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Georgia Tennant has revealed that before she and husband David starred together in Staged, she was told she wouldn't be "convincing" as his on-screen partner.

The Tennants shared the screen in a 2008 episode of Doctor Who, "The Doctor's Daughter," but Staged marks the first time they have appeared on screen as husband and wife. The couple play a fictionalized version of themselves, starring opposite Michael Sheen and partner Anna Lundberg, in a show that riffs on the difficulties of socially distanced life during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Asked about playing David's wife on screen, Georgia told the Radio Times: "Nobody seemed to want to let me do it. For one part I was told by a casting director that I wasn’t a convincing partner for him. I was like, 'But we’re married. With quite a few kids!'"

She added: "So, basically, every actor who could possibly play the part would have to be eliminated in order for me to be allowed to play his wife."

Georgia also revealed that she had misgivings about working with her husband until she heard Dame Judi Dench talk about her acting work alongside late husband Michael Williams.

Georgia recalled: "She said, 'Why would I not? I get on really well with him. And he’s my best friend.' And I thought, that’s exactly how to think about it. We enjoy it, and I feel like Staged has proved it’s possible. I’d like to go back to that casting director and say, 'See? I can play his wife!'"

Georgia has also revealed recently that she and David "had always been a really private couple" before they showed viewers a version of themselves (and their real-life home) in Staged. The show's second season launched on BBC iPlayer earlier this week.

Do you enjoy seeing the Tennants together in Staged?