AAIT&S's Jacqueline Hill to play Barbara for Big Finish

[StCoop]

Jemma Powell who played Jacqueline Hill in An Adventure In Time And Space has been cast by Big Finish to appear as Barbara in their Early Adventures range. Which I'd say must be a bit odd for everyone considering she'll be acting with William Russell and Carole Ann Ford.

They'd actually announced a couple of months ago that they'd recast Ben for thier Second Doctor stories and no offence to the memory of Michael Craze but I'd definitely call this a much bigger deal.

I suppose the real question is what is the cut-off point of acceptability for this practice? Would people accept a recast Sarah-Jane? Should they give Sean Pertwee a call?

 

[Nightowl1701]

It's inevitable, I'd say. We're on borrowed time with all our surviving First-Third Doctor companions (and surviving Doctors) at this point - hell, we're only one more death away (Katy Manning, and no disrespect to Richard Franklin) from no more Third Doctor stories ever. I don't see the Missing Adventures/Short Trips novel lines coming back anytime soon. Unless/Until the BBC allows BF access to the reboot era, they've got to make do.

I think the people would accept recast Doctors/companions provided a) the families of the people being recast gave the ok and b) the surviving Doctors/companions gave their blessing to the recast. Of course, being able to effectively nail the original voice/performance on audio is a must.

 

[Christopher]

Isn't it An Adventure in Space and Time, not Time and Space?

And I'd love to see or hear Sean Pertwee play the Third Doctor. He sounds uncannily like his father, and when I saw him recently in The Musketeers with long hair, I felt he looked uncannily like him as well. But there could be reasons why a son would be reluctant to go back into his father's shadow after working hard to build a career outside of it, so I'd understand if he didn't want to play the role.

Recasting Sarah Jane...? Maybe it's a few years too soon for that.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I'm torn on this just as I'm still torn on the recasting of Ben. I admit that I love both William Russel's and Peter Purves' takes on William Hartnell as we as Frazer Hines' take on Patrick Troughton, and didn't mind Tim Treloar's take on Jon Pertwee in The Light at the End, although it wasn't on the same level as the other three.

Someone at GallifreyBase mentioned that he/she has no problem with either recasting (or the Doctors) but would be completely against recasting Sarah Jane, Harry or Romana I (and I would extend this to the Brigadier), and remarked on the strangeness of this contradiction. I find myself in the same position and wonder, as this person did, that it might have something to do with growing up with The Fourth Doctor? I've seen every existing episode and animations and fan reconstructions of the missing episodes, so it's not like I haven't seen as much of the earlier Doctors, but it seems nostalgia might be playing a large part in my own hypocrisy.

And I'd love to see or hear Sean Pertwee play the Third Doctor. He sounds uncannily like his father, and when I saw him recently in The Musketeers with long hair, I felt he looked uncannily like him as well. But there could be reasons why a son would be reluctant to go back into his father's shadow after working hard to build a career outside of it, so I'd understand if he didn't want to play the role.

He has repeatedly stated over the years that he has no interest in recreating his father's role.

 

[Christopher]

I'm torn on this just as I'm still torn on the recasting of Ben. I admit that I love both William Russel's and Peter Purves' takes on William Hartnell as we as Frazer Hines' take on Patrick Troughton, and didn't mind Tim Treloar's take on Jon Pertwee in The Light at the End, although it wasn't on the same level as the other three.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more use of John Guilor, who did a stunningly good Hartnell impression in the reconstruction of "Planet of Giants" and also did his voice in "The Day of the Doctor."

And I'd love to see or hear Sean Pertwee play the Third Doctor....

He has repeatedly stated over the years that he has no interest in recreating his father's role.

I'm not surprised, and I can understand his preference. But I am disappointed, because he'd be so uncannily perfect for it.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I really don't hear a resemblance between the Pertwees at all. I see it, yes, but don't hear it.

Just like the young Brandon Lee declined the chance to star in Dragon: the Bruce Lee story, I can see why Sean in the past wouldn't want to reprise his father's best known role (sorry Wurzel). But now he's about 50 or so, with a successful acting career of his own of about 1/2 a century under his belt, about to embark on potentially the biggest acting role of his career (Alfred in Gotham), I think fears about being under his father's shadow must be less pressing. Besides which, realistically, a Big Finish audio drama will escape the attention of the vast majority of people.

That's not to say that he will do it, just that it's now possible that he's less set against it than he once was. Never say never and all that.

 

[Christopher]

I really don't hear a resemblance between the Pertwees at all. I see it, yes, but don't hear it.

It's interesting how different people's awareness focuses on different aspects of voices or music, leading them to perceive them quite differently. Play two pieces of music with the same rhythm and chord structure but different melodies, and some people will swear they're the same music and others will hear no resemblance at all.

