DOCTOR WHO INTERVIEW: Peter Davison Talks His Time Lord Family Tree & Who's 50th Anniversary (Part Two)

In Part One of my chat with Peter Davison at New York Comic Con, we focused on his time in the early '80s playing the Fifth Doctor. For Part Two we move to more recent events for Davison, switching gears to discuss the Fifth and Tenth Doctors shared time in the TARDIS for the BBC's 2007 Children In Need Special, the circumstances involved in becoming an in-law to David Tennant, and what Davison knows about Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary plans.

Before we get to the interview, let's see if we can sort out Davison's own amazing Time Lord Family Tree. Peter's daughter Georgia Moffett (no relation to Who's current show runner Steven Moffat), guest starred as the title character in the 2008 Doctor Who episode titled, you guessed it, The Doctor's Daughter. Georgia played Jenny opposite David Tennant's then current Tenth Doctor. As fate would have it, Moffett and Tennant hit it off, married in 2011 and are proud parents to Davison's granddaughter, Olive Tennant.

So the Fifth Doctor's real life daughter portrayed the Tenth Doctor's daughter on TV, and then married her TV Doctor father in real life. Additionally, said Doctor's daughter is also both the proud mother of the Tenth Doctor's daughter and Fifth Doctor's granddaughter. Throw in for good measure that the Fifth Doctor is the Tenth Doctor's father-in-law.

Got that? Now onto the interview.

Tell us about teaming up with David Tennant for the Doctor Who: Time Crash short in 2007.

DAVISON: I loved it because I was his Doctor. And that was really the point of that Children In Need special, a double thing about it. Him looking back at his own self, but also talking about him as David Tennant, watching me on the telly. It was fantastic and it was a great thrill doing it with him. He has since become my son-in-law of course. When I’m always talking about him as a different entity, then I think he's my son-in-law. But no, he was great. It was an honor to be doing it and we had a great deal of fun making it. We did it in one day.

Thank you for the little lead into my next question. Your daughter Georgia had a memorable role playing ironically enough, The Doctor's Daughter. What was your reaction when she told you she had a role in Doctor Who?

DAVISON: Originally when she went up, she was among the many other people who went up for Rose [eventually played by Billie Piper]. So I thought it was great. She came home and they offered her a part in a particular story, but they said "We'd rather you not do this part because we have a much better part in a later story if you'd like to hang on." So she asked me what I thought she should do, "Well you just have to trust its decently written of course." 

When it came along the story they wanted her to do was called The Doctor's Daughter, they obviously saw the irony of it. So they decided this would be a much better part for her to do because it worked on every level. I thought it was great, I think she's a brilliant actress, Georgia. I think she's terrific. I just saw her on the West End. I hope she sticks with it. But she's a bit like me, I never had a driving ambition. I loved working, but I don't think i ever had a driving ambition. I was mostly driven by the fact that people kept offering me jobs, which was great. I think she's much the same way and she has the baby now. She wants to be a mother as well.

With two Doctors in the family now, you must get your fair share of double takes when you and David  are out together in public.

DAVISON: It's very weird now. This just happened a couple of weeks ago: David and my daughter came over and we decided to go for a walk with the dog, so we got ready. Now as a matter of course when I'm in a crowded park I put on my baseball cap and dark glasses. So I do that, walk out and look around and David of course is wearing exactly the same thing. So we both have dark glasses and baseball caps pulled down over our heads because we both suffer from the same thing. I think I would be fine now actually, but I'm so programmed to be doing this thinking in case people go, "Hey mate, where's your TARDIS?" But David of course still gets terribly hassled if you go out anywhere. I've not been out with him anywhere I've had to drag him away from people in the end. He wants to stand there and sign autographs but you just can't do it. The more you do it the more people come up and just draws more attention. So in the end he has to be rescued.

What do you feel is your legacy in regards to the enduring near fifty year history of Doctor Who?

DAVISON: I think the legacy of not only me but the other Classic Doctors, which I think did suffer from sometimes dodgy scripts and dodgy sets, but you know out there watching these programs were I picture these three little boys: One of whom would grow up to be Doctor Who, another which would grow up to produce Doctor Who and another who got to write Doctor Who in David Tennant, Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat. So in another words, it's the lunatics now running the asylum, and they're doing a damn good job of it really! 

2013 will be a milestone year for Doctor Who. Can you share any news? Would you be open to participate in an Anniversary Reunion Special?

DAVISON: Honestly I have not heard anything at all, so I don't know. I'd be very happy to take part in whatever they want me to take part in. I'm just worried that it might be a little difficult to do it and make it work as a proper story. Unless it was a special, almost a bit like David and I did. He's very resourceful Steven [Moffat], so he might come up with the way of doing it, who knows.

Following our interview, Davison had this to add during his New York Comic Con Panel Discussion when asked about the Who Fiftieth Anniversary.

DAVISON: Every day I check the phone to see if Steven Moffat has called me. I have no idea. I'm sure people think I'm in some way sworn to secrecy, but I dont know what's happening next year. I've nothing to report on this. I'm sure it will be something fantastic, but I don't know what. I think Steven Moffat is playing it very close to his chest.

