Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant has been chatting with Doctor Who Magazine 518 all about his time on Doctor Who and what it means to him. The issue is available from Oct 19, 2017.

David was asked how he feels looking back on the role which he started playing in 2005, he commented:

“I always feel fond towards it. I always feel like it’s a happy place to be. Obviously a day like this brings it all back a little more keenly, but it’s always a very fond thing to return to, the world of Doctor Who. It’s always very welcoming, and friendly, and familiar. I suppose I don’t feel detached enough from it to feel sentimental, really. Maybe if I’d been completely banished from it for ten years…?

But of course it never quite goes away, does it? There’s no escaping it, nor would I want to, really.

Because Doctor Who sort of runs through my life like a stick of rock. It’s sort of always bubbling under, and you know it always will.”

Tennant was also seen as the Doctor in the 2013 50th Anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, in which he delivered the immortal line, describing the Time Lord’s name as a promise – “Never cruel or cowardly”. David describes it as a “mission statement.” The actor continues:

“We can all have mottos that we live by; it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re entirely faithful to them. It can be who you aspire to be. It doesn’t mean you can’t be inconsistent sometimes. That’s what makes any character and any person interesting – their inconsistencies, the little flaws in the weft of their character.

I don’t know if the Doctor always needs to be consistent to that, but I think broadly speaking he is. At least, he tries.”

You can read the full interview with David in the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine which also includes a fantastic interview with Nardole actor Matt Lucas and much, much more.

DWM 518 is available from Oct 19, 2017