In today’s era of Doctor Who, we have returning Doctors aplenty – from David Tennant’s mysterious return for the 60th anniversary to a host of previously unseen incarnations like Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor and John Hurt’s War Doctor, it seems the BBC is always keen for a return or a new take on the role.
However, that wasn’t always the case, as Sylvester McCoy found out the hard way on production of the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com ahead of the release of new documentary Doctor Who Am I about the legacy of the film, producer Philip Segal discussed his desire to involve McCoy and the difficulty he faced.
“The BBC were absolutely putting their foot down and said that under no circumstances will Sylvester McCoy be allowed to start the film as the Doctor and regenerate into Paul McGann – under any circumstances,” Segal said.
McCoy took on the role of the Seventh Doctor in 1987, playing the part until Doctor Who was ultimately cancelled two years later – leaving the fate of his incarnation unresolved.
Thus, Segal made it a priority to finish this Doctor’s story. “It was very important to me that Sylvester had a chance to have a conclusion – he deserved that, and he deserved more,” he said.
Thankfully, McCoy got the proper send off that he deserved in the opening of the TV Movie, and was thrilled that he had the opportunity to do so.
Though the film did not reveal what had happened to the Seventh Doctor’s companion Ace (Sophie Aldred), who’d likewise made her final appearance in 1989, Doctor Who’s upcoming feature-length episode The Power of the Doctor is also set to revisit that character after more than three decades.
Doctor Who Am I is released in UK cinemas on 27th October, and on Blu-ray, DVD & digital download from 28th November. Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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