AsDoctor Whoapproaches its 60th anniversary this fall, it would be an understatement to say that there’s an impossible amount of content for fans to consume, whether they’re brand new to the franchise, seasoned pros, or, like me, digging their fandom out of the box they shoved it in when they were fifteen and turned their attention to boys. From comic books to audio dramas to novels — and even just the existing forty-plus seasons of the show itself — it’s a labyrinth that can seem deeply overwhelming, with no clear, official canon to give audiences a good idea of where they should start.
But there’s one piece ofDoctor Whomedia that audiences seem to gloss over more times than not, whether intentionally or just by sheer lack of access. Ironically, it’s the only full-length appearance of one of The Doctor’s regenerations, and a key piece of connective tissue between the original “classic” series, and the 2005 “NuWho” revival series: the 1996 TV movie, a backdoor pilot for a revival of the show after its cancellation in 1989. StarringPaul McGannas The Doctor andDaphne Ashbrookas his one-time companion Grace Holloway, it follows the adventures of the newly regenerated Eighth Doctor, after he lands in San Francisco and proceeds to promptly lose his memory, leaving him to wander about while his archnemesis, The Master (Eric Roberts), attempts to steal his body and remaining regenerations.
The film was largely panned at the time of its release, both for disappointing ratings and its attempts to move The Doctor from his “home base” (relatively speaking) of England to America, and plans to revive the series were ultimately canned untilRussell T. Daviesbrought it back in 2005. Since then, it’s been mostly panned or set aside, unavailable for streaming or purchase on DVD in the US. It’s neither here nor there when it comes to fitting in with the classic or revived series, and it tends to just languish in a sea of complaints. But, every girl’s gota favorite Doctor, and for some unknown reason I’ve landed on Eight — and to me, his movie is far better than people give it credit for.
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The Eighth Doctor’s Movie Was Absurd, But Underrated
It’s not to say that the film was so disastrous that its existence was wiped from canon entirely. Alongside a handful of Eighth Doctor novels, McGann cameoed briefly in two NuWho specials,The Night of the DoctorandThe Power of the Doctor, and has twenty-plus years of Big Finish audio dramas under his belt, making him one of the most prolific Doctors in the show’s history, if you’re going by the quantity of material. But my love is specifically for the movie, with its bombastic, absurd plot and the Doctor appearing from within a morgue’s cold storage wearing nothing but a shroud that I’ve affectionately taken to calling his“regeneration Snuggie”. (No, really.) It’s an adventure that both pushes the definition of what a Who story can be and is also perfectly in line with the legacy of the series, a perfect entry point for those looking for a place to start.
(I’m sure there’s a handful of you reading this with disgust on your face, thinking, “Duh, I already knew that! What’s she on?” But here’s the thing: I’m not talking to you, fellow Whovian who’s read every EDA and listens to Big Finish religiously. I’m talking to people like my mom, who loves the show but still manages to get half the aliens’ names wrong.)
For me, regardless of its distinct American flavor, theDoctor Whomovie (appropriately titledDoctor Who— what else?) has all the charm of what makes the series appealing. It’s suitably absurd, with a relatively simple plot of “save the universe” to keep things moving. It treats San Francisco as much of an alien planet as Gallifrey or Raxacoricofallapatorious, and as a result contains the same kind of campy, joyous fun that makes it so easy to pick up on any episode of the series, regardless of order or relative knowledge. Plot be damned; if the Doctor’s around, you know you’re going to have a great time.
That’s not to say that the film is high cinema by any means. Pick any other project out of McGann or Ashbrook’s filmographies —Deep Space Nine,Luther, hell, evenDowntime— and you’re probably likely to call it a better-constructed piece of art. But for anyone who complains that the film is schlocky, silly, or otherwise bad compared to the rest of the show, let me remind you just what show you’re talking about: one about a man who travels through time in a giant blue shed, picking up friends like stray cats andchanging his facewhenever he’s gravely injured. People activelycomplainedabout the show’s quality dipping when it finally earned the budget for half-decent special effects, and everyone’s whining about The Doctor kissing Grace and walking through walls a couple of times? Please.
Connective Tissue to the Revival Series
Speaking of: at the time, the film was lambasted for featuring The Doctor showing romantic interest in a companion, kissing Ashbrook’s Grace not once, but twice. It’s innocent enough for a family-friendly film (and would later be explained away as platonic in the EDA novels, where he kisses someone nearly every time he’s excited), but marked a sharp turn away from the fatherly role the Doctor had played for his companions up to that point, thus upsetting longtime fans who clutched their pearls (and probably, plastic Dalek models) in horror.
