The Disastrous Production of the Doctor Who Movie (200 Subscriber Special)

The 1996 Doctor Who movie lives in infamy, but it actually has a fascinating story behind it, one that would shape the very future of the Doctor Who franchise.
This is my attempt at making a kind of short documentary about the production of the 1996 TV movie.
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[@HarboWholmes]

Hello there! Firstly, thank you so much for 200 subscribers! A year ago I would never have imagined I'd have 200 subscribers, so this means the world to me! Secondly, I know this video is very different to what I usually put out. I'm sorry about the length, but I couldn't find much to cut out in order to shorten it. There's too much going on! Let me know what you think. If you guys enjoy it, then I might make more like it. Lastly, I'm now on Twitter! I personally don't really like the site, but I figured it would be the easiest way to regularly interact with you and give you updates. You can find me on there at @HarboWholmes. Thanks again for 200 subscribers!

[@nightowl8477]

Congrats!

[@HarboWholmes]

@@nightowl8477 Thank you!

[@danielemberson5321]

Da

[@redhippopotamus9144]

General Kenobi Someone had to say it

[@alirizvi3372]

@@redhippopotamus9144 You are a bold one

[@crimsonmitsuko]

Funny how Peter Capaldi and John Hurt would later go on to play the Doctor in the revival.

[@Thunda1986]

and rowan atkinson kind of

[@banjopink4409]

Don't forget Sting.

[@jessefleet2035]

And Timothy Dalton ended up playing Rassilon

[@banjopink4409]

@@jessefleet2035 Bob Holness's portrayal of Suketh the Intruder sets the bar for those aspiring to play the Time Lord.

[@PhialSubstance]

Capaldi was considered for the role of Sisko in DS9. That would've been weird...

[@cobra312004]

Paul McGann only getting two on screen appearances as the Doctor is criminal. He was an absolutely incredible Doctor. Thankful for the audio series, which were also sort of canonized in his regeneration story

[@calculator17]

nah mate essentially anything the 8th doctor has done in big finish audio is just as canon as the tv show as confirmed by nicholas briggs (voice of the daleks) and a good chunk of his audio dramas are arguably better than the past 4 series of on screen doctor who!

[@ozmond]

The audio is cannon what are you talking about ?

[@jrobertlysaght]

Oh my God. TIM CURRY as The Doctor would have been amazing. But actually He'd be an even better Master. God, imagine a series where MCGann and Curry match wits ala Tennant and Simms?

[@DiscoTimelordASD]

If someone had gone back in time and bribed the architect first, then they could have gotten Tim Curry to play The Master😂

[@TheProfessor230]

yeah tim curry would have been a good master though anthony head would have been a good eighth doctor

[@DiscoTimelordASD]

@@TheProfessor230 Oh he'd be perfect!

[@mayotango1317]

No, Simms is a joke.

[@loturzelrestaurant]

As a Doctor-Who-Fan, you surerly watched Jay Exci and his 5 Hour Analysis-Essay, yeah?

[@stewsretroreviews]

McCann, should have got his own series, he was and still is young enough to play the doctor, why didn't the directors and producers even consider him, sure he would be great. The BBC should do multiple Doctors who adventure with any of the old docs, sure people would watch them instead of spoiling the fans with stories of one Doc, which all seem to complicated all the time, simple stories are the best. This goes out to all Star wars and Star trek too.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

The BBC wouldn't cast him because McGann would've shown up all of his successors. Look at what he did in "Night of The Doctor". He had about 4 minutes of screen time and he blew away his successors in it in just that little bit. Now give him an entire series and he'd become the definitive Doctor, period. And then the BBC would look completely foolish for not having brought him back in 2005, let alone letting the franchise completely die again after 1996 instead of soldiering own with McGann then.

[@HoloFizz]

His doctor lives on in the big finish radio plays if you want to catch a little more of him. The series is free on spotify if you want to have a listen.

[@finnsweeney2604]

Big finish is making stories of him.

[@samuelkremer441]

Simply put, the reason McGann wasn't asked to return in 2005 was because Davies wanted the revival to start with a brand new Doctor instead of a previous one. And the reason we didn't see his regeneration untill "Night Of The Doctor" for those wondering is because Davies wanted to avoid a "Time And The Rani" opening.

[@Lior353]

If I ran doctor who, I would create a spin-off series about the 8th doctor.

[@PhialSubstance]

Thanks to Big Finish, McGann is my favourite Doctor. He is _my_ doctor. I remember seeing the repeats of classic episodes on TV in my early years, but all I knew about the show was that it was scary and the Doctor was always played by someone different. I thought it was like James Bond in that sense. I didn't really understand the show or the stories, I was too young. Then there was no DW for years. The 1996 movie was the first time I remember sitting in front of the TV with my family and watching and actually grasping the concept of the show. So it has a special place in my heart just for that reason.