I am aware of differences between the two Pertwees' voices; Sean's is rougher, a little deeper, and generally more Cockney (I think). But it's a variation on the same basic vocal quality, to my ear. Moreover, the cadence, the rhythm of his voice and the way he delivers his words, is uncannily like his father's. I find that's often the case with parents and children, that they speak with the same rhythm and intonation. (I know I sometimes hear my father in my own speech. I often wonder how much of that is genetic and how much is just because we learn to speak by hearing our parents talk.) So I think that if Sean Pertwee wanted to, he could do a really good imitation of his father -- certainly better than anyone else probably could.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

What I find amusing about this situation is, they'll go through the trouble of recasting the companions, but not the Doctors themselves. Seriously, I could understand for the Companion Chronicles - it made sense for that format - but for an Early Adventures scenario, it makes little sense to cast a full audio drama but the Doctors themselves.

I get that its been done out of respect for the Doctors, but personally, it takes me out of the experience to have a fully cast audio drama with Doctor just narrated through or have another actor do just an approximation of him.

 

[Kelso]

Great idea, but it seems a bit silly to pair her with 80 year old Susan and 105 year old Ian. They ought to cast an old Barbara or younger Ian and Susan, me thinks.

Unless it's part of the story that she's younger, of course.

 

[Christopher]

^Aren't Russell and Ford playing the characters at the same ages they were during their tenure with the First Doctor, though? They obviously sound older now, but they're playing their younger selves. At least, that's been the case in the audios I've heard.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Yeah, thats exactly how it is.

With the Early Adventures, either Ford or Russell will narrate the First Doctor... which is just annoying.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Narrate?

Russell and Purves have been doing complete impersonations for a while now.

Purves is slightly better.

(Yes, Carole tries to do Bill too when she's on her own. It's really quite funny.)

Carole and William were both in An Adventure in Time and Space.

Maybe they already liked Jemma?

 

[Stevil2001]

With the Early Adventures, either Ford or Russell will narrate the First Doctor... which is just annoying.

This is my preference, actually. I don't have any desire for recasting.

 

[diankra]

That's my gut feeling: it's like... Anyone suitable can play James Bond or Sherlock Holmes: but I would not be interested in having someone imitate Sean Connery, Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett. It might work (and some of Brett's last stuff was pretty dreadful and could probably be bettered by an impersonator), but... I'd sooner not.

 

[Christopher]

I think it's different with the Doctor, though, because the incarnations of the Doctor are differentiated by their particular look and sound and delivery, and that's actually part of the story rather than a matter of interpretation by the performers. So having someone play a particular incarnation of the Doctor entails having them look and sound like that incarnation. It's less like playing Sherlock Holmes and more like, say, playing JFK or Nixon.

 

[Kelso]

^Aren't Russell and Ford playing the characters at the same ages they were during their tenure with the First Doctor, though? They obviously sound older now, but they're playing their younger selves. At least, that's been the case in the audios I've heard.

That's my point. I expect that she'll sound out of place if playing a contemporary of the much older actors.

It would make more sense to have a former companion narrate the tale or play the Doctor and simply recast the lot of them if they're going to recast one.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Carole in 1963 was 25 pretending to be 16, where she already had a pretend voice for young people.

William Russell was 39 in 1963. How the hell old was he pretending to be? 30? 25?

 

[Iamnotspock]

Carole in 1963 was 25 pretending to be 16, where she already had a pretend voice for young people.

William Russell was 39 in 1963. How the hell old was he pretending to be? 30? 25?

In the early memos, when the characters were first drafted, Ian (initially called Cliff) was, I think, 27. I don't recall if Ian's age was ever stated on screen though; if not, he could have been Russell's actual age.

 

[Stevil2001]

That's my gut feeling: it's like... Anyone suitable can play James Bond or Sherlock Holmes: but I would not be interested in having someone imitate Sean Connery, Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett. It might work (and some of Brett's last stuff was pretty dreadful and could probably be bettered by an impersonator), but... I'd sooner not.

I think it's different with the Doctor, though, because the incarnations of the Doctor are differentiated by their particular look and sound and delivery, and that's actually part of the story rather than a matter of interpretation by the performers. So having someone play a particular incarnation of the Doctor entails having them look and sound like that incarnation. It's less like playing Sherlock Holmes and more like, say, playing JFK or Nixon.

I think it's not quite like that, though-- actors who play historical figures typically aren't constrained to the extent to which I think casting someone to play William Hartnell playing the Doctor would be. You're basically stuck with someone else's performance choices forever. Or, you go in your own direction, but then you lose the nostalgia factor that obviously drives these, and it's weird to mix and match. I'd rather see Big Finish reboot and replace the Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara with actors who can do their own thing than pick up a weird amalgam of new and old.