Seiler@MIT-XX.ARPA (10/08/84)
From: Larry Seiler <Seiler@MIT-XX.ARPA> We had a Who/Trek/Comics convention in Boston last weekend, and I got to hear Matthew Waterhouse talk about his expreiences as Adric. Here are some of the questions and paraphrased answers [with my comments in brackets]. *** If you haven't seen the Adric episodes yet, this is a minor spoiler *** Q: Are you a fan of Doctor Who? A: Every Britan of my age grew up watching Doctor Who, and had toy Daleks (I had six). [In other words, not any more - it's just a kid show, right?] Q: How did you feel about getting the part? A: I ran right home and signed the contract before they could change their minds. I was very happy with the money I was going to make. Q: Did you leave the series by choice? A: Yes - I had been on for two years and was ready for other things (currently I am working in the theater). There's not a lot for a sidekick to do. I spent most of my time saying "I don't understand, Doctor", and "please explain, Doctor", and "Why?!?". Q: How did you feel when Adric was killed off? A: Relieved. The way Adric was defined, it was unlikely that he would ever want to stay behind on a planet, and he was too young to fall in love. Killing him was the only way for him to leave that was consistent with his character. The writer [I forget his name] who has done some of the best Dr. Who scripts said that he would have killed off Leela too, instead the silly thing they did. Q: Were you happy with the way Adric developed as compared to the concept? A: The problem was that most of the production crew are bachelors, and the rest only have small children. So even though Adric was supposed to be 15 (I was 17 when I left the show), he was written much younger (the director kept telling me to "be more innocent"). Q: When you walk into the Tardis, is it really as small as it looks? A: BBC hasn't got the technology to make it bigger on the inside than on the outside. One time, Adric was marched into the Tardis by six guards with big guns, and we really were crowded into a box the size of a phone booth. -------