the sylvester Mc coy interview
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
this interview was conducted at crofton high school in wakefield on the 25th june 1988(he had earlyer in the day been at woodhouse first school normanton were he buried a time capsule as part of the wakefield centenary's focus on education.
the interviewer was trevor ramsay.
T.R. could you start by telling us how you became involved in acting?
S.M.HOW I BECAME AN ACTOR WELL I USED TO WORK IN THE CITY OF LONDON I WAS WHAT THEY CALL SOMETHING IN THE CITY AND THE COMPANY I WAS WITH WENT BUST WHICH WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME AND I ENDED UP IN THE BOX OFFICE IN A THEATRE IN LONDON THE ROUND HOUSE I WAS SELLING TICKETS AND SOMEONE WHO WAS COLLECTING THEM WAS AN ACTOR AND HE THOUGHT I WAS AN ACTOR AND A DIRERCOR CAME IN ONE DAY AND SAID HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE FOR HIS SHOW STARTING IN CHORLEY CALLED THE KEN CAMPBELL ROADSHOW AND HE WANTED SOMEONE YOU KNOW IT WAS A REALY WILD SHOW AND HE WANTED AN ACTOR A YOUNG ACTOR AND I WAS YOUNGISH AT THE TIME AND THE GUY WHO COLLECTED THE TICKETS SAID ASK THE GUY AT THE TICKET BOX OFFICE HE'S COMPLEATLEY OUT OF HIS HEAD SO HE CAME UP TO ME AND SAID DO YOU WANT A JOB?AND I SAID I'M NOT AN ACTOR HE SAID DO YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ACTOR I SAID YEAH.
T/R.did you have any difficulty in getting an equity card?
S.M.WELL KNOW NOT THEN BECAUSE WHAT I DID I JOINED THOUGH VARIETY ARTISTES BECAUSE WE WERE WORKING IN CHORLEY IN WORKING MENS CLUBS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND YOU KNOW WE JUST SAID WE WERE VARIETY ARTISTES OR I DID I MEAN THEY WERE EQUITY MEMBERS ANYWAY .SO I GOT MY CARD THAT WAY IT'S MORE DIFFICULT NOW I WAS LUCKY.
T.R.could you tell us how you got the part in doctor who?
S.M.WELL I HEARD THE NEWS ON THE TELEVISION THAT COLIN BAKER HAD LEFT SO I PHONED UP MY AGENT AND TOLD HIM THERE'S A JOB GOING AT THE BBC IN FACT THERE WERE TWO JOBS ONE WAS THE DIRCECTOR-GENERALSHIP BUT AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT THEY GIVE ME THE JOB OF DOCTOR WHO AND THAT'S HOW I GOT IT REALLY.
MY AGENT PHONED JOHN NATHEN-TURNER AND HE SAID HE KNEW ABOUT ME HE HUNG UP THE PHONE,AND THEN BY LUCK ANOTHER PRODUCER AT THE BBC WHO I'D WORKED WITH A LOT PHONED JOHN NATHEN-TURNER IMMEDIATLY AFTERWARDS AND JNT SAID TO HIM ARE YOU WORKING IN CAHOOTS WITH HIS AGENT?HE SAID NO,NO I'M JUST PHONING UP TO SAY I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE SYLVESTER Mc COY HE SAID OK...
AMONG THE SIX THOUSAND I'M GOING TO SEE I'LL SEE HIM AS WELL I HAD A PLAY AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE WHICH HE CAME TO SEE AND HE LIKED WHAT HE SAW THEN I WENT AND HAD A COUPLE OF INTERVIEWS WITH THEM I HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH THEM.
I HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH THE HEAD OF DRAMA AND SERIES AND THEN A SCREEN TEST AND THEY STILL GIVE ME THE JOB.
T.R.you'll have done by the end of the next series 8 doctor who stories which one have you enjoyed doing most?
