Doctor Who (24 page)

Several of the adventures reimagine classic
Doctor Who
stories. Whereas the adventure “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” took place in 1889 London, this version has a similar adventure in present-day New York City. “The Daemons” now takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. “Tomb of the Cybermen” becomes “Tomb of the Cybs,” with the emotionless cyborgs reworked into vain villains. Romana and the Celestial Toymaker appear, and it's revealed that the Doctor's father, Ulysses, was known on Earth as the famous pirate Blackbeard.

The series bible also revised the TARDIS, designating only five main areas in the ship: Captain's Quarters, Lab, Engineering, Cosmos, and Cloister Room. A later version gives the sections as: TransMat Bay, Engineering, Lab, Cloister Room, and Living Quarters.

Segal pitched all of this to Robert Greenblatt, head of Series at Fox. Greenblatt was happy to take on
Doctor Who?
as a TV movie but had no interest in a series. After discussing it more with Segal, Greenblatt agreed that they would make the movie as a backdoor pilot. It would stand on its own, but, if the ratings held up, it would launch a series to follow.
However, Fox and Spielberg didn't care for the pilot script, so it needed work before production could begin. It was revised several times, first by the original screenwriter, John Leekley, and then by Robert DeLaurentis, who had worked with Segal on the series
Earth 2.
New versions introduced Winston, a bulldog the Doctor picks up in WW II England. In one script, the Daleks could disguise themselves as humans, while another draft renamed them “Zenons.” A couple of drafts partnered the Doctor with a companion named Gog, described as a pumpkin-shaped alien creature with a horn.

Meanwhile, there were ongoing discussions concerning the casting. Peter Wagg outlined a list of possible Doctors: Rowan Atkinson, Billy Connolly, Michael Crawford, Liam Cunningham, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, and others. Paul McGann later auditioned for the role, unaware that his brother Mark had done so earlier. Sean Pertwee, Jon Pertwee's son, was also considered. Wagg settled on Liam Cunningham, Jeff Goldblum, and John Slattery as his three favorite candidates for the lead, though he later expanded this list and included Michael Bean, Matt Frewer, Rutger Hauer, Chris Isaak, Hugh Laurie, Kyle MacLachlan, Gary Sinise, and David Strathairn.

Segal discussed the script with Tim Curry but then decided Paul McGann was his choice, seeing his Doctor as a cross between Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker. McGann wasn't sure that he was the right choice for the Doctor, but his friend Sylvester McCoy encouraged him and he accepted the role. The actor signed a contract agreeing that, if the TV movie led to a fully realized series, he would remain as Eighth Doctor for at least six years.

A Continuation

Meanwhile, Spielberg still didn't like the pilot scripts, thinking them too heavy on continuity and too similar in places to what he already had done in the Indiana Jones films. Amblin Entertainment pulled out of the deal. By his own admission, Segal didn't inform anyone at the BBC about this rather significant development until he had renegotiated certain points with Fox.

Segal suggested that rather than reimagine the mythology, the story should continue the classic TV program's continuity. It would begin with
the Seventh Doctor pursuing the Master, regenerating into the new Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann.

Fox agreed to the new plan and casting. The BBC hesitated to ask Sylvester McCoy to return, however, arguing that he hadn't been a popular enough Doctor to save the classic program cancellation. Jo Wright asked if Tom Baker could play the role of the “Old Doctor” instead, but Segal argued against it. The BBC agreed that McCoy could appear as long as he didn't have many lines or scenes. Wright also stressed that this story should mark a whole new era rather than feel like the next episode after “Survival.”

Fox had concerns of its own, too. First, the network wanted more physical action, aiming to avoid
Star Trek
's style of solving dangerous situations through a discussion of science fiction concepts. Second, the Master would be played by an American. Executives worried that having both a British villain and hero, neither actor well known in America, would deter US viewers. Fox provided Segal with a list of acceptable actors to play the Master; all of them had work contracts with the studio already, and their salaries fit with the budget. Fox also suggested that the Doctor not fight any strange monsters, only human-looking villains that the audience could take seriously.

Segal conceded to these points, casting Eric Roberts as the Master. He did, however, object to composer John Debney's request to write a new
Doctor Who
theme, insisting he base it on Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire's arrangement. In 1995, at Fox's suggestion, Segal met with Matthew Jacobs, a screenwriter for the series
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
By coincidence, Jacobs's father, Anthony, had portrayed Doc Holliday in the First Doctor TV story “The Gunfighters.” Segal hired Matthew Jacobs to write a new script from scratch, but retaining the idea that the Doctor was half human to justify his love of Earth.

