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Sylvester McCoy

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Sylvester McCoy
BornPercy James Patrick Kent-Smith
(1943-08-20) 20 August 1943 (age 81)
Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
ThriftActor, pheesical comedian
Years active1965–nou
TeleveesionDoctor Who (1987–1989, 1996)
Wabsteid
www.sylvestermccoy.tv

Sylvester McCoy (born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith; 20 August 1943) is a Scots actor an pheesical comedian.[1] He is maist faur ben fur playin the Sevent incarnation o the Doctor in the lang-winnin science fiction television series Doctor Who frae 1987 tae 1989—the last Doctor frae the oreeginal run—an makkin a wee comeback in a television fillum in 1996. He is kent fur his wark as Radagast in The Hobbit fillum series (2012—2014) an aw.

Early life

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McCoy wis born as Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith in Dunoon,[2] on the Cowal peninsula, tae an Irish mither an an Inglis faither thit wis killt in action in Warld War II a coople o month afore his son wis born. His maternal grandmother wis frae Portadown, Northern Ireland. He wis broucht up religious, but is nou an atheist.[3]

He wis maistlins broucht up in Dunoon,[4] whaur he went tae St. Mun's Schuil. Efter, he studied fur the priesthood at Blairs College, a seminary in Aiberdeen frae age 12 til 16, but he gied this up an kept gaun tae Dunoon Grammar School.

Efter he left schuil he muived tae Lunnon whaur he wirkit in the insurance industry fur five year. He wirked in The Roundhouse box office fur a time, whaur he wis diskivert bi Ken Campbell.[5]

Early wark

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McCoy in 2014

McCoy became kenspeckle as a memmer o the experimental theatre troupe "The Ken Campbell Roadshow". His best kent act wis a stuntman chairacter cried "Sylveste McCoy" in a play cried An Evening with Sylveste McCoy (Scots: An evenin wi Sylveste McCoy), the name wis came up wi bi actor Brian Murphy, pairt o the Roadshow at the time, whaur his stunts includit pittin a fork an nails up his nose an stuffin ferrets doun his breeks, an setting his heid on fire. As a joke, the programme notes haed Sylveste McCoy as played bi "Sylveste McCoy" an, efter a reviewer missed the joke an thocht thit Sylveste McCoy wis a real body, Kent-Smith adoptit this as his stage name. Some years efter, McCoy pit in "r" tae the end o "Sylveste", pairtly acause o the actors' superstition thit a stage name wi thirteen letters wisnae lucky.

Weel kent television appearances afore he gat the role o the Doctor includit roles in Vision On (whaur he played Pepe/Epep, a chairacter thit bade in the mirror), an O-Man in Jigsaw an Tiswas. Ivery episode frae the innovative ATV schuils maths programme Leapfrog featurt Sylveste (sic) as "Bert" in wirdless sequences filmed oot o doors, as he tried tae pit thegither ordinar geometric patterns frae sindry amoonts o logs or carpet squares. He wis in Eureka an aw, aften sufferin frae the inventions o Wilf Lunn an as Wart, assistant tae StarStrider in the CITV series wi the same name. McCoy portrayed twa famous film comedians an aw: Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton, in ane-man shaws on the stage. He wis Henry "Birdie" Bowers in the 1985 television serial aboot Scott's last Antarctic expedition, The Last Place on Earth an aw.

McCoy haed a smaw role in the 1979 film Dracula an aw, opposite Laurence Olivier an Donald Pleasence, an haes sang wi the Welsh National Opera.

Doctor Who

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Wi Sophie Aldred durin filmin o Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)

McCoy wis the Sevent Doctor efter taen ower the lead role in Doctor Who in 1987 frae Colin Baker. He wis on the series until it endit in 1989, endin wi Survival. As Baker didnae want tae film the regeneration scene, McCoy wore a wig fur a wee bit an appeared, face-doun until the last maument afore the regeneration stairtit, as the saxt Doctor. He played the Doctor in the 1993 chairity special Dimensions in Time, an again in 1996, at the stairt o the Doctor Who television film starrin Paul McGann as the Eicht Doctor.

