notes from the Tate-Tennant "Chain Reaction" ep
mood: 
amused
amusedmusic: Radio 4 stream about the original "Whose Line Is It Anyway"
I'd held off listening to Catherine Tate's Chain Reaction interview of David Tennant because I dislike RealPlayer with a vengeance, but curiosity won out (that, and I needed something lighter than Brahms while carving up chicken for salad). It's up for one more day, I think (until 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the UK, I would guess).
Highlights:
(approx. 2:30 in)
CT goes on about "a play you were in but not present at, and it was called Tamagotchi Heaven." DT utterly baffled until CT describes it in detail, then suddenly realizes that's what happened to some footage an AD for Hurlyburly shot of him ten years ago...
... some babbling about being a Dr. Who fan, Marmite...
(at about 7:00)
DT: In the 70s, you didn't get Marmite in Scotland.
CT: Seriously!?
DT: No - Marmite - I didn't discover Marmite --
CT: Not even deep-fried?
After CT mentions Bovril:
DT: As we're on the BBC, we should mention that other beef extracts are available.
On to a discussion of finding other Dr. Who fans.
(at about 8:00)
DT: ...I wasn't aware that there were things like clubs. And that's just because I was ignorant, I think - I just didn't pick up on that. But even with the Internet, I still haven't figured out chat rooms and things. I don't know how they work, that's... [can't quite make out phrase]
CT [overlapping]: No -- you've got to have a name, haven't you, like Bingo1 or -- something like that. DalekBigBoy --
DT: Oh, that's you I've been talking to!
On to a discussion of children being able to distinguish between fantasy and reality, and enjoying fantasy anyway; wit and comedy in Dr. Who...
(at about 10:23) DT on what appealed to him about Dr. Who as a kid:
DT: It was partly the slight anarchy of this character, the fact that he would say completely inappropriate things to figures in authority. Which is the sort of thing in life I wish I could do but never had the guts to.
On to discussion of various roles & longevity of character acting, leading to Shakespeare, leading to a fantastic rant at about 13:00 by CT on the implausible depictions of women disguising themselves as men, leading DT to reflect at about 13:45:
DT: I suppose in the day, of course, it was played by a boy --
CT: Yes, so he had a head start.
DT: Yeah --
[laughter]
DT: I don't really know how to defend three hundred years of theatrical history.
CT: Oh, try a bit harder!
DT: It seems to be standing up ok...
...On to DT talking about meeting Richard Schiff and George Lucas (moral: "Never meet your idols"), during which CT claims she hadn't known there was more than one Star Wars movie. DT feels compelled to explain:
(around 16:09)
DT: Well, there were three films which were very good. Um... [audience laughs] No offense, Ewan, it wasn't your fault.
More on space, sci-fi, space dust, product statements...
(around 18:08)
DT: Other cheap, exploding sweets are available -- [drowned out by laughter] You've got to say that on the BBC, otherwise they cut it out!
CT: Ummm. Are we all right talking about Star Wars and things? 'cause it's not on the BBC, is it. We're not plugging it, and apparently three of them were shit --
[extended laughter from audience; DT sounds like he's gasping for air]
CT: That's like a lawsuit or something, never mind Bovril!
Which leads into DT's extended rant on astrology (starting around 18:55), which is significantly longer, funnier, and somewhat different than what I've seen reported, with his voice climbing higher and higher. (What I've attempted to transcribe below doesn't do it justice, since it can't convey the delight of hearing a Scot ramping into high outrage.)
DT: What are your obsessions?
CT: Uhmm, as you know -- and have been fairly dismissive about -- my love of astrology.
DT: Ohhhh --
CT: [cackling at DT's reaction; voice rising] This is from someone who believes in SPACE!
DT: I would like to point out --
CT: How --
DT: My only answer, I've always had a very clear delineation between fantasy and reality, thank you.
CT: I -- [to audience] don't, don't clap that! C'mon!
DT: But see, while I'm here, I'll tell you the [?] problem, is you've got --
CT: [overlapping with DT as he builds up steam] Oh, shut up! Don't go there, I knew you were going to go, oh I knew you were going to say that --
DT: You've got -- you've got Aquarius -- oh, yeah, yeah, but not a typical Aquarius, ah, ah, but that's because I've got -- Libra rising! And if you're not a typical Libra rising, you've got -- Aries up your bum, or you've got -- ah, well you see, because of the hour I was born, I've got Gemini in my back pocket. It's all -- there's get-out clauses everywhere you go -- it's absolute nonsense! And then of course, if nothing comes of it, you just conveniently forget about it --
CT: Oh yes --
DT: The one in 365 days in the year that you do meet a tall dark stranger, you say, "You see, Mystic Meg was right!" Were I to do my Room 101, that would be the top of the list. That, and interactive news programs. That some lunatic from Cheatham can text in about what they think about the G8 Summit -- and it gets read out! It's fair enough when Channel 5 do it but News 24 do it now!
CT: Well! So just to recap, David is an Aries. And a rather typical one, at that. Ok, we'll - we'll agree to disagree on how wrong you are.
On to (not) reading reviews. He "used to read them like a junkie...", collecting all the papers, but theatre cured him of that. Bad reviews compared to being kicked in the face (and affecting the performance... imagining everyone in the audience agreeing with Billington...)
DT: And also, the good stuff doesn't make you better. Which is a harder lesson to learn as well...
CT goes on to say she doesn't read reviews herself because "I hate to lose more than I like to win," so one negative reaction = "I genuinely want to hunt them down and kill them." ... Moving on to playing baddies (including mocking a really bad bit of script), quirky/scampy quality of the leads he plays, pondering whether to take the role of the Doctor (after mulling it over a week, "I just didn't want to be the guy who turned it down"...) and on whether it will limit his future as an actor...
CT: ...because there is such incredible life force about the fans of Dr. Who, you will be adored in your dotage. [To audience] He absolutely will, won't he, because he's been Dr. Who. [To DT] People -- people will be queueing up to wipe the dribble from your face.
DT: You say that like it hasn't happened yet. [beat] I'm under no illusions. Whatever else I go on to do, the first line of my obituary is written. [...] And [...] that's great. I'm delighted to be remembered for something.
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