Doctor Who (1996) and Franchise Storytelling

A video essay about Doctor Who (1996) AKA Doctor Who: The Movie AKA Doctor Who: Enemy Within.
sources & related:
Paul Cornell - Canonicity in Doctor Who www.paulcornell.com/2007/02/c...
David J Howe and Stephen James Walker - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide: The TV Movie web.archive.org/web/201510291...
Jill Lepore - The Strange and Twisted Life of “Frankenstein” www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
TARDIS Wiki: Mary Shelley tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Mary_S...

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

It was cool how McGann listed all his Big Finish companions in his regeneration mini-episode. Basically the only time Doctor Who has stated so many characters from the EU as canon to the TV series.

[@filthycasual8187]

There is no Doctor Who "canon."

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

@@filthycasual8187 True i guess, but it was a nice gesture for the BF fans all the same.

[@RabbiB0Y]

​@@filthycasual8187there is doctor who cannon but there is no doctor who continuity

[@djco5782]

@@RabbiB0Y There is no canon, by definition, as the BBC can't decree one because they don't own the rights to all aspects of it. Continuity is sometimes strong and sometimes lax.

[@filthycasual8187]

@@RabbiB0Y No, there is literally no canon. Per the showrunner himself.

[@jeremy1860]

As great as it is that he had a bunch of book stories, I still wish that McGann had been given at least one full TV season. His brief appearance in Night of the Doctor proves that he's good in the role 😊

[@keit99]

He has a Huge amount of Audio dramas if you're interested in those.

[@davidt-rex2062]

Disney are apparently keen to have him in a spin off.

[@keit99]

@@davidt-rex2062 Disney wanting good Things? If IT happens I hope it doesn't get butchered.

[@cement_eater]

I wonder how s1 of the revival would have gone if he'd been brought back tbh

[@tanjredshirt]

"He likes it when *I* call *him* doctor. You know, Freud had a term for that." "Transference." ~30 years later, that still lives in my head.

[@seijuruhiko]

After all was said and done I did like McGann's official acknowledgement. Just like how the war doctor was lost it was just nice to hear the show finally say: "Welcome back."

[@eigentlichchroma]

dont know why the algorithm has blessed me with this video but it was great! thank you for creating it! happy new year!

[@8bitvictor]

I’ve been on a huge Doctor Who kick lately and even though I have been watching Doctor Who video essays every day for the past week, this has got to be my favorite one so far! Awesome work! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

[@rosecoloredessays]

thank you!

[@ltfringr]

...Interesting how you describe The Doctor as "Other" in both The TV Movie and The Timeless Children. Both of these stories can actually trace their roots in part to The Cartmel Master Plan from the final season of Who's original run, where The Doctor was planned to be revealed as "The Other," who was the third mythological founder of Galifrey. It's pretty crazy that these stories have such coincidentally related themes such as Frankenstein, great job making that connection.

[@alexanderbeedie671]

Thank you for this video essay; I think you convey how so many feel about this movie, the frustration and the enjoyment, how close it is to almost being *something* but never quite getting there. Your telling of this felt personal and sincere. It felt like McGann's Doctor; human with that hint of whimsy. It's almost a blessing we never got more of his Doctor on TV at the time, because if ever there was a Doctor so perfectly suited to finding *his* Doctor through audio it was McGann, who is able to convey so much and so little in his voice. Pairing him with Mary Shelley in Big Finish was a genius move; not only did he get to fully 'become' Frankenstein's Monster but he got to travel with a companion who offered such a different perspective on their relationship with him. An author and her character. In many ways I think this movie is ahead of its time. Let's not kid ourselves, it's in no way a good movie, but it does feel so *American* and that's a feeling that's more than echoed in the Russell T Davies revival - who is, equally, as subtle as a brick to the face a lot of the time. This lighthearted jaunt through turn of the millennium San Francisco wouldn't be out of place in the David Tennant years, but neither would it have that quintessentially 90's American TV feel to it - RTD would, by nature, have wanted to go bigger. I'm glad the movie exists as it does. It's so out of place and tries to do so much without any real coherence but it's endearing in its efforts and McGann, over the years, has truly become *my* Doctor.