In his first series, McCoy, a comedy actor, played the chiaracter wi a bit o clown-like humour, but script editor Andrew Cartmel suin efter chynged that whan fans argied thit the chairacter (an plots) wis gittin mair lichtweicht. The Sevent Doctor turnt intae a faur daurker feegur nor ony o his earlier incarnations, manipulatin fowk like chess pieces an aye seemin tae be playin a deeper gemm. A featur frae McCoy's performances thit stuid oot wis his wey o tawkin. He uised his naitural slicht Scots tuin an rowed his rs. At the stairt o his tenure he uised proverbs an sayings chynged tae his ain ends (e.g. "Thare's mony a slap twixt cup an lap" – Delta and the Bannermen), awtho this chairacteristic was duin awa wi slaw-like durin the later, daurker series o his tenure. In 1990, readers o Doctor Who Magazine votit McCoy's Doctor "Best Doctor", ower lang rinnin favourite Tom Baker. Frae 1999 he haes kept on actin in the role o the Sevent Doctor in a series o audio plays fur Big Finish Productions.

Peter Davison, McCoy an Colin Baker at the Doctor Who 50t Anniversary Celebration Weekend.

In November 2013 McCoy wis in the ane-aff 50t anniversary comedy homage The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

In Januar 2021, Sylvester McCoy went back tae his role as 'The Doctor' alang wi Bonnie Langford, in 'A Business Proposal for Mel!' This short, actin like an annooncement trailer ftr 'The Collection: Season 24' Blu-Ray set, thit wis due tae be oot later that year.

Later wark

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McCoy's roles on the television efter Doctor Who includit Michael Sams in the 1997 drama Beyond Fear (Scots: Ayont Fear), thit wis pit on the first nicht broadcastin o Channel 5. He came back tae play the Sevent Doctor in a series o audio plays bi Big Finish Productions an aw. In 1988, while he wis still in Doctor Who, McCoy presentit a BBC children's programme cried What's Your Story? (Scots: Whit's yer story?), whaur viewers haed an inveet tae phone in suggestions fur the continuin o an ongaun drama.

He haes acted aw ower theatre in productions sic as pantomimes an Molières. He played as Grandpa Jock in John McGrath's A Satire of the Four Estaites (1996) at the Edinburgh Festival. He haed the role fur Snuff in the macabre BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Cabaret of Dr Caligari.

McCoy missed oot on a role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl[6] an wis the seicont chyce tae play the role o Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.[5] In 1991, he presentit the Doctor Who video documentary ootpit The Hartnell Years shawin aff chysen episodes o missin stories frae the First Doctor's era.

McCoy wis as the lawyer Dowling in the BBC's Henry Fielding's novel, The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling. In 2001 he wis Paul Sellar's asylum comedy "The Dead Move Fast" (Scots: The Deic Muive Fest) at the Gilded Balloon as pairt o the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, playin the role o Doctor Mallinson. In 2012 he haed the part o the suicidal Mr. Peters in JC Marshall's play, Plume, at the Tron Theatre in Glesga.[7]

McCoy performin wi Sandi Toksvig in The Lovely Russell Concert in Juin 2008

McCoy haes appeared wi the Royal Shakespeare Company in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Scots: The Lion, the Witch an the Press) an in King Lear in 2007, playin the Fool tae Ian McKellen's Lear,[8] a performance thit made uise o McCoy's spuin-playin. The RSC production wi McKellen an McCoy was pit on in Melbourne, in late Julie/early August 2007 an Wellington an Auckland, New Zealand, in mid tae late August 2007. Thare wis a rin o shaws at the New Lunnon Theatre in late 2007, endin in Januar 2008. He went back tae the role fur the 2008 television film.[9]

In Mey 2008 he wirkit wi the Carl Rosa Opera Company in a production o Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, playin the title role. He anely performt wi the company fur a wee bit, fur the week o the shaw's rin performin at the Sheffield Lyceum. In spite o bein set in Japan, he coud shaw aff his spuin-playin abeelity bi uisin his fan. In 2009 McCoy wis Mcor. Mushnik in the Chocolate Factory's production o Little Shop of Horrors.[10]

He haes haed guest appearances in ither television series an aw, sic as The Bill, the Rab C. Nesbitt episode "Father" as Rab's mentally ill brother Gash Sr.[11] an the Still Game episode "Oot", whaur he played a hermit-teep o chairacter chyngin tae life in modren Glesga, hivin stayed in his hoose for ower 30 year. In October 2008, he haed a wee guest role as an injurt ventriloquist on Casualty. In the same month, McCoy guest starred in an episode o the BBC soap Doctors, as an actor thit played the time-travelling hero ane time in a bairns' television series cried "The Amazing Lollipop Man". The role wis wrocht in homage tae McCoy.[12][13]

In Januar an Februar 2016, McCoy wis in a three-pairt BBC series cried The Real Marigold Hotel, thit follaed a group o famous auld fowk includin Miriam Margolyes an Wayne Sleep on a vaiage tae India.