[@roxs6557]

When I heard Peter cabaldi I just said "wait, hold up"

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Charles Dance was also considered. And Alan Rickman. Not to mention Harrison Ford and Jim Carrey. And Paul McGann's brothers. Oh, and Anthony Stewart Head. But having Sting as The Doctor and David Bowie as The Master would've been epic in its own right...

[@Alia-bc3rc]

I have mixed feeling about the 90s coming back attempt. Despite how Paul McGann was perfectly casted as The Doctor, and it's heartbreaking that his only appearance was in the *worst* adaptation, but after that he shines, oh my, how he shines so bright in the audio dramas-with some of the best DW stories ever written. And to be honest, Doctor Who comeback in 2005 was perfect already. I can't think any other than Christopher Ecclestone's Ninth Doctor that could bring back the show come to life.

[@madeleine5561]

Nah. The WORST adaption is Series 11 and 12 of Imposter Who. The 90s movie was awful but it did at least have some redeeming factors, McGann's Doctor, the TARDIS Interior, I kinda like his sonic, even Grace wasn't AWFUL she at least had a personality. But I agree it is a shame McGann didn't get a better script for his first outing as the Doctor.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Worst? I hate to break it to you but "Rose" sucked in comparison to the TV Movie. And I'll remind you that the McCoy Era of ClassicWho was so bad it got the show cancelled to begin with. The TV Movie is light years beyond both of those examples in terms of quality, story, and, you know, acting...

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@madeleine5561 Grace is a lot better than Rose was. Read up on Grace's character's backstory. You'll learn that Rose is her inferior mirror-opposite in every way.

[@madeleine5561]

@@TheJeremyHolloway I found Grace rather meh but she wasn't bad per say. As I admitted, she had personality (which is more than I can say for Ryan and Yaz). She might have shone brighter if given a better script and I will also admit she has promise. Rose had the benefit of getting 2 seasons to be fleshed out. I liked her but I know not everyone does so I won't argue with you on that. Furthermore, I won't put "Rose" up as a paragon of brilliance. But it was a good intro episode that got viewers excited to see more. I look back on the TV movie with more leeway after watching this video. It helps to know the original aim wasn't to carry on directly from where the show left off making some of the blatant disregard for established canon more understandable. And as I said there were good things. But this movie was certainly not "good". I didn't find the plot exciting, they screwed up how regeneration works (It doesn't take hours for regeneration to take effect unless the timelord is actively preventing it) He would have regenerated minutes at most after being shot. And then you have *sigh* the Master. Who really is an embarrassment to the character itself. The glowing snake eyes, the terminator wanna be outfit, the cringy dialogue. It was like someone told Roberts "Hey! You're playing the enemy of this alien good guy. So just cackle away and that counts as being the Master." It was kind of painful to watch. Ainely wasn't always that deep or well written but he at least had some level of charisma and intimidation. As I said if nothing else this film is better than series 11 and 12. But I can see why a lot of fans including myself try and pretend most of it didn't exist. Both the TV movie and "Rose" were meant to kick off a new era of the franchise but I think it's obvious which was more successful. Rose had better writing, a better story, and at least didn't make me want to rip my hair out.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@madeleine5561 Uhm, they explain in the TV Movie why it took hours for The Doctor to regenerate. It was due to the anesthetic and that it almost destroyed the regeneration process. Your points about The Master in the TV Movie are questionable. What's wrong with the glowing snake eyes? The Ainley Master had "Cheetah" eyes in "Survival". The reptilian eyes were an homage to that via whatever elements were left over from The Master possessing the Morphant Snake - Prisoner Zero? - from Skaro. Robert's Master was more menacing than Ainley ever was. Hell, Ainley was the most panto Master up until what RTD had John Simm do with the character. Rose wasn't a better story. What Rose had that the TV Movie didn't was the BBC fully behind it and determined to make NewWho a success in the UK. Rose is so weak as a stand-alone episode that the SciFi Channel wouldn't even televise it on its own without airing The End of the World back-to-back when they were televising NewWho and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Hell, SciFi even passed on televising NewWho - and so did every other American channel - when the BBC came to them because RTD only had "Rose", "Aliens of London", and "World War Three" to show them. Yeah, terrible CGI trash cans and farting aliens does not make for quality television. As for Grace vs Rose, at least Grace was a realistic romantic interest for The Doctor. Yet a lot of the fanbase got all upset at the idea of Eight getting lucky while the majority of them unable to score in real life.

[@bretvyon2336]

Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton considered for the doctor? “The name is Doctor, The Doctor.”

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

It's detailed in "The Nth Doctor". The Pierce Brosnan Doctor having a showdown with The Master onboard the Titanic.

[@bretvyon2336]

Wow!

[@tsu8003]

Timothy Dalton actually played Rassilon, the Lord High President and the founder of the Time Lord Society in the 2009 'The End Of Time' two part finale.

[@baggieboydan82]

The idea of Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Hopkins or Christopher Lee in doctor who fills me with happiness

[@TheProfessor230]

Ironically enough there was rumors that pierce brosnan was considered for the eighth doctor

[@jnichols3]

I remember the tagline on the trailers. "Look Who's Back, and It's About Time".

