The 8th Doctor

[Iamnotspock]

The McGann movie is a highlight ion my collection of Dr Who, and the only real reason why RTD did not ask McGann back has to be because he wanted his own Doctor to start out from the gate and not feature a regeneration at the start or have an handover Doctor in his first series. Thats what I believe at any rate, take it or leave it.

That's pretty much what RTD has said himself. He felt, rightly I think, that it would have been confusing to new viewers to introduce a new character only to have him turn into somebody else 10 minutes in - a lesson learned from the TV movie - and that the new audience wouldn't have any emotional investment in the eighth Doctor, which would render his demise virtually meaningless.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Precisely, and I think for those who want to pretend McGann's Doctor never happened, they can do that too as tey can go from watching the last Sylvester McCoy episode made in 1989 and jump ahead to 2005's Christopher Eccleston's debut.

 

[Aldo]

Precisely, and I think for those who want to pretend McGann's Doctor never happened, they can do that too as tey can go from watching the last Sylvester McCoy episode made in 1989 and jump ahead to 2005's Christopher Eccleston's debut.

Why would you want to do that? Even if you pretended he didn't exist, nuWho doesn't pretend: there are several glimpses of him in the new series proving that that iteration of the Doctor did exist at one point in time.

I know there are very few of us out there, but I love McGann. He's my favorite of the Doctors. It's just a shame his televised adventures had to be relegated to one tv-movie.

 

[CaptainMatt]

I for one would NOT want to do that. I LOVE McGann's Doctor like I said earlier the Movie he was in is a principle part of my Who collection. I have heard several audios in the past and even got one (Minuet in Hell) for Christmas. I wish they had used him in Episode 1 of the new series or maybe even for the entire first series but I can see why they chose not to. But don't get me wrong friend, I am a McGann fan. I epsecially love 'his' Master as played by Eric Roberts.

 

[davejames]

It's a shame the BBC doesn't have the budget for a "Lost Series" style show with McGann. Or even just a short mini-season in between seasons with the current Doctor.

Even for fans who weren't familiar with McGann, there would still be intense curiosity about such a thing. And he was such a charming and likeable Doctor that he would almost certainly have the same appeal as a Tennant or Smith.

 

[Christopher]

Precisely, and I think for those who want to pretend McGann's Doctor never happened, they can do that too as tey can go from watching the last Sylvester McCoy episode made in 1989 and jump ahead to 2005's Christopher Eccleston's debut.

Why would you want to do that? Even if you pretended he didn't exist, nuWho doesn't pretend: there are several glimpses of him in the new series proving that that iteration of the Doctor did exist at one point in time.

Yup. We've seen images of McGann in "Human Nature," "The Next Doctor," "The Eleventh Hour," and "The Lodger." And the current Doctor confirmed in "The Lodger" that he's the eleventh incarnation, and we've known since "The Five Doctors" that Hartnell was "the original, you might say." So we know canonically that there was an incarnation between McCoy and Eccleston, and that he looked like McGann.

 

[Anwar]

Didn't RTD himself say that he thought it was silly how folks wanted to forget the 8th Doctor ever existed? I mean seriously, DW has done worse stories...

 

[Christopher]

I've always found it odd how the fanbase seemed largely resistant to the way the McGann movie interpreted the Doctor as a romantic figure who -- gasp, horror of horrors -- actually kissed someone, but then turned out to be quite fine with the next few Doctors being portrayed much the same way.

 

[Anwar]

They kept get bombarded with it over and over with the RTD era Doctors, it desensitized them I suppose.

Nevermind the First Doctor falling in love with someone...

 

[Iamnotspock]

Nevermind the First Doctor falling in love with someone...

And, indeed, having a granddaughter.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Precisely, and I think for those who want to pretend McGann's Doctor never happened, they can do that too as tey can go from watching the last Sylvester McCoy episode made in 1989 and jump ahead to 2005's Christopher Eccleston's debut.

