Sylvester McCoy, the seventh actor to portray The Doctor on classic British TV show Doctor Who, revealed yesterday the melodic and humorous origins of his name during his first panel (ever) at this year’s Dragon*Con.

As McCoy explains in the video, which you can watch here below, “Sylvester” actually started out as “Sylvest.” It was coined from a song that he graciously performed for the crowd.

His surname came from “a bad joke.” And don’t get me wrong, if I typed said joke out in this post or retold it to you in person, it would most certainly be a bad joke. However, when McCoy tells it, it’s brilliant.

Anyone who doubts his abilities as a valuable part of the Doctor Who cannon would do well to watch the video below.

Internet connections permitting, I’ll have the entire panel video uploaded later today. Be sure to check back with Geeks of Doom for it as well as more Dragon*Con coverage.

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