Welcome to SaveCarsonBeckett.com
Dr. Carson Beckett, the Scottish Heart of Atlantis, was written out of Stargate Atlantis in Season 3's 17th episode "Sunday." Read more here to learn how you can help save him!
EXCLUSIVE Interview with Paul McGillion
22.Feb.07 by TJuk | Category News |
16 Comments »
Last night the Atlantis episode ‘Sunday’ premiered in the UK, British fans joining their Canadian counterparts in watching the demise of the much loved ‘Dr Carson Beckett’. On March 1st in conjunction with UK fansite, The Gateroom (English version only), Stargate Solutions and German Fansite, The Stargate Project (German version only), we follow up ‘Starburst Magazine’ with a brand new interview with Paul McGillion.
The Save Carson Beckett campaign is also pleased to announce the release of an EXCLUSIVE audio message to fans from Paul himself, also released March 1st with the interview and only available at http://www.savecarsonbeckett.com. The actor talks about his time on the series, his thoughts about leaving the show as well his recent work including ‘A Dog’s Breakfast’.
Here’s a taste of what to look forward to:
“Q: The decision to write out Carson has generated a huge debate, especially online. Do you think that Carson’s demise would cause such uproar?
Paul: The fact that Carson was written out and the fans have kind of ‘rallied the troops’ so to speak is really flattering to me as an actor and I think testament to the character that the fellas at Atlantis gave me the opportunity to play for three years. As far as commenting on the uproar, I don’t know what to say. Again it’s really flattering. My agent’s received hundreds of letter and I know that ‘the-powers-that-be’ have received a lot of fan mail. And SCIFI and MGM have also received fan mail regarding the demise of the character.
So, again it’s pretty flattering. I’ve had a fantastic time working on it. They had their reasons, I don’t know exactly what those are but it was something that they thought might be able to shake things up a little with the series, seeing SG-1 was cancelled and they figured that they might need to ‘shake things up’ with Atlantis.
To be honest with you I was disappointed at the time but at the same time I had done three years on the series and it’s been such a great thing for me. I’ve been in the business for quite a while and I guess all good things come to an end. That being said if there’s ever an opportunity for Carson to come back in any capacity I would be willing to look at that opportunity because I had such a great time working with the cast and crew especially.”
Watch out for the rest of the interview on March 1st at:
Europe – 6pm GMT
North America – 10am PST/1pm EST
16 Comments »
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Comment by Susan Malcolm | 22.Feb.07 @ 6:20 am
I really hope that we are successful in this campaign. We are the customers and the TV execs should pander to OUR needs.
I don’t doubt the creative talent behind Atlantis – even Joe M but this was a miscalculation on his part and he should be big enough to admit it.
Maybe he just needs a Glasgae Kiss to knock some sense into him.
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Comment by Andrew Durning | 22.Feb.07 @ 1:15 pm
im a scotsman who watched the episode Sunday with ma family, and i would be lying if we didnt have a tear in our eyes after watching the episode.
obviously i knew about carson getting wrote out but as with everything else, its shoking to see it. i cant believe they wrote him out, its just not right. 1st they killed col marshal sumner in the 1st episode, then the english guy peter grogan (he was on the ancient outpost when it was blown to hell), then ford was written out.
i also figured out tht if ur gna b a doctor in stargate or stargate atlantis, prepare to gt wrote off. 1st dr daniel jackson died (or ascended as it wer), then doctor frasier died, then dr zelinka died (befor rodney brought him bk 2 life with his ancienty stuff), now dr carson beckett.
ma advice is 2 bring him bk in an alternat reality episode as a bad ass doc with a heart o gold, lame i know but its an idea.
neway, BRING BACK CARSON BECKETT
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Comment by kris | 22.Feb.07 @ 6:47 pm
Every time Paul speaks it is sadder. He’s being very diplomatic and mature to not reveal the other side of his emotional coin. Not burn his bridges. It’s smart but still must sting. I’ve just finished reading the latest in Mallozzi’s blog, his being “sympathetic” with fans who dislike Carson’s exit but it matters not now. The deed is done and since bringing back demised characters is only “hypothetical” to Mallozzi, I guess I won’t have to adjust to what I won’t be seeing. Too many changes at once (Weir’s demotion and Carter’s promotion) are not happy-making. Mallozzi himself calls his scifi escapism. I call it escapism too when I escape to another show that doesn’t casually dismiss my fav characters in such a non-escapist fashion.