[@JeremyDuncan]

Well, I really loved this. For some odd reason, despite all of it's flaws, I have always been so enamoured with the tone of the TV Movie. Nothing has ever quite recaptured that bizarre middle ground between Macabre and delightfully twee. I do dissagree with your take on the chemistry between Eric Roberts and Paul McGann. I think it works so well that the Master is so over the top and the Doctor is grounded because it provides a contrast that shows their regard for life. Also even then, given a second crack at it, they would have so much chemistry there would be a full blown reaction. I love eighth doctor content. I'll be plugging this on my channel.

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

I think thoschei shippers would have a field day with this movie and tge quotes within it.

[@salted_6849]

I remember meeting McGann at an event, a very chilled guy.

[@trunks072185]

I loved this movie. watched it live when I was 11. I didn't know what I was watching but loved it and 15 years later I became a fan of the reboot and figured out that tv movie was the movie I watched as a kid.

[@OhNoBohNo]

love the connection between Frankenstein and Dr. Who, as well, in the retelling and restructuring of its premise over and over and over until so much is unrecognizable from its source but still It in name and core tenents

[@kyrauniversal]

As an American, who has been a fan of Doctor Who since I was little. Big thanks to my dad, who enjoys the 4th doctor due to reruns they showed in the US in the late 80s and has been following the story (as much as this "worldwide" BBC would let us) for years. Remember the Max Headroom Incident? That happened during a US rerun of Doctor Who. So yes, Doctor Who did have a fan base here, and it still does. It just hurts me now that I have to pay for everything involved with it. Not to mention Tales in the TARDIS, I mean-! Look, you write the essays here, not me, but I do wish to have points like this talked about. I love this movie, and everything about it.

[@iansmith4023]

That was a lovely video essay :) For me, the Movie contains a ridiculously large amount of legitimate reasons for criticism (all of which you address); while simultaneously being ridiculously easy to enjoy (which you make clear that you do). More please!

[@darthekul1]

My dad used to make posters for a c list film maker friend nick , and he got eric roberts for it and i sat in the hospitalwith a "sprained" foot while he made a poster for a zombie or virus movie that never came out and now i think nick is almost as crazy as my dad and still trying to make the movie even though he failed ten years ago and ranting abiut people out to get him , eric roberts is an actor who will do any role lmao

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

I haven't finished this video, but I'm obsessed with the TV movie. I started reading Frankenstein because of it, I started the audio dramas because of it, I've certainly watched it too many times. I love that this is an actual look at the movie and not the shrugging it off most do. But you made me realize that yeah, the Master is completely different here than in the rest of Doctor Who. I love it, I still find this version iconic. Making him just a movie villain probably wasn't the best move and may have been the choice to weaken the spin off if it ever happened. My only thing I don't like about this movie is Lee. I first watched this movie with practically no background knowledge. I saw Lee running from what I presumed to be cops with his friends. They were laughing and having a good time. I was instantly interested I their dynamic. Then all of Lee's friends get killed. And we don't ever see Lee mourning over their deaths or even sad. I think if Lee was actively sad in the movie, it would have better shown visually what the Master's power was when he was hypnotizing Lee. Other than that I love this movie.

[@h0llowhouse453]

I remember being shown this as a child and really liking it These days I know it’s just eye candy The plot isn’t great but Paul is a diamond in the rough

[@r0bw00d]

Sentences aren't paragraphs unto themselves. Please go back to elementary school and learn the difference.

[@uriel7395]

@@r0bw00d Okay, but like, who cares?

[@r0bw00d]

@@uriel7395The educated.

[@nataliecameron]

​@@r0bw00dI have never seen someone so far up their own ass

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

​@r0bw00d if its only educated people who care, why does it bother you?

[@nailinthefashion]

12:35 If i hadn't subbed within the first 5 minutes, your description as delightfully melodramatic would have been the golden ticket, because i definitely giggled at the wilderness years being referenced.

[@benmorgan7268]

this was a really good video! i love your style, and the analytical/intertextual approach to looking at the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie was really well done! I also *massively* appreciate the subtitles included, that’s something that even major channels often don’t do, so for a channel with 2 videos and 270 subscribers, that’s immense. Fantastic all around!

[@BunjiKugashira1990]

It's all because the toymaker made a jigsaw puzzle out of the doctor's history

[@hellsw0rth]

This was one of the best Who related video essays I’ve seen in a long time! Entertaining and informative. And bloody hilarious in places. Thank you!

[@stuff31]

This is a really great video and makes some really nice points! I like it a lot. Nice to see another small creator bless my recommendations from time to time!

