Biography for
Peter Davison (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

13 April 1951, Streatham, London, England, UK

Birth Name

Peter Moffett

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Peter Moffett, now better known by his stage name Peter Davison, was born on 13 April 1951 in the Streatham area of London. In 1961, he and his family - parents Sheila and Claude (an electrical engineer who hailed from British Guiana) and his sisters Barbara, Pamela and Shirley - moved to Woking in Surrey, where Davison was educated at the Maphill School. It was here that he first became interested in acting, taking parts in a number of school plays, and this eventually led to him joining an amateur dramatic society, the Byfleet Players. On leaving school at the age of sixteen, having achieved only modest academic success with three O Levels of undistinguished grades, he took a variety of short-lived jobs ranging from hospital porter to Hoffman press operator. He was still keen to pursue an acting career, however, and so applied for a place at drama school. He was accepted into the Central School of Speech and Drama and stayed there for three years. Davison's first professional acting work came in 1972 when, after leaving drama school in the July of that year, he secured a small role in a run of "Love's Labour's Lost" at the Nottingham Playhouse. This marked the start of a three-year period in which he worked in a variety of different repertory companies around the UK, often in Shakespearean roles. He then made his television debut, playing a blond-wigged space cowboy character called Elmer in "A Man for Emily", a three-part story in the Thames TV children's series "The Tomorrow People" (1973), transmitted in April 1975. Appearing alongside him in this production was his future wife, American-born actress Sandra Dickinson, whom he had first met during a run of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Edinburgh. They married on 26 December 1978 in Dickinson's home town of Rockville in Maryland, USA. Davison spent the following eighteen months working as a file clerk at Twickenham tax office. He also took the opportunity to pursue an interest in singing and song-writing, which led him to record several singles with his wife. He later provided the theme tunes for a number of TV series, including "Mixed Blessings" (1978) and "Button Moon" (1980). Davison played the romantic lead, Tom Holland in "Love for Lydia" (1977), a London Weekend Television (LWT) period drama serial transmitted in 1977. His greatest acting success came when he played Tristan in the BBC's "All Creatures Great and Small" (1978), based on the books of country vet James Herriot, a highly successful series, which ran initially for three seasons between 1978-1980. His success in "All Creatures Great and Small" brought him many other offers of TV work. Amongst those that he took up were lead roles in two sitcoms: LWT's "Holding the Fort" (1980), in which he played Russell Milburn, and the BBC's "Sink or Swim" (1980), in which he played Brian Webber. Three seasons of each were transmitted between 1980 and 1982, consolidating Davison's position as a well-known and popular television actor. He announced he was taking the lead role in "Doctor Who" (1963) on the BBC's lunchtime magazine programme "Pebble Mill at One", on 3 December 1980, when he discussed with the presenter a number of costume ideas sent in by viewers and was particularly impressed by a suggestion from one of a panel of young fans assembled in the studio that the new Doctor should be 'like Tristan Farnon, but with bravery and intellect'. His appearance in "The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" (1981), was recorded on 19 December 1980 and transmitted on 2 February 1981, by which time the viewing public were well aware that he would soon be taking over the lead role in Doctor Who. There was in fact only a month to go before he would make his on-screen debut in the series - albeit a brief one, in the regeneration sequence at the end of "Logopolis". His first full story was in "Castrovalva", the first story of season nineteen transmitted on 4 January 1982. His final story was season twenty-one's story "The Caves of Androzani". The final episode of this story was transmitted on 16 March 1984. He became a father when on Christmas day 1984 his wife gave birth to a daughter, Georgia Elizabeth, at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London. Ten years later, however, his marriage to Dickinson broke down and they separated. Although he has taken occasional roles in theatre, radio and film, most of the actor's work has been in the medium for which he is best known: television. His credits have included regular stints as Henry Myers in "Anna of the Five Towns" (1985), as Dr. Stephen Daker in "A Very Peculiar Practice" (1986), as Albert Campion in "Mystery!: Campion" (1989) and as Clive Quigley in "Ain't Misbehavin" (1994) all for the BBC, and as Ralph in Yorkshire TV's "Fiddlers Three" (1991). In addition, he has reprised his popular role of Tristan Farnon on a number of occasions for one-off specials and revival seasons of "All Creatures Great and Small". He has also returned several times to the world of Doctor Who. In 1993 he appeared as the fifth Doctor in "Dimensions in Time", a brief two-part skit transmitted as part of the BBC's annual Children in Need Charity appeal, and in 1985 he narrated an abridged novelisation of the season twenty-one story "Warriors of the Deep" for BBC Worldwide's Doctor Who audio book series. In addition, he has appeared in a number of video dramas produced by Bill Baggs Video. In 2003 and 2004 he appeared as quiet and unassuming detective 'Dangerous' Davies in "The Last Detective" (2003), the Meridian TV adaptations of Leslie Thomas's novels.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Elizabeth Heery	(2003 - present) 2 children
Sandra Dickinson	(26 December 1978 - 1994) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Made singing debut on "Pebble Mill at One" (1973).

