Baftas 2025 host David Tennant's career, net worth, family - Doctor Who, Rivals, Broadchurch

David Tennant is taking on the presenting role for the second consecutive year, with his laidback amiable manner going down well in 2024. And his CV makes him the equal of many of those will be honoured at the awards tonight. Here’s a look at his life and career.

What is David Tennant’s background?

The Scot was born in Bathgate, West Lothian, in 1971, the son of a Church of Scotland minister. He was born David McDonald, but when he became an actor had to choose a new surname as a David McDonald was already represented by the actors’ union Equity. He alighted on the surname Tennant, which is now his legal name, in honour of Neil Tennant, the singer of the Pet Shop Boys.

It’s said that he announced at the age of three that he wanted to be an actor, inspired by an early love of Doctor Who. This would come in handy later in life...

Which roles has David Tennant played?

Tennant made his television debut in 1988 in an episode of the ITV children's anthology series Dramarama, and would then appear in a strong of series including Strathblair, Scottish comedy show Rab C. Nesbitt, and the Scottish drama Takin' Over the Asylum. This led to minor parts in many shows, including Love in the 21st Century, the reboot of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), spoof documentary series People Like Us, High Stakes, Foyle's War, and Posh Nosh. But for many the first time he made an impression was in the BBC slightly tongue-in-cheek 2005 high camp comedy-drama series Casanova, written by Russell T Davies, in which he played the eponymous dashing romantic.

The following year, again with Davies, he started the role that would cement his place in television culture, succeeding Christopher Eccleston in the rebooted Doctor Who to become the Tenth Doctor, first appearing on Christmas Day in 2005. He held the part for three 13-episode series of Doctor Who, broadcast in 2006, 2007 and 2008, before giving way to Matt Smith.

His other big roles have included being Det Insp Alec Worth in Broadchurch, the Dorset-set crime drama that was huge between 2013 and 2017, Crowley in Good Omens, serial killer Dennis Nilsen in Des, Tom Kendrick in the BBC’s Deadwater Fell, and as Lord Tony Baddingham in the recent Sky adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals.

This has been interspersed with plenty of work on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company and others, with many Shakespeare plays in his CV such as playing the lead character in Hamlet at the Donmar Warehouse in London a couple of years ago, and roles in Richard II, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Soon he will appear as Ian Ventham in the Thursday Murder Club film, an adaptation of the wildly popular Richard Osman crime novel, which judging by the book’s success is almost nailed-on to be a huge hit.

David Tennant’s personal life

Tennant is married to English actress Georgia Tennant which - in another Doctor Who connection - makes him the son-in-law of actress Sandra Dickinson and the Fifth Doctor (and All Creatures Great and Small star) Peter Davison.

The couple met in 2008 during the filming of the Doctor Who episode The Doctor's Daughter and married three years later. They live in Chiswick in west London with their five children.

An intriguing window into his personal life - which is normally kept fairly private - was seen in the lockdown comedy Staged, in which Tennant and fellow actor Michael Sheen talked to each other on Zoom calls, sending themselves up as ego-driven actors who were slightly hapless in real life. During the two series of shorts, Georgia Tennant and Sheen’s partner Anna Lundberg were frequently depicted as the sensible, adult side of the relationship - how true to life this was, we may never know.

What is David Tennant's net worth and salary?

Celebritynetworth.com puts David Tennant’s net worth at $9m.

Does David Tennant have 11 toes?

It would appear so. While promoting the Baftas, he told Metro - in response to a question raised by a fan - that he did have an extra appendage on his right foot - just a “nubbin” as he called it. In the unlikely event he goes barefoot tonight, we could be in for a treat.

The Baftas is on BBC One at 7pm tonight.