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Paul McGann
Doctor Who: The Movie
Eighth Doctor Logo


Synopsis


The Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor
 Returning home to Gallifrey with the remains of his arch enemy, the Master, the TARDIS is forced off course, returning The Doctor into the middle of a street gang's gun battle in downtown San Francisco.

 Critically wounded in the shoot out, The Doctor has to regenerate to save his own life. And he's not the only one - the Master too has a new body with which to wreak havoc, and his ultimate goal is to take The Doctor's own existence.

 As the clock counts down to the start of a new millennium, The Doctor has to stop the Master destroying all life on Earth. But at what cost...?

Source: BBC DVD


General Information

Season: Twenty Six (The TV Movie)
Production Code: 8A
Story Number: 156
Episode Number:696
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Alternative Titles:"Enemy Within"
Production Dates: January - April 1996
Broadcast Date: 27 May 1996
Colour Status: Colour
Studio: Eastlake Drive (No 8651), Burnaby, Canada
Location: Vancouver, Canada: Ogden Avenue (No 1998); Plaza of Nations; East Georgia Street (No 218, rear); Keefer Street (No 222); Carrall Street/Keefer Street; Waterfront Road; Hadden Park; British Columbia Children's Hospital, 4480 Oak Street; East Georgia Street (alley); Golden Crown Centre (car park), 211 East Georgia Street and Andy Livingstone Park.
Writer:Matthew Jacobs
Director:Geoffrey Sax
Producers:Peter V Ware and Matthew Jacobs (Co-producer)
Executive Producers:Alex Beaton, Philip Segal and Jo Wright (for the BBC)
Script Editors:Philip Segal and Jessica Clothier (Supervisor)
Editors:Patrick Lussier and Daria Ellerman (Additional Editing)
Production Manager:Fran Rosati
Production Designer:Richard Hudolin
Director of Photography:Glen MacPherson
Costume Designer:Jori Woodman
Make-Up Designer:Joann Fowler
Cameramen:Greg Fox (Assistant), Nick Watson (Assistant) and Randal Platt (Operator)
Visual Effects:Tony Dow (Producer) and Eric Alba (Supervisor)
Special Effects:Gary Paller
Stunt Co-ordinators:Fred Perron and JJ Makaro
Incidental Music:John Debney, John Sponsler and Louis Serbe
Sound Supervisor:Jacqueline Cristianini
Sound Mixer:Gordon W. Anderson
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by John Debney and John Sponsler
Production Co-ordinator: Sandra Palmer
Story Dedicated To: In Memory of Jon Pertwee 1919 - 1996
Number of Doctors: 2
The Doctors: Paul McGann (The Eighth Doctor) (Newly Regenerated) and Sylvester McCoy (The Seventh Doctor) (Regenerates)
Number of Companions: 1The Companion: Daphne Ashbrook (Dr Grace Holloway) (Joins and Departs) Number of Acquaintances: 1The Acquaintance: Yee Jee Tso (Chang Lee) (Joins and Departs) Guest Cast: Eric Roberts (The Master) Additional Cast: John Novak (Salinger), Michael David Simms (Dr. Swift), Catherine Lough (Wheeler), Dolores Drake (Curtis), William Sasso (Pete), Jeremy Radick (Gareth), Eliza Roberts (Miranda), Ron James (Motorcycle Policeman), Dave Hurtubise (Professor Wagg), Joel Wirkunnen (Ted), Dee Jay Jackson (Security Man), Gordon Tipple (The Old Master), Mi-Jung Lee (News Anchor), Joanna Piros (News Anchor)Setting: San Francisco (1999) Villain: The Master

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
696Doctor Who: The Movie27 May 199684'39"9.1PAL D3 colour videotape

Total Duration 1 Hour 25 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 9.1
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (1998)66.97%  (Position = 89 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2003)594 Points (Position = 25 out of 159)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)64.36% Lower (Position = 135 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)67.73% Higher (Position = 152 out of 241)


Archives


 This story exists on PAL D3 colour videotape. An earlier edit also exists, including changes in the narrative, as well as a UK-broadcast version which contains omissions.



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Notes

Only the First 50 Story Notes are shown below - Click to Show All Story Notes


This story heralds the long-awaited return of Doctor Who which took place in 1996.