In 2017 he went back tae the stage at the Edinburgh Fringe, in the production A Joke alangside Star Trek:Voyager actor Robert Picardo.

Video gemms

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McCoy returnt tae the role o the Sevent Doctor in 1997, recordin new soond clips fur the video gemm Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors.

The Hobbit trilogy

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McCoy stairtit filmin fur The Hobbit, A three-pairt adaptin o the beuk, in 2011. He plays the wizard Radagast,[14] alang wi fellae King Lear actor Ian McKellen thit went back tae his role as Gandalf.

Awtho the chairacter o Radagast is anely alludit tae in The Hobbit, an juist a minor character in The Lord of the Rings, the pairt was expandit fur the films.

Personal life

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McCoy an his wife, Agnes, hiv a dauchter an twa sons, ane o thaim is Sam Kent-Smith, a 3D airtist thit wirkit on the Doctor Who video gemm Return to Earth.[15]

Filmographie

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Year Title Role Notes
1979 Dracula Walter As Sylveste McCoy
All the Fun of the Fair Scotch Jack
1987 Three Kinds of Heat Harry Pimm
1995 Leapin' Leprechauns! Flynn
1996 Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns Flynn
2000 The Mumbo Jumbo Mr. Tallman
2002 The Shieling of the One Night Fergus
2004 Griffin Grim
2006 The Battersea Ripper Duncan
2008 Pass Them On The Administrator
2009 The Academy Felix
The Academy Part 2: First Impressions Felix
2010 Punk Strut: The Movie DJ
2012 Eldorado General Zwick
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Radagast
2013 The Christmas Candle Edward Haddington
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Radagast
Quest: A Tall Tale Ardan
2014 The Seventeenth Kind Rusty
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Radagast
2015 The Last Conjuror Arthur Roberts
2017 Slumber Amado
2020 The Owners Dr. Richard Huggins
Lost at Christmas Ernie

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1965 Vision On Various
1973 Roberts Robots Robot Entertainer Episode: "Dial C for Chaos"
1975 Lucky Feller Sylveste Pilot episode
1977 For the Love of Albert Cast Memmer No kent episodes
1978 Leapfrog Bert Aw 28 episode
1979 Jigsaw O-Man
Turning Year Tales Turps Episode: "Big Jim and the Figaro Club"
Jackanory Reader Episode: "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
The Secret Policeman's Ball Sylveste McCoy
1980 BBC2 Playhouse Kerwin Episode: "Electric in the City"
1981 Big Jim and the Figaro Club Turps 5 episode
Tiny Revolutions Cabaret comedian TV film
Tiswas Various
1982-1986 Eureka Various All 32 episode
1984 Starstrider Wart
1985 The Last Place on Earth Lt. 'Birdie' Bowers 6 episode
No 73 Muivin man Episode: "Moving Space"
Dramarama Donald Episode: "Frog"
1987–1989 Doctor Who Sevent Doctor 42 episode
1988 What's Your Story? Narrator / Presenter
1989 The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow Sevent Doctor
1990 Search Out Science Sevent Doctor Episode "Search Out Space"
1991 Thrill Kill Video Club Spoons Video
1993 Jackanory Storyteller 2 episode
Dimensions in Time Sevent Doctor TV short
The Airzone Solution Anthony Stanwick Video
1994 Frank Stubbs Angus Episode: "Mr. Chairman"
The Zero Imperative Dr. Colin Dove Video
1996 Rab C. Nesbitt Gash Senior Episode: "Father"
Doctor Who Sevent Doctor TV film
1997 The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling Mr. Dowling 4 episode
Beyond Fear Michael Sams TV movie
1999 See It Saw It Jester 1 episode
2001 See It Saw It The Lord High Chamberlain /

Aunt Grizelda
Episode: "Courage and Adventure"
Do You Have a License to Save This Planet The Foot Doctor Video short
Casualty Kev the Rev Episode: "Life and Soul"
2001–2002 Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time The Sevent Doctor 5 episode
2002 Hollyoaks Leonard Cave 1 episode
The Bill Ian Drew Episode: "010"
2004 Still Game Archie Episode: "Oot"
2006 The Bill Morris Shaw Episode: "457"
Mayo Reverend Beaver Episode: "Late of This Parish"
2008 Great Performances The Fool Episode: "King Lear"
King Lear The Fool TV movie
Casualty Ashley Millington Episode: "The Evil That Men Do"
Doctors Graham Capelli Episode: "The Lollipop Man"
2009 Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder Nazi Doctor 1 episode
2013 The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot Sylvester McCoy
2015 Crims Mr. Dunlop Episode: "Day Thirty-Six"
2017-2018 Sense8 The Old Man of Hoy 4 episode
2017-2018 Zapped Lord Protector 3 episode
2017 Sarah & Duck Comet Episode: "Comet's Coming"
2018 Holby City Clive Brooker Episode: "All Lies Lead to the Truth"
2019 Thunderbirds Are Go Aezethril the Wizard Episode: "Endgame"