[@bardlover6]

To this day, as much as I love John Hurt, I wish they’d let Paul Mcgann be the “war Doctor” when Eccleston declined to return.

[@sparkymist]

I actually quite liked the movie, it was my first introduction to Doctor Who, and it made me go back and try to find earlier stuff. I was 16 at the time it came out and it was the reason I became a fan.

[@PMGF]

Imagine how good Tim Curry would have been as the Master, he could have brought so much energy and a freakish edge like in IT.

[@intergalactic92]

I can’t be the only one who wants to read that "bible" some of those ideas sound pretty cool as part of an AU setting.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

It's commonly referred to as "the Leekley Bible". Chris Chibnall certainly riffed off of it with his Cybermen roaming the wasteland of Gallifrey during the last series. Leekley had done that too with his version of the Cybermen which he called "The Cybs". Oh yeah, Chibnall's Master even referred to them as "Cybs" in one comment in those recent episodes almost nobody watched... Leekley also wrote for "Kindred - The Embraced" and also a short-lived werewolf show on Fox.

[@peterchu5609]

The bible is part of Doctor Who Regeneration: a book about the production of the TV Movie.

[@ShamrockParticle]

Not until they started with "Cybs" and the like. Kudos to RTD for not truncating the name to something that sounds like something you pick up on a corner and snort

[@tyrxian6452]

Ngl some of these weird retcons to the Doctor's past are giving me "Timeless Child" Vibes

[@HarlanDaleAbsher]

You can't deny that having Christopher Lee in Doctor Who would have been totally cool

[@kronovore3583]

Christopher Lee as Borusa (or Rassilon - who now isn't the one of the founders of Time Lord society either - thanks Chibbs). Wow. That would have been a great film.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

We don't remember Chibbs.

[@kronovore3583]

@@eastlynburkholder3559 Thanks mate from Australia! The Chibbs era? The Capaldi Doctor's dream? Nightmare perhaps?

[@madeleine5561]

Rassilon is the founder. At least in my book. I'm gonna guess you're probably not a fan of Chibs and the Timeless child so my advice is to ignore EVERYTHING in the Chibnall/Whittaker era and continue to consider 1963-2017 the proper canon.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

@@madeleine5561 I saw a look alike knock off thing that was not Dr Who. Never cruel never cowardly. Yeah I did not mistake it for Dr Who just as no one would think Space Balls or the Disney stuff was Starwars.

[@madeleine5561]

@@eastlynburkholder3559 Amen!

[@moonkitty5274]

I feel a little bit bad for Segal, he put years into this project and it just didn't work out

[@AlbertonBeastmaster]

The TV Movie did give Doctor Who a much needed shot in the arm in the UK. The 9 million viewers showed the BBC that there was still very much an audience for Doctor Who. Radio Times started running a Doctor Who comic strip off the back of it and it eased the path for Russell T. Davies. It was a mess, but it was an important mess.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

It was higher than 9 million. Plus, the BBC had sold the VHS version of the TV Movie for a good 2 weeks before it premiered on TV. They sold something like 2 million VHS tapes during that time. The BBC just blew it after Fox walked away.

[@gamerbrothers2676]

5:39 Peter Capaldi & 5:43 John Hurt both ended up becoming Doctors... and Peter Capaldi ended up being in that one episode featuring David Tennant with the Pyroviles before he was ever known as The Doctor. Crazy how time works... It's like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, time wimey... stuff.

[@darkwoods1954]

McGann is one of my favorite Doctors. He's great in the audio dramas. Such a shame the BBC won't give him a series while McGann still looks young enough to pull it off. Maybe it would be a switch up that could save the show.

[@abavendarlocke5455]

Definitely agreed. I was so happy to see his Reprisal in the minisode when it came out, and I've recently got into listening to his Big Finish works. He's easily my favourite doctor, and NEEDS to have his own series. I'd do anything for it. Also, Just finished listening to "Scherzo". Bloody brilliant.

[@jdogbarkesy]

He’s my fav doctor and I love the audio dramas like you say. His voice sounds the most like the doctor should for me.

[@aoifependry1029]

Chibnall saved dr who from Moffatt Era stagnation and topped RTD's run with series 12, Resolution and Rosa. Chibnall Era Who is the best we've ever had

[@abavendarlocke5455]

@@aoifependry1029 ...what the fuck?

[@abavendarlocke5455]

Literally noone here is talking about any of these things

[@merrillslaven6921]

Infamy? It's canon and the Eighth Doctor did exist and this was his adventure. If fans tell me to accept Whittaker, then they have to accept McGann!

[@simonster-9094]

Who said this wasn't canon? And most people like McGann as the doctor, just not the movie.

[@therogueprince3790]

Eight is number three on my list of favorite Doctors.

