Is this Dr Who the real McCoy?
- Publication: The News (Adelaide)
- Date: 1988-10-27
- Author: Julie Herd
- Page: 13
- Language: English
Hold the Tardis, there's a new star for TV's longest running sci-fi series
THE latest Dr Who must rate as the least likely Time Lord to win a sex symbol award.
Sylvester McCoy, who takes over as the infamous Doctor role from Colin Baker, is small and wiry with buck teeth.
He wears little round glasses and tartan scarves.
The actor, 44, from Dunoon, Scotland, also is as oddball as they come.
He used to make a living by stuffing ferrets down his trousers and setting fire to his hair.
"I am an eccentric actor - people have said that to me lots of times," said Sylvester. "And I believe that there should be a slightly eccentric side to Dr Who."
McCoy is the seventh Dr Who in the sci-fi series' 25-year history, following in the steps of such stars as Colin Baker, Tom Baker and Peter Davidson.
He was plucked from London's National Theatre where he was playing the Pied Piper to take over the role of the space-trekking Time Lord in a new 14-part series.
"I realised at once he possessed all the qualities necessary to play the Doctor," said producer John Nathan-Turner.
THE BBC is hoping McCoy, who has a three-year contract, will boost ratings for the series, which was in danger of being axed for losing its sense of humor and being too violent.
Sylvester, the virtual unknown, will be surrounded by a galaxy of stars, including Kate O'Mara, Ken Dodd and Richard Briers.
"The Doctor will never fight anybody. I feel strongly about that," he said. "He's a man of peace who has to do battle with the forces of war. But he will never harm anybody. He uses his brain, his wits, his humor, and his ability to run fast to beat his enemies."
Sylvester, who will be helped by his bubbly side kick Melanie played by Bonnie Langford, believes the Dr Who character has such lasting appeal because he confronts evil with a mix of "unarmed vulnerability and eccentric imagination".
"I believe it has a fascination for all ages," he said. "Although it is about the Doctor and his companion it can be about almost anything."
The pint-sized actor has had a varied career, to say the least. He played layabout Turps in the offbeat radio comedy Big Jim and the Figaro Club, and Birdie Bowers in The Last Place on Earth.
He was in the West End musicals Starlight and The Pirates of Penzance.
His first showbiz job was putting ferrets down his trousers.
"It was part of a touring comedy show that I belonged to," he recalled. "You name it and if it's silly enough, I've probably done it. I've set fire to my hair, had bombs explode down my shirt, stuck nails up my nose, and even done a bit of fire-breathing."
IT'S NO wonder he'll be doing most of his own stunts in Dr Who, from falling down flights of stairs to twirling Ms Langford over his head.
McCoy's family background is as colorful as his career. Born Patrick Kent-Smith, he was the only son of an Irish Catholic couple.
His father was killed in the submarine service during the war and his mother fell ill when he was eight, so he lived with aunts and grandparents. At 11, he was sent to a seminary in Aberdeen to study for the priesthood.
He went to the local grammar school at 15 after being told he was too young to become a monk, and worked briefly as an insurance clerk before entering the world of showbiz. He has been married for 16 years to his Dutch wife Agnes, 34, and the couple have two sons Sam, 12, and Joe, 10.
Dr Who already has changed Sylvester's life. Soon after it was announced he was the new Time Lord, a fan from the US arrived at his home.
LATER, two sackfuls of fan mail were delivered to the BBC.
He is now hoping to be chosen to play Dr Who in a proposed film version of the series. But a "famous British actor" is said to have been tipped for the role. British film company, Coast to Coast Productions said this week an announcement would be made within the next two months about who was to play the Doctor.
Filming is scheduled to begin early next year on location in England and the Canary Islands.
Caption: Former doctors Colin Baker (left) and Peter Davidson
Caption: Sylvester McCoy, the eccentric actor who used to work stuffing ferrets down his trousers and setting fire to his hair
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Herd, Julie (1988-10-27). Is this Dr Who the real McCoy?. The News (Adelaide) p. 13.
- MLA 7th ed.: Herd, Julie. "Is this Dr Who the real McCoy?." The News (Adelaide) [add city] 1988-10-27, 13. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Herd, Julie. "Is this Dr Who the real McCoy?." The News (Adelaide), edition, sec., 1988-10-27
- Turabian: Herd, Julie. "Is this Dr Who the real McCoy?." The News (Adelaide), 1988-10-27, section, 13 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Is this Dr Who the real McCoy? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Is_this_Dr_Who_the_real_McCoy%3F | work=The News (Adelaide) | pages=13 | date=1988-10-27 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 December 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Is this Dr Who the real McCoy? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Is_this_Dr_Who_the_real_McCoy%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 December 2025}}</ref>
