Meet The Twelfth Doctor! Peter Capaldi Announced As The Successor To Matt Smith in 'Doctor Who'

The identity of the Twelfth Doctor is no longer a secret fellow Whovians! The next Time Lord has been chosen and the actor set to portray the new Doctor is Peter Capaldi.

During this afternoon's worldwide broadcast of the half hour special Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor hosted by Zoe Ball, Capaldi was announced as the successor to Matt Smith and will assume the role of the immortal Time Lord in the iconic sci-fi show, which will soon celebrate its 50th Anniversary.

"It's so wonderful to not keep this secret any longer," he said when he was brought out on stage.

Capaldi, a 55-year-old Scotsman is both a Whovian and Doctor Who alumni interestingly enough, having appeared in the 2008 Who episode The Fires of Pompeii as Caecilius. He also had roles in the Who spin-off Torchwood, a memorable part in the UK series The Thick of It and was also recently seen in this summer's World War Z playing a doctor for the World Health Organization. Yes, a doctor for W.H.O..

"I think Doctor Who is an extraordinary show," Capaldi said.

"The thing that strikes me about it that it's still here after all this time. And the reason it's still here is because of the work of all the writers, and the directors, the producers and the actors. Not just the fabulous actors who have played the Doctor, but also those actors who have sweated inside rubber monster costumes and those who have worn futuristic lurex cat suits. But the real reason, the big reason that Doctor Who is still with us: Every single viewer who ever turned on to watch this show, at age at any time in its history, and in their history, took it into their heart. Because Doctor Who belongs to all of us. Everyone made Doctor Who," he told the live audience.

Matt Smith has been the face of Doctor Who since 2010, and shocked fans when he announced on June 1st that he would be leaving show at the end of the year. He said in an official statement:

“Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show.

“I’m incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years."

Smith's adventures through time in the TARDIS end in the 2013 Christmas Special, where his Eleventh Doctor ultimately meets his demise and will regenerate into Capaldi's Twelfth incarnation of the Time Lord.

Still on deck for Smith is the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special set to air on November 23rd, which will also guest star his predecessor David Tennant (reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor), former Who companion Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and John Hurt as a mysterious and as yet still undetermined version of the Time Lord.

In a taped interview for Doctor Who Live Matt Smith (who was in LA), revealed he was approached by Capaldi on the street in 2010 after seeing the Who episode The Eleventh Hour, and was complimented on his performance.

"I'm excited because I know whats coming and he's going to have a blast," Smith said. "It's been great man. it's a really cool job, be hard to top."

Capaldi is also a long time friend and former bandmate of talk show host Craig Ferguson, also an avid Whovian who keeps a TARDIS on his desk.

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Matt Smith Quits 'Doctor Who.' Set To Leave After 2013 Christmas Special...

SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!! The Fall of the Eleventh may be ultimately coming sooner than we had expected. Matt Smith will be leaving Doctor Who at the end of this year the BBC just announced as well as being reported by the UK press. His final trip in the TARDIS as the Eleventh Doctor will be in the 2013 Christmas Special. So who will cancel Christmas?

Per the BBC:

"The BBC is today announcing that Matt Smith is to leave Doctor Who after four incredible years on the hit show. Matt first stepped into the TARDIS in 2010 and will leave the role at the end of this year after starring in the unmissable 50th Anniversary in November and regenerating in the Christmas special. During his time as the Doctor, Matt has reached over 30 million unique UK viewers and his incarnation has seen the show go truly global. He was also the first actor to be nominated for a BAFTA in the role. Doctor Who is BBC AMERICA's highest-rated series and premieres as part of the channel's Supernatural Saturday programming block."

"Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show," Matt Smith said in the official statement. "I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day, to realize all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience."

"Many of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years," he continued.

Bleeding Cool had a tip off earlier in the day and predicted the (embargoed) big announcement from the BBC that Smith would be leaving the show, not long after it celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

Smith had nothing but high praise for his loyal Whovians. "The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before, your dedication is truly remarkable."

"Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number Eleven, who I might add is not done yet, I'm back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special," he concluded to his fans.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, expect the already sky high expectations for the 50th Anniversary to amp up exponentially now that we now have merely two appearances remaining before the Eleventh Doctor regenerates to the Twelfth in the Christmas Special.