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Comment by John C. | 23.Feb.07 @ 12:48 pm
Its time for Mallozzi to admit he and the othe producers
have made a BIG mistake in the killing off of Beckett.
These show are fan driven and when people stop
watching shows because the producers don’t listen to
the fans there will be a loss of profits all the way down
the line. These shows are written and produced for
entertainment purposes and to make TPTB money
otherwise they wouldn’t be in the business. The success
of a series is based on the numbers of people who watch. Numbers are up so are profits. Without the viewers these shows would never survive. So Dear
Mr. Mallozzi they are NOT your shows they are our
shows. We foot the bill in the sponsors we patronize and the related materials we purchase. If
I buy a product and it doesn’t meet my standards
I take it back and ask them to make it right and if
they can’t I no longer buy from that producer.
I’ve written many letters to the sponsors,network,
the producers of the series. If TPTB don’t listen to the fans and bring the character of Dr. Beckett
(Paul McGillion) back I and the other fans can flat
guarantee you will lose profits for your productions. I will continue to write letters to all
those connected to Stargate:Atlantis and I hope
all of the fans of this series will continue to write too. -
Comment by Lindsay from uk | 24.Feb.07 @ 1:24 pm
please bring him back.
what a way to go! an exploding tumor? what the ..?
TPTB need to bring him back.
I love both series (SG-1 and Atlantis.). SG-1 will be ending soon and we only have 3 episodes left before the series ends. If they kill all the regular characters off they will ruin Atlantis.
I hated the ‘Sunday’ episode. I want beckett back and would like to see more Ford. what the hell happened to him?I am hoping the producers take into consideration the fans wishes and BRING BACK CARSON BECKETT
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Comment by Alessandra | 24.Feb.07 @ 1:57 pm
we need beckett he is one of the reasons i watch the show, enjoy his accent and his humour and his scaffolds with makay, even if i dont really enjoy makay and he makes me cringe most time he is needed in the series, so is momoa guy and joe flannigan and dr weir and and and, i am pissed off and sad and annoyed that dr beckett has been killed off, could have been his assistant or he could have been injured only like teyla, really sucks.
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Comment by Gerwyn from Wales | 25.Feb.07 @ 7:49 am
I couldn’t believe Carson was dead when I saw the episode. I didn’t know that it was already common knowledge that he was being written out, so it was quite a shock for me.
All I can say is, please please please bring him back!!!
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Comment by Sarah.K | 26.Feb.07 @ 6:36 am
I to did not realise that Carson was going to be killed off before this episode aired and i have to say i hated the episode!
I actually cried throughout the last part!
I know there was a funeral and all but they have to find some way of bringing him back cos it won’t be the same and I seriously doubt if I’ll watch any more,he was my fave character.
BRING BACK CARSON BECKETT!!!!!! -
I still flinch when I see that explosion and no matter how many times it shows up in music videos, tributes, etc., I can’t help but tear up. Death by exploding tumor is a bit lame and there’s one part of me that’s screaming for blood; how it’s not fair to the fans for such an event to occur. But there is also a part of me that, after having a while to think about it, is impressed at how emotionally jarring a simple plot twist is to hundreds of people. It’s an infuriatingly below-the-belt shot and yet a brilliantly executed ploy at the same time (no matter how much I don’t want to admit it, to illicit such an uprising is quite amazing from a writing standpoint).
A lot of people would find that this sort of reaction of anger and disappointment is childish and say that it’s only a TV show. But to the fans, it’s much more. Not to say that all of us are totally off the deep end obsessed (though it may look like that to many ‘normal’ people), but that in following these characters through hardships and victories, we each invest a little bit of ourselves, our hopes, aspirations, and dreams, into them. From episode to episode, we come not only to love these characters, but also the people who portray them and are the molders of their personas.