However, that fervor seems like a moot point in the face of the revived series, where romance became the cornerstone of the show’s first and most iconic companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). (The Tenth Doctor burnt up a sun just to say goodbye to her!) While those romantic sentiments have waned in recent years as the Doctor’s changed his face a handful of times, it’s no longer uncommon for non-platonic love to feature in the character’s adventures, meaning that the notes of it presented in the TV movie aren’t as odd as you might be led to believe. Really, it’s the seeds of something that would come to fruition much later — a trailblazer, if you will, especially if you consider that Grace appeared as a capable, badass surgeon long before Martha Jones ever hit the screen. And McGann’s sadly never done a proper rom-com, so I’ll take what I can get.
For anyone looking for a decent place to get into the show, the plot’s also got all the hallmarks of Doctor Who wrapped up in a bow. Itexplains everything you need to knowabout The Doctor, from where he came from to who the Master is to why he suddenly went from looking like a kindly college professor to someone out of a Jane Austen novel. Admittedly, it does it with a bit of an exposition dump, but hey, I’ll take a Paul McGann monologue over a screaming Dalek any day — especially since it’s got a leg up on the new series, which even in its first episode operates on a healthy amount of “Oh, you remember these guys!” Spoilers, sweetie: when you’re twelve and watching it for the first time with your British stepdad, you really don’t.
There’s not really much to say about the plot itself beyond “the Master’s trying to take over the universe again, what’s new?”, but I think that’s where it flourishes. The Doctor is best remembered for his quirkiness, whether that comes in the form ofTom Baker’s iconic scarf,Jon Pertwee’s awful yellow car, orSylvester McCoy’s innate knack for playing the spoons, and a simple plot gives McGann plenty of time to find his own quirks to play with. Some serve as callbacks to prior Doctors, but most are entirely his own, including a knack for telling the future and a shocking inability to understand personal space. Even Grace gets her own moment to stand out, performing heart surgery in the most stunning ball gown I’ve ever seen.
McGann’s Eighth Doctor Is a Standout
All of this, naturally, is tied together by McGann’s performance, one so lively and entertaining that he’s still making a living doing it almost thirty years later. It’s a rare look at a Doctor that isn’t jaded by any of his past — simply because he can’t remember most of it — with a golden retriever energy that reflects more the attitudes of Doctors that would come after than his predecessors. It’s no surprise to anyone with a passing knowledge of British film that he could carry something likeDoctor Whoon his own — see also: his anxious straight man toRichard E. Grant’s drunk inWithnail and I— but his Doctor isdifferent.
Maybe it’s the Oscar Wilde-gone-rogue outfit, but he fits the Renaissance man type, shedding the goofy exterior of McCoy’s Seventh Doctor but not quite dipping into the solemn tragedy ofChristopher Eccleston’s post-Time War Ninth Doctor. The Doctor becomes a Romantic with a capital R in his eighth regeneration, and it’s this specific face that I’m always recommending, especially if someone’s already a fan of the new series, which reflects that same zest for life and unabashed strangeness. To me, it’ll always be a damn shame that McGann didn’t get more on-screen time in the role, which just makes it all the more tragic that he was passed over for the show’s fiftieth anniversary special, which chose to replace him withJohn Hurt’s War Doctor in a truly convoluted piece of scapegoat writing by then-showrunnerSteven Moffat.
McGann certainly isn’t the Doctor I started off with. No, I landed squarely inDavid Tennantterritory when my stepdad sat me down to watch “Blink'' eleven years ago. It took til college and meeting my best friend for me to realize the Eighth Doctor even existed when she introduced me to this self-same movie and I rediscovered a fandom I hadn’t touched since high school. He takes some getting used to, but there’s a marked difference between yourfirstDoctor and yourfavorite, and I’ll never lose the stupid grin that crosses my face every time he looks at Grace, glee in his eyes, talking abouthow perfectly the shoes she’s lent him fit.
So yeah, there are absolutely better stories I could be recommending asDoctor Who’s 60th anniversary looms. I’m the first to admit that there are swaths of canon that I haven’t seen — I haven’t ever completed a full season of the revival, and the classic series intimidates me insanely. But if you’re interested, and you’ve got the chance: give the TV movie a try. I bet you’ll like it.