SOURCE: BBC, BLEEDING COOL, THE TELEGRAPH

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'Doctor Who' Season Finale Title Teases A Long Awaited Answer

Is the answer to Doctor Who's fifty years-in-the-making question actually finally upon us? According to the season finale poster art released to the Radio Times, we may finally learn the Doctor's biggest secret: his actual Gallifreyan name. 

"There’s going to be a revelation. I’m not teasing. I’m not wrong-footing you – you’re about to learn something about the Doctor that you never knew before. And I think you’re in for a shock," said Who show runner Steven Moffat.

According to DoctorWhoTV, here is the episode's short synopsis:

“Someone is kidnapping the Doctor’s friends, leading him towards the one place in all of time and space that he should never go.”

Doctor who? We shall have to wait and see on May 18th if we actually get that answer.

The eighth and final episode for Series Seven will be the last we see of the Doctor until the 50th Anniversary Special, which is currently shooting, and will be broadcast on November 23rd.  Also of obvious note from this poster, Alex Kingston is set to return as River Song.

BBC America also unveiled the poster art and synopses for the next three episodes set to air after tonight's Hide.

Journey To The Center of the TARDIS - Episode 10, April 27th

"A spaceship salvage team drags the TARDIS on board, sending its systems into meltdown. As the Doctor marshals the motely salvage crew outside, he realizes Clara is still trapped within his malfunctioning ship, pursued by a dangerous group of ossified monsters. He has just 30 minutes to find Clara and save his TARDIS before it self-destructs."

The Crimson Horror - Episode 11, May 4th

"There’s something very odd about Mrs Gillyflower’s Sweetville mill, with its perfectly clean streets and beautiful people. There’s something even stranger about the bodies washing up in the river, all bright red and waxy. When the Doctor and Clara go missing, it’s up to Vastra, Jenny and Strax to rescue them before they too fall victim to the Crimson Horror!"

Nightmare In Silver - Episode 12, May 11th

Formerly titled The Last Cyberman, the highly anticipated second Neil Gaiman-penned episode (he also wrote 2011's The Doctor's Wife), features an updated incarnation of the classic Who villains.

SOURCES: Radio Times, DoctorWhoTV, BBC America

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Matt Smith Introduces 'Hide,' Tonight's Episode of 'Doctor Who'

Check out Matt Smith's intro for tonight's episode of Doctor Who, a haunting episode titled Hide. We also have the official synopsis below in addition to a pair of preview clips, which give us a feel for the chilling nature to the story.

"Clara and the Doctor arrive at Caliburn House, a haunted mansion sat alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost hunting Professor and a gifted psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?"

Doctor Who airs tonight on BBC America at 8 PM.

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Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman Preview Tonight's 'Doctor Who: The Rings of Akhaten'

After last week's mid-season premiere, tonight we dive headfirst into the Doctor's adventures with his new companion Clara as they take off into the future for an outer space-set episode.

"Clara wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded."

Check out the special introduction of the episode from Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman plus some clips and trailers.

Now It's REALLY Official. Matt Smith and David Tennant Share A Time Lord Moment At The 'Doctor Who' 50th Special Table Read

OK fellow Whovians, this just got real. This awesome behind-the-scenes, image, which was just tweeted by the BBC, will hopefully be the first of many exciting pics from the set of Doctor Who in the coming weeks.

Hopefully April Fool's Day pranks are not popular in the UK, otherwise it would be REALLY wrong to doctor and post a photo in this manner today.

So here we have it, our first look at Doctors Ten and Eleven sharing time, space and watermarked scripts following the table read of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special.

The read through has just finished for the #DoctorWho50th Special! twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/s…
— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) April 1, 2013

As we reported over the weekend, BBC announced the big news that David Tennant and Billie Piper would reprise their popular Who roles of the Tenth Doctor and companion Rose Tyler in the landmark half century-in-the-making episode of the iconic British sci-fi series, joining current Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and companion Clara played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.

Production on the episode beings this week, so fingers crossed for additional imminent pictures, updates and announcements from the set.

SOURCE: Doctor Who Twitter

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Doctor Who's Jenna-Louise Coleman On The Who and What About Clara Oswin Oswald

"You're the impossible girl, the only mystery worth solving," so says the Doctor in describing his new companion Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.

