REGENERATION GAME: WHY SYLVESTER’S BACKING JODIE
A Joke Upper Theatre, theSpace on Niddry St, Edinburgh, Aug 14-26
SYLVESTER McCOY might have been on another continent when the next Doctor Who was announced, but that didn’t stop him from hearing all about it.
Such was the furore over a woman taking on the iconic role that it made headlines everywhere.
McCoy, the seventh Doctor in the long-running series, is fully behind the casting of Jodie Whittaker – now that he’s over the shock.
“Now that it’s happened, I’m really looking forward to it,” said Sylvester. “It’s a wonderful and dramatic change.
“I wasn’t that keen when asked before. Having been the Doctor, it’s strange that I’ll now be a woman.
“I sent my congratulations to Jodie through social media, saying it was one small step for woman and one giant leap for womankind.
“It’s such a cash cow for the BBC that I didn’t think they would be so adventurous, so I was surprised but I’m fully behind it. I’m looking forward to it.
“I know Colin Baker is very supportive of the appointment, while Peter Davison is not so supportive.”
The casting announcement was met with vitriol among a section of fans, but Sylvester admits there has often been opposition to change from some quarters.
“There is a group of fans who are quite conservative towards change, so it doesn’t surprise me that people are getting upset, but they do get over it.
“To begin with they might be watching from behind the couch, then they’ll be watching it with one eye, and then two eyes while sitting on the edge of the couch!”
Sylvester has just returned to the UK after an epic month-long trip that took him around the world.
As he speaks to iN10, he’s still trying to recover from a bout of jetlag.
“I started in London and flew to Bangkok, where my son and his wife work, and then I went to Melbourne in Australia for a fan convention,” Sylvester recalled.
“From there I went to Auckland and then on to America.
“After spending time in Los Angeles, I flew to Chicago and on to Connecticut for a convention. While I was there I visited Mark Twain’s house, which was the best part of the trip because I’m a huge fan.
“I then took a train from New York to Orlando, and finally I went on a cruise to Aruba in the Caribbean.”
Although Doctor Who is his most famous role, Sylvester has had a varied career and remains busy.
He appeared in the blockbuster Hobbit trilogy and currently guest stars in Netflix series, Sense8.
“A producer on Doctor Who once said I’d done everything in the business, from busking to street theatre to film, except for ballet,” Sylvester laughed. “Because of my comedy falls over the years I now have metal ankles, so ballet will definitely not be happening!” Next on his itinerary is Edinburgh, where he will star in a play at the Fringe.
A Joke stars Sylvester alongside American film and TV veteran Robert Picardo and theatre actor Richard Oliver.
“It was written by Dan Freeman, who I’ve previously worked with on a number of projects, and is about a Scotsman, an Irishman and an Englishman, three guys who are wondering if they are the joke or if they’re in the joke. It’s also a dissertation on jokes and gives us a good excuse to tell lots of them – good and bad.”
Sylvester has appeared in Edinburgh many times during festival season – both at the Fringe and the International Festival.
“It’s the best place in the world to be when the festival is on,” he enthused. Sylvester, who will celebrate his 74th birthday during the Fringe, also visited his hometown of Dunoon recently for a magazine feature.
“it was great to go back and was a real trip down memory lane,” he said. “I visited my old school and the museum, which I’m in. That felt strange.
“The belt of my old English teacher was on display, which I was very familiar with.
“My hands used to have calluses from the number of times I received the belt for talking and joking around in class!”
Hopefully when it comes to A Joke, the response is much more favourable.