It should also be noted that these interviews took place prior to the recent announcement that the five living Classic Doctors (Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann)  would be lending their voices for an special anniversary audio drama called Doctor Who: The Light At The End. Whether they will appear together in the planned televised special on November 23rd or participate in other events still remains a mystery.

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DOCTOR WHO INTERVIEW: Peter Davison Recalls His Time As The Fifth Doctor (Part One)

There have been few science fiction shows with a richer history than Doctor Who. The BBC series celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year and has big, albeit top secret, plans to mark the incredible milestone. There have been eleven incarnations of the Doctor during the show's run, played by different actors over years and allowed the immortal time travelling adventurer to hop across the universe for a half century.

Peter Davison first appeared as the Fifth Doctor in 1981, following Tom Baker, whose seven-year stint was trademarked by his mop of curly dark hair and colorful long scarf. Baker's run left a memorable stamp on the popular Time Lord that would seem like an intimidating act to follow. At 29, Davison was the youngest actor at the time to portray the role, which until then had been played only by a succession of middle-aged to near elderly Brits. His first full episode, Castrovalva, aired in 1982.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Davison at New York Comic Con shortly before he took the stage for a panel discussion and fan Q&A. For this two part interview, we covered many topics, which included Who fandom, his thoughts about following Tom Baker's legendary stint, how the series has evolved since the era of the Classic Doctors, what he knows about the 50th Anniversary plans, and the real life ironic time warp no fan could have come ever dreamt up: his own daughter's marriage to the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant.

We're here at New York Comic Con, where you will be meeting fans, signing autographs and participating in panel discussions over the next three days. How do you like attending these kind of events?

DAVISION: I like it. It's fun. I think that it's very important. I always thought that fandom, my experience for the most part is of just Doctor Who fandom as most of things I have done has been Doctor Who, that they are an extraordinary kind of set of people. Everyone appears to be super nice.

I covered Matt Smith's recent New York City season premiere screening in August, and looking at the attending audience really hit home how the show's resurgence is attracting a young fan base. Have you noticed that shift as well?

DAVISON: Yeah I have. Certainly that's true. A lot of people now that come up and go ‘I love your Doctor,’ and I go ‘How on Earth did you manage to see that? Because you're 18.’ What's interesting is when they get through either Matt Smith or David Tennant, then they look around and go to the Classic Doctors. And what's interesting that over the years when I was part of the main of what is now the classic Doctor Whos, I felt almost out of place because I was much younger than anyone else. But now with the return of the series and the Doctors themselves getting younger, I feel almost more a part of the Modern Doctors then the Classic Doctors. I'm not, I know. I appreciate my place. I am a Classic Doctor, but weirdly I don't seem out of place now.

You were the youngest actor to portray the Doctor at the time?

DAVISON: I was the youngest Doctor apparently. Until Matt Smith stole my crown. Little upstart. No I'm very happy.

Tom Baker had a memorable seven year run on the show. His particular take with the scarf, hat and long coat really provided the Doctor with a look that hit it off with the masses. Was it daunting to succeed Tom in the role?

DAVISION: It was a bit daunting I suppose. It wasn't so daunting as it was coming over here to do a convention after. Because over here for the most part no one knew any other Doctor other than Tom. In Britain Tom was the Fourth Doctor.  My Doctor was William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton probably more so than John Pertwee. So simply I was number Five in the line of Doctors. Daunting because he had done it for seven years I suppose, but I was very happy to take on that challenge. I was a bit more worried when I came over here as the kind of upstart who replaced the Doctor who was Tom.

How long were you the Doctor by the time you made your first appearance here?

DAVISON: I think actually my first appearance here was probably before I appeared [on TV]. So no one had actually seen me in Doctor Who. I remember I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were very nice but I remember being asked weirdly a question about a Patrick Troughton story as if I was the Doctor. It all must be in my head somewhere.

Everything these days seems to finds itself on the receiving end of intense internet scrutiny. Are you happy you didn't have to deal with bloggers, online reviews and internet spoilers during your run on Doctor Who, especially at the transition stage?

DAVISON: Hopefully I wouldn't have read them. I think it's a huge mistake for actors to take anything seriously in terms of what those people say. Because they are representative of a certain of the people, but they're hugely destructive. Those people who write those things they can do so in this certain virtual anonymity of the Internet. But sadly the nature of us as human beings is that you can get 200 people saying you're fantastic, and one person saying you're terrible, and it's that person you'll take note of. You get one person that says you're terrible and you think ‘Oh my God I'm terrible. I'm terrible. Just awful.’ And such is our insecurity. So I try to just ignore it. Its not kinda relevant. You do what you do.

Did you have much input regarding the Fifth Doctor?

DAVISON: In terms of just the practical side, as in the costume, not that much. I suggested the cricketer theme. The celery stick was something that John [Nathan-Turner] came to me and said ‘I want something. I'm trying to think of something interesting for you to wear on your lapel.’ And he came to me and said ‘I've got this great idea: A stick of celery.’ And I said ‘Why?’ I said ‘Well that's fine as long as you explain it by the time I leave.’ We got to the very last story and I reminded him he hadn't actually explained it. So they wrote a thing in there that it was an antidote to a certain gas that the Doctor is allergic to. And that is how it was explained. So it was fine. That was all John, not me.

