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Sylvester McCoy, actor

Michael Berkeley's guest is the actor Sylvester McCoy.

The actor Sylvester McCoy was a familiar face to millions of TV viewers when he played the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who in the 1980s. On the big screen, he has played the eccentric wizard Radagast the Brown in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, and on stage, he has played the Fool opposite Ian McKellen’s King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

His route into acting was unconventional. He spent his teenage years preparing for the priesthood, then later honed his physical comedy skills in Ken Campbell's maverick Roadshow. His music choices include tracks by Stravinsky, Satie, Beethoven, and Britten's Shakespearean opera A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Presenter Michael Berkeley.

Producer Graham Rogers

25 days left to listen

1 hour, 26 minutes

Last on

Sunday12:00
BBC Radio 3

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Music Played

  • Anon.

    Salve Regina

    Choir: Choeur des Moines de L'Abbaye de Solesmes. Conductor: Dom Joseph Gajard.
    • Vêpres Et Complies, Kyriale.
    • Decca.
    • 25.

  • Giacomo Puccini

    Che gelida manina (La Boheme)

    Singer: Luciano Pavarotti. Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic. Conductor: Herbert von Karajan.
    • Decca.

  • George Frideric Handel

    Hallelujah (Messiah)

    Ensemble: Dunedin Consort. Conductor: John Butt.
    • Linn.

  • Pyotr Tchaikovsky

    1812 Overture Op.12 (conclusion)

    Orchestra: Oslo Philharmonic. Conductor: Mariss Jansons.
    • EMI.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Symphony no.5 in C minor Op.67 (2nd mvt)

    Orchestra: Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Charles Mackerras.
    • Hyperion.

  • Erik Satie

    Gymnopedie no.3 in A minor

    Performer: Joanna MacGregor.
    • Collins Classics.

  • Igor Stravinsky

    The Rite of Spring (Part 1 - conclusion)

    Orchestra: Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel.
    • DG.

  • Charles Hubert Parry

    Jerusalem

    Choir: Winchester Cathedral Choir. Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: David Hill.
    • Argo.

  • Benjamin Britten

    A Midsummer Night's Dream (conclusion)

    Performer: Sylvester McCoy. Singer: Rita Cullis. Singer: James Bowman. Ensemble: Welsh National Opera Company. Conductor: Anthony Hose.

Broadcast

  • Sunday12:00
    BBC Radio 3

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