[@elisee5196]

really well made video essay! hope you make more

[@AAC-qd2vn]

great video essay! can’t wait to see more from this channel

[@ssupp]

Thank you for talking about this doctor who movie, I had halfway forgotten it :) such a lovely video!

[@CalamariCactus]

You're an excellent video essayist. I look forward to seeing your channel grow exponentially :D

[@michaelbartlett4207]

Excellent close to the video. Continue the exemplary creation.

[@thenecromancer01]

An excellent examination of an underutilized topic. Looking forward to seeing more content from this channel

[@101info5]

I could not believe that is just your second video because is so good congrats 😊

[@StevenChristie]

this was such a wonderful restrospective! i would love to see more look-backs at how doctor who continues to influence itself!!

[@robtymec2045]

You've totally nailed the video essay. I have subscribed to you instantly.

[@jacksondavis6327]

Lol will sasso as the medical attendant watching Frankenstein

[@baddabingbaddaboom77]

Such an impressively written and presented video on a movie that i knew nothing about. First video ive seen from you but it was really entertaining.

[@Distortion0]

This is cool and I hope you keep making videos.

[@whophd]

Really nice analysis. It’s got a bunch of points I haven’t heard before.

[@JosephMichael]

Wow, I really enjoyed this video. Keep it up!!

[@matthewjh138]

Absolutely fantastic I’d love to here more dr who essays

[@Fejrus887]

Doctor Who has one of the more fun continuities I'd say, because its such a big playground. Next to the TV show, anything can be canon if one wants it to and it makes it a fun pick and choose, especially since the TV show does crib stuff from it, be it Kate Stewart, The Origin of The Cybermen or just outright adapts stories like Human Nature or Jubilee (would become Dalek, written by the same writer and is just very loosely adapted). Big Finish has the highest position for most fans tho since they are basically like episodes of the show, just without the visuals and compares to some of 60s TV Stories since those mostly existed as audio with some pictures. Classic Who especially benefits from it since it was more episodic, so having whole lot of Adventures between TV Stories and new companions works amazingly to build on the groundwork for the Show. Especially for 6 or 8 who don't have many stories and can show how good they are :D

[@junipetta1595]

found your channel through this video, then went back and watched your first. your work is excellent and i cant wait to see your channel grow!!

[@greenhowie]

Very fun video, the editing and analysis are top notch - two minutes in and I'd completely stopped caring about mic quality (sorry but had to be said) - I'm subbing to see what this channel brings next, looking forward to more essays!

[@DeedeeDirt]

i LOVE Paul as the doctor, the movie when i first saw it, i thought wow this is kinda bad but, that doctor! he's amazing, i started listening to his big finish episodes and omg! so good! i so wish he had more screen time. i don't know if you've seen the latest specials, specifically the giggle, but a line Russell wrote into that episode could be seen as a reason for the doctors changing history, even the half human line from this movie could kinda be explained by it

[@SSJPENGUIN]

I love showing people this film for the first time!!!

[@brandotenda]

thank you algorithm and thank you for such a fantastic piece. the ending legit made me tear up

[@spacecorgi3074]

Very fun vidoe essay!! Genuinely felt like having a conversation with a friend who's just as into a shared interest!!

[@slaneyinfamous]

excellent video !

[@jacobzieper3846]

This was great! Loved your read on the movie!

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

randomly recommended this powerful video. Epik content. Subbed.

[@matthewcooper1336]

A bad doctor who movie? this is the BEST doctor who movie

[@JoshRazauskas]

Beautifully done, really enjoyed this video! Subscription earned!

[@nataliecameron]

Eric roberts as the master gets massively redeemed in big finish audios

[@Hefferr]

banger video!🔥🔥

[@dantebiglizard5107]

This is a gorgeous essay. im very fond of the inconsistency and non-existent "canon" being treated as part of the universe of doctor who. ive been making my way through the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel series (which also keep up and deepen the jarring tonal shift of the movie like you mentioned) and theres a reoccurring theme of history not being a static, linear thing, but something where many mutually-exclusive things can be true at once, and that what has always been true hasnt necessarily ALWAYS always been true. the doctor has always been half human, but maybe it only recently became true that he has always been half human. the books also introduce Iris Wildthyme, another time lord who is more or less an in-universe parody of the doctor. every adventure that the doctor has had is also an adventure she's had. their histories are identical, parallel, and exist simultaneously in the same reality in a way that shouldn't be possible in a reality with linear time. the EDAs can get pretty metatextual and comment on the format of the TV series and on the form of their own canon in a way that i think is really interesting. definitely worth giving some of them a look if youre a big nerd about doctor who like i am. or if you want more eighth doctor content (definitely recommend the Big Finish audios if you like McGann's performance as well)

[@jddi1527]

Agreed!