This direct-to-television film, by producer Philip Segal, was a joint production between the BBC, Universal Television and Fox Television, and was produced entirely in Vancouver, British Columbia - to date the only Doctor Who story filmed in Canada. It was the first attempt to revive Doctor Who and was intended as a back-door pilot for a new American-produced Doctor Who television series.

This story was written by Matthew Jacobs - who interestingly is the son of Anthony Jacobs, who had played Doc Holliday in the 1966 First Doctor story "The Gunfighters", and was actually present on the set.

This film contains the final appearance of the Seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy, and introduced Paul McGann, as the Eighth Doctor. Due to this film not faring well on American television no new series was made – thus making it Paul McGann’s only televised appearance as The Doctor.

This film starts with the Seventh Doctor so providing continuity with the original run of the show that was cancelled in 1989.

The Seventh Doctor is now travelling alone. Various explanations for Ace's departure have since been given in various books and comic strips - in several of them she dies.

The Seventh Doctor is seen wearing a different costume from the one he wore during his 1987-1989 tenure. Gone are the question mark pullover and umbrella. The costume does though include the original hat, which is actually owned by Sylvester McCoy.

He is also seen to carry items associated with the Fourth Doctor, such as jelly babies and a yo-yo, and the Fifth Doctor's toolkit. A 900-year diary is also fleetingly visible in the TARDIS. As well as having a bowl of jelly babies in the TARDIS he is seen offering a jelly baby to a policeman, and he has jelly babies amongst his possessions claimed at the hospital by Chang Lee.

The Doctor has a new sonic screwdriver. The original was destroyed by the Terileptil leader in 17th century England (see the 1982 Fifth Doctor story "The Visitation").

The Seventh Doctor's x-ray reveals the presence of two hearts.

Both The Doctor (in his narration) and The Master reaffirm that Time Lords can regenerate twelve times. However, when The Doctor is heard saying he has 13 lives he isn't really saying it as he in actual fact he says twelve. When this error was discovered Paul McGann had to redub the line to say thirteen rather than the incorrect twelve.

Although The Doctor has never regenerated the same way twice (although his 9th and 10th regenerations were similar to each other), the depiction here is particularly unusual in that, unlike all previous (and later) regenerations, it sets in long after The Doctor's apparent ‘death’, a condition apparently caused by the anaesthetic in The Doctor's system.

On-screen dialogue confirms that the Seventh Doctor ‘dies’ at 10:03 PM on the 30th December 1999, with regeneration occurring early on the 31st December 1999. The position of prop clocks would suggest this regeneration to have occurred some time around 1:00 to 1:15 AM on that day.

It is often erroneously stated that the gunshot wounds are the cause of The Doctor's regeneration. This is incorrect as dialogue clearly indicates that the first bullet did no damage and the second was removed during a rather minor procedure. The Doctor's ‘death’ was caused inadvertently during the exploratory heart surgery that followed.

This is the only time The Doctor is declared dead during a regeneration story. However, it is also stated that his body processes (specifically the regeneration process, but perhaps his other vitals as well) were slowed by the anaesthesia so much they were undetectable. The Doctor's statement that he was ‘dead too long’ may simply have been a generalisation. This would reconcile the movie with the 2009/10 Tenth Doctor story "The End of Time", where The Doctor states that regeneration cannot take place if he is killed outright before the process begins. It is also the only occasion prior to "The End of Time" in which The Doctor refers to the circumstances leading up to regeneration as a death.

Of the regenerations actually depicted on screen, this was the first to show The Doctor undergoing the change while completely alone. This would next occur with the Tenth Doctor's regeneration in the 2009/10 story "The End of Time". (Two other regenerations, that of the Second Doctor after the 1969 story "The War Games" and the regeneration of the Eighth Doctor into the Ninth Doctor, were never shown on screen so it is not known if they occurred in the presence of others).

When reluctantly filling out an emergency medical treatment form, Chang Lee (who had only met the semi-conscious Seventh Doctor minutes earlier and did not know his identity) gives The Doctor's name as ‘John Smith’. This is a recurring alias originally given to the Second Doctor by companion Jamie McCrimmon in the 1968 story "The Wheel in Space".

