This past weekend London Film and Comic Con filled Olympia in London with fans hoping for a chance to meet their idols. Among them many Whovians hoping to meet a Doctor or two.
They weren’t to be disappointed as Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy was on hand to chat and sign autographs. It is no secret that McCoy is highly popular on the convention circuit. After all he is famed for being generous with his fans and showed no exception when encountering Blogtor Who.
In a short chat McCoy was happy to talk about his time with audio book producers Big Finish and to whether he will return. He replied enthusiastically: “Oh yes! I’ll be working with Big Finish until the end of Big Finish. Big Finished! Or I’m finished. Because I started off with Big Finish, working with it.” McCoy was particularly fond of his time on ‘Colditz’, gleefully remembering that the episode featured David Tennant, who would go on to be the Tenth Doctor. Colditz, a Big Finish production, is based around the Nazi prison camp of the same name. Furthermore, it was undoubtedly one of The Doctor’s darkest adventures yet.
Being the Doctor
When pressed to pick a favourite between playing The Doctor for audio or screen, McCoy answered without missing a beat: “Audio. Yeah, I enjoy audio a hell of a lot. The sets don’t shake. I’m 6ft tall. I’m 21 years of age… going on 900. You don’t have to learn the lines! I like it better.” It would seem like working on a Big Finish production cuts out the tedious hours waiting in trailers for a scene to be shot, and line learning. Furthermore, Big Finish would seem like a raw arena for an actor – much like theatre.
The Fans
Straight from the mouth of McCoy himself, he was ever eager to speak kindly of his fans. We asked Sylvester what his favourite aspect of these conventions are: “Well it’s meeting the fans really. I really enjoy that really. Yeah, all over the world. Its amazing how some are very similar, and some are not.” Attending squarely for the fans is a show of loyalty, so loyal that McCoy’s appearances stretch right across the globe.
Thoughts on today’s Who
We closed out our conversation by asking him if he watches Doctor Who today, to which he replied: “Not regularly because I’m travelling all over the world. I pop in and try and watch it, I’m a big fan of Peter Capaldi’s.” His praise for modern Who didn’t end there, sparing a few kind words for new Doctor Who companion Pearl Mackie: “Great. Yeah, she’s gonna be terrific. She’s going to be feisty and fun!”
Sixth Doctor Colin Baker and eighth Paul McGann where also in attendance. Along with McCoy they appeared together in a very funny Q&A panel. More to come on that.
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