David Tennant to play Macbeth to mark Donmar's 30th birthday

Tennant said Macbeth was "a play that has haunted me for as long as I can remember"

David Tennant will play Macbeth as part of the 30th birthday celebrations of London theatre the Donmar Warehouse.

The Scottish actor will appear in Shakespeare's tragedy a month after TV audiences see him reprise his starring role in Doctor Who.

The new production of Macbeth will be directed by Max Webster and run for 10 weeks from 8 December.

Tennant told BBC News the prospect of playing Macbeth was "daunting and humbling, but most of all, thrilling".

The 52-year-old is no stranger to Shakespeare, having previously appeared in productions of Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II and Romeo and Juliet.

The Donmar's artistic director Michael Longhurst said he was "so excited to witness David Tennant's portrayal" of Macbeth.

Tennant said: "The first Shakespeare I ever read was Macbeth. It's a play that has haunted me for as long as I can remember.

"To be playing this part, in the unique and intimate Donmar Warehouse, directed by the brilliant Max Webster is daunting and humbling, but most of all... thrilling."

Tennant has previously played the role in an audio adaptation of the play, which aired on BBC Radio 4 last year.

The actor is also set to appear in Doctor Who later this year, reprising his former role as the Doctor for three special episodes, before Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa takes over.

Macbeth will mark the conclusion of the 30th birthday season of the Donmar, a prestigious theatre in London's Covent Garden, which is is currently staging Noël Coward's Private Lives.

The theatre was originally opened by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977, before the group moved to the Barbican in 1982.

It was acquired by Roger Wingate in 1990, who rebuilt and redesigned the venue. It opened as the Donmar Warehouse in 1992 with Sam Mendes as its first artistic director.

As part of the Donmar's birthday season, the venue will also stage the European premiere of Clyde's and embark on a schools' tour of Henry V.

Clyde's, written by Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage, will open on 13 October. It previously played in Broadway's Hayes theatre and was nominated for four Tony Awards.

The play is set in a run-down Pennsylvania truck stop and follows the formerly incarcerated staff, who attempt to create the perfect sandwich, under the tyrannical eye of their boss Clyde.

The Donmar's production of Henry V will tour schools in London, reaching up to 3,000 young people in Camden and Westminster, with performances offered free of charge.

Tennant is the second major actor in the space of a week to announce he will play Macbeth, following Ralph Fiennes.

The Menu star will play the role in warehouses around the UK which will be temporarily transformed into theatres.