Doctor Who star Peter Purves, who played one of the early companions, has shared his thoughts on the recent state of the series.
The flagship BBC show has been airing for 63 years, with Purves, 87, starring at First Doctor William Hartnell’s assistant Steven Taylor. He appeared in several adventures from 1965 to 1966.
In recent weeks, he unconventionally re-entered the Whoniverse after two long-lost Doctor Who episodes involving his character were rediscovered and are set to be released on BBC iPlayer in April.
The Classic Who era of the show ran from 1963 to 1989 (with a TV movie release in 1996). In 2005, the iconic sci-fi franchise was rebooted by Russell T Davies, kicking off with the Ninth Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston.
Reflecting on his time on the show, compared to how it is today, Purves told The Mirror: ‘It was the golden era. I don’t think the show is a patch on what it was.’
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The show certainly has been through a turbulent time of late. As well as fielding criticism from fans online, the deal with Disney Plus fell through, with its future beyond this year’s Christmas special still in question.
As for Purves, he is delighted viewers will be able to watch the two recovered episodes from his 1965 adventure – The Dalek’s Master Plan. Specifically, the episodes titled The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet are being restored.
He was surprised by their discovery, saying at the time: ‘My flabber has never been so gasted.’
Discussing his memories of those last episodes, he added: ‘I’m not sure I even saw those programmes go out originally – I remember the stories, but having seen them, the pictures are unfamiliar to me.
‘I didn’t remember the first one when I was still almost comatose following the injury I received fighting in Troy in the wonderful Mythmakers – which of course is missing.’
In a recent discussion, showrunner Davies shared that the ‘hostile’ backlash the show receives on social media is not reflective of the wider fandom.
He said: ‘I think they are different things. I know they’re different things, I absolutely know that.
‘And that online voice, which is hostile, exists on X, which is a hate site. We shouldn’t be surprised to find hatred on it, because it’s a hate site… It’s very dangerously assumed that that is the fan voice.’
Meanwhile, former Time Lord Christopher also opened up on his new condition for returning to the live-action version after 20 years. He told fans at a recent panel that if a female showrunner were to ask him to return, he would ‘go back like a shot’.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet will land on BBC iPlayer on April 4, 2026.
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