Belsize Park, London, UK: Made a citizen's arrest after a 15 year old youth allegedly stole a video camera from his car. Peter gave chase and then restrained the youth for 10 minutes before police arrived. [8 August 2001]

His daughter is the actress Georgia Moffett

He previously held the record for the youngest actor to be cast as Doctor Who, aged just 29 when he made his first appearance in the role. His record was broken in 2009 when 26-year-old Matt Smith was cast for the role.

When he reprised the role of the Doctor in 2007 at age 56, he was older than William Hartnell was when Hartnell originated the role at age 55.

Enjoys reading and has contributed book reviews for "Richard & Judy" (2001).

Along with Elisabeth Sladen and John Leeson, he is one of only three actors to play the same character (the Doctor) in both "Doctor Who" (1963) and "Doctor Who" (2005).

Of the 20 "Doctor Who" (1963) stories he starred in, his favorite was his final one, "Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani: Part One (#21.17)" (1984), largely due to the combination of Robert Holmes's writing and Graeme Harper's direction.

His grandson, Tyler Peter Moffett, was born in May 2002.

His favorite roles on television have been "A Very Peculiar Practice" (1986), "At Home with the Braithwaites" (2000), "Mystery!: Campion" (1989) and "All Creatures Great and Small" (1978).

He has named Martyn Friend, David Tucker and Graeme Harper as his favorite directors.

He has had a regular role in a total of thirteen different television series: "All Creatures Great and Small" (1978), "Holding the Fort" (1980), "Sink or Swim" (1980), "Doctor Who" (1963), "A Very Peculiar Practice" (1986), "Mystery!: Campion" (1989), "Fiddlers Three" (1991), "Ain't Misbehavin" (1994), "At Home with the Braithwaites" (2000), "The Last Detective" (2003), "Distant Shores" (2005), "The Complete Guide to Parenting" (2006), "Fear, Stress and Anger" (2006) and "Law & Order: UK" (2009). In most cases, he played the male lead.

Personal Quotes

I followed Tom Baker, I was cast to be different from Tom Baker. So I was my own Doctor, no doubt about that.

I couldn't turn down the possibility of being the Doctor, I had to accept the part. You just think all the time 'am I ever going to work again? I am now playing a 750-year-old Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, who is going to cast me in anything serious?'

I feel sorry for the fans, as I feel they've been rather let down. What it really needed, after all the effort and dedication of the fans over the years to get the show back on air, would be to have someone committed enough to stay with the role for two or three years. As it is, the fans must be disappointed and left feeling up in the air a bit. (On Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who)

I must admit I'm a bit old-fashioned and just wait for things to turn up. I really love getting offered a job - although I don't believe it's true until the costume designer rings me up.

A drama student is a fantastic thing to be because you can prance around in a long coat, carrying a script under your arm. Then a brutal thing happens - you leave, and realise you are at the bottom of the heap.

Getting on with people is important. I cannot bear working in a tense atmosphere, so when I'm filming a series I'm quite strong on making sure everyone gets on. Acting is hard work - especially if you are in every scene of a series - but it's wonderful when, at the end of a shoot, everyone has had a really great time.