In this new story, the Master, seemingly dying, transforms into a sluglike creature. He and the Doctor wind up on Earth, either in New Orleans or San Francisco, on Halloween. The villain mortally wounds the hero and a surgeon named Dr. Kelly Grace attempts to save him, but doesn't understand his anatomy. Regeneration occurs and the Eighth Doctor emerges while the Master uses his new powers to raise an army of animated corpses. After saving the day, Kelly and the Doctor sail off into new adventures.

After some discussion, more rewrites happened. A young character named Jack became Lee, the story shifted to New Year's Eve in San Francisco, the zombie army was eliminated, and Kelly Grace became Grace Halloway. The Doctor would also now leave without a companion at the end of the story.

At last, the script was approved. UK film and TV director Geoffrey Sax had been working in the US for some time and was hired to direct the TV movie. With McCoy, McGann, and Roberts ready to go, the cast was rounded out with Daphne Ashbrook as Grace and Yee Jee Tso as Lee. Fox provided $2.5 million to the budget, with BBC Worldwide and Universal Television providing $2.2 million. BBC Television gave $300,000, making the movie's budget $5 million. As 1996 approached, production was ready to begin in Vancouver, British Columbia.

18

The Many Lives of the Eighth Doctor

“I can't make your dreams come true forever, but I can make them come true today.”

—The Eighth Doctor, from the TV movie
Doctor Who
(1996)

 

Paul McGann's parents encouraged him and his brothers to pursue and develop their talents from a young age. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he embarked on a career in television and film, gaining widespread attention in 1986 when he starred alongside Richard E. Grant in the cult classic comedy
Withnail and I.
After his other film appearances, including a role in
Empire of the Sun
and brief appearances in
Alien 3
and Disney's
The Three Musketeers,
commentators grouped McGann with Colin Firth, Bruce Payne, Gary Oldman, and Tim Roth into “the Brit Pack.”

Once the TV movie was definitely happening, Sylvester McCoy happily joined the project, believing that his involvement in a regeneration scene would cement McGann's legitimacy as the Eighth Doctor. “We're old mates, Paul and I,” McCoy explained, “and what a chance to really do a proper regeneration. No lying on the floor with a wig. We got to do it proper and with new special effects now. It was fun and weird, with lightning all around, and then you get very sad as my Doctor goes away and the not-as-handsome new Doctor arrives.”

McGann discussed with Segal what kind of Doctor he wanted to bring to the screen. Remembering Hartnell's incarnation, McGann wanted a mysterious figure but one different from McCoy. Not a master manipulator, this Doctor could be more impulsive and a bit rougher around the edges, enjoying his travels but also slightly guarded and cynical from all his experiences. McGann suggested emphasizing this visually, ditching the anti-fashion style of the previous Doctors for a more modern look of short hair and a black leather jacket. The actor actually had much shorter hair when
he showed up on set than he had in rehearsal, having cut it to play British Special Forces operative Chris Ryan in the recent movie
The One That Got Away
for ITV, where he starred alongside David Morrissey.

“They panicked because they'd loved my long hair and thought it was very Doctor-like,” McGann explained at Gallifrey One 2012 in an interview. “I told them, ‘No, it's fine; don't you see? . . . I'll be a new Doctor for a new era. That's what we want, right? He can still be fun, but he's got baggage, you can see that.' But no, they insisted that a man with short hair and a black leather jacket wasn't Doctor Who. No one would accept that. . . . They also wanted to bring back Tom Baker's scarf in some way. I said, ‘Then have me find it and toss it aside because my Doctor wouldn't wear that.'”

McGann was given a wig to make his hair longer again. His costume was a romantic Edwardian look, which matched the new Jules Verne style TARDIS interior. The console room became a huge area with different mini-sections. The console itself, now wooden and brass, had not only a scanner screen but a holographic ceiling as well.

“I loved that TARDIS,” McCoy said, smiling. “I absolutely am in love with steampunk, though it wasn't called that when I was young. Some of the Victorian style of science fiction, like when I saw Disney's
20,000 Leagues under the Sea,
I loved that kind of thing. When I walked onto that TARDIS, I was so happy. This was finally exactly what I'd wanted. Then I died, and this bloody new boy from Liverpool stole it from me, and everyone calls it the Eighth Doctor's TARDIS. It's not! It's my TARDIS! He inherited it from
me.
I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! Three hates make twenty-four!”

Production went smoothly for the most part, though reports indicated that Eric Roberts was difficult at times, demanding better accommodations as soon as he arrived. The story now involved the Master, in his sluglike state, once again extending his life by inhabiting the corpse of a human being he had killed. His next plan was to steal the Doctor's remaining five lives.

