Tennant takes over as 10th 'Doctor Who'

British actor David Tennant has officially been named the 10th Time Lord in the new Doctor Who television series.

Tennant, best known for playing the famed Casanova in a recent BBC period drama, has been one of the lead contenders for the revamped sci-fi series since current star Christopher Eccleston announced he would not continue in the role after only one season as the Doctor.

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"I grew up loving Doctor Who and it has been a lifelong dream to get my very own Tardis," Tennant, 33, told the BBC after the weekend announcement. "Taking over from Chris is a daunting prospect he has done a fantastic job of reinventing the Doctor for a new generation and is a very tough act to follow."

Tennant will step into Eccleston's shoes this summer, when production begins in Cardiff on the second, 13-episode season of the new series. He will star along with Billie Piper, who will reprise her role as the Doctor's sidekick, Rose.

Changing lead actors has never been a problem for producers of the series since the character an alien who is several hundred years old is able to trade his body in for a new model, so in a sense each star has proven expendable.

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Tennant had some stiff competition for the role of the Doctor, triumphing over actors like Bill Nighy, David Thewlis and comic Eddie Izzard.

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The new series reunites Tennant with Russell T. Davies: the writer and executive producer of Doctor Who also wrote Casanova. Davies said he has already begun writing Tennant's first time-travelling adventure.

"Regeneration is a huge part of the program's mythology, and I'm delighted that new, young viewers can now have the complete Doctor Who experience, as they witness their hero change his face," Davies said.