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Peter Davison Has Scrapped Plans for a 60th Anniversary Follow-Up to The Five(Ish) Doctors

Peter Davison has revealed that he had planned to do a sequel to his 50th anniversary hit, The Five(Ish) Doctors Reboot, but has scrapped after feedback from peers.

The Fifth Doctor actor said:

“I came up with an idea. It was deemed, by those I showed it to, as utterly unacceptable, although I thought it was very funny!

“It’s a different world now. And I am always – I wouldn’t say – pushing the boundaries. My sense of humour is maybe a little out of sync with the sense of humour that now exists…”

Reflecting on The Five(Ish) Doctors Reboot, which starred a number of Doctors and companions alongside guest stars, Peter’s wife, writer Elizabeth Morton, enthused:

“It was so perfect, and it just evolved – it started off so small, Peter was just going to film it himself. But the whole thing became – suddenly you’d go, ‘Ian McKellen has agreed to be in it!’ Peter Jackson said, ‘Pop by!’ It was phenomenal.

“To get that perfect storm, I think it would diminish the original Five(ish) Doctors if you tried to do it again.”

And Peter agreed:

“I wouldn’t have wanted to do it anyway unless I thought it could be as good, or better…

“So, in the end, it became very clear to me that there were too many compromises I’d be asked to make in the making of it and I thought it just best to leave it alone – because the original was perfect!”

Sad, really, considering the reception The Five(Ish) Doctors Reboot got back in 2013; we could’ve had a follow-up, but alas, comedy has, perhaps, moved in a different direction right now. Maybe we’ll see something for the 70th or 75th anniversary…

Philip Bates

Editor and co-founder of the Doctor Who Companion. When he’s not watching television, reading books ‘n’ Marvel comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to be a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything. Writer of The Black Archive: The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang, The Silver Archive: The Stone Tape, and 100 Objects of Doctor Who.

Peter Davison Has Scrapped Plans for a 60th Anniversary Follow-Up to The Five(Ish) Doctors

by Philip Bates time to read: 1 min
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