Fox continued to worry that the piece lacked enough action and excitement. Studio representatives apparently asked on occasion why the Doctor, an alien with advanced technology, couldn't carry some form of ray gun. Despite these hiccups, production concluded, and the TV movie was ready for the public.

The Curtain Rises

“He's back! And it's about time!” the commercials declared.

The TV movie
Doctor Who
aired in Canada on May 12, 1996, the US on May 14, and the UK on May 27. Reactions and results were mixed. Some rejoiced. Some asked why it featured a new Doctor rather than continuing the adventures of the seventh incarnation. Some immediately dismissed the idea of an American production, despite that director Geoffrey Sax, writer Matthew Jacobs, and executive producers Philip Segal and Jo Wright were all British and the film was shot in Canada.

The movie kept the idea that the Doctor would die on an operating table. Caught in the crossfire of a gang fight while pursuing the Master, the hero would have recovered from the bullet wounds but the well-intentioned actions of Dr. Grace Halloway, confused by Time Lord biology, ensured that a regeneration would occur.

“It's a startling how dark and violent it is, and there's even visible blood on the Doctor,” says Nicholas Briggs. “The movie was playing toward an older audience, but I don't think modern
Doctor Who
would do a death like that. They're still targeting younger viewers, and I think they'd be afraid to upset anyone.” Gary Russell, who novelized the film, held a different view: “It's definitely a violent death, but it works, and it's a very American kind of regeneration scene. Besides, it's a lot better than saying he regenerated because his ship was shot down and he hit his head.”

As Sylvester McCoy sees it, “In America,
Doctor Who
was something college kids and older adults watched rather than in Britain where it was meant for children but was good enough that their parents and older siblings would enjoy it as well. Americans tend not to think of it as a family show or don't always realize just how much is intended for children. So it made sense to me that this was more adult, more violent, because this was American
Doctor Who,
meant for American viewers.”

His body pumped with anesthetics, three hours pass between the Doctor's apparent death and when his next regeneration finally kicks in, the only one to occur without the TARDIS or another Time Lord present. It's a difficult change, leaving the Eighth Doctor amnesiac as he stumbles through the hospital, wrapped in a Christ-like shroud, humming
Madame Butterfly
(which
played on a stereo while he was operated on). He finds Grace and befriends her, convincing the surgeon that he is the same man who “died” on her table.

We're meant to see this new Doctor through Grace's eyes. He's effervescent, excited by simple pleasures, a thrill seeker, mischievous, a master of sleight of hand, and a slightly arrogant name-dropper. This is a man who will take himself hostage to get what he needs and who will pause during a chase to activate a fire alarm, simply because he wants to “liven things up.” He has youthful energy but an old soul, occasionally stopping to guide people to fates they don't suspect.

When the Doctor finally remembers who he is, he kisses Grace in celebration. The kiss caused quite a stir for many fans, who believed that the Doctor wasn't meant to be romantic. McGann didn't know that the Doctor had never kissed anyone on-screen before and rightly assumed that the character had some romantic quality since he'd had a granddaughter from the beginning. At the same time, he consciously chose to keep the kiss somewhat innocent by making it closed mouth.

The Doctor and the Master have a final showdown in the TARDIS Cloister Room, and the villain seems to meet his final end, his essence scattered across space and time. The Doctor asks Grace to travel with him, but she declines. He then takes off, settling down with a cup of tea before realizing a piece of the TARDIS is malfunctioning. Again.

Reactions

While some criticized the story and direction as too American, McGann's performance received broad praise. In the UK, the TV film did extremely well, garnering a viewership of 9.1 million. But Fox was more concerned with the US audience. Only 5.6 million viewers tuned in, not enough to prompt a regular series. Part of the lower-than-hoped ratings might have derived from competing against ABC, which was airing new episodes of
Roseanne, Ellen,
and
Home Improvement,
while NBC was broadcasting new episodes of
Third Rock from the Sun, Wings,
and
Frasier
—all hugely popular sitcoms at the time.
Roseanne
in particular attracted many viewers that night with its “Heart and Soul” episode, a follow-up to one of the main characters suffering a heart attack the previous week.

With no new series on the horizon, McGann was naturally disappointed, pointing out that he had only been the Doctor for six weeks and considering himself the franchise's equivalent to George Lazenby, who portrayed James Bond only once, in
On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Daphne Ashbrook felt much the same, telling me: “I had a great time doing it, and I loved getting to be part of the
Doctor Who
history, but I do feel a bit like I was part of an anomaly.”

