David Tennant How to Train Your Dragon: UK Roles

David Tennant voiced Spitelout in the original animated How to Train Your Dragon and reads Cressida Cowell’s audiobooks. Independent Talent credits him as Spitelout in the 2010 film, directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. Hachette UK names him as the reader of Cowell’s first book. Those credits identify two different kinds of performance: a character role in the film and a reader credit on the audiobook.

The first book’s editions also have separate dates. Hachette UK lists a CD audiobook read by Tennant with an on sale date of February 12, 2004. Its downloadable edition, also read by Tennant, has an on sale date of May 6, 2010. The CD date precedes the animated film, while the download has its own edition date. Neither date should be transferred to another format when comparing listings.

Tennant’s film credit is also distinct from the casting of the 2025 live action adaptation. Peter Serafinowicz played Spitelout in that film, and director Dean DeBlois explained the change in a report published by The News International. For wider franchise coverage, see the How to Train Your Dragon guide. To find a particular Tennant performance, check whether a listing identifies him as Spitelout or as the reader of a Cowell audiobook.

Spitelout is Snotlout’s father, and David Tennant voiced him in the original animated How to Train Your Dragon. The family relationship appears in The News International’s June 23, 2025 report about the live action casting. Independent Talent identifies Tennant’s role in the animated film as Spitelout and names Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois as the film’s directors.

The character name is useful because Tennant’s other How to Train Your Dragon credits discussed here are audiobook reader credits. Hachette UK identifies him as the reader of Cressida Cowell’s first book and further titles, including How to Be a Pirate and How to Speak Dragonese. A reader credit identifies his performance of a book; the Spitelout credit identifies his character in the animated film.

The News International also identifies Peter Serafinowicz as Spitelout in the 2025 live action adaptation. Both performers are therefore connected to the same character name, but their credits belong to different productions. The report attributes the casting change to director Dean DeBlois’s assessment that Tennant was not a physical match for the live action role.

When checking a listing for Tennant’s film performance, look for the 2010 animated film and the name Spitelout together. For a book recording, check the title, format and reader field instead.

Director Dean DeBlois said he did not consider David Tennant a physical match for Spitelout in the live action adaptation. The News International reported his explanation on June 23, 2025, and identified Peter Serafinowicz as the adaptation’s Spitelout. The reported assessment concerns the physical match for the live action role and gives a specific explanation for the change in performer.

Tennant’s earlier credit remains attached to the original animated How to Train Your Dragon. Independent Talent lists him as Spitelout in that film and names DeBlois and Chris Sanders as its directors. The News International identifies Spitelout as Snotlout’s father, a family connection that helps distinguish the character when looking at the two productions.

The shared title and character name are useful details to check alongside the production. Tennant voiced Spitelout in the 2010 animated film; Serafinowicz played Spitelout in the 2025 live action adaptation. DeBlois’s reported explanation relates to the latter casting decision, rather than to Tennant’s audiobook work.

For a UK viewer looking for Tennant’s Spitelout performance, the animated film is the relevant credit. For the 2025 adaptation, the performer to look for is Serafinowicz. Audiobook listings need a different check: Hachette UK names Tennant in the reader field for Cowell’s books, not as Spitelout.

David Tennant reads Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon audiobook in both the CD and downloadable editions listed by Hachette UK. The publisher gives the CD an on sale date of February 12, 2004, and the download an on sale date of May 6, 2010. Both entries name Tennant as reader, although the formats have different dates.

The earlier CD date places that edition before the 2010 animated film in which Tennant voiced Spitelout. The download date belongs to the downloadable edition; it should not be treated as the date of Tennant’s first listed recording. Equally, the CD date describes that edition and should not be used as the date for the download. Hachette UK provides the title, format and reader together on each entry.

The first book is a starting point for distinguishing the audiobook credits from the film role. Independent Talent identifies Tennant’s character in the animated film as Spitelout, while Hachette UK identifies him as the book’s reader. The publisher also credits him as reader on later titles, including How to Be a Pirate and How to Speak Dragonese.

For a UK listener comparing the first book’s editions, the practical details are the reader credit, the CD or download format and the date attached to that specific listing.

David Tennant reads further How to Train Your Dragon audiobooks, including How to Be a Pirate and How to Speak Dragonese. Hachette UK describes those books as the second and third volumes of Hiccup’s memoirs, respectively, and credits Tennant as their audiobook reader. The publisher’s volume descriptions provide an order for those two titles after Cressida Cowell’s first book.

Hachette UK also lists Tennant as the reader of How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm and A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons. Their downloadable editions are dated November 3, 2010, and November 17, 2011, respectively. Those dates identify the listed downloads and should be kept with their respective titles when comparing editions.

The publisher additionally lists The How To Train Your Dragon Short Story Collection as three stories read by Tennant. That collection is a separate listing from the named volumes and downloads. Hachette Book Group also lists a Hachette Audio CD of How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, read by Tennant, and describes the book as the fifth adventure.

For listeners choosing among these recordings, the title and reader credit establish which performance the listing describes. The format and date give further identifying details where supplied. Hachette UK’s second and third volume descriptions are useful when looking for the next named books after How to Train Your Dragon.

David Tennant reads a Hachette Audio CD edition of How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, which Hachette Book Group describes as the fifth adventure. The publisher lists that edition with an on sale date of December 31, 2013. Its entry gives listeners a specific title, format, reader and date to check when looking for Tennant’s performance of Cressida Cowell’s book.

The Hachette Book Group listing is separate from the Hachette UK listings for the other books discussed here. Its December 2013 date belongs to that CD edition and should stay attached to it when comparing publication information. It is not the date Hachette UK gives for the first book’s CD or download, nor the date attached to the other downloadable editions mentioned in this guide.

For context within the named books, Hachette UK describes How to Be a Pirate as the second volume of Hiccup’s memoirs and How to Speak Dragonese as the third. Tennant is credited as reader on both listings. Hachette Book Group’s description of How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale as the fifth adventure supplies a separate identifying detail for that title.

A listener looking specifically for the performance covered by the Hachette Book Group entry can check for How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, David Tennant and the Hachette Audio CD format together.

UK listeners can start by checking Hachette UK’s listings for Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon audiobook, read by David Tennant. The publisher lists a CD edition dated February 12, 2004, and a downloadable edition dated May 6, 2010. Those dates identify the listed formats, while the reader credit identifies Tennant’s performance.

For the next named volumes, Hachette UK describes How to Be a Pirate as the second volume of Hiccup’s memoirs and How to Speak Dragonese as the third. Tennant is credited as reader on both listings. The volume descriptions help a listener identify the two titles alongside the first book without relying on the series name alone.

Other Hachette UK listings name Tennant as reader of How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm and A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons. Their downloadable editions carry respective dates of November 3, 2010, and November 17, 2011. The publisher also lists The How To Train Your Dragon Short Story Collection as three stories read by Tennant. Hachette Book Group separately lists his CD reading of How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, describing it as the fifth adventure and dating that Hachette Audio edition December 31, 2013.

Check the title, reader and format of the edition you want before choosing a CD or download. The edition date is useful when comparing entries, but it should remain attached to the particular format and title the publisher lists.