|
Post by theotherjosh on Dec 13, 2019 14:10:45 GMT
Is each Doctor the same height as the corresponding actor?
I was recently reading about apple boxes, which is one of the terms used to describe the wooden crates shorter actors will be placed on to disguise a height difference.
TV Tropes has an entry on the phenomenon, because it’s TV Tropes and of course they do. What surprised me was that something that was spoken by our very own Paul McGann was used at the top of the page for the topic.
"I am five feet nine. Quite little, really. From a squat tribe, you see. My brothers (and sister) are all taller than me, as are most of the actresses I'm required to smooch. At such times they usually stand me on a box. Sort of keeps your feet on the ground, paradoxically."
Now, hold that thought.
I’ve listened to or read several stories where we get the point of view of someone just meeting the Doctor. In these stories, it was the Ninth and the Twelfth Doctor, and in each case, they thought of him as something like, “The Tall Man”.
But Eccleston and Capaldi are only six feet tall, which is taller than average, but not unusually so. In fact, the average height for an adult American male is 5’10, with a standard deviation of four inches. Not only is the “tall” Capaldi within one standard deviation of the mean, he’s within one standard deviation of the “short” McGann.
McGann isn’t really short at all, except by the standards of leading men, who do tend to skew taller than the norm. But he’d be right in the middle if you lined up 100 random men from tallest to shortest.
Now Tom Baker is famously tall. I recently watched the Android Invasion and there is a scene where he’s standing in a door frame and he just looks absolutely gigantic. I would assume that his Doctor is his height, if not taller. Likewise, the Seventh Doctor is probably about McCoy’s height, if not shorter
But what about the Doctors who fall in the middle? Is “tall” in the descriptor merely shorthand for the presence and the force of personality of the Doctor? He looms large in the minds of those he meets?
However, that’s not mutually exclusive with the character being taller than the performer. Any thoughts? Or is it something that you don’t think about at all, because we’re all listeners of an audio medium, where the question rarely ever comes up?
|
|
|
Post by fitzoliverj on Dec 13, 2019 17:21:28 GMT
I recall reading about Paul McGann's height, he's supposed to be the same height as Sylvester McCoy. In the TVM publicity photos where they are together, McGann is standing on a box so that the eighth Doctor is taller than the seventh.
|
|
|
Post by theotherjosh on Dec 13, 2019 18:48:56 GMT
I recall reading about Paul McGann's height, he's supposed to be the same height as Sylvester McCoy. In the TVM publicity photos where they are together, McGann is standing on a box so that the eighth Doctor is taller than the seventh. The entry touches on that! Used in the promotional pictures for the TV-Movie to make Paul McGann appear to be taller than Sylvester McCoy. In reality McGann, with his height of 5'8.5" (1.74 meters), is pretty close to McCoy's 5'6" (1.68 meters).Scully Box on TV TropesDoctor Who has its own subsection, under Live Action TV.
|
|
|
Post by J.A. Prentice on Dec 13, 2019 18:56:22 GMT
I believe the novels did occasionally refer to the eighth Doctor as “tall” though I can’t find an exact reference right now.
|
|
|
Post by randomcomments on Dec 13, 2019 20:39:22 GMT
I believe the novels did occasionally refer to the eighth Doctor as “tall” though I can’t find an exact reference right now. Iirc, the novels refer to Eight with an impossibly contradictory series of height descriptors, which doesn't quite seem intentional. But "tall" is definitely used on occasion. Actually, there might be a TV Tropes section specifically on how tall Eight is. (I'm not going to risk the TV Tropes rabbit hole to find out).
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 2:43:59 GMT
I believe the novels did occasionally refer to the eighth Doctor as “tall” though I can’t find an exact reference right now. Iirc, the novels refer to Eight with an impossibly contradictory series of height descriptors, which doesn't quite seem intentional. But "tall" is definitely used on occasion. Actually, there might be a TV Tropes section specifically on how tall Eight is. (I'm not going to risk the TV Tropes rabbit hole to find out). I wonder if occasionally to some characters he "feels" taller than he actually is? I've an interesting real-world example: I'm around the two-metre mark (6"2 or 3), but my partner doesn't consider me to someone who typically "looms" due to my body language. The other day, during the first opportunity to relax in a while, I rolled my shoulders and took in a deep breath. She looked at me and asked if I'd gained two feet in the past ten minutes. There's definitely something there. The Second Doctor feels "short" because he's a rather humble fellow, whereas the Seventh Doctor (I'm thinking something like the sniper scene in The Happiness Patrol) can loom over other characters quite significantly.
