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Why does there seem to be a bias against Sean Pertwee?

starsuperion

Commodore
Commodore
So I have seen work by Sean Pertwee lately, and revisiting old interviews on youtube with his Father John Pertwee.. I kept thinking, Sean has made his intentions towards playing the role of the Doctor known for some time now, atleast since 2007 as far as I know. So why does there seem to be this inherent bias against him playing the role? I mean, I have seen his acting, and he's actually quite exceptional. In the latest special where the 11th doctor met the former 4th Doctor Tom Baker, the plot was left open that there could be a revisiting of old faces, now Sean isn't necessarily a dead ringer for his father, but I would call 95% pretty close. So what's the deal? Why the snub? If anyone here knows please enlighten me on the subject. John Pertwee was one of my most favorite Doctor's that I didn't know about until the DVD era. I was unaware of his performances, and just how wonderful his stories were, and in some cases his great battles with the Master, and in his era, there was the introduction of Omega, UNIT, sarah Jane smith, and more!
 
Perhaps he wasn't the right fit for the part of the specific Doctor they were casting at that given time?
 
I understood he didn't want to play his fathers Doctor.

He'd certainly be a great choice...
 
I understood he didn't want to play his fathers Doctor.

He'd certainly be a great choice...

That's correct. While I believe that he has said he'd be open to playing his own Doctor, he has also made it clear that he'd be unwilling to step into his father's footsteps as a recast Third Doctor.

There's no bias against him as such - nobody has cast David, Michael or Sam Troughton as the Second Doctor or indeed a new Doctor either.

Besides, Sean is now busy as Alfred in Gotham.
 
Sean's a good actor and all, but I don't really think he wants the role his father had. Besides he's busy playing Alfred in Gotham. I wouldn't mind if he played someone different in WHO though, apart from his cameo in the comedy Fivish Doctors reunion.



The sons of Doctor actors have played non-Doctor roles in the past-David Troughton, for instance, had roles in The War Games Curse of Peladon, and Midnight. There actually was talk of him being used as the likeness for the Eighth Doctor if the New Adventures novels regenerated the Seventh, but then the TV movie came along which pretty much ended that.


Also UNIT was introduced in the Troughton era, not the Pertwee era although it certainly played a large role.
 
Perhaps he wasn't the right fit for the part of the specific Doctor they were casting at that given time?

that's true.. It does seem the choice of actor is according to the director, and producer's interest and direction of the tone of the show.

I understood he didn't want to play his fathers Doctor.

He'd certainly be a great choice...

Oh I agree, he would be smashingly Brilliant. I don't think he has to play his Father's Doctor, per se, but maybe he is a close copy to that "face" but of course, he'd be a different man inside, since he's come so far in age since his time as the 3rd..I could very much see that working.
 
Also to add: There's Georgia Moffat (Peter Davison's daughter and Tennant's wife ) as Jenny of course and McCoy's sons played Haemavores in Curse of Fenric.
 
Bottom line is, acting isn't a hereditary entitlement. It'd be nice if he turned up in DW and I'd have been all for him stepping into his Dad's cape but there are plenty of other actors out there too.
 
I think Sean himself has stated more than once that he had no interest in playing the role--none at all. There's no bias against him.
I'd love to have a guest part, but when it comes to the main role my father was too big an act to follow.

Hmm.. I hope that changes sometime down the road.. He does like Capaldi. I wonder if the Capaldi being the new Hartnell in a new series of 12 regenerations will be taking us through a retread of regenerational history.. like another actor after him basically the new Troughton, and then with fingers crossed.. a Sean Pertwee Third- Ahem.. 14!

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/sean-pertwee-my-father-was-very-fond-of-capaldi-62084.htm

Ah! the resemblance is uncanny between his father and him. Never saw Gotham.. Is it any good?
 
I hope at some point Sean and one of the Troughton boys will do a guest star spot along with David Bradley so that we could get a really 'right' 1st, 2nd and 3rd Doctor appearance.

I understand why they don't want to, but I can't help hoping...
 
I think I read an interview of Jon Pertwee that said that his son rather not play his cahracter... meaning, he'd rather his son had his own path rather than simply emulate his dad.

And I can certainly empathize with that.
 
Technically McCoy and Smith were sort of like Troughton already (Smith patterned his outfit on Troughton's instead of the 'pirate' outfit); and in publicity photos at least Capaldi seems to like to pose like Pertwee and his costume is similar in a few ways to Pertwee's original season seven outfit. Although
some of the people who have seen Deep Breath or read the scripts have likened him to the Sixth Doctor, just done better.
 
Perhaps he wasn't the right fit for the part of the specific Doctor they were casting at that given time?

Indeed, especially considering Peter Capaldi has been trying for the role since the Seventh Doctor.

Never saw Gotham.. Is it any good?

Don't know. It doesn't start airing until this fall.

Technically McCoy and Smith were sort of like Troughton already (Smith patterned his outfit on Troughton's instead of the 'pirate' outfit); and in publicity photos at least Capaldi seems to like to pose like Pertwee and his costume is similar in a few ways to Pertwee's original season seven outfit. Although
some of the people who have seen Deep Breath or read the scripts have likened him to the Sixth Doctor, just done better.

I think Capaldi himself has said his costume was in fact inspired by David Bowie rather than any of the previous Doctors.
 
There's no bias against him as such - nobody has cast David, Michael or Sam Troughton as the Second Doctor or indeed a new Doctor either.

David Troughton actually played the second Doctor in BBC Audio's Nest Cottage audios by Paul Magrs, meeting the fourth Doctor.
 
I don't think there's a bias against him so much as a lack of bias towards him. There's no inherent reason he should be a favorite - especially if he doesn't want to play his father, he wants to be a separate Doctor.

And Capaldi has been trying to be the Doctor for over twenty years, so he beats "since 2007" if we're deciding things based on how much the actor wants it.
 
There's no bias against him as such - nobody has cast David, Michael or Sam Troughton as the Second Doctor or indeed a new Doctor either.

David Troughton actually played the second Doctor in BBC Audio's Nest Cottage audios by Paul Magrs, meeting the fourth Doctor.

I don't really follow the audios TBH. But that was a nice bit of stunt casting. My point was really in relation to the TV show, though, as I suspect the original post was.
 
I don't really get the "he looks like his dad" - if you know what you are looking for you might see it but you'd never think one was the other.
 
I don't really get the "he looks like his dad" - if you know what you are looking for you might see it but you'd never think one was the other.

I don't see either, I've seen Sean Pertwee in a number of movies and TV series and I can't see how he looks like his father. And he seems to be a very type of actor too.
 
Sean Pertwee does have his father's distinctive nose, but otherwise, yeah, I agree everyone exaggerates the similarity between the two.
 
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