[@janeydivision]

incredible stuff!

[@LynnHermione]

Oi, Eight is my Doctor BECAUSE of the movie. Paul McGann is just that adorable

[@haileybennett4006]

Your voice is so soothing. I'm gonna use this to sleep, lol.

[@208hdm]

This is excellent. I’m off to rummage through my basement to find my copy

[@almondmilkbone]

great video! love me some good faith discussion on doctor who 1996, i always had a soft spot for this one

[@saurelius5217]

Back when the movie was the most controversial Doctor Who story. The Eye of Harmony is stupid, but still better writing then today's stories.

[@SSJPENGUIN]

I kinda like this Doctor & Master having zero chemistry because it's refreshing (felt the same with 13) but the film would definitely be stronger if they had some sort of nuance to their dynamic

[@bugy_sponge]

this was a delightful and sweet essey, you hit a lot fokey points, and i reallly enjoy the connections to the timeless child! i always found eight's connection to the timeless child amazingly fasinating, so this makes it sooo exra cool. thank you!!

[@JamieC_94]

This is a superb and really considered essay. In particular, I quite liked your commentary on both 'cannon' and tone, and the extent to which these do (or don't) matter to new forms of episodic, multiverse mass media. But overall, it just felt like you covered a lot of ground in a relatively short runtime; it's an impressive talent in a period where hour-long video essays are not uncommon. I went back and watched your video on pronouns after I finished this one and was similarly impressed. Am definitely interested in watching more of your content!

[@queersinthewoods]

Oh tiny gods You're gonna make me watch this aren't you?

[@Mango_mahogany]

Great video

[@akshaytrayner1960]

Great essay I have soft spot it

[@rhaenatargaryen8061]

loved this!, youtube is sorely lacking your kind of perspective on doctor who. among other things but thats whats relevant here

[@dommoore6180]

I think calling the TV Movie an edgy reboot is genuinely hilarious. It came literally right after not just the New Adventure books (very edgy) but the McCoy seasons of the original show (also quite edgy), plus there's the hammer horror era of the mid 70s, the monster movie style Troughton era, the murder happy mid 80s seasons and the whole original show overall which was always a bit weird and edgy. The TV Movie, isn't really that. The TV Movie is much more like New Who, which really seriously is nothing like that (save for rare exceptions every 15 episodes or so). The slightly scary edgy bits in the movie, the violence, the spooky framing of the regenerations, that's the stuff in the movie that actually feels like the original series. It's just also the stuff that feels nothing at all like the new/2005 series. (and being killed brutally was definitely a thing that could happen to that character, like, it literally does several times in the original show?)

[@Concreteowl]

Doctor who has never been rebooted. It wasn’t even official cancelled.

[@dadman3992]

Great essay! I was just thinking when you mentioned the show contradicting itself of how the episode "Hell Bent" referred back to the half-human thing (along with several other things; that episode seems to be trying to imply without stating every fan theory out there is true) and then you brought it up yourself! There were also plans for the episode "Day Of The Doctor" to feature images from the Peter Cushing "Dr Who" films despite- or due to- the fact that those films cannot possibly exist in the same continuity as Matt Smith and David Tennant. A gag in that episode also pokes fun at the fact that it's not possible to know whether many of the Jon Pertwee episodes were taking place in the 1970s or 1980s. Revelling in its own contradictions.

[@scotia7326]

Could I ask your opinion on the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton? I’ve been thinking of making an essay on just him, because I think he is my favourite but also the most important Doctor of them all in many ways. Just curious to hear your thoughts on him and his run 🙏

[@samburgerwithcheeze8145]

15:39 I like to think that the yellow glow from this scene is the first time the doctor regenerated in this capacity. My head canon is the more you regenerate the move powerful the next becomes. I know things in the show contridict this but tbf every thing in DW lore contridicts one another so this headcanon can feel right at home.

[@andrewdickie6724]

Yo i just watched this film with my parents we all loved it. Great essay and some of the editing is hilarious. Thank You!

