These stories spanned the nine years between 1996 and the debut of the new television series in 2005. Īlthough the film failed to spark a new television series, the Eighth Doctor's adventures continued in various licensed spin-off media, notably BBC Books' Eighth Doctor Adventures novels, audio plays from Big Finish Productions, and the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip. It was also generally well received in Australia. In the United Kingdom, it was received well, attracting over 9 million viewers and generally positive reviews. Intended as a backdoor pilot for a new television series on the Fox Network, the film drew 5.5% of the US audience, according to Nielsen Ratings. The Eighth Doctor made his first television appearance in the 1996 Doctor Who television film, the first time the Doctor had returned to television screens since the end of the original series in 1989. In the continued adventures of the character depicted in audio dramas, novels and comic books he travels alongside numerous other companions, including self-styled 'Edwardian Adventuress' Charley, the alien Destrii and present-day humans Lucie and Sam.Ī deadly confrontation between the Doctor and the Master. His only companion in the television film is Grace Holloway ( Daphne Ashbrook), a medical doctor whose surgery is partly responsible for triggering his regeneration. McGann portrays the eighth such incarnation, a passionate, enthusiastic, and eccentric character. At the end of life, the Doctor regenerates as a result, the physical appearance and personality of the Doctor changes.

Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. In 2022, he appeared alongside other past incarnations in ' The Power of the Doctor', the final adventure of the Thirteenth Doctor ( Jodie Whittaker), marking the Eighth Doctor's first-ever appearance in a regular episode of Doctor Who 26 years after McGann first played the role.

In 2013, the actor reprised the role in the mini-episode ' The Night of the Doctor', which depicts the Eighth Doctor's final adventure and his regeneration into the War Doctor (played by John Hurt). While the Eighth Doctor initially had only one on-screen appearance, his adventures were portrayed extensively in subsequent spin-off media, including more than 70 audio dramas starring McGann. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film Doctor Who, a back-door pilot produced in an unsuccessful attempt to relaunch the series following its 1989 cancellation. The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.

Air awakens vortex chronicles