Public Appearances VS Mystery

[Rob McCow]

One of the videos going round the internet at the moment is a jolly old sing-song featuring Matt, Karen and Arthur (our fave 2011 Doctor Who trio!) as they're gathered round a piano in a Christmas-ey mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htHx-LRe9yQ

Now I think this is a rather nice little piece, but there is a counter-argument that watching actors muck about like this detracts from the mystery of the role. This is especially true of Doctor Who where the show flies not by its pants, but by the suspenders of disbelief.

Patrick Troughton often claimed that making too many public appearances ruined the mystery of acting, that it reduced the believability of performance. Obviously, he didn't make this claim at conventions while shooting an enormous water pistol at Jon Pertwee, but for most of his life it was something that he stuck to.

What do you think? In this age of Confidential, Podcasts and Access-All-Areas magazine coverage, does it take away from the show or add to it?

[Si Hunt]

I think there's a limit. I don't object to seeing the actors in person, but I think they should behave with a bit of dignity! David Tennant always did. Tom Baker ensured no child ever saw him drinking or smoking. I think at times the stars of the show have goofed around in a manner that's embarassing, and that crosses the line.

Si.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I think watching too much behind the scenes stuff does take away from things. I very rarely watch most extras on DVD because I don't really want to be taken out of the fiction, and frankly I really don't need to see behind the scenes of every single film I ever see. I like watching any extra stuff they can get for the old series though, but I never watch Confidential or anything like that for the new series.

Having said that, the reason I don't like this new clip in particular is that it's just two people arsing around, two people I don't even know. I'm sure it was fun at the time, but it's the very definition of "you had to be there".

[WhiteCrowNZ]

It's odd isn't it. I know we already have that to an extent with Confidential - we can see behind the scenes so much more than when we were kids.