Speaking to Nicola Heywood Thomas on BBC Radio Wales, he recalled that he'd reviewed the first episode of the new series for The Guardian newpaper, and was delighted to see it return.

"I really do enjoy it immensely. I'm very envious of the fact that we didn't have the money and commitment of the BBC behind it. They were really tired of it by the time I got there - they just wanted to get rid of it. It was very sad."

McCoy (pictured above with co-star Sophie Aldred as Ace) was pleased the new series was a hit with fans and that they remembered his time as the Doctor fondly.

"It's wonderful really ... now people are very enthusiastic about it again. Time is a great healer."

"I used to meet people who'd say 'I love Doctor Who, it's the best thing in the whole world, the whole universe ... and you're my fifth favourite Doctor."

"I'd say thank you - I'm glad I'm not your seventh!

Brigit Forsyth, McCoy's co-star in Arsenic and Old Lace, revealed that she appeared in Doctor Who alongside Patrick Troughton in 1967.

She appeared as Ruth Maxtible, a young Victorian woman in The Evil of the Daleks, although her part wasn't as substantial as she'd expected. "I was thrilled to be in Doctor Who. I was going to be in four episodes ... I got this Victorian frock and everything," she said.

"I got to the first day and the director said I'm awfully sorry but we're cutting your storyline because there's no time."

"But you've got the frock so you can wander on each week saying things like 'Where's Father?'

"I got sent up by everybody in it - I was just the company butt (of everyone's jokes)," she added.

"And the marvellous thing is that because it's on the internet I'm getting almost as many fan letters for that as I do for the Likely Lads, which I think is hysterical because I was barely in it!"

Look out for Brigit's brief appearance on the Doctor Who Lost in Time DVD, towards the end of Disc Two.