his paycheck all by himself?

Ha ha! Yeah, bet he won't be going NHS that's for sure.

Well if he can't make the next Special I wonder what they'd do, cancel them or regenerate him early? Neither way is really preferable.

 

[diankra]

Anyway, did they say that Tennant hurt his back after trying to lift his paycheck all by himself?

Ha ha! Yeah, bet he won't be going NHS that's for sure.

Well if he can't make the next Special I wonder what they'd do, cancel them or regenerate him early? Neither way is really preferable.

Pure speculation, but worst case scenario I would imagine they'd reschedule, with possible knock-on effects on the guest cast for the special, and a knock-back of the next special from Easter to one of the May bank holidays. There's no way that a new Doctor would be drafted in at the last minute.

 

[Starkers]

^ Yeah if nothing else a new Doc reading lines written for 10...well they could explain it as post regeneration sickness!

 

[Brendan Moody]

At the press screening for "The Next Doctor," RTD said he is "hopeful" Tennant will be able to film the specials and that no rewrites should be necessary, although they may arrange filming so that he doesn't do anything strenuous in the first few days. This BBC News article has the details, as well as RTD confirming that the final two specials will broadcast late in 2009 and that the first special will involve four days of overseas filming in an unspecified "exotic" location. He also repeats an earlier claim that the new production team is still in the process of finding a new Doctor. Note that the article does contain mild spoilers for "The Next Doctor."

 

[WillsBabe]

Oh, dear. I've just posted a new thread on this. The mods can close it if they need.