[@thedoctor1263]

@@therogueprince3790 he’s number one on mine

[@rogergoza3180]

Infamy doesn’t mean it isn’t canon, it means it’s poorly remembered like Love & Monsters or In The Forest of The Night

[@rinse-esnir4010]

Nothing wrong with McCann, the movie itself was bad. I think RTD learned a lot from it and made the right decision to center the first episode around Rose, introducing a new audience to the doctor through her, rather than putting in the hassle of regeneration, the doctor's history, a multiform enemy, etc..

[@GoddessOfWhim2003]

poor Eighth Doctor, what hell he went through. at least he gets to live on in the Doctor's history

[@krinwashu]

Excellent content! Loved it. To this day he is my favorite Doctor. And I still think he should have played the war doctor after Eccleston refused.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Totally agree. Check out that War Doctor action figure by Character Options. The suit is The War Doctor's but it comes with removable McGann and Hurt heads. Which leads me to believe Moffat had something else he was going for in the earlier scripts for "The Day of The Doctor". Because McGann didn't wear the War Doctor's attire.

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

I was glad to get John Hurt as I've been a fan for years, but I would've been ecstatic if McCann had been the War Doctor.

[@stephjovi]

I had no idea Spielberg and Steven Sagal were involved. Now I picture Steven Seagal as the doctor. No sonic just kicking lots of asses. Is it even that Steven Seagal?

[@fivish]

It was a great movie! I loved it. McGann was an excellent choice for the Doctor. He was amazing in the 50th anniversary show.

[@jmace2424]

The Master creates an Army of the Dead. That sounds like a great idea! Let’s call it....... Dark Water!

[@jackaylward-williams9064]

I always wondered why the broadcast version of the movie cut out the bit where Lee’s friends are shot dead. It never occurred to me that Dunblane would still have been fresh in people’s minds.

[@speed24601]

As a kid, I had seen some Tom Baker Era Who on PBS in America, so I was excited when the movie came out. Besides a few tweaks to continuity, I never had a problem with it. I actually liked it.

[@adb9231]

Thanks, this was good and appreciated but you omitted one of the saddest features of the project. Some idiot BBC bigwig apparently vetoed Silvester McCoy having much of a presence in the movie, or any real dialogue at all as, (it was implied), he was part of the "tarnished" discontinued BBC series. If this is true, I think it appalling as the 7th Doctor had gravitas (and let's face it, the BBC scripts and production budget were not great) and this was no way to treat that character or its actor. It was great that we did get to see the regeneration of 7 to 8, and later 8 to War Doctor, but this challenging movie (25 days?!) seems a missed opportunity to be so much more.

[@epsilonalphaargo1948]

Fun fact: Very early drafts of the script featured a more active prologue for the Seventh Doctor wherein we actually saw him rescue the Master's remains from Skaro and the Daleks in an Indiana Jones-esque action sequence.

[@SGABlencathra]

Interesting video. I did know some of this, but not all. Thank you for making it. I'm another who has only seen the movie once & I don't particularly have an urge to watch it again. However, the 8th Doctor is one of my favourites thanks to Big Finish. Superb storytelling & acting.

[@HarboWholmes]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I personally think the movie is unfairly shafted. It's no masterpiece, but I don't think it deserves the hugely negative reception it's accrued over the years. I haven't listened to any Big Finish stuff yet, but I'm eagerly anticipating getting round to it at the end of my Classic Who watch through

[@alangreig4261]

Jeff golblum as the master? Imagine how good that would have been

[@xGOKOPx]

It's interesting that Peter Capaldi was considered for this role back then already

[@nightowl8477]

Wow, what a history! I appreciate your research! I watched the film once when I was young but never since.

[@HarboWholmes]

I couldn't have done it without the 'A Brief History of Time (Travel)' website. It is honestly an amazing resource!

[@tenacious3911]

The movie's problems seen onscreen are indicative it was a deeply troubled production. Personally I've always liked it and McGann's performance is good enough to allow me to overlook the flaws. Its a curious piece, a strange blend of British and American television practices in the 1990s, The Uninvited meets the X-Files in a way. But I did always prefer its tone, however odd it was, to the even more American 2005 reboot.

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

I saw it when it first aired and I remember the thing that bugged me about it were the little bits here and there that just didn't jibe with the series but were treated as if they were always true. Stuff like the Master's body jumping thing with that snake creature or that bit where spit venom on people (or whatever that was) or the thing with Timelords not having human eyes, or the Eye of Harmony being in the TARDIS. It was all so disjointing. Aside from that, I don't recall it being that bad a movie really. It is funny how upset people got at the Doctor kissing Grace then the current series comes along and the first new Doctor and Rose are practically a couple the whole time. Then Martha wants him but he ignores her and Donna has to flat out say she's not interested to even get the invite.

[@tenacious3911]

@@LibraGamesUnlimited Most of the irritating stuff can be explained by elaboration rather than simply ignoring it. The Doctor being half human is perhaps a little close to trying to make him Mr. Spock, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't bother me, it certainly helps explain the Doctor's obvious fondness for Edwardian era Earth if that is the time and place his mother had originated.

