Tenth Doctor David Tennant met the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker when he was 10

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David Tennant is beloved by generations of Doctor Who fans for his portrayal of the Tenth Doctor (and the Fourteenth, as well, because of, well, timey-wimey reasons), but it wasn't long ago that he was once an enthusiastic fan himself.

Speaking at a panel at FAN EXPO Dallas 2024 with his Doctor Who co-star, Catherine Tate, Tennant was asked by a fan if he had "ever cried" from loving the show so much. The actor happily recalled a moment from his own childhood: "Listen, I queued up to meet Tom Baker when I was ten. I remember feeling impossibly giddy about the whole thing... So I've been there, I get it."

Tom Baker is best known for playing the Fourth Doctor for seven seasons on the show, identifiable by his brown floppy hat and massive striped scarf. Baker's time on the show lasted from the mid-1970s to 1981, making his Doctor a key reference point for an entire generation of fans. To this day, Baker's Doctor remains the longest-running incarnation of the character on the show.

David Tennant's love for Doctor Who has been well-documented over the years. Having been a fan of the show as a child, he brought his deep knowledge of Doctor Who's alien lore with him when he played the tenth incarnation of the character from 2005 to 2010. Since then, Tennant has returned to the show for the 50th anniversary special called The Day of the Doctor, and then as the Fourteenth Doctor for the show's 60th anniversary in 2023.

If you want to start watching Doctor Who and don't know where to start, check out our handy Doctor Who watch guide. Or maybe you're already finished with the show - We've got the perfect Ten shows to watch when you're done watching Doctor Who guide for you too. If you're already heads over heels for the Fifteenth Doctor and want to learn more about the actor playing him, check out what he's been in before here. Or maybe you just need to figure out how the new series numbering is going to work (Are there really gonna be two series 1s? Yes.) - if so, this is the explainer you want.