Dave's Eighth Doctor Page
Played by PAUL McGANN 1996-?
Paul McGann has so far played the Doctor for the shortest amount of screen time, for less than an hour in 1996's Doctor Who (television film, also known as The Enemy Within). Often criticised for being an 'American Doctor/', nothing could be further than the truth. McGann's Irish/Celtic roots and his Liverpool upbringing place him firmly in the British Isles. His good-looking face is a cross between Lennon's and McCartney's, and reveals an innocence not seen since Peter Davison took on the role.
The way in which we see the Doctor is of course governed by the media in which he appears, and I am not going to talk about the eighth Doctor's many appearances in books, comic strips, or other media. In restricting myself to the Television movie itself, I believe I can isolate what made McGann's character so different in the few minutes of our time he took to establish himself.
Most informed viewers of the film seem to think McGann was the best thing in it. I have seen very few adverse criticisms of it. McGann was an established lead and character actor, demonstrating both the star quality needed to sell a film of this nature to overseas territories and the acting ability to carry off the demanding role. His Doctor (fortunately) spends only a short while getting over his regeneration, and the rest of the film making us like him. In a very brief moment when he talks about the sadness of Puccini's death we see a mournful side to this Doctor. This is completely consistent with his romantic nature which is shown in other ways. Whilst the Eighth Doctor seems to be a romantic in the way the word is most often used (hence his dashing good looks and his kissing Dr.Holloway), he is also romantic in the other sense. When he steals the police motorbike, he is a knight on a white steed. When he saves Grace, he is rescuing her from the master, a romanticised villain if ever there was one.
The Eighth Doctor is my favourite Doctor because of his sheer likeability. He is someone you would have round to tea to meet your grandmother. You feel that Grace could introduce her to his mother without fear, and he would be immediately accepted into the family.
There's no autobiography of Paul yet, and there is little written material due to the fact that he has been part of the Doctor Who universe for such a short time.
You could also look at: Information and pictures about Paul McGann
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Mail me: dfarmbrough@cix.co.uk.