Buckingham Palace has had its share of intruder alerts over the years, but never has royal security been threatened by anything as formidable as a Dalek – until today.
Thankfully, no fewer than four Doctor Whos materialised to prevent the Queen being exterminated as they attended a reception to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the BBC series.
Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Matt Smith and John Hurt – who plays a previously unknown “dark” incarnation of the Time Lord in this weekend’s anniversary edition – were among the guests invited to the Palace by the Countess of Wessex.
The Countess of Wessex confessed to being frightened by Daleks when she was younger (EDDIE MULHOLLAND FOR THE TELEGRAPH)
The Countess told the four Doctors that she was a fan of the series as a child, watching it with her brother, David, though she insisted she was “braver than him”.
Related ArticlesDoctor Who's 50 best stories: 20-11
18 Nov 2013Australian MP proposes Doctor Who be filmed in Australia
18 Nov 2013Who is the most popular Time Lord?
16 Nov 2013Tom Baker, 79, who played the Doctor from 1974 to 1981, said: “She told me I was her favourite Doctor, which is very thrilling and very flattering and I will probably never recover.”
The Countess looked delighted to meet K9 (EDDIE MULHOLLAND FOR THE TELEGRAPH)
Smith, 31, said the Countess had told him “she was frightened by the Daleks when she was a kid”, while Davison, 62, said the sight of two Daleks and a Tardis in the Bow Room of Buckingham Palace was “the most incongruous thing I’ve ever seen”.
On Saturday the anniversary episode will be broadcast simultaneously in 84 countries, and Smith, 31, who bows out as the Doctor later this year, admitted that being reunited with cast and crew members brought home to him the fact that he had moved on.
Attending the reception with his mother Lynne, he said: “Just seeing my old friends that I work with and the kids and the Daleks here and you think it was a great job, but I left. No use crying over spilt milk.
Trying out a sonic screwdriver (EDDIE MULHOLLAND FOR THE TELEGRAPH)
“Who knows, in 50 years if they will let me come back, I will.
“As of Christmas Day it’s on to Peter (Capaldi). I wish him all the best.”
Baker, who still plays the Doctor in audio adventures, said: “Everything else after playing the Doctor is a downer. He is a hero, but do-gooders are frightful bores, whereas the Doctor is a do-gooder who’s whimsical and funny and children can identify with and is naughty sometimes, and silly sometimes.”
Sophie Wessex during the reception (EDDIE MULHOLLAND FOR THE TELEGRAPH)
Hurt, 73, said: “I hadn’t realised before I got to play the Doctor just how huge it has become. I thought it would be amusing to do it, and thought it had cult status, but it has gone mainstream, it is shown in so many countries.
“My involvement was just a one-off but I can see how it would be incredibly addictive.”
Asked if there was friendly rivalry between the actors who have played the Doctor in his 13 incarnations, Davison, 62, said: “I think secretly we all think we are the best Doctor, but there is great camaraderie between us.”
Jenna-Louise Coleman, who plays the Doctor’s current assistant, Clara Oswald, disclosed that she has already filmed her first scenes with Peter Capaldi, who takes over as the 13th Doctor at Christmas, and “he’s definitely arrived”.
Jenna Louise Coleman, left, and Catherine Tate were among the guests (EDDIE MULHOLLAND FOR THE TELEGRAPH)
Catherine Tate, who played former assistant Donna Noble, said it was “incredible” to be celebrating the show’s 50th year, adding: “There’s a lot of people here I’ve never met, even though we’re all part of the same brand, like Tom Baker – he was my Doctor as a child.”
Lord Hall, the BBC director-general, said: “Right back to your childhood you remember things like Doctor Who that are quintessentially BBC and bring everyone together.”
Lord Hall, who told Radio Times this week that the most exciting moment of his time as head of the BBC was getting the chance to “fly” the Tardis on a visit to the set in Cardiff, added: “It keeps regenerating so I hope it will still be going for another 50 years.”
Also at the reception were children from two Cardiff schools, Gladstone Primary and Mount Stuart Primary, who entered a local competition to design a Tardis for the Queen.
The Time Lords parked the Tardis at the back of Buckingham Palace during the reception (EDDIE MULHOLLAND FOR THE TELEGRAPH)
One of the winners, Hafza Hassan, 10, had painted a gold-plated time machine with a Union flag door, which the Countess joked would be “very expensive to make”, while Emily Parnce, 11, had included a dog flap for the Queen’s corgis and an illuminated crown on the roof.
Doctor WhoNews »The Royal Family »TV and Radio »Gordon Rayner »Mobile »In Doctor Who
View the Original article
