Doctor Who legend Sylvester McCoy has hinted that past incarnations of The Doctor “may be coming back” to the show. McCoy originally played the Seventh Doctor between 1987 and 1996.
McCoy, and several other classic Doctor Who stars, returned for the spin-off show Tales of the TARDIS, which was launched for the franchise’s 60th anniversary. The series used the conceit of the Memory TARDIS to bring back past Doctors and companions to reflect on key moments from their journeys together. McCoy featured alongside former co-star Sophie Aldred, who originally played companion Ace, to revisit the 1989 serial “The Curse of Fenric.”
Sylvester McCoy Says Classic Doctors Are Re-Appearing For An Important Reason
McCoy recently appeared on The 50% Doctor Who Podcast to discuss his future in Doctor Who, hinting that Tales of the TARDIS was actually a way to get fans more familiar with classic characters. “[Doctor Who showrunner] Russell T Davies wanted to reintroduce to everybody The Doctors because they may be coming back. That’s why he did it,” McCoy hinted. “In the future, he may want to use them. Therefore, we will be recognized as we are now and not as we were then.” McCoy cautioned that “it’s up to Russell” whether the classic Doctors will appear again, but he remained hopeful.
“Russell T Davies wanted to reintroduce to everybody The Doctors because they may be coming back. That’s why he did it,” he said.
Russell T Davies wanted to reintroduce to everybody The Doctors because they may be coming back.
Prior to Tales of the TARDIS, McCoy and several of his predecessors had appeared in 2022’s “The Power of the Doctor” for the final appearance of Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor. One hugely emotional moment saw the 13th Doctor meet with past incarnations of herself on an astral plane to give her the strength to fight back against The Master and the Cybermen. The scene reunited McCoy with fellow Doctor actors Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Colin Baker (6th Doctor) and Paul McGann (8th Doctor), along with David Bradley reprising his role as the 1st Doctor from “Twice Upon a Time.”
Doctor Who’s Multi-Doctor Stories Have Become a Tradition
New-Era Doctor Who Episodes Have Featured Multi-Doctor Stories for Special Occasions
McCoy explained in his recent podcast interview that not much had changed in terms of filming Doctor Who after all these years. “It was just the same, wearing the same coat really, in a sense,” he quipped. “The only thing was, I was a bit bewildered because, in it, it seems that we [The Doctors] fell out. I had no idea. No one told me. It was in a book somewhere, I believe. I was going, ‘Why are we making up?’”
The Scottish actor originally played the Seventh Doctor during Doctor Who’s final three seasons in its original run. Doctor Who was under constant pressure to improve its ratings from the BBC in this era, and while the show attracted negative press attention, many of McCoy’s stories have stood the test of time. McCoy would later return to the role in Doctor Who’s 1996 TV movie to introduce the concept of regeneration, so viewers would see his Doctor change into Paul McGann’s 8th incarnation. McCoy next reunited with McGann, and several other classic Doctors, for Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary in 2013 in the parody film “The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.” “The Power of the Doctor” brought the Seventh Doctor back to screens in 2022, along with his adventures continuing for decades as part of Big Finish’s audio dramas.
Doctor Who’s Multi-Doctor Who Episodes Often Celebrate Milestones for the Show
- Doctor Who’s first-ever multi-Doctor episode, “The Three Doctors,” aired in 1973 to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary and featured the first three Doctors battling Omega.
- “The Five Doctors” was commissioned for Doctor Who’s 20th anniversary in 1983, with Richard Hurndall standing in for the late William Hartnell and the use of recycled footage of Tom Baker when he declined to appear.
- Doctor Who wrapped its original run in 1989, but several former stars returned for the 1993 mini-episode “Dimensions in Time,” which served as a crossover with BBC soap EastEnders.
The future of the classic Doctors remains a mystery for now, but 15th Doctor actor Ncuti Gatwa will be returning this festive season for the new episode “Joy to the World.” The Doctor is set to team up with one-off companion Joy – played by Nicola Coughlan – to stop the evil Villengard Corporation from harnessing time travel technology for its own means. This festive episode is written by former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat as a continuation of the themes from his episode “Boom.”