Audio drama

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Year Title Role Notes
1998–2000 The Time Travellers The Professor BBV Productions
1999–present Doctor Who: The Monthly Range Sevent Doctor

77 releases

2001 Doctor Who: Last of the Titans
Doctor Who: Death Comes To Time 5 pairt wabcast on BBCi
2002 Doctor Who: Excelis Story: Excelis Decays
2006 Doctor Who: Return of the Daleks
2007 Bernice Summerfield Story: "The Final Amendment"
2010 Doctor Who: The Four Doctors
2011 Doctor Who: The Lost Stories 4 story
2012–2016 Doctor Who: Novel Adaptations 8 story
2012 Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles Story: "Project: Nirvana"
UNIT: Dominion
Bernice Summerfield Story: "Many Happy Returns"
2013 Doctor Who: <i id="mwA20">The Light at the End</i>
2014–2015 The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 7 story
2015 The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty: The Dragon And The Raven Cedric the Shipwright
The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure Sevent Doctor Story: "The Brink of Death"
Doctor Who: Doom Coalition Story: "The Eleven"
2016 Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters Story: "Harvest of the Sycorax"
The Diary of River Song 2 story
2018 The Sevent Doctor: The New Adventures 4 story
2019 The Eighth of March Story: "The Big Blue Book"
Doctor Who: The Legacy of Time 2 story

Direck tae video

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 The Hartnell Years Presenter
1996 Bidding Adieu Hissel Documentary

Video games

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Year Title Voice role Notes
1997 Destiny of the Doctors Sevent Doctor
2015 Lego Dimensions Archive vyce

References

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  1. Muir, John Kenneth (2008). A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television [A Critical History o Doctor Who on the Telly] (in Inglis). McFarland & Co. ISBN 978-0786437160. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. MARK FISHER (1 Mairch 2012). "Interview: Sylvester McCoy, actor – Performing Arts" [Interview: Sylvester McCoy, actor – Performin Airts] (in Inglis). Scotsman.com. Archived frae the original on 27 Apryle 2012. Retrieved 16 Mairch 2012.
  3. So you believed in God back then? "I did, yeah" And do you now? "No, I think it's awful", Doctor Who Magazine, 19 August 2010.
  4. "Sylvester McCoy Says ..." The Sci-Fi Sea Cruise website (in Inglis). Retrieved 3 Februar 2007.
  5. a b "People buy Doctor Who drinks" [Fowk buy Doctor Who drinks]. icBerkshire (in Inglis). Trinity Mirror. 3 Apryle 2003. Archived frae the original on 15 Januar 2007. Retrieved 30 Mey 2011.
  6. Courtney, Kevin (15 September 2012). "Then & now Sylvester Mccoy, actor". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  7. Fisher, Mark (5 Mairch 2012). "Plume – review". The Guardian (in Inglis). Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 17 Apryle 2017.
  8. "King Lear – cast list". RSC web site (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 9 Mairch 2007. Retrieved 16 Mairch 2007.
  9. Higgins, Charlotte (26 November 2008). "Ian McKellen's King Lear to ring in the Christmas cheer for Channel 4" [Ian McKellen's Keeng Lear tae ring in the Christmas cheer fur Channel 4]. The Guardian (in Inglis). Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  10. "Little Shop of Horrors (Mon 4 – Sat 9 May 2009)" (in Inglis). Liverpool Empire. Retrieved 30 Apryle 2014.
  11. "Father, Series 5, Rab C Nesbitt – BBC Two". BBC (in Inglis). Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  12. "BBC One Programmes – Doctors, Series 10, "The Lollipop Man"" (in Inglis). BBC. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  13. David, Semple. "How I brought back Sylvester McCoy as Doctor Who" [Hou a broucht back Sylvester McCoy as Doctor Who]. Den of Geek (in Inglis). Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  14. "Sylvester McCoy Is Radagast the Brown". Filmonic (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
  15. KnowledgeBase. "Doctor Who: Return to Earth" (in Inglis). VGFacts. Archived frae the original on 15 Juin 2021. Retrieved 20 Januar 2017.