With the Doctor Who machine raging on as we rapidly approach the show's highly anticipated mid-season premiere this Saturday night, Access Hollywood caught up in person with Jenna, who as fans know will be making her third first appearance on the iconic British sci-fi show. 

The actress confirms that the Clara we meet in this week's episode The Bells of Saint John is in fact, a entirely new character. But we will have to wait and see how it all ties together in the typical mind bending Who fashion we have become accustomed to.
While she was as expected tight lipped regarding juicy details on the show's 50th Anniversary Special, she not only revealed shooting the landmark episode is imminent, but that her Grandma has plans to visit the super secret set.

"Well, I think she’s gonna come on set when we’re filming the 50th, which she’s very excited about. She’s gonna be patting Matt a lot. Matt’s her favorite Doctor," she told Access. "I can’t wait. I’ve got a new draft of the script to read today, We’re shooting in 3D."

Following the quick kiss between the Doctor and Clara in the 2012 Christmas Special The Snowmen, where Coleman played a version of the mysterious character in Victorian-era London, would romance carry over into the modern day incarnation who will be at the Doctor's side for the remainder of the season?

"Um, I think well, we start Series Seven and it’s very much like, we haven’t met this Clara before. So we start the story again. So what happens in the Christmas episode doesn't necessarily carry on through. So there’s, I think there’s definitely always a certain level of kind of a frisson and a flirtation and kind of a form of attraction always between the Doctor and his companions," Coleman said.

"I think that’s one thing you always want to know, is it going to be a romance story between the Doctor and the companion, but I think, that you know, there’s so much more at work here and I kind of don’t want to give anything away going into the series, but it’s a new start again. It’s a completely, it’s a different character, it’s a different girl and we’ll, we will all understand why," she revealed.

Utmost secrecy is a must for all things Who these days. Among other things, Coleman revealed her code name was "Men On Waves" during the audition process for the role of the new Who companion.

"'Men on Waves,' which is an anagram, which I figured out later, for 'Woman Seven,'" Coleman recalled. "And so when you’re going into the BBC, and you know you have all these code names and talking to your agent on the phone, it’s ‘So, men on waves…’"

And when it came to strong female leads for Coleman to check out to prepare for playing Clara, Matt Smith suggested an iconic character few would argue with.

"Do you know, again, something Matt suggested that I watch, which I really enjoyed, was the first Indiana Jones movie. And that was brilliant for Doctor Who and I loved the fact that she [Marion Ravenwood] wasn’t the damsel in distress. It was quite fiery and you know, she wasn’t kind of just the helpless woman I suppose. So that was great to watch, between those two."

 You can check out the full Access Hollywood interview HERE.

 

Doctor Who returns on BBC America with The Bells of Saint John on Saturday at 8 PM.

SOURCE: AccessHollywood.com

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And Now The First Trailer for 'Doctor Who: The Bells of Saint John'

No stopping the Who locomotive now with a week to go until the series returns with the mid-season premiere. Earlier today we saw a prequel scene to The Bells of Saint John hit the web, now BBC has set forth the full trailer for the first of eight new Doctor Who episodes.

The Doctor tracks down the modern day counterpart of Clara Oswin Oswald, and the new adventures begin...

"The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy."

And here are clips from the episode shown on BBC.

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The Doctor Gets Advice In This Prequel Short to 'The Bells of Saint John'

Check out this touching prequel short just released by BBC to next weekend's big Doctor Who mid-season premiere The Bells of Saint John. The Doctor (Matt Smith) remains baffled by the mystery surrounding Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) following the events of December's The Snowmen. While taking a break when his search for her turns up empty, the Time Lord gets some unexpected advice in a playground. Even though this short clip clocks in at only about 2:30 minutes, don't think for a second that Who mastermind Steven Moffat wouldn't find time to effectively screw with our heads.

Doctor Who returns this Saturday on March 30th in the first of an eight episode run with The Bells of Saint John at 8PM on BBC America.