[@rueryuzaki666]

He shows up in Manhattan many times

[@RainbowLegion]

The Toy Maker implied he was responsible for some inconsistentacyies with thier history

[@Ghostpalm18]

Wait until you read the Leekly Bible, Guy had some wild plans for the show

[@subjectnivleis7572]

the tardis interior in this film was perfect it's a shame it was only in this film and the lego dimentions game

[@saeedrazavi4428]

Subscribed ✅️

[@HadeTheReal]

Ig from all the time the doctor had spent in The UK he Pretty much became British

[@jamiebowler4693]

Honestly dr who cannon and lack of it is great. It’s wibbly wobbly and timey wimey. The dalek timeline for example is so bloody confusing but cool because time is relative to them as they wilfully skip and hop along their timeline. The doctor also experiences time differently. He experiences past present and future like he can feel time itself which is really cool if you ask me.

[@EzraBradford]

Regarding the discussion at 14:53 of whether the ambiguity of the Doctor's heritage can come in-universe from time-shift ripples, I think you can tie that in with the theme-question of where, exactly, the difference between humans and Time Lords begins. Some of the Eleventh Doctor material suggests some strange connections. Imagine if Gallifrey was so ravaged by the Time War as to leave history only a handful of surviving examples of Time Lord biology. Then you alter time to a history with a restored Gallifrey-how does it “know” what Time Lords, of all potential Time Lords there could have been, to put back? It's got to back-fill a history consistent with the few examples you have, the Doctor, the Master... if the Doctor was half-human before, maybe now all the restored Time Lords are the same sort of half-human.

[@kevin10001]

I love doctor who and was 5 years old when the classic era ended and I don’t remember any promotion for the movie as an avid fox watcher back then though fox kids the Simpson in living color and married with children so I think it’s downfall was that fox affiliates like mine either didn’t air it or delayed airing it like mine did many years later hence they delayed airing the Osborn’s variety show pilot also the movie was the only thing that wasn’t made available for free on Tubi when they got the classic era of the show recently and the master stealing a body to stay alive wasn’t a new concept cause Anthony Ainley original was playing Nyssa’s father Tremas when the master shows up and takes his body and it’s Anthony Ainley’s master where the ability to turn people into figurines showed up

[@2112earl]

He's one of the best doctors

[@mirien7277]

Damn you're good at ending these

[@sirhborn]

How do I get a copy of this show?

[@KamJ2010]

Get a better mic. But I love it.

[@Bailey-dj6hz]

Great video but the master actors in classic who are all playing different incarnations? Ainley and Delgado are both different regenerations

[@jellybabiesarecool4657]

There are novels which do explain why the Doctor's origins change

[@mcyeddi]

"The bad doctor who movie" Alright just cuz ur right don't mean you gotta say it

[@rosecoloredessays]

listen, I wouldn't have made this whole video if I didn't mean that with as much affection as possible

[@mcyeddi]

And what a genuinely good video it is👍

[@davidt-rex2062]

Paul McGann is fantastic in the big finish audio collection. The rumours are Disney are looking to have him in a Dr Who spinoff. He would be awesome.

[@bronsonbronson5313]

paul mcgann is so baby girl

[@PhialSubstance]

But a calendar change did bring a new start. The world is not the same now as it was in the 90's. 2001 changed everything, 9/11 really changed the entire tone of the 2000's and everything that followed. It's been downhill ever since. So it was a new start, just not the kind we were expecting.

[@jestpukp9364]

very interesting video. consider yourself subscribed. hope you do more video

[@Salfordian]

The movie done well in the UK I read it failed in America because of the late timeslot

[@astralarmadillo]

So glad this popped up! A great analysis of this terrible/amazing movie

[@fiftyfive1s410]

the master is WHAT in this movie lmfaoo

[@magicoA]

13:02 “unlike marvel/disney,the BBC didn’t burn down the wilderness” yeah,they just burned a lot of the era before that,literally.

[@Radignostic]

great voice, both in terms of writing and sonically

[@SeventeenSeventySix]

0:50 Steven Segal

[@LFrench]

There's just something interlinked between being a doctor who EU fan and being pro public domain

[@Falloutin3]

Refreshing to hear something on Doctor Who which isn't from a frustrated male Brit.

[@jdg961]

ANDOR MENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

It wasn't very positive of a mention was it though.