While rummaging through lockers in search of clothing, The Doctor momentarily examines a long, multi-coloured scarf, similar to that worn by the Fourth Doctor. This also marks the second time when the newly-regenerated Doctor dons his new clothes by taking them from a hospital, the Third Doctor having previously taken the clothes belonging to a medical consultant in the 1970 story "Spearhead From Space". The Eleventh Doctor would again acquire his clothes from a hospital in the 2010 story "The Eleventh Hour".

The fact that The Doctor is half-human, on his mother's side, is news to The Master. This fact has proved extremely controversial among the show’s fans. The issue was referenced in a number of the BBC Books’ The Eighth Doctor Stories novels, which either seek to explain it or elaborate on it. "Alien Bodies" subtly suggests that it is just the Eighth Doctor who is half-human, while others books (such as "Unnatural History" and "The Gallifrey Chronicles") suggest that The Doctor's human mother is a Victorian Lady called Penelope Gate, and his Time Lord father is called Ulysses. Another explanation is offered in "The Taking of Planet 5" where it is suggested that The Doctor has become half-human as a result of repeated regenerations around humans, where he absorbed bits of their DNA. The issue was not addressed on-screen again, though in the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "The Stolen Earth/Journey's End", a second version of The Doctor is created whose physiology had, through the unique circumstances involved, been created as a combination of The Doctor's and his human companion Donna Noble.

At the time of broadcast there was significant reaction to The Doctor kissing Dr Grace Holloway as this was the first overtly romantic scene involving The Doctor. Although The Doctor experienced some arguably romantic situations in stories such as in the 1964 First Doctor story "The Aztecs", this film is the first time The Doctor's sexuality is overtly explored on-screen. This tendency carries over to the revived series especially by the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor.

In the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Human Nature/The Family of Blood", in which The Doctor presented sketches of his previous incarnations, the Eighth Doctor appears most prominently. The Eighth Doctor made another cameo in the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "The Next Doctor" in a sequence of clips, counting up the ten Doctors to date via means of a Cyberman infostamp. This was followed by two similar cameos in the 2010 Eleventh Doctor stories "The Eleventh Hour" and "The Lodger".

The Doctor, whilst fleeing The Master, is heard to say that he is afraid of heights. His tenth incarnation showed a fear of heights in the 2006 story "The Idiot's Lantern" and again in the 2007 story "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks". In the original script for "The Idiot's Lantern", it was implied that The Doctor has this fear due to his fourth incarnation dying when falling from a height (see the 1981 Fourth Doctor story "Logopolis").

The ‘Old Master’ who appears at the start of this film, played by Gordon Tipple, resembles the incarnation played by Anthony Ainley until 1989 (and again in the computer game "Destiny of the Doctors"), but it is not indicated definitively on screen whether this is the same incarnation or a different one. The Master is seen with ‘cat's eyes’ in both the pre-credits sequence and again after taking over Bruce. This could be a possible reference to his condition on the Cheetah World in the 1989 Seventh Doctor story "Survival".

Eric Roberts, who played the part of Bruce and The Master is the brother of Pretty Woman's Julia Roberts. While Miranda, the wife of Bruce, is played by Eric Roberts' real-life wife, Eliza Roberts.

This remains Eric Roberts' sole appearance as The Master. This would also be The Master's last official television appearance in Doctor Who until the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Utopia". In the following story, "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords", it is stated that the Time Lords themselves resurrected The Master to use him in the Time War.

The Master's ashes have shape-changing abilities – suggesting that Time Lords can obviously regenerate even when their bodies are severely destroyed, but are unable to regenerate into a full human body, assuming instead that of a snake-like being that can possess other beings.

The Master's snake form is given an explanation in the BBC Books’ The Eighth Doctor Stories novel "The Eight Doctors" and in The Doctor Who Magazine comic strip "The Fallen".

The original script called for Bruce's body to start visibly decaying after The Master's possession. This though was later dropped when the prosthetics caused Eric Roberts severe skin irritation.

The Master tried to use the Eye of Harmony to obtain a new set of regenerations before (see the 1976 Fourth Doctor story "The Deadly Assassin"). He was also offered a new set of regenerations by the Time Lords in the Thirtieth Anniversary special "The Five Doctors", but his continued quest for regenerations in later stories, like in the 1984 Fifth Doctor story "Planet of Fire", implies that he never received them.

