Doctor Who (film)
Doctor Who is a 1996 telemovie based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which it was hoped could be the pilot for a new series. In order to avoid confusion the producer subsequently suggested that fans of the series could refer to the telemovie by the unofficial title Enemy Within although this title was never used during production and should not be confused with the Alien Nation (TV series) TV movie of the same title.
It was broadcast in 1996 on the Fox Network, where it received disappointing ratings (partly due to the popularity of the programs it was up against, and partly because of unfamiliarity among average American TV viewers with the British series). When shown on BBC ONE in the UK during the same year, however, it received 9 Million viewers.
Unlike most American series based on UK ones (such as Sanford and Son or All in the Family), the show made a direct attempt to continue on from where the original BBC series had left off. To this end, it features a cameo appearance by Sylvester McCoy, the last actor to play the Doctor in the older series. Other links to the BBC series included the use of the logo from the Jon Pertwee era of the series, and the return of Ron Grainer's "Doctor Who Theme," though reportedly not without objections from the composer who created the film's score, who wanted to compose a new theme.
The movie was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the first time any Doctor Who story had been filmed in the "New World".
Producer Philip Segal had been trying for some years to launch a new American-produced series of Doctor Who, but the Fox Network - the only American network that showed any interest - was only prepared to commit to a single telemovie. It was hoped that, if the telemovie were successful, Fox might be persuaded to reconsider a series; however, the telemovie's ratings performance was not strong enough to hold Fox's interest.
It remains Paul McGann's sole televised story as the Doctor. It has nonetheless had a significant impact, with the ongoing Doctor Who novel line, comic strip, and audio series all featuring the Eighth Doctor from the telemovie.
Plot Synopsis
While moving the remains of his old enemy and rival Time Lord, the Master back to their home planet Gallifrey, the Seventh Doctor finds his TARDIS being taken off course. It lands in San Francisco, 1999, where suffering from fatal injuries the Doctor regenerates into his eighth incarnation.
The Master, meanwhile, has resurrected himself by taking over the body of an ambulance driver (Eric Roberts), and plans to open the Eye of Harmony inside the TARDIS, allowing him to take the Doctor's remaining regenerations. He obtains the assistance of a young man, Chang Lee (Yee Jee Tso), by convincing him that the Doctor is an evil alien who steals people's bodies.
The Doctor obtains the assistance of Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook), a cardiac surgeon, and together they must stop the Master from causing the destruction of Earth at Midnight on December 31, 1999.
Main Credits
- The Doctor: Paul McGann
- The Old Doctor: Sylvester McCoy
- The Master: Eric Roberts
- Grace Holloway: Daphne Ashbrook
- Chang Lee: Yee Jee Tso
- Written by Matthew Jacobs
- Directed by Geoffrey Sax
- Executive Producer: Philip Segal
Releases
The movie was released on home video in Britain the week prior to its debut broadcast on BBC One, however Fox has yet to release the film on VHS or DVD in North America.
Controversy
The Doctor Who TV movie has produced some level of controversy with fans of the series, with some charging that it violates canon in several areas. Some Doctor Who fans have even gone so far as to refuse to consider the movie to be part of official continuity.
Among plot elements these fans object to:
- The Doctor is revealed as being half-human.
- The Doctor and Grace enter into a romantic relationship (a taboo in the series)
- The nature of Time Lord regeneration as explained in the movie does not match the TV series version.
- The nature of the Eye of Harmony is different in this movie than it is in the TV series.
- The interior of the TARDIS does not coincide with the TV series version (though this last can be explained by the fact that The Doctor demonstrated several times in the series that he can reconfigure the inside of the ship at will).
The authors of numerous original Doctor Who novels that followed the movie have attempted to reconcile these and other points with continuity, with varying degrees of success.
External Links
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List of Doctor Who serials | Followed by: Rose |