David Tennant criticises government plans to force broadcasters to produce ‘distinctively British’ shows

David Tennant has hit out at the Conservative government over their plans to force broadcasters to make produce “distinctively British” TV shows.

On his final day as minister for media and data in September, MP John Whittingdale told the Royal Television Society conference that he would be proposing that public service broadcasters expand their remit to focus on British-specific shows.

While he admitted that Britishness was “a difficult concept to measure”, he said that Ofcom would be asked to draw up a definition and cited Only Fools and Horses, Fleabag, Derry Girls and Doctor Who as examples.

In a new interview, Tennant, who played the Doctor from 2005 to 2010, questioned the UK government’s need for broadcasters to produce programmes rooted in Britishness and whether it had a more sinister meaning.

“Is there some inherent criticism within this plea for more Britishness?” he told the Radio Times. “Did Britishness mean ‘made in Britain’ or programmes that have a certain political viewpoint?”

He continued: “Why would the government feel they need more sympathy directed towards them? Perhaps that’s a question they should ask themselves, rather than trying to blame it on the television industry.”

Tennant can next be seen in a new TV adaptation of Around the World in Eighty Days, which will begin on the BBC from Boxing Day.

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