SOURCE: BBC

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'Doctor Who' Takes Over Entertainment Weekly

Doctor Who's March Madness towards its mid-season premiere on Saturday the 30th rages on with two collector's edition covers on Entertainment Weekly. One features the Doctor (Matt Smith) and new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) posing in front of the TARDIS and a Dalek, while the other sees the Doctor dueling with one of the evil Cybermen, a classic Who villain set to return with an upgrade in an upcoming episode. Besides a an interview with Matt Smith and a breakdown of all 50 years worth of 11 Doctors, the mag will also feature a Who essay written by Peter Jackson.

According to EW:

"For our Doctor Who cover story we visited the show on location in Wales, grilled executive producer Steven Moffat about the upcoming episodes and the 50th anniversary special, which is being broadcast this fall, and luncheoned in Manhattan with Smith. In our Who package you’ll also find a breakdown of all 11 Doctors and, perhaps best of all, an essay by Peter Jackson in which the Lord of the Rings director recounts his Who-love and announces his price for directing an episode. You’ll think the magazine is, well, bigger on the inside…"

The Doctor Who issue of Entertainment Weekly hits newsstands on Friday, March 22.

SOURCE: EW

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BBC America Releases New 'Doctor Who' Episodes Posters and Trailer

The countdown to the next wave of adventures for the Doctor and his new mysterious companion Clara is in full swing. BBC America has released the posters and synopses for the first four episodes in addition to a new teaser trailer that offers much to ponder and look forward to.

Doctor Who is set to return in The Bells of Saint John on BBC America on March 30th at 8 PM.

The Bells of Saint John - Episode 6

The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.

The Rings of Akhaten - Episode 7

Clara wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded.

Cold War - Episode 8

The Doctor and Clara land on a damaged Russian Submarine in 1983 as it spirals out of control into the ocean depths. An alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice. With tempers flaring and a cargo of nuclear weapons on board, it’s not just the crew but the whole of humanity at stake!
 

Hide - Episode 9

Clara and the Doctor arrive at Caliburn House, a haunted mansion sat alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost hunting Professor and a gifted psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?

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New Images Revealed From The 'Doctor Who' Mid-Season Premiere 'The Bells of Saint John'

With almost daily online teases that keep us on our toes regarding who may or may not be participating in the big Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, it's good to know there are still new episodes on deck for Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor.

Following the events of The Snowmen, 2012's Doctor Who Christmas Special, the Doctor returns on March 30th in The Bells of St. John to complete the second half of its current season with that swanky retro title sequence, a revamped TARDIS and his new companion Clara Oswin Oswald. Given the established mysterious nature of Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) this may technically be her third first appearance, having already died twice before our eyes in two different time periods. The post-Ponds dynamic will be an interesting arc to follow throughout the remaining eight episodes preceeding the big Anniversary Special set to air on November 23rd.

From BBC America:

Set in London against the backdrop of new and old iconic landmarks – The Shard and Westminster Bridge – The Bells of St. John introduces a new nemesis, the Spoonheads, who battle the Doctor as he discovers something sinister is lurking in the Wi-Fi. The premiere will be followed by seven epic episodes written by Steven Moffat, acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Beowulf), Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Neil Cross (Luther) and Stephen Thompson (Sherlock).

BBC America released new images from the first four upcoming episodes, including the show's March 30th return in addition to an official pic of the revamped Ice Warriors (set to appear in episode three The Cold War). Current Who EP Steven Moffat also offered this regarding what Whovians can expect this year, which ultimately includes revealing the answer to the Doctor's greatest secret that has remained a mystery since the first epidsode: "Doctor who?"

"It’s the 50th year of Doctor Who and look what’s going on! We’re up in the sky and under the sea! We’re running round the rings of an alien world and then a haunted house. There’s new Cybermen, new Ice Warriors and a never before attempted journey to the centre of the TARDIS. And in the finale, the Doctor’s greatest secret will at last be revealed! If this wasn’t already our most exciting year it would be anyway!"

The Doctor sports a new coat, but the fez is timeless.

Modern day Clara and the Doctor in 'The Bells of St. John'

Clara Oswin Oswald from 'The Bells of St. John'

The Doctor in 'The Bells of St. John'

One of the updated Ice Warriors, villains introduced in the era of the Third Doctor 

Episode 2 Preview

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Episode 4 Preview

Alec Palmer and Clara from episode 4

Dougray Scott as Alec Palmer in Episode 4

Jessica Raine as Emma Grayling from episode 4

SOURCE: BBC America

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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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