Peter Davison

Peter: (On his children's opinion of "Doctor Who") Well, they don't know any other world in which their dad is not in Doctor Who, so they're not as impressed as their friends are. We had David Tennant around the other day and they were almost unimpressed with him, I have to say! That was really extraordinary - it was almost like he didn't exist, it was very weird. My son Louis had a birthday party and Georgia [Moffett, Davison's daughter] was coming to his party and she turned up with David Tennant and every other child in the garden was like (makes shocked face), but my children were like 'I've met him before'.

Peter: (On whether "All Creatures Great and Small" could come back) There was a chance - somebody dug up an old All Creatures Great And Small script but [the BBC] didn't seem keen on doing it. Maybe they just thought we were too decrepit, I don't know! But they found an old Christmas episode which they'd never done, which had been commissioned by Johnny Byrne, who has since died, sadly. But the BBC didn't seem to be keen on it at that particular moment, although I thought it would be rather a good story. It was about a year and a half ago.

Peter: (about the 'Big Finish' Radio plays) I certainly think the writing, as a generalisation, is better. There were some very suspect scripts we did, knocked off by TV writers who'd turn their hand to anything. Fair enough, but they weren't science fiction fans. You do get the impression, both with the television series now and Big Finish, that they are fans of science fiction and that's why they are doing those stories.

Peter: I must admit I'm a bit old-fashioned and just wait for things to turn up. I really love getting offered a job - although I don't believe it's true until the costume designer rings me up.

Peter: A drama student is a fantastic thing to be because you can prance around in a long coat, carrying a script under your arm. Then a brutal thing happens - you leave, and realise you are at the bottom of the heap.

(on whether he would return to "Doctor Who" for a longer stint) Peter: Oh, absolutely. I don't think it would happen - I have to be straight on that, because it sounds as if I'm prophesying about it, which I'm not. I can't think of a reason why I would say 'Sorry, I don't want to be in one of the most successful television series ever'. I think it's unlikely. I loved doing Time Crash, but I don't know it would go any further. Unless there's a spin-off for old codgers roaming around the universe!

(on his daughter Georgia getting a part in "Doctor Who") Peter: I was very pleased for her. People think she got it because of me. I think she got it despite me. I think they had to think very carefully they cast her, as people would say 'oh, it's Doctor Who's daughter', but she's a great actress. I'm looking forward to it.

Peter: Dangerous Davies is an unassuming detective, who seems unfazed by anything that is thrown at him. In a way, he is my ideal, because I have to confess I do get irate at times, especially when I'm driving in traffic.

Peter: (On doing Time Crash) I loved it. When I got into my costume, which they created - most of it was real, though they had to buy another hat – I felt a bit out of place, because I felt that my costume was designed to be overly 'BBC Television Centre Studio', and suddenly I was on this proper atmospheric set. David was dressed in this cool dark outfit, suit and tie, stuff like that, and I was in pyjamaed Victorian garb, hat…so it took me a bit of time to get used to that. But once I got into it I had a great time doing it. He was a bit in awe of me because I was 'his' Doctor, I was in awe of him because he's a terrific actor and I was on his territory. So in a way it kind of balanced out. There was that wonderful moment you always kind of get at the read-through; people first of all brace time by showing off the set and saying 'First of all we'll start out here, and then this is the way up' and so on, and then eventually they say 'Okay, shall we just try a run-through of the lines?' . And the moment you run through the lines, it's great. It was all very quick. The only thing I felt about it was that we are both so quick in terms of speed...I timed it at something like ten minutes and it ended up as just under eight minutes - we just zipped through it.

Peter: Mine was Patrick Troughton, yes. I had a similar experience of being in awe when Pat was in The Five Doctors - he, more than Jon Pertwee, was my Doctor.

(on his young sons' view of the new "Doctor Who") Peter: They reckon the new Doctor Who is too scary and asked if they could watch Daddy playing him instead. Although in fact, I'd say that was a compliment to the new series, as it implies that my episodes weren't scary at all and they merely wanted to be comforted by them.

Peter: (on appearing in "Spamalot" in the West End) I'm still taken aback when I come on and take a bow at the end of the curtain call as the star of the show, I think a lot of my friends and family would laugh – well, have laughed – hysterically at the idea of me starring in a West End musical. It's not really what I would have imagined myself doing.

Peter: (On "Doctor Who") It is really no surprise to me that the programme has been going for such a long time. It is unstoppable now, I think, and has a vast following that just goes on increasing all the time.

Peter: I see my Doctor as well meaning, although he doesn't always act for the best. But his overriding consideration is still to sort out whatever problem he is faced with as best he can. He may even endanger his companions in doing this. And he always starts out being polite - but usually gets less and less so as disaster looms!

Peter: My total view of Doctor Who is that I am playing a part. However, I realise that there is a lot more to it than just acting on the screen. You somehow take on the mantle of the Doctor and a kind of instant charisma goes with the job.

Peter: I was a fan of the Doctor Who programme from the start and it had a very big impact on me. Along with millions of other children I used to hide behind the sofa every Saturday evening. The stories used to terrify me and even now I can still vividly remember certain parts, in particular, the Hartnell-Troughton eras.