S.M.I DON'T KNOW THEY'ER ALL DIFFERENT AND THEY'ER ALL ENJOYABLE IN THEIR OWN WAY REALLY SOMETIMES SOME ARE NOT SO ENJOYABLE TO DO,BUT THEN YOU WATCH THEM ON THE SCREEN AND THEY'RE GOOD.SOMETIMES THE ONES YOU REALLY ENJOYED MAKING ARE NOT SO GOOD.BUT I DON'T REALLY WANT TO SAY BECAUSE I MEAN IF I PICKED OUT WHAT I LIKED BEST AND WHAT I DIDN'T I MEAN WORKING WITH THE POEPLE WHO WROTE THEM,I MIGHT WORK WITH THEM AGAIN I DON'T WANT TO HURT THEIR FEELINGS BY MISSING THEM OUT.
T.R.do you perfer filming on location to filming in the studio?
S.M.YES MUCH ,MUCH MORE WE'VE BEEN LUCKY IN A WAY THIS YEAR BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN THE ASBEASTUS PROBLEMS AT THE BBC SO THE STUDIOS WERE CLOSED DOWN WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THEM FOR ONE STORY AT LEAST BECAUSE OF THAT THEY ENDED UP STICKING US IN A TENT IN THE CAR PARK SO WE DID IT IN THAT.
THAT WAS MORE FUN,IT WAS A BIT LIKE O.B.
THE FIRST ONE WAS NEARLY HALF AND HALF STUDIO AND O.B. THE SECOND ONES COMPLETLY O.B. THE THIRD ONE IS COMPLETLY O.B.AND THE FOURTH ONE'LL BE ALL IN THE STUDIO.SO I PERFER IT OUT IN OPEN AIR.
T.R. how do you feel about appearing with the daleks who've been in the show on and off for 25 years?
S.M.WELL I LIKED IT REALLY IT WAS QUITE EXCITING IT WAS GREAT IN THE READ THROUGH WE WENT TO THESE REHEARSAL STUDIOS WE SAT DOWN AND THE VOICES OF THE DALEKS CAME ALONG AND THE MEN THAT DID THAT'AND WE WERE ALL FUMBLEING THROUGH THE SCRIPT BUT AS SOON AS IT CAME TO THE DALEKS BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT OFF AND ON FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS THEY IMMEDIATLLY KNEW THIER LINES.IT WAS A FUNNY FEELING THEY WENT EXTERMINATE AND THEY DID IT WITH SUCH PASSION AND VIGOUR AND THERE WE WERE GOING OH HOW EXCITING JUST TO HEAR THESE REAL VOICES'IT WAS QUITE FUN WE HAD GOOD FUN DOING IT. BECAUSE AT ONE POINTWE WERE UNDER THE ARCHES AT WATERLOO STATION AND THERE'S THIS GREAT BATTLE SCENE AND THE BBC PYROTECCNIC BOYS IT'S A GOOD JOB THERE AT THE BBC,OTHERWISE THEY'ED BE BLOWING UP THE WORLD HAD PUT ALL THESE EXPLOSIVES IN A TUNNEL IT WENT OFF WITH SUCH A BANG IT WAS ON EASTER MONDAY THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EASTER REBELLION IN IRELAND.
IT WENT OFF WITH SUCH A TERRIFIC BANG AND CAR ALARMS FOR MILES AROUND BECAUSE THE CARS RATTLED THE ALARMS WENT OFF FIREMEN ARRIVED AND AMBULANCE MEN FROM ALL OVER LONDON CAME.
THE FIRST PERSON TO ARRIVE WAS AN AMBULANCE DRIVER,HE CAME SCREECHING TO A HALT COULDN'T BELIEVE HIS EYES WHEN ROUND THE CORNER CAME THREE DALEKS SO HE FELL ABOUT LAUGHING AND REALISED THAT NOTHING WAS AMISS.
T.R.would you like to do more than 14 episodes a year which is what the other doctors did?
S.M.I DON'T KNOW REALLY I'VE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THAT AS AN ACTOR I QUITE ENJOY ONLY DOING 5 MONTH A YEAR WORKING ON DOCTOR WHO AND 7 MONTH I'VE GOT TIME TO DO OTHER THINGS BECAUSE BEING AN ACTOR YOU WANT TO DO OTHER THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO DO JUST ONE THING THEN AT THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR I REMEMBER THINKING WHEN IT GOT TO THE END OF IT THAT I WAS ONLY BEGINNING TO GET ON TOP OF IT YOU KNOW GET TO KNOW IT I WISHED FOR MORE I JUST THOUGHT A FEW MORE AND I WILL REALLY KNOW WHAT I'M DOING BUT MAYBE THIS YEAR I DON'T KNOW HOW I WILL FEEL WHEN I GET TO THE END OF IT.
