DOCTOR Who star David Tennant has just signed up for a new feature-length extra-terrestrial special called Fireman Sam: Alien Alert, which is due for release in 2017.

The celebrity Bathgate-born actor, voice actor and narrator will be the voice of Buck Douglas, an alien hunter-cum-TV presenter.

In the 60-minute film, Tennant’s character will be fighting off an alien invasion alongside popular TV character Fireman Sam from the animated comedy children’s series.

It’s not the first sci-fi themed animated role Tennant’s played since his Doctor Who days.

He’s popped up in Star Wars animated spin-off Clone Wars and the rebooted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Tennant, who grew up in Paisley, will join forces with his old pal and comedian Catherine Tate for a new series of three audio dramas from Big Finish, entitled The Tenth Doctor, with his companion Donna Noble, set to be released in May 2016.

He last appeared in Doctor Who for the 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor but has not reprised his role for a full series since January 2010.

Tate left her role in July 2008, but had a cameo in Tennant’s final episode.

WHAT ELSE HAS DAVID TENNANT APPEARED IN?

ALTHOUGH best known for his lead roles in Dr Who, Harry Potter, Broadchurch and Jessica Jones, Tennant has also gained wide acclaim as a talented classical actor.

Often performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, his first role for the RSC was Touchstone in a 1996 production of As You Like It.

Increasing roles on television on popular programmes like Blackpool and Casanova and in films including Stephen Fry’s Bright Young Things and Mike Newell’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire raised his popularity and level of recognition, both in the UK and around the world.

A long-held dream came true in 2005, when Tennant was cast as the 10th incarnation of the lead character in Doctor Who, his favourite TV programme from childhood.

The BBC-produced show also has a worldwide audience and is listed on the Guinness World Records site as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world.

As a piece of British pop culture iconography, the show cemented Tennant’s popularity.

In 2009, Tennant won a Critics Choice Award for Best Shakespearean Performance for his portrayal of Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He is also a heralded voice-over artist who provided all of the character voices for the audio book of the Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III stories by Cressida Cowell – How to Train Your Dragon.

He has also appeared in a host of advertisements, including a massive Virgin Media campaign, and in political commercials.

WHO’S BEHIND THE NEW FIREMAN SAM FILM?

TOY giant Mattel, under their new TV and film banner Mattel Creations, made the announcement that Tennant would feature in the film on at Tuesday’s MIPTV (Marché International des Programmes de Télévision), an event which takes place annually in Cannes.

The film is being produced by Mattel Creations’ subsidiary HIT Entertainment, with Beijing-based Xing Xing Digital Corporation on CG animation duties.

Mattel’s new content division is also launching a new Bob the Builder special, in a bid to take it global.

Bob the Builder: Mega Machines – The Movie, is set for TV and DVD release in 2017.

Just a week ago, the toy manufacturer announced Thomas the Tank Engine would soon be joined by a whole host of international friends in an attempt to expand the brand.

WHAT’S THE PLOT?

THE new children’s animated TV special sees Pontypandy, the Welsh village where the Fireman Sam is set, hit by a raft of UFO sightings, with Sam determined to get to the bottom of the mysterious events.

Christopher Keenan, senior vice president, global content and executive producer at Mattel Creations, revealed: “Alien Alert is an action-packed Fireman Sam adventure for pre-schoolers, and we’re delighted to have the talented David Tennant on board as the voice of Buck.

“The special stays true to core Fireman Sam values – bravery, loyalty, heroism, community and teamwork – but takes us to new levels of excitement with a sci-fi slant that includes new characters, rescue vehicles, locations, and plot twists.

“Producing Alien Alert has been an incredible joy and we’re confident that our young audience will be captivated by our most dramatic Fireman Sam story yet.”

WHO IS FIREMAN SAM?

THE Fireman Sam animation series is about a fireman called Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other townspeople in the fictional Welsh rural town of Pontypandy.

Fireman Sam first appeared in Welsh on S4C as Sam Tân in 1987, and later that year in English on BBC1.

The original series finished in 1994, and a new series that expanded the character cast commenced in 2005.

The series was also shown in Gaelic in Scotland, where it was known as Sam Smalaidh. The series was sold to over 40 countries and has been used across the United Kingdom to promote fire safety

Fireman Sam is still proving popular across the world and has been translated into over 36 languages including Mandarin. In the series he is seen as the hero of the village, and despite being so small, the town sees its fair share of fires, which Sam easily handles.

HOW WAS FIREMAN SAM CREATED?

THE original idea for Fireman Sam came from two ex-firemen from Kent – Dave Gingell and Dave Jones.

They approached Mike Young, from Barry in Wales, who created Superted, to further develop the concept.

It was then brought to S4C’s director of animation, Chris Grace, who saw the potential in the idea and commissioned the series. Chris had previously commissioned Superted, which achieved great success in the UK and internationally.

The characters and storylines were created by Rob Lee, a Cardiff-based illustrator and the programme was produced in ‘stop-motion’ – the technique of producing puppet animation. It can take up to four days to produce one minute of puppet animation.