Olivia Coleman: My real role in Broadchurch was fighting off David Tennant’s fans

 
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13 March 2013
The Weekender

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As one of Britain’s best-loved actors, David Tennant deals with his many ardent fans gracefully — but his Broadchurch co-star Olivia Colman has become his personal minder.

The actress, 39, revealed she was shocked by the number of fans who tailed the former Doctor Who star to the set of their new ITV crime drama and disturbed filming.

At the Sky Arts South Bank Awards, where she was with the cast of spoof Olympics series Twenty Twelve which won the comedy category, she said: “Working with David is heaven. He is the nicest man in the world.

“But he gets crowds of people wherever he goes. He is terribly patient and charming and lovely with them, so I’m afraid I got a little bit defensive on his behalf.

“He was trying to put a microphone on down through his shirt and down through his trousers. He was rummaging around there and this woman just took a photo right in front of his face while he was doing it. He was trying to be charming, but he had his hands down his pants. I stood in front of him, put my arm out and said, ‘No!’ She was a bit surprised at the reaction. I don’t think they were expecting him to have protection.”

Tennant, 41, has always talked modestly about his fans. He said this year: “It’s not a difficult thing to deal with. It’s just part of what I do.”

It came as Benedict Cumberbatch recalled a bizarre encounter with a fan who was tweeting about his every move, despite the Sherlock star being inside his own house. He discovered who the neighbour was and did not call police.

He added: “The person concerned knows what I felt about it.”

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