T.R.could you tell us how you got involved with the wakefield centenary?
S.M.BOY I DON'T KNOW REALLY YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK THEM THEY PHONED UP AND ASKED IF I'D COME UP I SUPPOSE BECAUSE I'M A TIMELORD AND TIME TRAVEL IT'S THE 25TH ANNIVERIARY OF DOCTOR WHO AND IT'S THE 100TH ANNIVERIARY OF WAKEFIELD SO I SUPPOSE SOMEONE SAT DOWN AND SAID AH YES THAT WOULD BE GOOD TO MARRY THEM ALL TOGETHER.
T.R.do you think that if doctor who is still running in a 100 years time they'll get the then actor to dig up the time capsule/
S.M.YES PERHAPSOR MAYBE SCINCE MIGHT FIND AWAY TO BRING US ALL BACK TOGETHER AGAIN AND I'D COME BACK AND DO IT.
T.R.are you interested in scince fiction?
S.M.YES I AM BUT IN A KIND OF LIGHT SORT OF WAY I DON'T READ SCINCE FICTION VERY OFTEN I ENJOY SCI-FI FILMS AND TELLYS AND STORIES YOU KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE COMMITTED TO IT BUT I'M NOT THAT WAY REALLY BUT SLOWLY I'M GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTED I HAVE TO DON'T I?
T.R.what do you think of the doctor in the tardis record that's in the charts at the moment?
S.M.OH YES WELL IT'S NUMBER ONE WHO AM I TO CRITISIZE THE MAJORITY IN OUR SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY?ERM WHAT DO ITHINK IT'S ALL RIGHT REALLY IT'S A BIT SILLY IT'S QUITE FUN I'VE ONLY HEARD IT ONCE I THOUGHT MAYBE THEY WOULD SEND ME THE RECORD SO I COULD HEAR IT MORE TIMES BUT THEY HAVN'T I JUST WISH I HAD THE MONEY.
T.R THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SPARING THE TIME TO TALK WITH US.
the interviewer was trevor ramsay.
T.R. could you start by telling us how you became involved in acting?
S.M.HOW I BECAME AN ACTOR WELL I USED TO WORK IN THE CITY OF LONDON I WAS WHAT THEY CALL SOMETHING IN THE CITY AND THE COMPANY I WAS WITH WENT BUST WHICH WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME AND I ENDED UP IN THE BOX OFFICE IN A THEATRE IN LONDON THE ROUND HOUSE I WAS SELLING TICKETS AND SOMEONE WHO WAS COLLECTING THEM WAS AN ACTOR AND HE THOUGHT I WAS AN ACTOR AND A DIRERCOR CAME IN ONE DAY AND SAID HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE FOR HIS SHOW STARTING IN CHORLEY CALLED THE KEN CAMPBELL ROADSHOW AND HE WANTED SOMEONE YOU KNOW IT WAS A REALY WILD SHOW AND HE WANTED AN ACTOR A YOUNG ACTOR AND I WAS YOUNGISH AT THE TIME AND THE GUY WHO COLLECTED THE TICKETS SAID ASK THE GUY AT THE TICKET BOX OFFICE HE'S COMPLEATLEY OUT OF HIS HEAD SO HE CAME UP TO ME AND SAID DO YOU WANT A JOB?AND I SAID I'M NOT AN ACTOR HE SAID DO YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ACTOR I SAID YEAH.
T/R.did you have any difficulty in getting an equity card?
S.M.WELL KNOW NOT THEN BECAUSE WHAT I DID I JOINED THOUGH VARIETY ARTISTES BECAUSE WE WERE WORKING IN CHORLEY IN WORKING MENS CLUBS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND YOU KNOW WE JUST SAID WE WERE VARIETY ARTISTES OR I DID I MEAN THEY WERE EQUITY MEMBERS ANYWAY .SO I GOT MY CARD THAT WAY IT'S MORE DIFFICULT NOW I WAS LUCKY.
T.R.could you tell us how you got the part in doctor who?
