David Tennant has no problem espousing his views on transgender ideology – once branding critics of it as ‘whinging f******’.
However, the former Doctor Who star looked flummoxed when he was asked to give his view on one of the most vocal opponents of the ideology – JK Rowling.
The awkward moment is captured in ITV’s new show The Assembly, which sees celebrities face questions from a group of autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled people.
During the show, one participant who referred to Tennant as a trans ‘ally’ asked for his opinion on him being ‘called out’ on social media by JK Rowling.
At first Tennant appeared to suggest he was unaware of what the questioner was referring to, saying: ‘I do miss a lot of this because I’m genuinely not in there.’
He continued: ‘Listen, JK Rowling is a wonderful author who has created brilliant stories and I wish her no ill will but I hope that we can all, as a society, just let people be. Just get out of people’s way.’
Last year, Tennant, 54, became embroiled in a row with political figures after he suggested during an acceptance speech at the British LGBT Awards that then Tory Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch should ‘shut up’ and wished she ‘doesn’t exist any more’.
Later, in a backstage interview posted on social media, he said that trans people should not feel unloved or not accepted as ‘most people in the world don’t really care’ about the issue.
David Tennat said he bears ‘no ill will’ towards author JK Rowling, despite their differing views
The question was put to the actor during his participation in ITV1’S The Assembly show
He had added: ‘Everyone’s so self-obsessed that really, the sort of noise that comes from a certain area of the Press and of the political class is… it’s a minority.’
Tennant, who appeared in the film adaptation of Ms Rowling’s Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, had also said: ‘It’s a tiny bunch of little whinging f****** [that] are on the wrong side of history and they’ll all go away soon.’
In response, Ms Rowling later wrote on X: ‘This man is talking about rape survivors who want female-only care, the nurses currently suing their health trust for making them change in front of a man, girls and women losing sporting opportunities to males and female prisoners incarcerated with convicted sex offenders.’
Ms Rowling also took another swipe at Scots star Tennant after Ms Badenoch became the leader of the Conservative Party.
In a post on social media, she wrote: ‘My thoughts and prayers are with David Tennant at this very difficult time.’
During the ITV show Tennant was asked what prompted him to ‘become an ally’ to the trans community and responded saying he made the choice in response to the section 28 law passed by the then UK Government under Margaret Thatcher.
The law stopped councils and schools ‘promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’.
He said: ‘We look back on that now as a medieval, absurd thing to say and I think the way the trans community is being demonised and othered is exactly the same.’
Ms Rowling has been a vocal critic of transgender ideology
The episode, which is on ITV1 at 10pm tonight [Sun April 27], also saw Tennant grilled on everything from his skincare routine to his belief in god and the death of his parents.
When asked if he believes in god, he responded: ‘That’s a big one because I was brought up in the church and my dad was a minister in the church so I went to church every Sunday.
‘I went to Sunday school. At one point I was a Sunday school teacher. So I understand where it comes from and I’ve certainly felt that in my time – the belief in something other but it’s not where I currently am.’
Mr Tennant’s father, the Very Rev Dr Alexander ‘Sandy’ McDonald, was a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
In another awkward moment, a member of the assembled panel said they wanted to ask him about ‘a friend’ who worked on TV show Good Omens, who they said had ‘been cancelled for some serious allegations’.
While the name of the person was not stated, Tennant answered, saying: ‘We’re doing Good Omens again.’
He added: ‘There’s been a slight re-jig with the personnel. But we still get to tell that story.’
The tense moment in the show comes after a number of women came forward to accuse Good Omens co-writer Neil Gaiman of sexual misconduct.
Gamain has denied all allegations and stepped back from the production of Good Omens.
Tennant’s episode of The Assembly will air at 10pm on ITV1 on Sunday April 27.