DAVID TENNANT was persuaded by doctors to miss last night’s production of Hamlet at the Novello theatre after an old back injury flared up over the weekend.


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Tennant’s understudy, Edward Bennett, stepped into the role and gained a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.

There are hopes that after giving his back a rest, the Doctor Who star will be able to play the troubled prince at the show’s important press performance tonight, but that’s far from certain.

“We’re still waiting to hear whether he’ll be well enough to perform,” said a spokesperson for the Royal Shakespeare Company. “It’s a back injury he’s had for some time.”