Don’t think that the Seventh Doctor is for you? Here are a few reasons why you should give him a chance.
When I first saw ‘Time and the Rani,’ only the second serial that I watched after becoming a Whovian, it wasn’t a story I particularly enjoyed. It’s rather infamous among fans of the Classic Series as being one of the worst serials of that era. Story, production, Kate O’Mara in a Bonnie Langford wig — there are several reasons why it’s not regarded as one of the best stories. But the main reason why I didn’t like it as a child was that I didn’t like the Seventh Doctor.
Keep in mind, while it was his first story (I actually picked it because it featured a regeneration. I know, I know… ‘The War Games,’ ‘Logopolis,’ and ‘The Caves of Androzani,’ and I picked ‘Time and the Rani’), I certainly wasn’t having a problem adjusting to the “new Doctor.” I hadn’t even seen anything of the Sixth Doctor at the time. (So yes, technically, my first memory of the Sixth Doctor was Sylvester McCoy in a wig. Fans who haven’t seen the story: seriously.)
For me, it was how stupid his Doctor appeared to be. Mixing his metaphors, hitting himself with spoons, not recognising an imposter in a wig… I love my Doctors being silly (hence why I love the Second, Fourth, and Eleventh Doctors), but McCoy’s Doctor just didn’t do anything for me. So for years, after such a terrible first impression, I just focused on watching stories with other Doctors while ignoring the rest of McCoy’s time on the show.
Eventually though, I was curious about the last regular story of the Classic Series, ‘Survival’ (as reviewed by Leah). I was genuinely surprised by how much better it was, and how much I enjoyed it.
I was equally surprised with how much more grounded it seemed, with a heavy focus on suburban England life before introducing the science fiction part of the story with the Cheetah People. It was very reminiscent of a lot of the New Series’ approach to stories, particularly the Russell T. Davies era.
But what really grabbed me was how much more interesting McCoy was as the Doctor compared to his weak start. He wasn’t playing the fool in this story – while he might have seemed, shall we say, “eccentric” to normal humans at times, there was method in his madness, and he had a lot more answers. Many of which he liked to keep close to his chest. How much more I liked the Seventh Doctor was enough to make me wonder if I needed to give him another chance.
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I then watched stories like ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ and ‘The Curse of Fenric,’ and I saw even more about McCoy’s Doctor that I loved. Here was a Doctor who liked to keep his secrets — who wasn’t always upfront with his companions and liked to plan a lot in advance.
Essentially, he’s more proactive than reactive when it comes to dealing with evil, and that’s an interesting approach. It’s a very different interpretation compared to many other Doctors, particularly the more openly heroic Two, Five, or Ten, and I really love that.
Even better is that this interesting, slightly darker take on the Doctor has developed further in the expanded universe, particularly the novels and the audios. While there have been times when I thought that the novels became too “mature” in their take on the show, I do enjoy the darker, more secretive and manipulative take of Seven overall.
It makes you think that maybe, just maybe, they really did cancel the show at the wrong time, although to be honest, it was clear the BBC hadn’t been showing much love to their longest science fiction series for quite a while, so I guess it needed a break… Just not a break that lasted for sixteen years.
In recent years, the Seventh Doctor has steadily grown to be one of my favourites. With McCoy’s interpretation, a lot of mystery is brought back to the character, and it’s interesting seeing a Doctor who does what he feels he has to do, no matter what the cost.
If you’re someone new to the Classic Series and, like me when I was starting, you don’t feel McCoy’s stories would be for you — especially as he was the one at the end of the Classic Series — my advice is to definitely give him a try. Stories like ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ and ‘The Curse of Fenric’ are easily some of my favourites, and it’s a shame to skip such an original and different take on the Doctor that still feels true to the character.
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