Former Doctor Who star says current series "too sophisticated": Stories used to be "very simple"

Purves appeared at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery over the weekend as the venue opened an unofficial Doctor Who exhibition titled Adventures in Time and Space, featuring a wide array of props from the television show.

He cut the ribbon to signify the official opening of the new attraction, which is set to remain there until Monday 3rd November, and also made some notable comments about the state of Doctor Who and his relationship with it.

Purves regards the modern era of Doctor Who as "far too sophisticated for my simple brain", while paying tribute to the approach of the original run that he participated in bringing to life.

"We used to have stories that were very simple," he began (via BBC News). "You went from there to there; you had a cliffhanger at the end of an episode; the following week you picked up from there and went to another cliffhanger.

"Then, end of story, on to another one. Very simple, very straightforward, very clear and easy for kids to understand."

Notably, current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has made clear that his intention with the current era of the show was to attract younger viewers, ensuring that the show's fandom will continue for generations to come.

Purves himself ceased being a regular viewer of Doctor Who during the years of Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor, citing the show's then-focus on Earth-based storylines as the reason for his loss of interest.

"I didn't like the serials then because it got embedded in England," he recalled, "which lots of people think is fabulous and great, it just wasn't for me. It had lost what Doctor Who was all about."

The marked increase in such storylines were the result of budget cuts, which reduced the capacity to develop the kinds of extraterrestrial costumes and sets that characterised both previous and subsequent eras.

Despite his misgivings, Purves acknowledged it was a "remarkable thing" that Doctor Who had endured for more than six decades, although he fears that younger viewers won't revisit his time on the show due to technology perceived as dated.

Purves added: "I remember being in America at a convention and a woman came up to me and said, 'I've been trying to get my son interested in the classics, but he won't watch it because he thinks the television's broken' – because you've got these black-and-white pictures."

Read more:

• Doctor Who overnight ratings confirmed for Lucky Day
• Doctor Who's Lucky Day robs fans of a key moment – and it sums up the biggest Ruby Sunday issue

The current season of Doctor Who, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Varada Sethu as companion Belinda Chandra, is airing weekly on BBC One, with all surviving episodes currently streaming on iPlayer.

Doctor Who continues Saturdays on BBC One and iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.