David Tennant, renowned for his portrayal of Hamlet in 2008, has expressed interest in playing another iconic character from the play — Yorick, the jester whose skull is dug up.
The Scottish actor described the role as "glorious” as he reflected on playing the Danish Prince mourning the dead court jester whose skull is exhumed with The Royal Shakespeare Company.
He shared: “I’d very happily appear again in a production of Hamlet playing a different part, yeah. There’s something glorious about that.”
Speaking on the Off Menu podcast, Tennant shared that a real skull was used for the iconic scene, one donated to the Royal Shakespeare Company by a pianist who passed away in 1982.
“We had a real skull,” he continued. “We had the skull of a real human - a guy called Andre Tchaikovsky who was a classical musician who had left his skull to The Royal Shakespeare Company to appear in a production of Hamlet.
“So I did not have to fake any weight there. I was holding Andre, he was Yorick. I was really really thrilled, not in a macabre way.
“That moment in the play is about connecting with mortality, so there’s no acting involved - you’re looking into the eyes of a human who once walked the Earth. There’s something very powerful about that.”
While Tennant would love to add his own skull to the mix, he joked that bureaucracy would likely prevent it.
The Doctor Who star, who recently presented the Bafta Film Awards, said: “To be honest, I don’t think you can do it anymore, cos Andre had done it and left it and it had gone through all the various....there’s a lot of hoops to jump through, for various governmental organisations who perhaps frown on the idea of body parts being left to anything really other than cremation.
“So I think the laws have now changed, that Andre is probably the last person to have been able to have done that. But his skull is still there, he can be used in future productions of Hamlet.”
His admission comes after he was tipped to make a surprise return to Doctor Who amid growing speculation about the show's uncertain future.
The 52-year-old actor, who first played the Time Lord in 2005 and returned for the 60th Anniversary Specials in 2023, is being tipped as a potential replacement for Ncuti Gatwa.
Reports suggest Gatwa may exit the series after just two seasons, frustrated by the lack of clarity surrounding the show's future beyond 2025.
Disney+, which co-produces Doctor Who with the BBC, has reportedly put long-term plans on hold, waiting to see how the upcoming second season performs before committing to further episodes.
According to betting site betideas.com, Tennant is among the top choices to take over the role permanently, with odds of 5/1. Other favorites include The Crown star Josh O’Connor at 2/1 and Slow Horses actor Jack Lowden at 4/1.
While the BBC has dismissed claims that Doctor Who is at risk of cancellation, insiders told The Times it is unusual for a third season not to be in development.
It was previously reported Gatwa is planning to leave the show. The Sex Education star - who took over the lead role of Doctor from Jodie Whittaker in 2023 - allegedly wants to move to the US, where he’s being eyed up for other projects.
Sources told The Sun that the 32-year-old may walk away from the Tardis at the end of the upcoming 15th series after fans were left divided over recent storylines.
