Sylvester McCoy

**Sylvester McCoy** (born **Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith**; 20 August 1943) is a Scots actor an pheesical comedian. He is maist weel kent fur playin the Sevent incarnation o the Doctor in the lang-winnin science fiction television series *[[Doctor Who]]* frae 1987 tae 1989—the last Doctor frae the oreeginal run—an makkin a wee comeback in a television fillum in 1996. He is kent fur his wark as Radagast in *The Hobbit* fillum series (2012—2014) an aw.

## Early life
McCoy wis born as Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith in Dunoon, on the Cowal peninsula, tae an Irish mither an an Inglis faither thit wis killt in action in Warld War II a coople o month afore his son wis born. His maternal grandmother wis frae Portadown, Northern Ireland. He wis broucht up religious, but is nou an atheist.

He wis maistlins broucht up in Dunoon, whaur he went tae St. Mun's Schuil. Efter, he studied fur the priesthood at Blairs College, a seminary in Aiberdeen frae age 12 til 16, but he gied this up an kept gaun tae Dunoon Grammar School. 

Efter he left schuil he muived tae Lunnon whaur he wirkit in the insurance industry fur five year. He wirked in The Roundhouse box office fur a time, whaur he wis diskivert bi Ken Campbell.

## Career

### Early wark

McCoy became kenspeckle as a memmer o the experimental theatre troupe "The Ken Campbell Roadshow". His best kent act wis a stuntman chairacter cried "Sylveste McCoy" in a play cried *An Evening with Sylveste McCoy* (Scots: An evenin wi Sylveste McCoy), the name wis came up wi bi actor Brian Murphy, pairt o the Roadshow at the time, whaur his stunts includit pittin a fork an nails up his nose an stuffin ferrets doun his breeks, an setting his heid on fire. As a joke, the programme notes haed Sylveste McCoy as played bi "Sylveste McCoy" an, efter a reviewer missed the joke an thocht thit Sylveste McCoy wis a real body, Kent-Smith adoptit this as his stage name. Some years efter, McCoy pit in "r" tae the end o "Sylveste", pairtly acause o the actors' superstition thit a stage name wi thirteen letters wisnae lucky.

Weel kent television appearances afore he gat the role o the Doctor includit roles in *Vision On* (whaur he played Pepe/Epep, a chairacter thit bade in the mirror), an O-Man in *Jigsaw* an *Tiswas*. Ivery episode frae the innovative ATV schuils maths programme *Leapfrog* featurt Sylveste (sic) as "Bert" in wirdless sequences filmed oot o doors, as he tried tae pit thegither ordinar geometric patterns frae sindry amoonts o logs or carpet squares. He wis in *Eureka* an aw, aften sufferin frae the inventions o Wilf Lunn an as Wart, assistant tae StarStrider in the CITV series wi the same name. McCoy portrayed twa famous film comedians an aw: Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton, in ane-man shaws on the stage. He wis Henry "Birdie" Bowers in the 1985 television serial aboot Scott's last Antarctic expedition, *The Last Place on Earth* an aw.

McCoy haed a smaw role in the 1979 film *Dracula* an aw*,* opposite Laurence Olivier an Donald Pleasence, an haes sang wi the Welsh National Opera.

### ''Doctor Who''

McCoy wis the Sevent Doctor efter taen ower the lead role in *Doctor Who* in 1987 frae Colin Baker. He wis on the series until it endit in 1989, endin wi *Survival*. As Baker didnae want tae film the regeneration scene, McCoy wore a wig fur a wee bit an appeared, face-doun until the last maument afore the regeneration stairtit, as the saxt Doctor. He played the Doctor in the 1993 chairity special *Dimensions in Time*, an again in 1996, at the stairt o the *Doctor Who* television film starrin Paul McGann as the Eicht Doctor.

In his first series, McCoy, a comedy actor, played the chiaracter wi a bit o clown-like humour, but script editor Andrew Cartmel suin efter chynged that whan fans argied thit the chairacter (an plots) wis gittin mair lichtweicht. The Sevent Doctor turnt intae a faur daurker feegur nor ony o his earlier incarnations, manipulatin fowk like chess pieces an aye seemin tae be playin a deeper gemm. A featur frae McCoy's performances thit stuid oot wis his wey o tawkin. He uised his naitural slicht Scots tuin an rowed his *r*s. At the stairt o his tenure he uised proverbs an sayings chynged tae his ain ends (e.g. "Thare's mony a slap twixt cup an lap" – *Delta and the Bannermen*), awtho this chairacteristic was duin awa wi slaw-like durin the later, daurker series o his tenure. In 1990, readers o *Doctor Who Magazine* votit McCoy's Doctor "Best Doctor", ower lang rinnin favourite Tom Baker. Frae 1999 he haes kept on actin in the role o the Sevent Doctor in a series o audio plays fur Big Finish Productions.

In November 2013 McCoy wis in the ane-aff 50t anniversary comedy homage *The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot*.