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

@@tenacious3911 I think the later series retconned that as being untrue. Don't know how that works with the eye thing though. Also, another thing I just remembered was when the Master takes over Grace and her eyes go black. That has never happened before but the movie treats it as if it was normal. I wouldn't mind things like that IF they had said it was new, or explained it was a new form of mind control that he had never used before or just learned. It wouldn't have been that hard to explain all these detail changes that way. Maybe the Eye of Harmony in the TARDIS wasn't THE Eye of Harmony but some kind of link to the real one. The Master lost his TARDIS somewhere so he needed the Doctor's. It all could've worked like that.

[@PhialSubstance]

@@LibraGamesUnlimited The Master/snake thing is apparently a continuation of stuff from the novels. That's also where "every TARDIS has a fragment of the eye of harmony" comes from. The Eye of Harmony responding to a human retina scan is retroactively explained in a sixth Doctor big finish story; the Doctor changed it because the Daleks were invading Gallifrey and cutting out Time-Lord eyes to override the retina-scan security systems... so the Doctor changed the template to Human so that only his companion had security clearance. NuWho totally fucked up the timelords though... the Web of Time is irrelevant now.

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

@@PhialSubstance Yeah, I heard that after the fact but I've never been a big reader of the books (I did read some or all of "Tymeworm" or whatever that was) so it seemed really out of place, at the time. Maybe if they had bothered to explain it, in the movie. The main reason the Doctor has a companion is so they ask "What is that Doctor" and he can explain to them (and us) what it is. They just didn't utilize it very well.

[@timrob12]

And now Eric Roberts is also producing audios for Big Finish, so Segal's Doctor AND Master have both returned.

[@theninjamaster67]

Paul Mcgann absolutely deserves a reboot of his doctor with a sort of side story series to main who like Torchwood or the Sarah Jane adventures he was fantastic as the doctor even if there was some silly things in the movie he did a really good job, his regeneration was cool, and his Tardis was awesome. I'd love love loveeee to see him as the doctor on screen more like they could show what he was up to leading up to the time war among filling in other things he's done between his first adventure as the doctor and his eventual regeneration. only thing that sucks more than him not getting more time on screen as the doctor is John Hurt not getting more time as the doctor on screen and in general. while on the note of ambitious impossible things that need to happen though they need to get David Bradley to play the first doctor more and get him and the rest of the adventure in time and space cast to redo missing episodes of the original series lip syncing to the original audio so we can have recreations as close as humanly possible so we can have a complete first series again. maybe even do the same for the second doctor if they can find someone who looks enough like Patrick Troughton. not that the animations aren't good enough I'd just personally love to see the episodes recreated to almost match up with the originals to the point where you could basically do a digital face swap via CG or deepfake and it almost be indistinguishable as i feel that's what the show deserves. anyways long tangent aside great vid it was nice hearing new information i never knew about the making of the movie.

[@PhialSubstance]

Big Finish already have an 8th Doctor: Time War series.

[@theninjamaster67]

@@PhialSubstance well yes but audio stories just ain't the same

[@PhialSubstance]

theninjamaster67 Yeah, you get used to it. At first I was like meh but I listened to McGanns first series on Spotify and after that I was hooked. Sucks that it’s audio only but the stories are ten times better than anything we got on TV, new or classic.

[@theninjamaster67]

@@PhialSubstance well i would still love them to make a side series like Torchwood for Mcgann to have a real run as the doctor on screen i know it's not likely at all to happen but one can dream

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@PhialSubstance I don't like the fact that Big Finish keeps claiming they can't use Grace and Chang-Lee and falsely claim it's due to NBC Universal still owning the rights to the characters when in truth, the characters and the rest of the TV Movie IP were turned over to BBC Worldwide way back in 2011. That's why Grace was able to appear in the IDW Comics and even that iOS Doctor Who Legacy video game. So Big Finish are the ones keeping the Eighth Doctor away from his real proper companions...Grace and Chang-Lee.

[@len5630]

Duuuuuude, you deserve a whole lot more of subscribers, what you're doing is amazing

[@HarboWholmes]

Thank you! ☺️

[@Newjourney14]

The movie was essential and without it, we may not have had a revised doctor who. They could have gone full remake but they kept the storyline and continued the series from 7th doctor. To think this TV movie held the lore to a higher esteem than the latest series of doctor who.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Phil Segal also insisted on McCoy returning. The BBC didn't want McCoy returning and instead, they were insisting upon casting Tom Baker to serve as "The Old Doctor". It's all in the documentary that is included in the DVD release of the TV Movie. I don't know if it was included with the Blu-ray release.

[@eccremocarpusscaber5159]

You, my friend, are worthy of so many more subscribers, although they are growing as I can see. You’re so obviously interested in DW and really research your topics. Plus your production is very polished. I’m currently enjoying everything you’ve put out and looking forward to more! 👍🏻

[@davidthedeaf]

Let me see, i was 26, and I recall the Roseanne show. I loved the old Dr. Who on public broadcasting in reruns in the 80s, and never recalled hearing about a Dr. Who movie on Fox49! Ugh. I only just now found out about it.

