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The World Doesn't End Because the Doctor Dances

Peter Davison “Meh” On Return For Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

by Jill Pantozzi | 4:17 pm, October 24th, 2011


He played the 5th Doctor in the long-running British TV series but actor Peter Davison thinks he and his fellow Doctors may be too old to ever rejoin the series. Even for its 50th anniversary. Peter, allow us to tell you how wrong you are. 

The actor returned to the series in 2007 as the celery-wearing 5th Doctor for the Children of Need Special short called Time Crash and in a timey-wimey skit starred alongside the 10th Doctor David Tennant (who is also his soon-to-be son-in-law in real life). Did it look a little weird because Davison had aged? Sure. Did anyone care? No! Because it was awesome! Well here’s what he had to say about another return.

“I feel no need to turn my back on it, but I don’t feel like it’s the kind of thing they’d do,” Davison told BANG Showbiz. “I’d be very surprised if they tried to do anything involving the old Doctors because it always takes a slight stretch of the imagination anyway to figure out why the previous Doctors look older, but I’m sure that can be done.”

Davison said, “I’m perfectly happy to have played my part to go back to ‘Time Crash.’ I don’t feel like I’m hanging on a phone call from the Doctor Who offices saying let’s do something special.”

“Unfortunately, there are less and less Doctors around to bring back,” he continued, “Maybe I can be in it without never having do any work and just turn up so they can take my image. Maybe the characters can into a computer and become animations — that would be good. It could be like Doctor Who and The Simpsons or something.”

Recently, the current Doctor Matt Smith made comments leading many to believe that he himself would not even be on the show when the 50th anniversary came to pass although he seems like the kind of guy who would jump at the chance if it arose. The 9th Doctor, Christopher Eccleston has gone on record saying he definitely did not want to return to the role but Tennant definitely would. The 8th Doctor, Paul McGann, continues in the role via audio plays and has said he would return if asked, Tom Baker has also done audio plays. Back in 1983, actor Richard Hurndall replaced the First Doctor (William Hartnell, who had passed away) in the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors. Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee are also no longer with us but have appeared visually on screen in the current series so really, anything is possible.

What are you hoping to see in the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who?

(Doctor Who TV via Blastr)

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  • http://twitter.com/StreetSpiritPic StreetSpirit Photo

    If they do anything involving previous Doctors, I would love to see Paul McGann do it.  He never got a chance and I reckon he would have been a great Doctor if given good scripts.  McGann seems willing and, according to the new series, the 8th Doctor was the one that fought in the Time War, which could give that incarnation of the Doctor an interesting twist.  Maybe have the 11th Doctor relive the Time War, fighting alongside the 8th?  Or even just flashbacks?

  • http://www.facebook.com/ZeroAbility Ira Downing

    It might be better to splice in the episodes of the older Doctors as a flash back… “Remember when stuff” -Ira

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sidney-Tucker/100001091061061 Sidney Tucker

    I miss David Tennant so much!!!

  • http://twitter.com/Totz_the_Plaid Totz_the_Plaid

    I bet, if there was enough money on the table, Eccleston could be convinced to return for a special. Honestly, though, with the aging, I think only reaching as far back as Sylvester McCoy would be particularly realistic.

    I’d definitely love to see a team-up of McCoy, McGann, Eccleston (if possible), Tennant, and Smith, though!

    Or, skipping either McCoy or Eccleston, they still haven’t had “The Four Doctors”…

  • http://twitter.com/Totz_the_Plaid Totz_the_Plaid

    Not that I wouldn’t enjoy seeing Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker again, but they had enough trouble fitting four Doctor plotlines into “The Five Doctors”, and having eight running around just seems like it might end up as a mess on the order of “Dimensions in Time”,

  • Nick Gaston

    I’m happy to point out that John Pertwee’s son, Sean, is also an actor, and actually impressively resembles his dad. Apparently, he even auditioned for the 9th Doctor.

    He was also in Dog Soldiers. Great little werewolf movie. :)

  • Anonymous

    Yes on Paul McGann, provided he dons the curls. I really enjoy his audio plays, and I’m sad that he only ever on screen in *that* movie. 

    But as someone else mentioned above, having 11 doctors running around would probably just be confusing. So, how about a selection. 

  • Francesca M

    It would be lovely to have McGann as actually part of the series. But a 4 doctors would be brilliant, Tennant, Eccleston, McGann, and Smith. Wouldn’t that just be lovely fun. I just sort of see this look on 9′s face of.. sheer.. panic at what’s to come. LOL.