|
|
shutupbanks
Castellan
There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
Likes: 5,677
|
Post by shutupbanks on Dec 14, 2019 3:02:07 GMT
Iirc, the novels refer to Eight with an impossibly contradictory series of height descriptors, which doesn't quite seem intentional. But "tall" is definitely used on occasion. Actually, there might be a TV Tropes section specifically on how tall Eight is. (I'm not going to risk the TV Tropes rabbit hole to find out). I wonder if occasionally to some characters he "feels" taller than he actually is? I've an interesting real-world example: I'm around the two-metre mark (6"2 or 3), but my partner doesn't consider me to someone who typically "looms" due to my body language. The other day, during the first opportunity to relax in a while, I rolled my shoulders and took in a deep breath. She looked at me and asked if I'd gained two feet in the past ten minutes. There's definitely something there. The Second Doctor feels "short" because he's a rather humble fellow, whereas the Seventh Doctor (I'm thinking something like the sniper scene in The Happiness Patrol) can loom over other characters quite significantly. Michael Keating and Paul Darrow were roughly the same height but their Blake’s 7 characters felt differently: Keating often said in interviews that he would hunch a little and slouch so as to make himself look smaller and more sympathetic, especially against Avon.
|
|
|
Post by barnabaslives on Dec 14, 2019 4:09:38 GMT
I don't know how much thought I'm likely to give this but it is a really interesting question and I admit to being quite surprised to learn that McCoy and McGann are near the same height. Somehow I've always pictured the Eighth Doctor as being on the tall and wiry side.
|
|
|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Dec 14, 2019 4:28:54 GMT
Iirc, the novels refer to Eight with an impossibly contradictory series of height descriptors, which doesn't quite seem intentional. But "tall" is definitely used on occasion. Actually, there might be a TV Tropes section specifically on how tall Eight is. (I'm not going to risk the TV Tropes rabbit hole to find out). I wonder if occasionally to some characters he "feels" taller than he actually is? I've an interesting real-world example: I'm around the two-metre mark (6"2 or 3), but my partner doesn't consider me to someone who typically "looms" due to my body language. The other day, during the first opportunity to relax in a while, I rolled my shoulders and took in a deep breath. She looked at me and asked if I'd gained two feet in the past ten minutes. There's definitely something there. The Second Doctor feels "short" because he's a rather humble fellow, whereas the Seventh Doctor (I'm thinking something like the sniper scene in The Happiness Patrol) can loom over other characters quite significantly. Same... I am 6 foot 2 which is basically 1.88 metres. 2 metres is about 6 foot 7.. On my side of the family my twin brother and I are giants because there is no one taller than 5 foot 10.. On my wife's side I am SHORT.. they are all giants!
|
|
|
Post by whiskeybrewer on Dec 14, 2019 13:22:39 GMT
I'm 5'7 So i fit in perfectly between 7 and 8 lol
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Dec 14, 2019 15:26:03 GMT
Well, you can see how small McGann is in the TV movie when he runs around Daphne in bare feet. In the scene she appears bigger than he is ... Luckily the scene is short and later on they must have stood him on a box or something. I think he is pretty much my height and I am the shortest of my siblings. However, I do not think it really matters at all.
|
|
|
Post by jerryrotta on Dec 28, 2019 20:17:12 GMT
Hartnell and Troughton were about the same but 2nd Doctor is the one referred as little. So 1st Doctor taller than Hartnell
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2019 21:00:22 GMT
Weirdest thread of the year award?
|
|
lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,813
|
Post by lidar2 on Jan 2, 2020 16:33:55 GMT
Weirdest thread of the year award? Don't you just love fandom?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2020 18:23:32 GMT
Umm...okay... If I'm honest I can't say that the height of each Doctor corresponding to the actor who played him or her has really been something that I've even thought about. Until this thread that is..
And having thought about it? Not that bothered. In my head it's the character of the Doctor that counts rather than if they have to stoop to get through a doorway. Imagine for example the scene in The Three Doctors when the First makes his appearance on the screen and insults his two successors as a 'dandy' and a 'clown', he instead says "Ah..so this is what I've become. A short one and a really tall one!" 😊
|
|
|
Post by mrperson on Jan 3, 2020 0:19:51 GMT
You know, I'm not sure my mental images are quite that detailed. I don't see any reason to imagine them a different height than the actor/tress, though.
If there's a 'show' where the lead's physical characteristics are irrelevant, it's Doctor Who.
|
|