[@Cri_Jackal]

I would LOVE if they went back to the eighth Doctor for a future series, but considering they already fleshed out his adventures in the audio dramas, I don't think they could do much to fit any new adventures within his timeframe, adapting those audio dramas into televised versions would still be interesting, though.

[@uDaftBugger]

The irony with the 96 TV movie is at the time alot of the decisions made in it were probably seen as a betrayal. But if you look at some of the decisions made in Modern Doctor, thats been going since 2005, they are even more radical than the 1996 movie. Moffat especially took a doctor who in some bold and crazy directions.

[@merseydave1]

Thanks for the background information to that project ... very interesting!

[@HarlanDaleAbsher]

So we need to find the parallel universe where this first season exist so we can have it on DVD

[@MetalheadSean666]

How do they come up with such miscasts for the doctor bar a few, yet all of the potential masters would have been absolutely fantastic to see

[@mtaimry]

Great video. As well as all the other ones. Very high quality. Keep up! :)

[@HarboWholmes]

Thank you so much! That's so nice to hear :)

[@wheresemmawalley6992]

Mad at the end thank you for 200 subs look where you are now incredible!!! I love dr who and have grown up on the 2005 reboot thank you so much for making these viedos!

[@TheZeroAssassin]

Brilliant telling, enjoyed it considerably. THanks

[@nightowl8477]

What could have been :,( rip gog

[@HarboWholmes]

Rip in peace

[@whocrusader5179]

This gog......

[@dskay211]

Who Crusader 😂 Can you imagine The Doctor traveling with a little green man. Reminds me of when #10 had to keep telling Donna Noble “I’m not a Martian” or I’m not from Mars”.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@whocrusader5179 Phil Segal planned to include K-9 in the TV Movie. But unfortunately, the BBC didn't own the character rights and after having to pay for the rights to use the Doctor Who theme music, they couldn't afford to pay Ian Levine for the rights to include K-9.

[@TheProfessor230]

I would have liked it if they kept gog in the final movie where the seventh doctor got him somewhere unknown maybe gog could have escaped the tardis and later try to defeat the master or even as comedy relief it would have been nice for K9 to return in this movie

[@whocrusader5179]

I think Philip Segal should win awards for the movie

[@TokuNorth]

Paul really deserves his own series so i hope they choose him for the 14th doctor (revisiting an old face)

[@Kev3542]

What a great video! Lots of info in there that I'd never heard before.

[@rinu626]

Amazing video!!

[@winternow2242]

Patrick Stewart as The Master - now that would have been cool.

[@leonsantana3646]

my god just imagine Jonathan Frakes as The Master,

[@bobo577]

“Have you ever considered the bounties of regeneration?”

[@user-jh7nq9hx7f]

I never knew about the movie's wacky backstory. I just watched it in terrible quality on my shitty laptop

[@owenoastler101]

to be honest, i don't think it's as bad as some people say... i still wouldn't call it great though, at all.

[@paulashe7460]

A camel is a horse designed by a committee

[@Cube_Ernator1077]

I actually liked it! I saw it in 1996 ...it was a While ago!

[@joshuagoodwin2622]

Wow, your channel has grown so much in such little time. You've gone from 200 subscribers to 28.8k in a year and half! Congrats

[@robadams2140]

Universal Studios put all their eggs in the "Sliders" basket rather than revive Doctor Who. Remember "Sliders"?

[@idgamingfederation202]

Paul McGann hated that wig so much too, he has stated it was the thing he dreaded most had the project gone to series. so much so that come time for his first box set era that being Doctor Who: Dark Eyes 1 released in Nov 2012, Paul's 8th Doctor was given an entire makeover visually, including a shorter haircut, a leather bluish-black double breasted pea-coat , a cross slung messenger bag, and form-fitting trousers. and featured a brand new Sonic Screwdriver, designed by renowned props manufacturing studio Weta Workshop. that featured brass and wood, and a massive blue crystal that lit up upon activation. said sonic screwdriver was stolen from McGann lifted from his bag, and a 2nd unit was made for him to which he keeps a close eye on as a much-treasured keep-sake. I would also like to point out that even know Amblin Entertainment was involved (only because Philip David Segal had taken a job there), Spielberg himself was never really invested in the project, and actually hated all the news coverage stating "Spielberg to revive Doctor Who" the project had just followed Segal when he took a job at Amblin. another point to note about the day The TV movie aired, was it was placed up against (as you mention) the Dan has a heart attack episode of the widely popular show Roseanne, but also Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, and an MLB game featuring Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees that the Yankees were able to shut out Mariners to a score of 2 to 0. and that the only times that fox really aired the advert for the tv movie were during its late-late night slots.

[@larsswig912]

Aww you did a 200 subscriber special :)))

[@HarlanDaleAbsher]

When he showed up in 2013 I literally screamed!! Like a little girl seeing BTS out in public

[@JohnSpo]

Very informative. I remember paying to rent this online like 6 or 7 years ago.