  • Anonymous

    With regards the curls, I’ve heard tell that he hated the wig and that’s why he prefers audios :P

  • John Seavey

    If I was going to do a multi-Doctor anniversary story, I’d involve Tennant for sure, at least one classic Doctor…and, in a magnificent piece of stunt casting, I would have my next Doctor lined up by the time the anniversary special rolled around and the story would involve the first appearance of the Twelfth Doctor. :)

  • http://twitter.com/Noyer2 David Babbitt

    I hope for a return from Sylvester McCoy. He’s still my fav all these years later.

    As for Eccelston, I’d also love him back, but I think the only chance is if every actor convices him to do so by giving their pay to charity.

  • Naomi Wick

    I just hope Paul McGann returns so he gets to show off his acting skills with a decent script for once.

    Because he is my favorite Doctor and all……. 

  • Anonymous

    Yeah, and the comics apparently gave him a beard at some point, but I haven’t seen it myself. 

    Maybe wigs have become more comfortable in the past 15 years though. He should try :D

  • Bill Hedrick

    It is amazing what you will put up with for a pile of money

  • http://amidstdancers.blogspot.com/ Shard Aerliss

    Yes, yes, yes. McGann is my favourite Doctor… although Smith is giving him a damn good run for his money. I fell in love with Eighth through the books and then the radio plays and really want to see McGann onscreen as the Doctor again.

    I say again; I’ve never actually seen the movie fully, just clips, usually mashed into MVs or fancut episodes/trailers.

  • http://amidstdancers.blogspot.com/ Shard Aerliss

    lol, I was talking about Sean as the Doctor a couple of days ago on Twitter. Roughest, toughest Doctor EVER!

    He does look very much like his dad, aside from the hair, but does he sound very much like him? I remember Jon having a high-ish voice and Sean really doesn’t. I suppose he could easily put on a voice, he is a VA. Might be a bit weird for him…They chose Ecclestone over Sean Pertwee? Don’t get me wrong, I like Ecclestone, thought he was a great Doctor… but… but… Sean! More Sean Pertwee on my screen! Oh, I dislike RTD even more now.

  • http://amidstdancers.blogspot.com/ Shard Aerliss

    http://youtu.be/FD1T-ytgnz8 4 Doctors Time War Revelations Fan Trailer I would work for free (not that I have ANY media skills, but hey I could do the set’s catering) to make this happen.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000513348128 Kate Karlson

    Any episode involving Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith would be the most amazing thing on the face of this planet (or any other for that matter), IMHO.

    …Actually, I’d freak out just to see David Tennant again. :D

  • Anonymous

    CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS.

  • Jon Skocik

    Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Tennant, Matt Smith. That’s what I wanna see. Maybe throw in some classic companions: Suzan, Leelah, Ace.

  • Anonymous

    Sylvester McCoy is still my favorite as well. I’d love to see him return.

  • James McGrath

    I’d want to see a story written by Terrance Dicks. Staring Tom baker and Mary Tamm, Peter Davison and Mark Strickson, Collin Baker and Nicola Bryant, Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, Paul McGann, David Tennant and John Barrowman and of course Matt Smith and whoever will be playing the companion in 2013. I would like to have Christopher Eccleston but he’s already said that he wouldn’t do it. The main villain would be The Celestial Toymaker. If you think about it the Celestial Toymaker is the perfect Villain as each doctor and companion would be given a different obstacle to overcome and that way they will all have something to do.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Haogar5 Haziel García

    The more realistic way i see this to happen is to use the current 4 doctors, and i would love that, if they convince Eccleston( and i hope they do), but if they went even further and made the classic doctors appear, that would be awesome, i agree a little with a fan made comic called “the ten doctors” that too many bakers spoil the cake, but that comic was awesome anyway, if they went ahead and did something like the production team of “The crow” where they used Brandon Lee’s face to complete the movie, and i think they did something similar with Heath Ledger in the dark knight, if they adventured into doing something like that to bring the classic doctors back, along with a really great script, because to do something like that, it has to be something amazing (nothing like dimensions in time plz D; ) that, that would be epic, even Davidson, both Bakers, and McCoy could provide their voices, although i personaly think McCoy is the one who could pull appearing himself, even though he is older now, he does not look very different from when he protrayed the doctor

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Holly-Amott/100000131351923 Holly Amott

    I’d love to see paul mcgann in the the episode. Maybe the forth and fifth could come back too.
    But I doubt the forth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleven will all go into one episode LOL

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Holly-Amott/100000131351923 Holly Amott

    This. I want to see all of these back ;D

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