The Master, The Doctor and Dr Grace Holloway name-drop throughout this story by referring to Marie Curie (‘does she kiss as good as me?’), Sigmund Freud, and Genghis Khan.

Although the TARDIS interior changed several times throughout the original series, the movie's set was the most dramatic change to date, replacing the sterile white corridors and roundel-based design with a theme more reminiscent of Jules Verne. Several subsequent tie-in novels attempted to explain the change. In the 2005 series, the interior changed just as dramatically again. In a later interview with Doctor Who Magazine, series producer Russell T Davies mused that the TARDIS interior is probably ‘skinnable’. This seems to be confirmed in the 2007 special Children in Need story "Time Crash" where the Fifth Doctor remarks that the Tenth Doctor had ‘changed the desktop theme’. However, in the 1976 Fourth Doctor story "The Masque of Mandragora" the idea that the TARDIS has at least one secondary Console Room was introduced. This was later confirmed in the 2011 Eleventh Doctor story "The Doctor's Wife". Another change to the Console Room was made in 2010 Eleventh Doctoctor story "The Eleventh Hour" just after The Doctor had regenerated. It had been critically damaged and, as explained by The Doctor, it was ‘rebuilding itself’, thus confirming how such changes were made to the room.

The console itself is shown to be a hodge-podge of different technologies and objects, including a handbrake similar to that used on automobiles in the early 1900s, and a 1950’s-style television set/monitor. The shows’ revival in 2005 would continue the theme of the console featuring bits and pieces from different objects, as if it had been cobbled together.

The Seal of Rassilon is featured extensively throughout the TARDIS.

The Cloister Room, last seen in the 1981 Fourth Doctor story "Logopolis", makes a return appearance. However, it now includes the Eye of Harmony which The Master states is where the TARDIS gets its power. He also describes the Eye as the ‘heart of the structure’.

As established in the 1976 Fourth Doctor story "The Deadly Assassin", the Eye of Harmony is held on Gallifrey. Its presence on the TARDIS therefore seems a peculiar inclusion for this film. Fan theory quickly resolved this conflict by speculating that the ‘Eye’ on the TARDIS was merely a spatiotemporal link to the actual Eye of Harmony on Gallifrey, a feature presumably contained on all TARDIS’s as a source of energy. This theory soon found its way into licensed material such as the BBC novel range. Notably, in the revived series, in which Gallifrey has been destroyed, the TARDIS lacks its own power source, and must draw power from fissures in the fabric of reality. The 2007 Tenth Doctor story "The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords", also support this theory as it is revealed that after falling into the Eye, The Master is revived by the Time Lords without The Doctor's knowledge.

This film further states that the ‘Eye’ can only be opened with the scan of a human retina, a fact apparently tied to The Doctor's own human retinal pattern. The 2000 Big Finish Productions audio story "The Apocalypse Element" attempts to explain this by introducing a plot point in which the eye of The Doctor's companion Evelyn Smythe is keyed to a Gallifreyan security system so as to confound enemy expectations by allowing entry only to the most unlikely of candidates.

The golden ‘fairy dust’ emitted from the Eye that resurrects Dr Grace Holloway and Chang Lee, though unprecedented within the series and unexplained within the movie, is to some extent evoked in several stories of the revived series. These include the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways", in where Rose Tyler wrenches open the console to absorb the energies of the Time Vortex, thereby obtaining control over life and death. In this case, the Vortex energies are again depicted as a sort of golden dust. It is seen again when both the Tenth Doctor and the Eleventh Doctor undergo their respective regenerations in "The Christmas Invasion" and "The Eleventh Hour" as well as many other ‘regeneration’ scenes including The Master in "Utopia" and River Song in "Let’s Kill Hitler".

The Doctor's reference to the Chameleon Circuit as a ‘cloaking device’ was for a while another point of criticism within amongst fans. Russell T Davies referenced the criticism in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Boom Town" when at one point Rose Tyler refers to a cloaking device and The Doctor corrects her.

We learn that Twentieth Century Earth is in the "Humanian Era". Other eras shown on the TARDIS's co-ordinates panel include the "Sumaron Era" and the "Rassilon Era".