[@spacemanmattscifi]

My understanding was always that the BBC wanted the Doctor Who movie/backdoor pilot to be a continuation of the original series and not a reimagining. Other than that this jibes with I know about the TV movie.

[@PsyrenXY]

3:38 i started laughing when you began summarizing that "series bible" and i still havent stopped 😂

[@haileyshannon7548]

Well, they scrapped the reboot idea and made it a continuation by having McCoy appear at the beginning, though they did keep some reboot ideas like Doc being half-human. Didn't they also want David Bowie, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Steve Martin and some others also well?

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Steve Martin is a huge Doctor Who fan.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

I'm surprised Roger Daltrey wasn't considered. He was acting in other tv shows at the time. He was great on Highlander. Him and McGann look quite a bit similar too...

[@km76]

thanks for this. very enjoyable.

[@PumpkinKingXXIII]

What’s sad is I got a KZbin video in my feed about it. I tracked it down and started to watch it. Then it all came back and I remembered that I had watched it and quickly turned it off.

[@stephjovi]

how cute 200 subscribers? I just subscribed and it´s 12.4K subscribers

[@danielbloomquist9810]

Ser Davos Seaworth?! Stay my gaze on the Untempered Schism, that would have been something!

[@jdogbarkesy]

Are doctors leaving the show too soon nowadays, as Matt and David only did about 90-100 episodes put together and The earliest doctors including Tom Baker did over 100 on their own!

[@jadenbryant9283]

That’s The Badger YT 100 is pretty long

[@igorbednarski8048]

Back then episodes were 25 minutes long, so about half as long as modern episodes.

[@olived9560]

There were multiple episodes to a story, though. If you take those into account, the difference isn’t actually that big. I’d love to see more stories with every Doctor, though.

[@Morphstock]

I want to see Sting as The Doctor. I know it probably wouldn't be any good but I still want to see it.

[@Morphstock]

David Bowie as The Master and old Stingo as the Doctor - if only....

[@Ollie_1022.]

They predicted two canon doctors there

[@timrob12]

For what it became, it's actually not bad, seeing that they wanted to turn it into something new and different, what we ended up with felt, in that comparison, more as a continuity, plus the lead cast did a brilliant job and I'm not gonna lie...My favorite Master is Eric Roberts.

[@TheConnorBaird]

Segal actually has a yt channel now. He mainly posts videos of models and his modeling, but has one video of a model of the tardis used in the movie! He talks a little bit about the movie and its makings, but I’m not sure how much he really wants to discuss it

[@buddydigitallamorey291]

Can you do an in-depth video, like this, but about what it took for RTD to get Who back up and running? I feel like watching this makes it utterly apparent that he was the absolute right person to helm/drive the revamp.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Another thing commonly overlooked about the TV Movie is that its Act 3 is completely ripped off by "Galaxy Quest". Substitute the Eye of Harmony with "Omega 13"...check. Use time travel internally on the ship to save the crew who were killed and also defeat the villain...check. But that's consistent with Hollywood's treatment of Doctor Who during the wilderness years. Akiva Goldsman lifted the Spider Daleks and the creepy reveal of Davros' arachnid abdomen from one of the unproduced Amblin Doctor Who screenplays and then used it in Amblin's reboot of "Lost in Space" with Dr. Smith substituting for Davros...

[@TheBlindDyslexic]

Always felt they should have Saved the Eye of Harmony storyline for a latter story and went with a Peace Accord storyline, and set up as if the Master wasn't the Real one.

[@goob_goob_gooby_goob]

I still think that the Master in this kind of looks like Wesker from Resident Evil

[@pepebabushki9376]

Funnily enough, I had the dalek collection dvd, came with dalek invasion of earth and (I can't remember the name but it was the one about the daleks on skaro.) despite being completely out of my time, they made me nostalgic for old daleks. :)

[@myautobiographyafanfic1413]

Sting would do anything. He was in Lynch's Dune. Not surprised he was almost the Doctor.

[@myautobiographyafanfic1413]

Well I got a bit further in, and Bowie should have been the Doctor!

[@PaNDaPowerRULEZ_ChaseNickoles]

Dang I am disappointed that Christopher Lloyd was not the Master now.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

He asked for too much money and it would've confused casual viewers over Doc Brown somehow being in a time travel show but being evil. Eric F*cking Roberts was the man! Snapping necks while correcting English grammar is totally what The Master should do.

[@jmace2424]

Wow, imagine if we had had E.T. in Doctor Who! Oh wait, they’re called the Slitheen. Never mind then.

[@unclepatrick2]

The first 15 minutes of the movie are great up to us seeing Paul McGann crying out "Who am I?" The TV movie is at least watchable because of his great performance. The Problem is the plot or lack of it. McGann is great in the Big Finish Audios.

[@peterreed9817]

McGan absolutely gets to show how good a doctor who was in the audio drama’s. I really hope they do a multi-doctor story just once where they allow him to return for a full on-screen appearance.