Continuity

Sylvester McCoy criticized that his Doctor may have had too much screen time in the movie. As he sees it, “it was a mistake to start with me and not bring in Paul until almost half an hour into it. If you're new to the story, you're wondering about my Doctor, and then he's gone, and you have to go wondering about who this new person is. . . . I think it should have begun with the Eighth Doctor waking up confused, figuring out who he was . . . and then when he does remember, you could have a flashback to see how I'd met my end. Or if we'd been confirmed as a series, we wouldn't need me in the first episode at all. Paul's Doctor just immediately runs onto screen, fully formed. And then a few episodes in, he explains how he'd recently regenerated, and then we'd finally see what happened to me. It was supposed to be his show, not mine, but you wait half an hour just to see him, and then it's yet another twenty minutes or so before his memory's back, and he starts acting like the new Doctor.”

Other aspects of the TV movie weren't easy to grasp if you'd never watched or read about the show before. Nicholas Briggs has described speaking to American viewers who saw the opening shot of the Seventh Doctor in his console room but didn't realize that they were seeing the interior of the flying police box depicted moments earlier. Seeing no sign of movement and not knowing that this blue box was a ship that was larger on the inside, they assumed that the story had cut to a different scene. Likewise, some new viewers didn't understand whether the new Doctor was a newborn person unaware of what the previous Doctor had done or the same person with a new appearance.

Even experienced fans found themselves confused on a few points, though the novelization and tie-in media gave explanations and fixes for several things.

Despite the confusion and continuity contradictions, many fans wanted to see more of this Eighth Doctor, even if it wasn't on television.

Separate Lives

The ratings for the TV movie in England, and the media attention surrounding it, proved that the thirty-three-year-old franchise still could gather new fans and explore new areas.

After spending years telling new untold stories of different Doctors and what happened after “Survival,”
Doctor Who Magazine
now published the Eighth's Doctor's adventures following the TV movie. The comic strips gave a new take on a companion: a science fiction fan. Izzy Sinclair is a
Star Trek
and comic book geek unsure of her place in the world, often preferring to be called “Izzy Somebody” or simply “Izzy S.” She quotes classic science fiction films when she encounters strange enemies and criticizes the Doctor's ship for having neither transporter units nor a holodeck. Eventually the comic strips revealed that she is gay, making her the hero's first openly homosexual companion. (Russell T. Davies wrote to the magazine and praised this move.)

In 1997, the Virgin Publishing license to use characters in the Whoniverse reverted back to BBC Books, which issued the novelization of the TV movie as its first new tie-in in the 1990s. BBC Books soon began publishing new tie-in novels, creating two series:
Eighth Doctor Adventures
(EDA) and
Past Doctor Adventures
(PDA). The EDA books offered a continuous, linear succession of tales featuring McGann's incarnation (in a separate timeline from the comic strips), while the PDA series consisted of stand-alone novels that could feature any of the previous seven Doctors. The BBC also published three anthologies entitled
Short Trips,
featuring short tales of various Doctors and other characters in the Whoniverse. The first
Short Trips
book introduced the character Iris Wildthyme, whom writer Paul Magrs had used (in different form) in the book
Marked for Life.

The final Virgin novel featuring the Seventh Doctor,
Lungbarrow,
brought forth most of the Cartmel Masterplan, the Doctor experiencing memories of having once been the ancient Time Lord known as the Other. The BBC Books for the most part didn't reference this storyline particularly because the EDA stories tended to follow the idea that the hero was half human, which didn't gel with the revelations of
Lungbarrow.

The EDA series contains seventy-three books featuring the Doctor's eighth incarnation—literally thousands of pages of corollary narrative. The Doctor teams up with a young woman named Sam Jones and later recruits a young man named Fitzgerald Michael Kreiner or “Fitz.” Later still, he travels alongside companions named Anji Kapoor and Beatrix “Trix” MacMillan, the latter a con artist (and possibly former prostitute) who stowed away on the TARDIS. A woman named Compassion, who joins the Doctor for several books, began as a member of Faction Paradox, a group of guerrilla time travelers who enjoy anomalies and use rituals similar to voodoo in direct opposition to Time Lord practice and philosophy. The Faction's founder, Grandfather Paradox, turns out to be a future version of the Doctor. The hero eliminates this future version and all the paradoxes that he and his group have caused, restoring the proper timeline. As a result, though, Gallifrey is destroyed. Faction Paradox creator Lawrence Miles criticized this last development (not his, obviously) and continued the Faction into its own franchise that now includes its own comic books, novels, and audio dramas. Spin-offs beget spin-offs.