Is there any reason McGann couldn't have starred in nuWho?

[Aldo]

I realize in the states the feeling was that the Doctor Who tv-movie was a failure. But from my understanding it was a pretty big hit in the UK.

Looking at that, and considering many people who dislike the movie say that McGann was the best part about it, is there any reason he was never approached to reprise the role as the Doctor?

I mean there's nothing about the first season that necessitates that the Doctor of that series be the ninth Doctor. It could have easily been McGann's Doctor and nothing would have changed drastically.

At the very least they'd only be on regeneration 10 now and still have some more room until they have to stretch credibility and explain why the Doctor can regenerate after his 13th life.

 

[Dukhat]

Looking at that, and considering many people who dislike the movie say that McGann was the best part about it, is there any reason he was never approached to reprise the role as the Doctor?

1. McGann probably didn't want the role.

2. They probably didn't want him either.

3. I'm pretty sure that the creation of the new series and having Eccleston be the star went hand-in-hand.

I realize in the states the feeling was that the Doctor Who tv-movie was a failure. But from my understanding it was a pretty big hit in the UK.

I always thought the opposite was true?

I mean there's nothing about the first season that necessitates that the Doctor of that series be the ninth Doctor. It could have easily been McGann's Doctor and nothing would have changed drastically.

My understanding is that they wanted a fresh slate to work with, simple as that.

At the very least they'd only be on regeneration 10 now and still have some more room until they have to stretch credibility and explain why the Doctor can regenerate after his 13th life.

I don't think that's going to be much of an issue, to be honest.

 

[Iamnotspock]

I realize in the states the feeling was that the Doctor Who tv-movie was a failure. But from my understanding it was a pretty big hit in the UK.

I always thought the opposite was true?

No, it was a failure in the States, as it was scheduled opposite Roseanne (the episode where Dan has a heart attack) and a major sporting event, but got 9 million viewers in the UK as, well... it was the return of Doctor Who!

That's not to say it was ultimately too well received by the fans or would've held onto it's ratings had a series continued the following week but in ratings terms it was a big hit here.

 

[Aldo]

I suppose what I'm really curious about, and it appears it was something I didn't make too clear in my initial post. But once talk of reviving the series came about did McGann's name come about at all?

I'm mostly curious about this is I think Paul McGann was a fabulous Doctor and it's a real shame he didn't get a chance to play the character in a weekly series.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

I suppose what I'm really curious about, and it appears it was something I didn't make too clear in my initial post. But once talk of reviving the series came about did McGann's name come about at all?

Among fan circles it's probably inevitable.

As for serious considerations among the show's producers... probably not.

 

[Starkers]

Only RTD knows for sure...

At the end of the day, whilst Eccleston is probably a bigger name than McGann, McGann is well known, especially in the UK, probably more recognisable than say David Tennant was when he got the job. I also doubt that Who wouldn't have come back without Eccleston, I'm pretty sure if he hadn't wanted to do it RTD would have found someone else, and probably had a whole list of people lined up.

I don't believe there was an inherrant reason not to hire him, I just think it would have been almost ten years since he was the Doctor, it isn't like anyone but fans really remembered him being the Doctor, and I think they just wanted a clean slate.

 

[23skidoo]

They wanted a clean slate. Remember it had been 9 years since the TV movie. They wanted the show to relaunch in such a way that people who had never seen the series before (remember an entire generation of children, including one Matt Smith, had never had Doctor Who in their lives) could jump in. Sylvester McCoy is on record as saying the biggest error of the TV movie is in having him appear because it alienated new viewers; he says had it gone to series, they could have covered off the regeneration later.

It was never a slight against McGann. They wanted a clean slate (originally the Daleks weren't even going to appear) and they wanted a big name actor to bring extra oomph to the proceedings.

Also, it's not as if McGann was shortchanged. He's been playing the Doctor for Big Finish audio since 2001 - he's had plenty of opportunity to grow his version of the character.

Alex

 

[Tom]

Im always hopefull of Mcgann appearing in a story in the current series, does not nessasarily be the 50th anniversary special, could even be something along the lines of Time Crash even.

 

[StCoop]

Im always hopefull of Mcgann appearing in a story in the current series, does not nessasarily be the 50th anniversary special, could even be something along the lines of Time Crash even.

The difference is people remember Peter Davison. Most people have never seen McGann or saw him once for an hour in 1996.

 

[ChristopherPike]

I'd always hoped there was a massive conspiracy going on between Davies and Moffat, to eventually bring back McGann to the role of the Doctor someday. Something resulting from a future storyline in which Smith, Tennant (or the next fella) end up erasing the Time War completely.

Some shocking twist they end their combined eras with, probably for the 50th Anniversary.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'd always hoped there was a massive conspiracy going on between Davies and Moffat, to eventually bring back McGann to the role of the Doctor someday, as the result of some future storyline which erases the Time War completely.

No producer plots out a series like that, because there's no guarantee that 1) the series will run that long, or 2) you'll still be producing the series when the big reveal will happen. The multi-season arc show that survives more than one season is the exception, not the rule.

 

[ChristopherPike]

No producer plots out a series like that, because there's no guarantee that 1) the series will run that long, or 2) you'll still be producing the series when the big reveal will happen. The multi-season arc show that survives more than one season is the exception, not the rule.

True. TV never starts out that well mapped. But they generally have a big picture, even if it's constantly evolving and New Series writers seem more preoccupied with how each year builds toward something. It probably isn't hard to retcon backwards, and revise past themes, characters, merging them with a different end goal in mind. A goal that makes sense when adding all the series together. Even single out some of the not very well explained stuff, uncanny coincidences, (seeing patterns in things that the Eighth Doctor might tell you aren't there) and use it to back up a change of direction.

