How the David Tennant podcast helped me discover queer content

In need of some LGBTQ+ content to binge on during the Christmas holidays? David Tennant's podcast is a great resource to expand your list.

Podcast . Written by David Ferguson.

A phone with one of the interviews from the podcast by David Tennant visible on the screen, on a table besides a book.
Image: Twitter - @HowardFineAUS

I recently went back and listened (and re-listened) to some of the interviews in David Tennant’s podcast, David Tennant Does A Podcast With…. You may know the man from Doctor Who, Good Omens or numerous other acting roles.

The format of the podcast is an interview of around forty minutes, mostly with other actors. The fact that he is also an actor means that we get a different kind of interview. He has interviewed a number of famous LGBTQ+ stars and it mostly involves a discussion of being gay and being an actor, often getting quite personal.

In season one, he interviews the iconic Whoopi Goldberg and the wonderful Ian McKellen. However, it was the interviews David Tennant did for season two that inspired me to catch up with some LGBTQ+ content I had overlooked.

The first one was with Jim Parsons, whom many will know from the popular TV show The Big Bang Theory. Not being a fan of the show – I think it laughs at geeks, not with them – I didn’t really follow his career. However, after listening to the interview, I decided to check out both Hollywood (2020) and The Boys In The Band (2020).

I had started Hollywood but didn’t finish as it didn’t grab me at the time. I hadn’t even gotten to Parson’s scenes. The series, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, explores the Hollywood of 1946 – 1949. A kind of alternate universe showing the attempt of a bunch of creatives to assign racism and homophobia in the film industry to history.

Parsons is very much my favourite part of the show and changed my opinion of it. He plays a hideous agent who abuses his clients and is such a good baddie. He is equally brilliant in The Boys In The Band. The movie is based on a play of the same name, written by Matt Crowley who co-wrote the screenplay with Ned Martel.

It is very much an ensemble piece and all the actors contribute to a film that very much rests on the skills of the actors, the same who had previously done the 2019 Broadway revival of the play. It was great to see a diverse queer cast. Other than Parsons, I think that Zachary Quinto, who is almost unrecognisable in the movie, is a highlight.

Tennant also interviewed the legendary actor George Takei. The interview focused on Takei and his family, being put in an internment camp during World War II. This is the subject of his 208-page graphic novel autobiography They Called Us Enemy (2019) – co-written with Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and illustrated by Harmony Becker. The interview also covered his coming out and his political career and advocacy.

The final interview that spurned me to check something out was with Dan Levy. Again the interview was about his life and of course, the series he is known for, Schitt’s Creek. The series is written by Dan and his father Eugene Levy, who people may recognise from the American Pie series of movies. It covers the lives of the Rose family, who lose their money and end up living in a town they bought as a joke, Schitt’s Creek.

In the interview with David Tennant, Levy discusses how he wanted to create a town where being LGBTQ isn’t an issue. The townspeople’s dislike mainly revolves around the family’s abrasive personalities. Having already finished season one and enjoyed all the performances, I’d definitely recommend you check it out!

To read more of David Ferguson’s content, click here.

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