In Januar 2021, Sylvester McCoy went back tae his role as 'The Doctor' alang wi Bonnie Langford, in 'A Business Proposal for Mel!' This short, actin like an annooncement trailer ftr 'The Collection: Season 24' Blu-Ray set, thit wis due tae be oot later that year.

### Later wark
McCoy's roles on the television efter *Doctor Who* includit Michael Sams in the 1997 drama *Beyond Fear* (Scots: Ayont Fear), thit wis pit on the first nicht broadcastin o Channel 5. He came back tae play the Sevent Doctor in a series o audio plays bi Big Finish Productions an aw. In 1988, while he wis still in *Doctor Who*, McCoy presentit a BBC children's programme cried *What's Your Story?* (Scots: Whit's yer story?), whaur viewers haed an inveet tae phone in suggestions fur the continuin o an ongaun drama.

He haes acted aw ower theatre in productions sic as pantomimes an Molières. He played as Grandpa Jock in John McGrath's *A Satire of the Four Estaites* (1996) at the Edinburgh Festival. He haed the role fur Snuff in the macabre BBC Radio 4 comedy series *The Cabaret of Dr Caligari*.

McCoy missed oot on a role in *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl* an wis the seicont chyce tae play the role o Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. In 1991, he presentit the *Doctor Who* video documentary ootpit *The Hartnell Years* shawin aff chysen episodes o missin stories frae the First Doctor's era.

McCoy wis as the lawyer Dowling in the BBC's Henry Fielding's novel, *The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling*.
In 2001 he wis Paul Sellar's asylum comedy "The Dead Move Fast" (Scots: The Deic Muive Fest) at the Gilded Balloon as pairt o the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, playin the role o Doctor Mallinson. In 2012 he haed the part o the suicidal Mr. Peters in JC Marshall's play, *Plume*, at the Tron Theatre in Glesga.

McCoy haes appeared wi the Royal Shakespeare Company in *The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe* (Scots: The Lion, the Witch an the Press) an in *[[Keeng Lear|King Lear]]* in 2007, playin the Fool tae Ian McKellen's Lear, a performance thit made uise o McCoy's spuin-playin. The RSC production wi McKellen an McCoy was pit on in Melbourne, in late Julie/early August 2007 an Wellington an Auckland, New Zealand, in mid tae late August 2007. Thare wis a rin o shaws at the New Lunnon Theatre in late 2007, endin in Januar 2008. He went back tae the role fur the 2008 television film.

In Mey 2008 he wirkit wi the Carl Rosa Opera Company in a production o Gilbert and Sullivan's *The Mikado*, playin the title role. He anely performt wi the company fur a wee bit, fur the week o the shaw's rin performin at the Sheffield Lyceum. In spite o bein set in Japan, he coud shaw aff his spuin-playin abeelity bi uisin his fan. In 2009 McCoy wis Mcor. Mushnik in the Chocolate Factory's production o *Little Shop of Horrors*.

He haes haed guest appearances in ither television series an aw, sic as *The Bill*, the *[[Rab C. Nesbitt]]* episode "Father" as Rab's mentally ill brother Gash Sr. an the *[[Still Game]]* episode "Oot", whaur he played a hermit-teep o chairacter chyngin tae life in modren Glesga, hivin stayed in his hoose for ower 30 year.  In October 2008, he haed a wee guest role as an injurt ventriloquist on ''Casualty''.  In the same month, McCoy guest starred in an episode o the BBC soap *Doctors*, as an actor thit played the time-travelling hero ane time in a bairns' television series cried "The Amazing Lollipop Man". The role wis wrocht in homage tae McCoy.

In Januar an Februar 2016, McCoy wis in a three-pairt BBC series cried *The Real Marigold Hotel*, thit follaed a group o famous auld fowk includin Miriam Margolyes an Wayne Sleep on a vaiage tae India.

In 2017 he went back tae the stage at the Edinburgh Fringe, in the production A Joke alangside Star Trek:Voyager actor Robert Picardo.

### Video gemms
McCoy returnt tae the role o the Sevent Doctor in 1997, recordin new soond clips fur the video gemm *Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors*.

### ''The Hobbit'' trilogy
McCoy stairtit filmin fur *The Hobbit*, A three-pairt adaptin o the beuk, in 2011. He plays the wizard Radagast, alang wi fellae *[[Keeng Lear|King Lear]]* actor Ian McKellen thit went back tae his role as Gandalf.

Awtho the chairacter o Radagast is anely alludit tae in *The Hobbit*, an juist a minor character in *The Lord of the Rings*, the pairt was expandit fur the films.

## Personal life
McCoy an his wife, Agnes, hiv a dauchter an twa sons, ane o thaim is Sam Kent-Smith, a 3D airtist thit wirkit on the *Doctor Who* video gemm *Return to Earth*.

## Filmographie

### Film

### Television

### Audio drama

### Direck tae video

### Video games

## References