S.M.WELL I HEARD THE NEWS ON THE TELEVISION THAT COLIN BAKER HAD LEFT SO I PHONED UP MY AGENT AND TOLD HIM THERE'S A JOB GOING AT THE BBC IN FACT THERE WERE TWO JOBS ONE WAS THE DIRCECTOR-GENERALSHIP BUT AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT THEY GIVE ME THE JOB OF DOCTOR WHO AND THAT'S HOW I GOT IT REALLY.
MY AGENT PHONED JOHN NATHEN-TURNER AND HE SAID HE KNEW ABOUT ME HE HUNG UP THE PHONE,AND THEN BY LUCK ANOTHER PRODUCER AT THE BBC WHO I'D WORKED WITH A LOT PHONED JOHN NATHEN-TURNER IMMEDIATLY AFTERWARDS AND JNT SAID TO HIM ARE YOU WORKING IN CAHOOTS WITH HIS AGENT?HE SAID NO,NO I'M JUST PHONING UP TO SAY I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE SYLVESTER Mc COY HE SAID OK...
AMONG THE SIX THOUSAND I'M GOING TO SEE I'LL SEE HIM AS WELL I HAD A PLAY AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE WHICH HE CAME TO SEE AND HE LIKED WHAT HE SAW THEN I WENT AND HAD A COUPLE OF INTERVIEWS WITH THEM I HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH THEM.
I HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH THE HEAD OF DRAMA AND SERIES AND THEN A SCREEN TEST AND THEY STILL GIVE ME THE JOB.
T.R.you'll have done by the end of the next series 8 doctor who stories which one have you enjoyed doing most?
S.M.I DON'T KNOW THEY'ER ALL DIFFERENT AND THEY'ER ALL ENJOYABLE IN THEIR OWN WAY REALLY SOMETIMES SOME ARE NOT SO ENJOYABLE TO DO,BUT THEN YOU WATCH THEM ON THE SCREEN AND THEY'RE GOOD.SOMETIMES THE ONES YOU REALLY ENJOYED MAKING ARE NOT SO GOOD.BUT I DON'T REALLY WANT TO SAY BECAUSE I MEAN IF I PICKED OUT WHAT I LIKED BEST AND WHAT I DIDN'T I MEAN WORKING WITH THE POEPLE WHO WROTE THEM,I MIGHT WORK WITH THEM AGAIN I DON'T WANT TO HURT THEIR FEELINGS BY MISSING THEM OUT.
T.R.do you perfer filming on location to filming in the studio?
S.M.YES MUCH ,MUCH MORE WE'VE BEEN LUCKY IN A WAY THIS YEAR BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN THE ASBEASTUS PROBLEMS AT THE BBC SO THE STUDIOS WERE CLOSED DOWN WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THEM FOR ONE STORY AT LEAST BECAUSE OF THAT THEY ENDED UP STICKING US IN A TENT IN THE CAR PARK SO WE DID IT IN THAT.
THAT WAS MORE FUN,IT WAS A BIT LIKE O.B.
THE FIRST ONE WAS NEARLY HALF AND HALF STUDIO AND O.B. THE SECOND ONES COMPLETLY O.B. THE THIRD ONE IS COMPLETLY O.B.AND THE FOURTH ONE'LL BE ALL IN THE STUDIO.SO I PERFER IT OUT IN OPEN AIR.
T.R. how do you feel about appearing with the daleks who've been in the show on and off for 25 years?
S.M.WELL I LIKED IT REALLY IT WAS QUITE EXCITING IT WAS GREAT IN THE READ THROUGH WE WENT TO THESE REHEARSAL STUDIOS WE SAT DOWN AND THE VOICES OF THE DALEKS CAME ALONG AND THE MEN THAT DID THAT'AND WE WERE ALL FUMBLEING THROUGH THE SCRIPT BUT AS SOON AS IT CAME TO THE DALEKS BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT OFF AND ON FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS THEY IMMEDIATLLY KNEW THIER LINES.IT WAS A FUNNY FEELING THEY WENT EXTERMINATE AND THEY DID IT WITH SUCH PASSION AND VIGOUR AND THERE WE WERE GOING OH HOW EXCITING JUST TO HEAR THESE REAL VOICES'IT WAS QUITE FUN WE HAD GOOD FUN DOING IT. BECAUSE AT ONE POINTWE WERE UNDER THE ARCHES AT WATERLOO STATION AND THERE'S THIS GREAT BATTLE SCENE AND THE BBC PYROTECCNIC BOYS IT'S A GOOD JOB THERE AT THE BBC,OTHERWISE THEY'ED BE BLOWING UP THE WORLD HAD PUT ALL THESE EXPLOSIVES IN A TUNNEL IT WENT OFF WITH SUCH A BANG IT WAS ON EASTER MONDAY THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EASTER REBELLION IN IRELAND.