The Doctor's attire certainly became even that much more colorful with Colin Baker as the Sixth.

DAVISON: It was on drugs by the time it got to Colin Baker's time.

What were you able to bring to this younger version Doctor Who?

DAVISON: You’re cast really because of who you are. So you have to look at yourself, I'm younger and I can move a bit quicker. I think what I wanted to bring to it was to bring back a kind of innocence to the character. He wanted to do the right thing. If there was an unknown in mind about Tom's time as the Doctor, and I enjoyed it greatly, it was almost so kind of glib. You never really thought there was a threat, and I loved it for that. It was very funny. But I know that [producer] John [Nathan-Turner] wanted all of the funny bits when I took over and I didn't want that to happen. But I did think it had lost some of its innocence a bit and maybe I just felt that was something I could bring to it. 

Was there a conscious effort to avoid re-tracing the tracks of the Fourth Doctor?

DAVISON: I couldn't be Tom. Tom had his own brilliant way of doing it and as I say, I loved it. But I remember one episode I think he's about to be sliced in half by by some kind of terrible device and he's offering jelly babies around. I remember thinking that really in a way undermines the point of what's about to happen. You can have humor in, it but if it's at the moments when you're in danger, maybe it takes away from it. So I suppose that's really what I wanted to bring back to it, an innocence with all this, not power, but everything at his disposal. Just trying to do the right thing.

What are your memories of your last episode, working your way towards the regeneration scene?

DAVISON: It's a very strange feeling knowing that, as Tom must have felt, that at some point the next Doctor comes in and you shoot the regeneration scene. I have to say generally that the last story was the best story that I did. I think it was brilliantly directed and I couldn't have been happier with it as an enjoyable experience. Except maybe the fact that that I've said before in my great regeneration scene my limelight was stolen by [companion] Nicola Bryant’s chest bending over to me saying ‘Doctor, Doctor are you okay?’ And I'm thinking everyone is just going to be looking at her cleavage. No one is going to be looking at me at all.

Check back here next week for Part Two with Peter Davison where among other things, we talk about BBC's memorable teaming up of the Fifth and Tenth Doctor in 2007, what family life is like when it has two Doctors in the house, and what Davison knows about the Who's 50th Anniversary.

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PREVIEW - Doctor Who: The Power of Three

Check out the trailer and some sneak peek images to tomorrow night's fourth adventure from this season's Doctor Who: The Power of Three.

This will be the penultimate episode for 2012, as the fifth episode, the NYC-set The Angels Take Manhattan, will mark the final hour-long adventure of the year, and bid what promises to be a tearful farewell to the Doctor's popular companions, Amy and Rory.

As for tomorrow's episode, here is how the BBC describes it.

"The Doctor and the Ponds puzzle over an unlikely invasion of Earth, as millions of sinister black cubes arrive overnight..."

In some of the accompanying pictures following the trailer below, there seems to be some problems with the Doctor's heart, or at least one his two hearts that is...

Doctor Who: The Power of Three airs on BBC America tomorrow night at 9pm.

SOURCE: BBC America

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DOCTOR WHO INTERVIEW - Matt Smith Reveals How The Doctor Would Spend A Night Out In NYC

In part two of my selections from Saturday's roundtable interview with Matt Smith that preceded the U.S. Premiere screening of Asylum of the Daleks, the actor revealed what he thought The Doctor might do on a night of fun in New York City.

It seemed appropriate to me to maintain a line of NYC questioning given Smith's enthusiastic love for the Big Apple, and I thought it would be fun to hear about the possible things the 900 year-old Time Lord would do with a few hours to burn.

I asked that this was provided that the Weeping Angels, the eerie popular villains in the upcoming The Angels Take Manhattan, were not hot on his tail to spoil all of the Doctor's fun.

"His ideal night in New York?" Smith contemplated about the iconic character for a moment with a grin, before coming up with a bunch of ideas.

"I think maybe go and play some jazz with Woody Allen for a bit," he speculated, and assumed the Doctor might love to partake in an impromptu slow jam with one of New York City's most prominent film directors at a small time club.

"Perhaps grab a steak at Balthazar," having the insight that the Time Lord's palette has now moved beyond fish sticks and custard.

"Maybe go and stand on the top of the Statue of Liberty somehow."

"Take the TARDIS to the bottom of the Hudson see what's down there."

"I think he'd go back to the '40s or the '20s maybe, hang in Brooklyn and play baseball on the street."

But if there was one thing he was certain of regarding the Doctor's big night out, "He'd do it in a brilliant way," he said.

Doctor Who's seventh season premiere, Asylum of the Daleks, is set to air this Saturday at 9pm on BBC America. The Angels Take Manhattan, which took the cast and crew to shoot in NYC for the very first time in the show's near 50-year history, is the fifth episode and final episode of the first half of the season, and will air on September 29th. the Doctor Who Christmas Special picks up the story from there.

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