Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age

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• Publication: The Daily Telegraph
• Date: 2013-01-22
• Author: Tim Walker
• Page: 12
• Language: English

The BBC has a chequered past when it comes to accusations of ageism. Now the debate has spread to one of the corporation's most loved series.

Nathaniel Parker, who played Agravaine in the popular BBC children's series Merlin, has complained that the actors who play Doctor Who are too young. "They just seem to be getting younger and younger," he tells Mandrake.

Matt Smith made history in 2009 as the youngest actor ever to play the role in the television series, then aged 27. Before him, David Tennant was 34 when he took on the role and Christopher Eccleston was 41 when he made his debut as The Doctor.

Parker, pictured, has called for the next regeneration of Doctor Who to be played by an older actor.

"An old Doctor Who, that's what we need," he says. Happily, the 50-year-old says he would love to play the part if the opportunity arose. "I'd love a part in it, I'd love to play The Doctor himself."

His volunteering comes as speculation mounts that Smith will leave the role in the near future after he said he couldn't see himself in the role for many more years.

"I couldn't do this for seven years. I'd be run into the ground. I don't think you can sustain it," he claimed.

The oldest actor to play the role was the first ever Doctor Who: William Hartnell at the age of 55 in 1963, the next two doctors were Patrick Troughton aged 46 in 1966 and Jon Pertwee at the age of 50 in 1970. Since then the oldest actor to take on the role is Sylvester McCoy at the age of 44 in 1987.

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• APA 6th ed.: Walker, Tim (2013-01-22). Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age. The Daily Telegraph p. 12.
• MLA 7th ed.: Walker, Tim. "Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age." The Daily Telegraph [add city] 2013-01-22, 12. Print.
• Chicago 15th ed.: Walker, Tim. "Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age." The Daily Telegraph, edition, sec., 2013-01-22
• Turabian: Walker, Tim. "Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age." The Daily Telegraph, 2013-01-22, section, 12 edition.
• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Merlin_star_wants_Doctor_Who_to_age | work=The Daily Telegraph | pages=12 | date=2013-01-22 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 May 2025 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Merlin star wants Doctor Who to age | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Merlin_star_wants_Doctor_Who_to_age | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 May 2025}}</ref>