Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor

In 1989 the BBC canceled the old Doctor Who show. In 1996, Fox TV broadcast a two-hour one-shot, intended as a pilot for a revival, starring Paul McGann as the Ninth Doctor. Alas, it didn't take and it wasn't until 2005 that the show was successfully revived.

In the meantime, Paul McGann was the official current Doctor: in magazines, comics, spin-off novels and audio releases from Big Finish Productions, Paul McGann was the Doctor. Fans, of course, argued the point, but that's what fans do. However, the current BBC has clearly accepted McGann's appearance as canonical in various ways, starting with 2007's "Human Nature".

It's great to see Paul McGann appear in this prologue to next Saturday's Fiftieth Anniversary Special. It's fun for me, as a fan of the new and classic shows, to see McGann finally get a chance to officially reprise the role and to mention some of the companions that accompanied him in those years of exile. It feels like vindication.

However, there is so much crammed into its six minutes -- McGann, Karn, the Last Great Time War, the companions and more -- that I had to watch it twice to catch all the references. To a fan of the modern show, unfamiliar with McGann, it will be utterly incomprehensible.

Still, as an act of personal sentiment, I'm glad it was done. It's also a nice teaser; did McGann film this as part of a super-secret appearance in the 50th Anniversary Show? I'll have to wait a week to find out.

I was just catching up on the big 50th anniversary show but heard of this little prequel so decided to watch it first. I was a bit surprised to see that it featured Paul McGann (a very short-lived Doctor) and also a bit put off by how very cheap the effects looked in the beginning. This faded though because this little prequel is nicely tough and intense in its presentation, thanks mainly to the delivery from McGann. He does some silly lines but even then he keeps his intensity in his performance and I liked what he did for this short film.

The content I am less sure of but it does at least provide a bit of a link to a version of the Doctor who so far all I know is that he is played by John Hurt – a fact that, annoyingly, the previous episode pushed while still inside the narrative. At least in this case we focus on him as a character or how his character came to be – even if Hurt is only present in a reflection edited in from something else. We'll see if this dark tone can continue into the full special but I'm hoping that it can manage it while also not holding my breath.

A couples weeks ago I was trying to rank all of the doctors. As I had seen no Paul McGann Doctor Who stories, I placed him last. Then I showed the list to my friend who said you could watch The Night of the Doctor on the BBC Youtube Channel, so I decided to watch it. From that short film, I placed Paul McGann above Colin Baker, John Hurt, Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy. He is amazing in The Night of the Doctor. He is funny, serious and is The Doctor that we know and love. You don't even need to see any other 8th doctor episodes or films to watch this. Definitely recommend.

This was a mini episode that got buried away on the BBC Red Button at first but Doctor Who fans will know its true importance and worth as it is the episode where we finally see what became of the 8th Doctor, who we met all too briefly in the 1996 TV Movie.

It acts as a good episode in itself, but also as a very important link between the series as a whole. It sounds odd, but we as an audience do need to see the regeneration of a Doctor, however painful that change can be (I'm happy to see Capaldi's regeneration now though - I've not enjoyed his time in the TARDIS). This mini episode gives us the closure we needed with the 8th Doctor.

The Doctor crash lands on Karn, when ship's pilot Cass learns that Doctor number eight is a timelord she chooses the fate of death rather then spend time with him.

I know Paul McGann only gets minutes in the role, but we are given a glimpse of how amazing he could have been if he's been given a proper stint, surely there could be a means to bring him back one day. I would also like to commend Clare Higgins, she's an excellent character actress, good that she returns in The Magician's Apprentice.

It was a huge surprise that Paul got to play the Doctor, even for a small part, and it look a wee bit recycled, but it wet the appetite enormously for the big special, 8/10.