[@thecriticalgamer8462]

Just as an aside, the moment just after you said the 'project was about to be hit by another problem from an unlikely source', Jimmy Saville popped up in an ad for a documentary, needless to say I did a bit of a double take

[@Mark01962]

Having always thought McGann's doctor was a terrible version, when he appeared in the special I completely changed my mind. What could have been

[@xman577]

They violated Canaan. That’s why I didn’t work a trial on Skaro, the eye of harmony on the tardis and not on Gallifrey and so much more but Paul who played the doctor I love to see more of him

[@macmoore4599]

Have you thought about doing an episode on Dimensions in Time?

[@jinxmetwice420]

I had almost forgot about this, I had watched it when it first came out, also had it on VHS from that broadcast.

[@AroAceGamer]

"You can, uh, call me, the uh, um, the Master." - the Jeff Goldblum Master.

[@madeleine5561]

Excellent and very interesting video! I can now understand why there appeared to be so many continuity errors in the film. Because they weren't originally really trying to continue the series from where it left off. This video actually makes me look slightly more kindly on the film. And I will not deny that McCann was a Great Doctor. He has the look and personality of the character and clearly loves it. I just got a new big finish audio series with him in it so I will be interested to hear him play the role as my only other experiences with him were the TV movie and Night of the Doctor. I will never say this film was good and I hated what happened to the Master's character but you are right that we proably wouldn't have gotten the revival series if it weren't for the film. And if nothing else it's better than what we got with Chibnall in the current run. I would only amend one thing in this video (mostly due to certain event that took place on March 1 2020) which was your final note that Doctor Who the show is still running strong (This video came out pre-series 12 so I don't blame you) but as of right now Doctor Who the SHOW is dead. It really ended in 2017 which was the last time we had a good writer, Doctor, Companion, and composer. Actually the last time anything was good in the show. But series 12 episode 10 has officially killed the show itself and any chance it had of redeeming itself. However, the Doctor Who FANDOM is still going strong. They can destroy the current show and our enjoyment of the current run. But they can't destroy our enjoyment of everything from 1963-2017. Hat's off to you and all your brilliant research on this. I look forward to more of your videos!

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

What continuity errors?

[@madeleine5561]

@@TheJeremyHolloway Half-human thing for instance? Honestly though it appears that I viewed as continuity errors were simply changes planned to go with the reboot series they wanted to do with the Doctor Who chronicles and stuff. If nothing else this film is better than the trash chibs the idiot is calling Doctor Who

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@madeleine5561 I'll agree with you but there's a difference between "continuity errors" and "retcons". If you go back to 1963, The Doctor and Susan were supposed to be humans from a different planet in the 44th Century. It was a retcon to reveal that The Doctor was actually a "Time Lord" in Troughton's last story "The War Games". It was a retcon in the next story, Jon Pertwee's first story "Spearhead from Space" that as a Time Lord, The Doctor has 2 hearts and a body temperature of 70F. So explicitly revealing that The Doctor is half-human isn't really a continuity error but a retcon of a retcon of sorts. It's always made sense since day 1. I know I had suspected it ever since I had watched "Delta and the Bannermen" back in 1987-88. Plus the 4th Doctor's protests against and denials of being human made by others seemed rather weak, IMHO.

[@madeleine5561]

@@TheJeremyHolloway Fair enough. At least the half human thing didn't mak eff me feel pissed off and insulted like the timeless child.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@madeleine5561 true. Revealing The Doctor to be half-human explained so much of his backstory while also not making him into some super powered character and the most important of his race. That's one of the main reasons why I hate "The Timeless Children" and the stupid Cartmel Masterplan it riffs off of. I don't want The Doctor to be a founder - or a reason - of the Time Lord civilization. I want him to be a renegade and one who rose up and won against the odds placed against him from the start. The Lonely Child of mixed parentage who became through his deeds the champion of two planets.

[@captainsinclair7954]

It makes me sad that Patrick Stewart wasn’t casted as The Doctor or Johnathan Frakes as The Master. Both I could understand, since they were probably busy with the Star Trek movies.

[@edwardcatt2399]

Big Finish worked wonders with the Eighth Doctor but I always regretted that Grace and Chan Lee didn't travel with him at the end. Had Grace and Eight had a non-romantic relationship it would have been a "two doctors plus one!" Tardis team.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Had it gone to series, Grace would've returned. Daphne Ashbrook and Paul McGann signed long-term contracts. Chang-Lee may have returned; probably later in S1 had it been made.

[@ItsButterBean1020]

I would love a Tim Curry Master man Like shit imagine that

[@HarboWholmes]

Would've been the most 90s thing ever!

[@garethmitchell7723]

There would be no scenery left.. mind you I'd love it.

[@ItsButterBean1020]

Gareth Mitchell especially if he was up against MCCoy

[@thedoctor1263]

@@ItsButterBean1020 he would work best with calpdia

[@A7CHITECT]

David Bowie as the Master would have been amazing

[@bmvthemoviefanatic7282]

LOL, THIS IS ANARCHY! The lesson of the story: It could have been worse XD But where you get all your material from, like the Leekley Bible?