[ad_1]
Summary
- Miriam Margoyles’ near-miss as a Doctor Who companion highlights the classic era’s narrow vision of what companions should be.
- Margoyles’ offbeat personality and refusal to fit into the conventional mold would have brought a unique dynamic to the show.
- The BBC’s refusal to cast Margoyles exemplifies the mistakes Doctor Who has made with its companion characters, but improvements have been made in the modern era.
Tom Baker wanted a famous comic actor as his Doctor Who companion, and this would-be casting highlights a wider issue with the classic series’ vision of what TARDIS companions should be. As the longest-reigning Doctor in Doctor Who history, Tom Baker enjoyed his fair share of companions, ranging from the wild and untamed Leela to the refined Time Lady Romana. Baker presided over one of Doctor Who‘s most popular and critically-acclaimed periods, and his companions played a significant part in his success as the Fourth Doctor. Half a century later, and with Doctor Who celebrating its 60th anniversary, much has changed.
Joining in the festivities and playing Beep the Meep in Doctor Who‘s 2023 specials is Miriam Margoyles. Margoyles’ long career in movies, TV, and theater includes a litany of credits, but the legendary actor is perhaps best known to modern audiences for portraying Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movies. According to Margoyles herself (via the BBC), Tom Baker petitioned Doctor Who producers to cast her as the Fourth Doctor’s companion in the 1970s, but had his request flatly turned down. As well as raising a tantalizing “what if…” scenario, Miriam Margoyles’ near-miss at becoming a companion highlights a sizable problem with the classic era.
The Companion Tom Baker Never Had Shows Doctor Who’s Stereotype Problem
Miriam Margoyles herself states, “I wasn’t the sort of person they wanted… The whole point was to have a very conventional pretty little thing. I was never that.” Without question, the parameters of a Doctor Who companion in the classic era were typically very narrow, and Margoyles’ sentiments have been echoed by many others. Sarah Jane Smith actress Elisabeth Sladen once argued (via The Mirror), “Sarah Jane used to be a bit of a cardboard cut-out. Each week it used to be, ‘Yes Doctor, no Doctor’.” Fourth Doctor companion actress Mary Tamm departed as the original Romana for similar reasons.
The overwhelming consensus from all involved – and, indeed, those not allowed to be involved – is that the BBC adhered to a strict mold for Doctor Who companions, rarely veering from that stereotype. Miriam Margoyles would have undoubtedly been a very different casting. As she describes it, “He [Tom Baker] thought I was slightly off the wall, and he wanted somebody slightly off the wall.” Had Margoyles been cast as the Fourth Doctor’s companion, therefore, she would have ripped up the rule book, adding quirkiness, rebelliousness, and boldness to a role that was typically played straight and one-dimensional – arguably until Ace joined the show.
That the BBC refused Tom Baker’s personal recommendation for a companion actor – an actor that was an experienced hand and a well-known face – exemplifies how Doctor Who made constant mistakes with its sidekick characters. Even the modern era can occasionally fall into the same trap. Massive improvements have been made, but the likes of Martha, Clara and Yaz all gave off whiffs of Doctor Who‘s old companion stereotype from time to time.
Miriam Margoyles As Tom Baker’s Companion Would Have Worked
Miriam Margoyles and Tom Baker would have made a sterling Doctor-and-companion pairing, and a very similar dynamic in Doctor Who‘s modern era proves it. One of Doctor Who‘s biggest deviations from the stereotypical companion archetype was Catherine Tate as Donna Noble – a brash, bold, outspoken character that challenged both the Doctor himself, and the definition of what a Doctor Who companion could be. While not quite like-for-like, Tate and Margoyles share a similarly quirky affinity for comic performance, and the relationship between David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble is not a million miles from what Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor and Miriam Margoyles would have looked like.
Ten and Donna proved so popular that Russell T Davies is now revisiting their friendship all over again for Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary. The Fourth Doctor and Margoyles could have become a similarly classic duo, but thanks to the BBC’s rigid view of how the Doctor’s assistants should look and act, Doctor Who was denied a potentially timeless combination in the TARDIS. Doctor Who has, mercifully, moved on since those more conservative days, but the story of how Tom Baker was denied Miriam Margoyles as his companion serves as a reminder that breaking the status quo can often bring out the best in a TV show.
Sources: BBC, The Mirror
[ad_2]
Source link
Armessa Movie News