I doubt the writers of LOST had that finale in mind, during the first year. Likewise how Ashes to Ashes added to Life on Mars' ending, but allowing the former to stand completely on its own, if you reject the latter. Maybe that's a better example...

Maybe I don't really know where I'm going with this theory either. Or if I do, it would result in a lot of controversy.

Endings tend to be mostly bad, confusing and disappointing these days. At least Doctor Who never has one, it just constantly resets itself back to one Doctor (does it even matter which one?) and one TARDIS, all set for another exciting adventure. A guy who generally promises to explain later, but either doesn't or does, and it ends up making little sense to anyone else but him.

 

[Iamnotspock]

They wanted a clean slate.

This. He's always maintained that he would've been happy to do a regeneration, but as for whether he'd have done it full-time if he'd been asked, I suspect not;

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a327514/doctor-who-too-big-for-me-says-paul-mcgann.html

He confirms here that he was never approached.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDOMy98R9hk

 

[OmahaStar]

I could be wrong, but I thought the reason they hadn't brought him back was the same reason there was no Region 1 DVD release until just recently - there were rights issues with Fox and Universal prohibiting them from using that specific version of the Doctor on screen.

And since it was on-screen rights only, Big Finish could feel free to use McGann in the audios ... but somehow, the other characters introduced in the audio, including Grace, are still tied up and can't be used. That's why even though they brought in the actress to reunite with McGann, she was playing an unrelated character.

This is also what concerns me about the relationship between Torchwood and Starz. Does the BBC continue to own the new characters, or does Starz have some sort of co-ownership that would prevent their use in a later Who-related project?

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

I guess it depends if Miracle Day is a hit or not for Starz and whether or not they want to continue on and renew another season. This could be just a one-off thing. We'll see how the season progresses.

 

[FlapJoy]

I've always felt that we are well on our way to a "the four doctors" episode with McGann, Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith... which I do think would be great.

But, I would love to see McGann brought back for an arc at least, it could work. We could see Smith's 11th examining McGann's 8th as the very different Doctor he was before the Time War... seemingly more at peace with himself, and almost vulnerable. Not at all prepared for the war to come.

I've always been partial to the idea that the 8th Doctor after (or during) the terrible events of the time war is why his 9th incarnation was so cold and unfeeling for humanity, less than we'd ever seen before anyway, eliminating the colorful side for a bit with that thick leather coat, simple tee and cropped military cut. The 9th Doctor was a soldier returning from battle and coping with the loss of his family and entire race at the hands of his most hated enemy. It's why the episode "Dalek" is so telling, 9 was literally afraid of that single Dalek, and wanted to blow it to pieces the first chance he got, it was Rose that seemed to change both the Doctor and the Dalek... Rose was able to heal our suffering 9th, leading to a much more balanced 10th.

But McGann and Smith in an adventure together would make for an interesting tale, with 11 knowing the pain that's about to come for his past self, even further from that interaction... lot's could be done with that. (Maybe even having River in on the fun and have the 8th Doctor be the one she ends up falling in love with.)

 

[marillion]

I'd opt for the "clean slate" idea as well... With NuWho, they got a chance to start clean, update the look and feel of the show and, at least initially, cut most ties with the original series..

I bet the feeling was that McGann, while an excellant Doctor, was still a carryover from the original series.. Eccelson brought a new, modern attitude and wardrobe.. Gone are the foppish smoking jackets, frilly shirts and vegetables on the lapels.. In with the leather jackets, sports coats and Chuck Taylor hightops...

 

[The Doctor]

I realize in the states the feeling was that the Doctor Who tv-movie was a failure. But from my understanding it was a pretty big hit in the UK.

Looking at that, and considering many people who dislike the movie say that McGann was the best part about it, is there any reason he was never approached to reprise the role as the Doctor?

I mean there's nothing about the first season that necessitates that the Doctor of that series be the ninth Doctor. It could have easily been McGann's Doctor and nothing would have changed drastically.

At the very least they'd only be on regeneration 10 now and still have some more room until they have to stretch credibility and explain why the Doctor can regenerate after his 13th life.

Two points: There is no 'regeneration limit.' As with everything else in Who, the details only matter insofar as they service the story at hand. Everything is fungible. Second, McGann brought nothing to the table. He played The Doctor for an hour in an entirely forgettable television movie. Ecclestone brought a raw physicality to the role and took The Doctor to places that he'd never been before. He was the perfect choice to bring Doctor Who back to the screens for a new audience.

So yes: There are plenty of reasons why McGann didn't, and shouldn't have, played The Doctor in the series revival. We're much better off that he didn't.

 

[captcalhoun]

I'm pretty sure if he hadn't wanted to do it RTD would have found someone else, and probably had a whole list of people lined up

IIRC, a certain D. Tennant Esq. was #2 on the list...

 

[Aldo]

Two points: There is no 'regeneration limit.' As with everything else in Who, the details only matter insofar as they service the story at hand. Everything is fungible. Second, McGann brought nothing to the table. He played The Doctor for an hour in an entirely forgettable television movie.

I shall respond to your two points. One, I hope they don't throw away the regeneration rule, I actually think it's a novel idea and would feel a tad cheated if they just toss it out to get more life out of the show.

Secondly, I disagree, I think McGann was a great Doctor, he brought together the best qualities of his predecessors and you can actually see hints of the Eighth Doctor in the performances of Ten and Eleven.