I will admit that the death of Carson was done quite wantonly and out of the blue, but I do not believe it would have been more powerful or painful by any other fashion than quick and unexpected. In a way, I think it brings us closer to the other characters as we can physically and emotionally relate after such a jarring and devastating event.
Therefore, I think that a short hiatus until halfway through season four should be resorted to; not because I do not want to have our precious and wonderful Scot safely back under Atlantis’s roof, but because, in retrospect, his death has made him far more precious in our hearts. In his absence we have become aware of that gaping hole and that darker cloud that hangs in the air because there is no doctor always ready with a smile to push that darkness away.
I am absolutely sure that Carson will return. And when he does, we will realize how much more loyal to the show and all of its characters we have become. The concept of death is one that hits right home, reminding us all of our mortality, but through ‘Sunday’ and the widespread commotion that has arisen from it, I believe it reveals that through death, unity and friendship can be found, not only across the street but across the world.
So, we must all stand together, patient, yet unyielding until Carson is returned back to us. Like they say, “Hope dies last.”
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Comment by kris | 26.Feb.07 @ 3:53 pm
Allison, your comments are beautiful and quite hopeful but to me his death was a cheap trick to up ratings. The crux for me is the casual way that Paul McGillion was dismissed and the last strike was Weir’s being reduced to recurring. By the way, my guess is that those who won’t be watching the show any longer by choice are not obsessed… or we wouldn’t be able to break away at all. I do hope you’re right and Paul comes back but I may miss that news altogether.
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Oh, I absolutely agree, Kris. Let’s have no illusions here. It was totally a cheap trick that deserves a round of double-slap therapy for everyone who decided it! It was a backstabbing thing to do to Paul and a dirty, SHORT-TERM solution that gives me great reservations about the competence of SG-A’s handling (re-reads my last comment again…yeah, totally not angry enough, makes up for it).
When I was watching ‘Sunday’ for the first time, I was setting my clock when the big moment came. I just stared at the screen, the clock frozen in my hands…Then I threw it out of my open window. I never throw things when I’m angry, but I was so enraged at such a slimy action that one minute, the clock was in my hands and the next, I heard it smash to the pavement below. When I read the reason behind it all, I was so disgusted that I even stopped watching the series and all of the re-runs for a while.
Of course, I realized that sulking wasn’t going to help (that and I missed watching SG-A), so I went online to channel my generally pissed off energy into something more positively constructive ^_^;
Although Paul has approached this entire predicament with fascinating and inspirational grace, he needs to realize that he deserves more from ‘the-powers-that-be’, those poor misguided people. I can understand that they would be afraid after SG-1′s retirement, but you’d think they’d have a little more faith in their fan base than that. They can’t go killing off main characters EVERY time their ratings drop. I’m just surprised that Martin Wood or Peter Deluise would actually stand for it…
I wonder if Thor could beam up a few producers and…persuade them to see things clearly >)
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Comment by Julian | 28.Feb.07 @ 8:20 am
I finally watched the episode last night and I was completely shocked at the utter uselessness of killing off what many of us think was the most likable character in the show.
Like I just wrote to MGM, I have a firm belief that Paul’s future will be much brighter that of the show if they keep making decisions of this caliber.
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Comment by Celtic Rose | 27.Mar.07 @ 4:37 am
I too was shocked and dismayed to see Carson die. BUT, I can’t help but think they already planned to bring him back later. I’m thinking ….he recently had helped Rodney with the whole ascending business…and considering that Carson is a far “better man” than Rodney and much more serene character to begin with….it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that Carson had managed to ascend and could possibly come back, like Daniel Jackson did!
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Comment by Julie | 15.Dec.10 @ 3:51 pm
They brought him back!!!!! It seems that ” the powers that be” eventually realised what a HUGE mistake they made in killing off Dr Carson Beckett. So they had him found, in an off world facility run by the confused Wraith, Michael, where he had been cloned (AMAZING! and so more believable than ascension!) from the original Beckett!!! Seamlessly done guys!
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