Before I begin, I am fresh to this series. I am seeing it through new eyes and don’t have the detailed and knowledgeable background as some may have. I thought I’d make that clear. Although I have massive love for McGann, it came from a movie basis (and the fact I have a school girl crush on him.)
In the straight to Doctor Who television movie, we saw The Doctor come smashing in from Sylvester McCoy’s seventh. For those out of the loop, (don’t worry, I am just into it myself,) the film was a market to relaunch the Doctor Who series which unfortunately wouldn’t be regenerated until years later. The film starring McGann goes little something like this; The Master has been exterminated and has asked that The Doctor, who in his Seventh generation, to carry his ashes. When violent shaking inside his ashes occurs, sentient ooze trickles out of it and enters the TARDIS’ controls. Doctor crashes to Earth and is shot by San Francisco gangs. He regenerates into The Eighth Doctor with no recollection of who he is. All he knows is that The Master is coming back and there is something special about hospital worker Grace.
Set in 1996, this film about The Doctor is often used as the gap between the older series (7 years before) and the latest incarnations (nine years later. In new Who, there have been much more of a relationship between The Doctor and his companions even choosing the fall in love with some of them. Although this new sexiness and modernisation is often credited with leather wearing Christopher Eccelston who took the role and revitalised. Actually, the first Doctor to get really close with his female friends is the dreamy McGann who copped off with Grace in the show, hinting at a more intimacy and humanity between the Doctor and those who travel with him (or not, in the case of Grace.)
If you are a Who fan and have missed this breaking news, then you can be forgiven. But last week saw the BBC released a short episode The Night of the Doctor returning Eight and McGann. While we all whooped and cheered at his return, what did it mean? What did those eight minutes bring to the series? As The Day of the Doctor looms, we get a clearer picture of exactly who John Hurt’s Doctor is. After the death of a woman, Cass, who despised his race, Eight is now ready for war and ready to fight in the midst of the Time War. Turning to the Sisterhood of Karn, the planet Cass was crashing into when The Doctor arrived. Choosing an elixir that can change a regeneration into whatever you wish, The Doctor becomes the John Hurt we know.
As I said before, I am new to the series and not as well rehearsed as some. But even I can tell that McGann and Eight, after this vignette, are just aching for a spin off series. Perhaps some adaptations of his novel adventures or his own storyline. Either way, it is great to see Eight.
It’s McGann-tastic.
TTFN