The Paul McGann Era - Final Thoughts

Harry -
How to sum up the Paul McGann era of Doctor Who? It's really two eras: the single appearance in the televised Movie, and then the years of BBC novels and Big Finish audios that followed. We've left out these aspects of other Doctors' eras for the most part, but they are almost the entirety of McGann's portrayal of the Doctor.


Sarah -
Once again, we bow our heads in thanks for the wonder that is Big Finish. They've extended the eras of all of the Doctors, but Paul McGann and Colin Baker are the Doctors who have most benefitted from Big Finish. Baker finally got some decent stories, without being encumbered by a clown costume, and Paul McGann got to be a real Doctor. Before listening to his Big Finish stories, I have to admit I considered the Eighth Doctor to be little more than a footnote. Big Finish (and Steven Moffat, but that's a story for another day) finally made McGann's Doctor canon for me.


Harry -
Having just watched the entirety of the televised McGann era, it begs the old question: was it short because it was unsuccessful, or was it unsuccessful because it was short?


Sarah -
It's kind of a chicken-and-egg conundrum, isn't it? In retrospect, the TV Movie is the hinge between the classic and contemporary eras of Doctor Who. I love all the callbacks -- the Fourth Doctor's scarf, finding his clothes in the hospital staff locker room just like the Third Doctor, the return of the sonic screwdriver, etc. -- but it's also mapping out a future for when Doctor Who returns, nine years hence.


Harry -
I remember there was so much uproar over things like The Kiss, and the Master's portrayal, and the half-human thing, and other supposed outrages. But the Movie introduced these things that the new series grabbed and ran with. Watching the Movie again, none of these things boiled my blood as they might have before.


Sarah -
The half-human thing has fortunately been dropped.


Harry -
One thing that still boils my blood is that silly wig they made McGann wear. Luckily, we can imagine that he got a haircut immediately after the events of the Movie.


Sarah -
That wig is the worst. Why would you put a stupid wig on an amazingly handsome actor? I like to think his first stop after leaving Grace was the closest barbershop.


Harry -
Agreed. The next time we see this Doctor, he's still got a shock of curls up top, but the flowing locks have been trimmed around the back and sides. A much better look.


Sarah -
A very good look, indeed!


Harry -
I've read a bunch of the earlier Eighth Doctor novels and what I like best about them is the freedom each author is given to explore the character. The template is so minimal that the Doctor could be whatever that writer wanted him to be. I don't have to be fussed with things like "hmm, that doesn't sound like him," or "that captures him perfectly,". In some books we end up with a generic, stock Doctor, but in others he's bursting with character.

McGann was able to put his own stamp on the Doctor via the Big Finish audios, and he's been great in those. Confident but calm, he seldom raises his voice, but he never hesitates to jump into action either. He's unencumbered by stock phrases or physical gimmicks. Would that be a postive or a negative?


Sarah -
I think of it as a change of pace. And, oh, that voice!


Harry -
As far as his televised era, there's not much else we haven't already covered in our review of the Movie. It's time to wade back into the wilderness years.


Sarah -
And this time, their end is just around the corner.


Harry -
Kudos to Steven Moffat for going back in time to wrap up the Eighth Doctor's era as part of the 50th anniversary festivities. We'll see Paul McGann again, in the future, back in the Doctor's past.


Sarah -
That was one of my favorite bits of the 50th. It just felt so right. I look forward to revisiting the Eighth Doctor in a few years. Until then, it's time for a little comic relief. 

Our marathon continues with the 1999 special, The Curse of Fatal Death...