Peter Davison has expressed some confusion over recent developments in Doctor Who, which saw its first ever bi-generation late last year in a revolutionary twist for the long-running show.
Advertisement
Rather than Ncuti Gatwa's newly regenerated (or 'bi-generated') Fifteenth Doctor outright replacing his predecessor, he instead spawned out of David Tennant's Fourteenth – leaving both alive and well, with even a separate TARDIS each.
The initial response to this radical change to the show's formula was slightly mixed, with some fans excited by the storytelling opportunities and others concerned it could sap some of the emotional impact from a Doctor ending their tenure.
While speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about his new Beyond Paradise role, the conversation inevitably shifted to Doctor Who - and Davison gave his candid thoughts on the twist.
"Well, the bi-generation is an interesting concept. I don't quite know why they did that," he began. "Speaking as an actor, it might be because Russell T Davies had said that he wanted to create a kind of 'Whoniverse'.
"And the thing I don't really quite understand – I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who, but I'm not as mad a fan as, say, David Tennant – and the bi-generation basically apparently means that my Doctor still exists."
Davison continued: "So I can be brought back at any point, even as my older self, to do a Doctor Who story. I think that was the intention.
David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who. BBC Studios
"He caught the ire of a few of the fans because of this very fact, that it suddenly meant no Doctor ever actually regenerated. There was always just another one grew out of them."
The actor went on to admit that he is "quite a few seasons behind" on Doctor Who, having stopped watching after his sons left home for university, but he'd heard that the 60th anniversary specials had been "fun".
Davison added: "David, when he first did Doctor Who, did it because he was a big fan of the series, even though his career was going well.
"And I think he came back because he just couldn't resist coming back. He wanted to be the Tenth and the Fourteenth Doctor."
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
