They are critically acclaimed titans of British TV, regularly singled out for awards, yet David Tennant and Michael Sheen are being eclipsed in their new comedy… by their glamorous partners.
The former Doctor Who and the star of ITV’s recent hit Quiz have won plaudits for their BBC1 series, Staged, which was filmed in lockdown with both stars appearing from their homes alongside their partners.
And it was Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg – not the famous leading men –who have made the biggest impact on some viewers and critics, with one reviewer hailing their ‘completely captivating’ performances.
Mrs Tennant and Miss Lundberg also drew acclaim from viewers who took to Twitter. ‘Watching Staged love u Georgia Tennant,’ wrote one.
David Tennant (left) and Martin Sheen are critically acclaimed titans of British TV, regularly singled out for awards, are being eclipsed in their new comedy by their glamorous partners. Pictured: David with his wife Georgia Tennant
Michael and David’s new BBC1 series, Staged, which was filmed in lockdown with both stars appearing from their homes alongside their partners. Pictured: Michael with his girlfriend Anna Lundberg
Another added: ‘Staged is amazing. Loved David Tennant and Michael Sheen. But cameos by Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg are a few of the best moments of the series.’
One social-media user even called for the two women to be given their own programme, writing: ‘Here’s an idea. What about a whole show centred around Georgia and Anna being their awesome and gorgeous selves?’
Mrs Tennant, 35, is a double winner as she produced the show through her Warwickshire-based company Bad Penny Productions, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
It means she will be able to profit from the inevitable sales of the show around the world, bringing more to the household income on top of her 49-year-old husband’s estimated £6 million fortune.
The pair met on the set of Dr Who in 2008 when Georgia appeared as the Doctor’s cloned daughter, and they married three years later.
In reality, she is the daughter of another former Dr Who, Peter Davidson, and actress Sandra Dickinson.
She juggles a successful showbusiness career both in front of and behind the camera with being a mother to five children.
Her eldest son Ty, 18 and an aspiring actor, is from a previous relationship while she and Mr Tennant have three girls – Olive, nine, Doris, four, and Birdie, eight months – and a son, Wilfred, seven, together.
Anna Lundberg, 26, previously appeared in a number of theatre shows in New York after studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the city
She is understood to have become friends with Miss Lundberg while their partners were promoting the TV mini-series Good Omens last year.
Miss Lundberg, who at 26 is just over half 51-year-old Mr Sheen’s age, makes her TV debut in Staged.
She previously appeared in a number of theatre shows in New York after studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the city.
Georgia Tennant appeared in Doctor Who as the Doctor’s daughter in 2008 with her future husband David
She now splits her time between the Big Apple and South Wales, where she lives with Mr Sheen following their whirlwind romance.
Last September, the couple celebrated the arrival of daughter Lyra, their first child together.
The Welsh actor previously dated Irish actress and comedian Aisling Bea, and actress Kate Beckinsale is the mother of his 21-year-old daughter Lily.
In contrast to Miss Lundberg, Mrs Tennant has a sizeable acting CV.
She made her screen debut at the age of 15 in ITV’s Peak Practice in 1999, but is perhaps better known for a recurring role as Abigail Nixon in police soap The Bill between 2007 and 2009.
Before Staged, she starred in the BBC’s 2017 mini-series In The Dark.
With television production brought to an abrupt halt by the pandemic, Mr Sheen, Mr Tennant and writer-director Simon Evans managed to sidestep the lockdown restrictions by filming the Staged episodes from their homes.
In the show, which launched on Wednesday and is now available on iPlayer, the leading men play exaggerated versions of themselves preparing for a production of Pirandello’s Six Characters In Search Of An Author in the West End which has been put on hold because of the coronavirus crisis.