Doctor Who: Why the Sixth Doctor should meet Maxil

While the character only appeared in one TV story, we think it would be interesting for the Time Lord Maxil to return in Doctor Who on audio and meet the Sixth Doctor. Especially when you consider who played him…

One thing I’m glad about regarding Big Finish is that they’ve given us fans many excellent Doctor Who reunions over the years. The Fifth Doctor reunited with many of his first incarnation’s companions in The Five Companions. In 2014, the Sixth Doctor reunited with Peri after the events of The Trial of a Time Lord in The Widow’s Assassin. And in 2009, over four decades after he left her behind in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the Doctor finally came back for his granddaughter in An Earthly Child.

Still, there’s one Doctor Who reunion that hasn’t been done yet. And it almost seems like a missed opportunity, because it could give us quite the interesting story. In this case, it isn’t a reunion between a Doctor and his companion that I want to see (or rather hear). Instead, it’s a reunion with someone who once shot him: Commander Maxil, who first appeared in Arc of Infinity.

Commander Maxil

For those of you who don’t know about the character, Commander Maxil was a member of the Chancellery Guard on Gallifrey. During Arc of Infinity, the Fifth Doctor was targeted by a creature of anti-matter from another universe so that it could cross into ours. Because this force was so dangerous, its very existence risked destroying our universe. As a result, the Time Lords sentenced the Doctor to death. When the sentence seemed to be carried out, Maxil seemed only too pleased.

Now, Maxil is admittedly a very minor character. He’s only appeared on television in Arc of Infinity, and even in that story, he was nowhere near the main threat.

So why should he be reunited with the Doctor? And why should it be specifically the Sixth Doctor? Because of who originally played Maxil: a little known actor called Colin Baker…

Why this should happen

There are a couple of reasons why I want this reunion to happen. Firstly, there’s the potential for some really interesting storytelling. When Maxil discovers what the Doctor looks like in his sixth incarnation, the reaction could provide both a great deal of humor and drama. On top of that, we could get a reason why the Doctor subconsciously wanted to look like someone who shot him.

Another reason I want this to happen: Colin Baker. Colin Baker’s a brilliantly talented actor, and one of the best examples of this was in The Wrong Doctors, where he played two versions of the Sixth Doctor. The older Doctor’s reaction to meeting his younger, more arrogant self is priceless, and Baker really convinces you that you’re hearing two people instead of just one.

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This could work equally well if he played both the Sixth Doctor and Maxil at the same time. Two very strong, but also very different personalities clashing would be an excellent challenge for him, and he could definitely make it work.

Best of all, it wouldn’t be the first time that he’s played the role on audio. In a couple of episodes of Gallifrey, Maxil made one or two cameo appearances, with Colin Baker still voicing the role. So he could easily slip back into it, if he wanted to.

Maxil meeting the Sixth Doctor wouldn’t necessarily be the biggest reunion in Doctor Who history. But it could be an awful lot of fun, and it would give Colin Baker another excuse to show off just how brilliant he really is.

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Would you like to hear Maxil meet the Sixth Doctor? What do you think his reaction would be to a Time Lord criminal wearing his face? Do you think there’s a reason why the Doctor chose to look like him when he regenerated, even subconsciously? Let us know in the comments below.

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