Download: David Tennant

David Tennant is a Scottish actor whose work ranges from his critically acclaimed performances as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company to roles in various popular BBC television programs including "Dr. Who" and "Broadchurch," which premieres in the United States next month.

READING "A Brief History of Britain 1066-1485," by Nicholas Vincent, because I'm getting ready to be in Shakespeare's "Richard II." I learned that he was married to a 6-year-old, which was a revelation, and there's some question of whether or not he was gay. It can be a good reason for not researching anything and just using the script because you can't bend the character to the historical accuracy of his life, necessarily. It can be a bit distracting but equally regularly it can enliven something and make something make more sense or give you a new way into something.

What I keep returning to when I have a bit of free reading time is Hunter Davies's book about the Beatles. The Beatles are a relatively recent passion of mine. So I have been gradually swotting up and becoming all the more fascinated by them as a creative force and as four individuals. I think it's always interesting to set those two things against each other — try and find where among four ordinary blokes the overlap creates genius.

LISTENING Johnny Marr's "The Messenger." He was the guitarist in The Smiths. He's always been sort of regarded as the king of a certain type of credible indie-pop. On this album, he's kind of let loose. It feels like he's allowed himself not to be pretentious.

Also "Desert Island Discs" is a BBC radio show, which invites people who are forerunners in their fields to talk about eight records that they'd take to a desert island. People reveal all sorts of things about themselves that they don't elsewhere. You get an insight into a variety of high-achieving people, I suppose, and what makes them tick.

WATCHING "Vicious" is a sitcom with Ian McKellen and David Jacobi playing an old gay couple, who have been together for 45 years. It's wildly camp, very over-the-top and borderline offensive. Maybe it's because I grew up watching McKellen and Jacobi play every great Shakespearean role, there's something delicious about watching them playing a couple of old queens.

And "10 O'Clock Live." It's like "The Daily Show." It's a current affairs comedy show that's only on once a week. It has just some of the sharpest performers and writers deconstructing the week's events fairly acidly.

PLAYING I recently started piano lessons. I took piano lessons when I was about 10 for six months. And inevitably because I was 10, I gave them up and ever since I've thought I should get back to that. And recently I did but then I had to go away filming so I've had three lessons and I don't know when I'm going to have the next one, but I'm determined. It's gonna happen.

EATING I'm about to sit down to some Peri-Peri chicken, which is a common weekend favorite in our house from the local Nando's. Peri-Peri chicken. Do you know it? It's just a way of grilling chicken but in quite a spicy marinade.

Kate Murphy is a journalist in Houston who writes frequently for The New York Times.

Opini Masyarakat