Practising with human patients
- Publication: West Lancashire Evening Gazette
- Date: 1986-05-17
- Author:
- Page: 17
- Language: English
ACTOR Peter Davison's patients are human rather than animal in his new TV role.
And while he may be playing a doctor again, there's no time-travelling involved, even though he's still in constant demand for "Dr Who" conventions in America.
Peter, who made his name as Tristan, the dreamy vet in "All Creatures Great and Small," finds himself trying to cope with a bunch of medical oddballs in BBC2's savagely funny new seven-part series called "A Very Peculiar Practice," which begins on Wednesday.
He plays Stephen Daker, an insecure but idealistic young GP who's eager to join a university medical group. Upon arrival, however, he discovers to his horror that it could be the worst medical practice in the country.
His boss is an eccentric alcoholic, one of his partners is a ruthlessly-ambitious fascist who can't wait to stick the knife in and another colleague is such an extreme feminist that she holds men responsible for illness among women. And then there are the patients...
"I don't quite know how to describe the series because it's such an unusual mix. It's not a light drama or a black comedy or a satire but a mixture of all three," said Peter.
"I must say it made a change dealing with human patients. We just used to prod about until a real doctor gave us some tips. I reckon I could now diagnose appendicitis. That could be useful because I've still got my appendix.
"I never had ambitions to become a doctor, myself. I'd probably have the right temperament because I'm quite good at calming people down but there's a bit more to the job than that."
It's several years since Peter quit the role of Dr Who but he's continually being asked to fly to America to attend conventions held by the show's fanatical US fans.
"Playing Dr Who is a job for life in a sense because the series is always being shown somewhere in America and the fans over there, who call themselves 'Whovians,' keep wanting to meet the various actors who've played him," said Peter.
"You can tell who are fans of my role as Dr Who because they dress up the way I used to when I was playing him.
"It's good fun to meet them but they do take the series a bit too seriously. I often get asked whether I took the role in order to take part in a crusade for good and I have to reply. Well, no, actually, it was just a job'."
Peter's hectic career means he often has to spend time away from his equally-busy actress wife, American-born Sandra Dickinson. Indeed, the couple often find themselves working at opposite ends of the country.
But they race to get together as often as possible, taking it in turns to look after their 16-month baby daughter, Georgia, with a little help from Peter's mum and a nanny.
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- APA 6th ed.: (1986-05-17). Practising with human patients. West Lancashire Evening Gazette p. 17.
- MLA 7th ed.: "Practising with human patients." West Lancashire Evening Gazette [add city] 1986-05-17, 17. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Practising with human patients." West Lancashire Evening Gazette, edition, sec., 1986-05-17
- Turabian: "Practising with human patients." West Lancashire Evening Gazette, 1986-05-17, section, 17 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Practising with human patients | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Practising_with_human_patients | work=West Lancashire Evening Gazette | pages=17 | date=1986-05-17 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Practising with human patients | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Practising_with_human_patients | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 March 2025}}</ref>
