Sylvester McCoy on his "emotional" return to Doctor Who
"One became very nostalgic, it became emotional. It was an emotional moment."
When Sylvester McCoy was asked to return to Doctor Who for Jodie Whittaker's final ever episode, he jumped at the chance - not only to say goodbye to the Thirteenth Doctor, but also to his former companion, Ace, played by Sophie Aldred.
McCoy and Aldred starred together in the late 1980s, but their time together was cut short when Doctor Who was cancelled in 1989. In 2022, the pair returned to the show together with a host of other classic Doctors and, during an emotional scene in the special, finally had a proper goodbye.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, McCoy explained: "When we were asked to do it, I said yes immediately, I'd come back and do Jodie's last show. I also longed to work with Jodie, who is the most delightful, wonderful lady - joyful, energetic, full of bounce and vitality and talent. Great actress. It was wonderful to do it and it was great, all of us did it - we eventually got there!"
He added of his scenes with Aldred: "It was nicely written, wasn't it?
"That was very nice to do. Sophie had the hardest job because she was up a mountain in a cave talking to a brick wall. She most likely didn't notice the difference between acting with me and talking to this brick wall! Anyway she had to imagine I was there and I was in the studio later.
"As luck would have it, Sophie was around and she came and fed me the lines, so I had an easier job because I was actually looking into Sophie's eyes while I was acting with her. One became very nostalgic, it became emotional. It was an emotional moment."
Asked if it meant a lot to finally have that closure to his time on the show, McCoy added: "Yes it did - to say goodbye to Sophie, really. But we'll still be Ace. That was a good line, that!"
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McCoy, who turned 80 earlier this year, starred alongside fellow Doctors Colin Baker, Peter Davison, David Bradley and Paul McGann, as well as Aldred and Janet Fielding (Tegan) in Jodie Whittaker's final episode.
The explosive special saw Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor regenerate into David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor, gearing up for the upcoming 60th anniversary specials in November.
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Authors
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
