Sylvester McCoy is set to tell his amazing life story in the very first feature film from Film Stories.

The Seventh Doctor actor turned 80 a couple of days ago (happy belated birthday, Sylv!), and he’s celebrating with Sylvester: Who’s The Real McCoy?, in which he explores his youth growing up in Dunoon, his training to be a priest, and how he made the jump from working in the city of London to a life of performance.

There are the adventures in the Ken Campbell Roadshow, his journeys around the world, and – of course – his life as the lead in Doctor Who, and his time in Middle Earth across The Hobbit movies.

Sylvester also candidly tells the story of losing his father just before he was born, his mother’s mental health battles, and growing up with family members in the absence of his parents.

The film is centred around a specially-filmed new interview and conversation with Sylvester, as well as materials from his personal archive. In true Time and the Rani fashion, he’s likely to play the spoons in the film too!

It’s the first time Sylvester has released any kind of memoir, and this is a pretty interesting way to do it!

We couldn’t be happier actually. Sylv is just a wonderful guy — very underrated as an actor and as the Doctor. He deserves so much love and support from the Doctor Who fanbase, as well as from the wider population because he’s a true treasure. As you might’ve guessed, I’ve met him and, as, in truth, he’s one of my favourite Doctors, he really lived up to expectations. So this will be a real treat.

Sylvester: Who’s The Real McCoy? is a Film Stories and Whynow production, executive produced by Sylvester McCoy and Clare Eden, and produced and directed by Simon Brew.

It’s currently in post-production, and release details will be announced soon, so stay tuned!