Why would you want to do that? Even if you pretended he didn't exist, nuWho doesn't pretend: there are several glimpses of him in the new series proving that that iteration of the Doctor did exist at one point in time.

Yup. We've seen images of McGann in "Human Nature," "The Next Doctor," "The Eleventh Hour," and "The Lodger." And the current Doctor confirmed in "The Lodger" that he's the eleventh incarnation, and we've known since "The Five Doctors" that Hartnell was "the original, you might say." So we know canonically that there was an incarnation between McCoy and Eccleston, and that he looked like McGann.

I already made it quite clear I like McGann, I was speaking for those who don't for just a moment there. You simply were not paying attention when I said I am one of those who actually like the McGann Doctor.

 

[Christopher]

They kept get bombarded with it over and over with the RTD era Doctors, it desensitized them I suppose.

That doesn't explain it, because they seemed to be fine with it right off the bat.

 

[Stevil2001]

They kept get bombarded with it over and over with the RTD era Doctors, it desensitized them I suppose.

That doesn't explain it, because they seemed to be fine with it right off the bat.

I don't know where you were in Doctor Who fandom of the mid-2000s, but no, no they definitely were not. Even a couple years ago, when Moffat was incoming, I remember a lot of people hoping he would take the romantic elements back out. (I can't imagine why they thought he would, though.)

 

[Captaindemotion]

It's a shame the BBC doesn't have the budget for a "Lost Series" style show with McGann. Or even just a short mini-season in between seasons with the current Doctor.

Even for fans who weren't familiar with McGann, there would still be intense curiosity about such a thing. And he was such a charming and likeable Doctor that he would almost certainly have the same appeal as a Tennant or Smith.

It's the obvious 'Doctor-Lite' episode for the 50th anniversary series, without having to do an outright multi-Doctor story. Have a flashback story, bookended by Smith narrating it.

 

[CaptainMatt]

I would dearly love to have a Doctor-lite special episode featuring a past Doctor, even more so if it is Paul McGann, for the 50th anniversary!

 

[davejames]

It's the obvious 'Doctor-Lite' episode for the 50th anniversary series, without having to do an outright multi-Doctor story. Have a flashback story, bookended by Smith narrating it.

It would be better than nothing, but I suspect the 8th's Console Room might be too expensive to rebuild for just one episode.

The good thing is Moffat implied they're doing a whole bunch of different things for the anniversary, so that definitely increases the chances that we'll see McGann. I mean it's such an obvious, no-brainer of an idea that I can't imagine they WOULDN'T consider it.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ So they either make it a multi-ep story or they don't recreate the tv movie console room. Who says the 8th Doctor kept it like that for all of his time in the TARDIS?

 

[Christopher]

It would be better than nothing, but I suspect the 8th's Console Room might be too expensive to rebuild for just one episode.

Hardly an issue. If you look at the original series, they rebuilt the console room constantly and rarely bothered to explain the changes at all. Sometimes in the early seasons it would even change configuration within a single serial.

And in "The Two Doctors," they had the Second Doctor & Jamie in the late Tom Baker/early Peter Davison-era console room set. This has never, ever been a franchise where continuity was a major concern.

 

[CaptainMatt]

What kind of different things do you think SM is planning for the 50th anniversary?

 

[davejames]

Hardly an issue. If you look at the original series, they rebuilt the console room constantly and rarely bothered to explain the changes at all. Sometimes in the early seasons it would even change configuration within a single serial.

And in "The Two Doctors," they had the Second Doctor & Jamie in the late Tom Baker/early Peter Davison-era console room set. This has never, ever been a franchise where continuity was a major concern.

Well yeah they COULD do that, but next to McGann's Doctor, the only thing people really talk about and praise about the '96 movie is the great console room.

It would be kind of a shame not to see it again (or at least a close approximation, since I'm sure they would want to add some extra detail for HD).