The BBC originally wanted Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor in the original series, to be the Doctor at the opening of the film, as this version of the Doctor is the one most familiar to American audiences. The American executive producer Philip David Segal insisted on Sylvester McCoy, as he was an avid Doctor Who fan and felt the Seventh Doctor still deserved a proper send-off. BBC One Controller Alan Yentob and executive producer Jo Wright were very resistant to the return of Sylvester McCoy, as they associated him with the decline in popularity and eventual cancellation of the original series. Wright eventually said that McCoy could appear as long as he was "in it for a very short time and didn't say anything". This was revealed on a documentary made about the film.