I just do not buy the connection between screen violence and violence in society. I think it's a feeble excuse for the failings of society.

Radio is great because you don't have to learn the lines! Theatre's great because once you get it on, and get past that first week, you only have to work three hours a night. Admittedly, you have to do the same thing every night, but that depends on the audience. It's extraordinary how you can have a depressing and unresponsive audience after two weeks, or you can have a fantastic show after you've been doing it for months and months because the audience kind of lifts you up and they're having a good time. There's no great difficulty in doing it over and over again, surprisingly. Television and film are the hardest work, because you simply are there for hours and hours and hours. Television especially, because you don't quite get pampered in the way you do in film. You're there from quite early in the morning till quite late at night. You see less and less of your family, but I enjoy doing it.

I felt that I had found my home when I did television for the first time, because I felt I understood it. I can't figure out why that was, but I sort of knew when the camera was on. Things like that seemed to have a certain degree of instinct.

If I couldn't find a new acting job, I would sit on the sofa for as long as the money lasted. I've no idea what else I could do. I literally can't do anything else. That's why I've stuck with acting for so many years!

I certainly think the writing, as a generalisation, is better. There were some very suspect scripts we did, knocked off by TV writers who'd turn their hand to anything. Fair enough, but they weren't science fiction fans. You do get the impression, both with the television series now ("Doctor Who" (2005)) and Big Finish, that they are fans of science fiction and that's why they are doing those stories.

I never had a problem about going back to "Doctor Who" (1963) and I don't quite understand people who have a problem going back, albeit temporarily.

I think you immediately knew when you read the script, that it was a very good "Doctor Who" (1963) story. It was a Bob Holmes (Robert Holmes) script, and he was one of the writers that you dreamed of having on "Doctor Who" (1963). Graeme's (Graeme Harper) philosophy was that it needed pace and it needed energy. Graeme's input, and the fact that it was a great script, really lifted it, I think. (On "Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani: Part One (#21.17)" (1984))

I'll be voting Labour without a doubt. I tremble at the idea we might put a Tory government back into power. I think back to the last time a Conservative government was running the country and can't believe we might do it. I'm also a big Brown (Gordon Brown) fan; he might not have that slick charm that we seem to buy into these days, as we did with Blair (Tony Blair), which turned into a big mistake, and as we seem to be doing with Cameron (David Cameron). With Brown, it's substance over style; he's a career politician, who has spent his life working to help people. I like that he isn't slick, unlike Cameron, who's only been in politics for a few years. (Before the 2010 UK general election)

I don't believe in life after death. I don't believe in God, to be honest with you. I was brought up Church of England, I was Christened, I went to Sunday School, I was told the stories and then at a certain age, I forget exactly what age, I just thought this doesn't make any sense at all. I've nothing against religion, I think in a social sense, in a community sense, in a support structure sense, it's great, but if you ask me if I believe in God, no. I mean, it seems to me to be impossible. In a logical world, I don't see how God can exist, not the kind of God that we think of, in other words a caring God who is looking over us and looking after us. I wonder about huge things like the creation of the universe, there's no answer I have to that, but I don't think that God is the answer, or if God is an answer, if he created the universe, I don't think he's even aware of our existence, because in the whole scheme of things the universe has been here for 15 billion years, we have been on this planet for 300,000 years approximately, Christianity has been around for 2,000 years. There will be another religion that comes along and the universe will carry on for billions of years after the sun has died. I can't equate that with the idea that there is a God who is concerned about our existence and our life and our death. I don't think we need to depend on religion to tell us what is right and what is wrong. I think we are quite capable of knowing what that is and we want to live like that, we're a social animal. It's a very comforting thought, probably, when you die or are about to die, that you are going to go somewhere else, and it's comforting I'm sure that if someone close to you dies, you think that they've gone somewhere else, but I don't think it's true.

I have fond memories of All Creatures... - it was a great series. I was a BBC newcomer then and it seems like an age ago, but people still watch it. The other day somebody told me it's on the Yesterday channel!

Where Are They Now

(August 2007) Starring as King Arthur in the musical "Monty Python's Spamalot" at the Palace Theatre in London's West End.