IT WENT OFF WITH SUCH A TERRIFIC BANG AND CAR ALARMS FOR MILES AROUND BECAUSE THE CARS RATTLED THE ALARMS WENT OFF FIREMEN ARRIVED AND AMBULANCE MEN FROM ALL OVER LONDON CAME.
THE FIRST PERSON TO ARRIVE WAS AN AMBULANCE DRIVER,HE CAME SCREECHING TO A HALT COULDN'T BELIEVE HIS EYES WHEN ROUND THE CORNER CAME THREE DALEKS SO HE FELL ABOUT LAUGHING AND REALISED THAT NOTHING WAS AMISS.
T.R.would you like to do more than 14 episodes a year which is what the other doctors did?
S.M.I DON'T KNOW REALLY I'VE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THAT AS AN ACTOR I QUITE ENJOY ONLY DOING 5 MONTH A YEAR WORKING ON DOCTOR WHO AND 7 MONTH I'VE GOT TIME TO DO OTHER THINGS BECAUSE BEING AN ACTOR YOU WANT TO DO OTHER THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO DO JUST ONE THING THEN AT THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR I REMEMBER THINKING WHEN IT GOT TO THE END OF IT THAT I WAS ONLY BEGINNING TO GET ON TOP OF IT YOU KNOW GET TO KNOW IT I WISHED FOR MORE I JUST THOUGHT A FEW MORE AND I WILL REALLY KNOW WHAT I'M DOING BUT MAYBE THIS YEAR I DON'T KNOW HOW I WILL FEEL WHEN I GET TO THE END OF IT.
T.R.could you tell us how you got involved with the wakefield centenary?
S.M.BOY I DON'T KNOW REALLY YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK THEM THEY PHONED UP AND ASKED IF I'D COME UP I SUPPOSE BECAUSE I'M A TIMELORD AND TIME TRAVEL IT'S THE 25TH ANNIVERIARY OF DOCTOR WHO AND IT'S THE 100TH ANNIVERIARY OF WAKEFIELD SO I SUPPOSE SOMEONE SAT DOWN AND SAID AH YES THAT WOULD BE GOOD TO MARRY THEM ALL TOGETHER.
T.R.do you think that if doctor who is still running in a 100 years time they'll get the then actor to dig up the time capsule/
S.M.YES PERHAPSOR MAYBE SCINCE MIGHT FIND AWAY TO BRING US ALL BACK TOGETHER AGAIN AND I'D COME BACK AND DO IT.
T.R.are you interested in scince fiction?
S.M.YES I AM BUT IN A KIND OF LIGHT SORT OF WAY I DON'T READ SCINCE FICTION VERY OFTEN I ENJOY SCI-FI FILMS AND TELLYS AND STORIES YOU KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE COMMITTED TO IT BUT I'M NOT THAT WAY REALLY BUT SLOWLY I'M GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTED I HAVE TO DON'T I?
T.R.what do you think of the doctor in the tardis record that's in the charts at the moment?
S.M.OH YES WELL IT'S NUMBER ONE WHO AM I TO CRITISIZE THE MAJORITY IN OUR SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY?ERM WHAT DO ITHINK IT'S ALL RIGHT REALLY IT'S A BIT SILLY IT'S QUITE FUN I'VE ONLY HEARD IT ONCE I THOUGHT MAYBE THEY WOULD SEND ME THE RECORD SO I COULD HEAR IT MORE TIMES BUT THEY HAVN'T I JUST WISH I HAD THE MONEY.
T.R THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SPARING THE TIME TO TALK WITH US.
