David Tennant’s return to Doctor Who just in time for the 60th-anniversary episodes is making history and giving fans a lot to talk about — one former Doctor himself, Sylvester McCoy, has something to say regarding the actor’s seemingly record-setting casting as the Fourteenth Doctor.
McCoy, who is celebrating his 80th birthday today, took on the role of the legendary Time Lord in BBC’s longest-running sci-fi drama back in the late 1980s when he was cast as the mysterious and sometimes manipulative Seventh Doctor. In a recent interview with Radio Times, the star reflected on his time on Doctor Who and reminded fans that Tennant wasn’t actually the first actor to land the iconic role twice. Colin Baker’s season as the Sixth Doctor wrapped up in 1986, and he didn’t leave Doctor Who on the best terms, which resulted in him refusing to film his regeneration story in 1987. The series, however, found a way out of the tricky situation — BBC had McCoy, who had already accepted the job offer by then, dress up in Baker’s costume, wear a wig similar to the Sixth Doctor’s hairstyle and act out the Time Lord’s regeneration in Season 24 Story 1 “Time and the Rani.”
The actor thought that he “looked like Harpo Max” in the Sixth Doctor’s apparel, recalling feeling “surprised” about the way the show decided to handle the transition from Baker’s Doctor to his own. McCoy admitted that he felt proud to have played two incarnations of the famous time traveler in Doctor Who, reminding the audience that he was in fact the first to do so. “I’m an actor who’s played two Doctors! I was the only one — but there’s another one come along, damn him! David! David [Tennant] is now playing Doctor number Ten and Fourteen. I was Six and Seven — I got there first,” he jokingly added.
Why Did Colin Baker Depart from Doctor Who on Such a Negative Note?
Baker portrayed the Doctor from 1984 to 1986, and exiting Doctor Who wasn’t exactly his decision. Apparently, then-BBC One controller Michael Grade wasn’t a fan of the show or the Sixth Doctor, to put it lightly. His terms for renewing the hit sci-fi drama for another season included firing Baker.
BBC then invited the actor back to film a single story for Season 24, but he refused, feeling angry at the network for his dismissal and seeing no reason to return to Doctor Who at the time. At a BFI screening, he stated, “This was in November and that would take place the following March/April… I wasn’t going to commit myself to two weeks work the next March/April… and I’ll be honest, I was hacked off. I saw no reason to be nice to them.” Later, Baker suggested his coming back for a whole season but BBC ultimately decided to proceed with McCoy’s Doctor.
Doctor Who will return in Nov. 2023.
Source: Radio Times