Chang Lee gets the honour of doing what has been referred to as ‘The TARDIS run-around’ – where a character goes inside, sees how big it is, comes back out and walks around the TARDIS, disbelievingly, before going back inside. This is also performed by Rose Tyler in the 2005 Ninth Doctor story "Rose", Donna Noble in the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "The Runaway Bride" and again in the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "Turn Left", Martha Jones in the 2007 Tenth Doctor story "Smith and Jones", Jackson Lake in the 2008 Tenth Doctor story "The Next Doctor", Amy Pond in the 2010 Eleventh Doctor story "The Eleventh Hour" and Vincent van Gogh in the 2010 Eleventh Doctor story "Vincent and The Doctor".

Although The Doctor's most famous alien adversaries, the Daleks, are not seen, they are heard condemning The Master to death during the film's opening sequence (sporting their trademark war cry of: ‘EX-TER-MIN-ATE!’).

The Daleks appear to have a legal system which includes trials and formal executions. They appear to have arranged with both the Time Lords and The Doctor for their mortal enemy to visit Skaro to collect The Master's mortal remains.

The book that The Doctor sits down to read at the beginning and the end of this film is ‘The Time Machine’ by H. G. Wells. The Doctor shared an adventure with H. G. Wells in the 1985 Sixth Doctor story "Timelash" and would meet him again in the Tenth Doctor comic "The Time Machination". In the 1973 Third Doctor story "Frontier in Space", The Master is seen reading H. G. Wells' ‘The War of the Worlds’. While in the untelevised Season Seventeen story "Shada", Professor Chronotis can be seen with a copy of ‘The Time Machine’.

This is one of six Doctor Who stories to be set on New Year's Eve 1999 and New Year's Day 2000. The comic strip "Plastic Millennium" (published in the Doctor Who Magazine 1994 Winter Special); Virgin Books’ The Missing Adventures novel "Millennial Rites" (written by Craig Hinton); The BBC Books’ The Past Doctor Stories novel "Millennium Shock" (written by Justin Richards); the short story "Suitors, Inc." (Short Trips: Seven Deadly Sins) and the Fourth Doctor's segment from the comic "The Forgotten" (2008) all take place on those dates, as do elements of the Torchwood story "Fragments".

The version of 1931's Frankenstein that is seen during the regeneration sequence is not the current restored version, but the earlier censored print that was commonly circulated on television prior to the 1980’s. This is evident from the fact that Doctor Frankenstein's dialogue ‘Now I know what it feels like to be God’ is not heard. However, this portion of the film is still visible, just not audible.

The reason for The Doctor warning Chang Lee not to be in San Francisco the Christmas is explained, in the BBC Books’ The Eighth Doctor Stories novel "Unnatural History", as an Earthquake rocks the city around that time.

The Virgin Books’ The New Adventures novel "Lungbarrow" sets up events for this story (including why the TARDIS interior looks the way it does, why The Doctor now has a sonic screwdriver and why The Doctor was rescuing The Master).

The Big Finish Productions’ audio story "The Apocalypse Element" attempts to explain why the Eye of Harmony, Gallifreyan technology, could be opened only by a human eye.

The producers of the television movie compiled several lists of actors to consider for the part of The Doctor. Among early thoughts were Michael Crawford, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Billy Connolly, Trevor Eve, Michael Palin, Robert Lindsay, and Jonathan Pryce. All were uninterested in the project, or unavailable for the intended filming dates.

Casting sessions took place in March 1994. The actors who actually auditioned for the role include Liam Cunningham, Mark McGann, Robert Lindsay, Tim McInnerny, Nathaniel Parker, Peter Woodward, John Sessions, Anthony Head, and Tony Slattery. Paul McGann was first considered around the time of these auditions, but did not formally audition for the part until later.


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First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first direct-to-television film.

 The first Doctor Who story for 6 years - since the 1989 story "Survival".

 Paul McGann's first appearance as the Eighth Doctor.

 Eric Roberts' first appearance in the show as The Master.

 The first Doctor Who story to be written by Matthew Jacobs.

 The first Doctor Who story to be directed by Geoffrey Sax.

 Philip Segal's first involvement in the show as Executive Producer.

 Jo Wright's first involvement in the show as Executive Producer.

 Alex Beaton's first involvement in the show as Executive Producer.

 Matthew Jacobs' first involvement in the show as Producer.

 Peter V Ware's first involvement in the show as Producer.

 The first Doctor Who story to show The Doctor regenerating while completely alone.

 The first Doctor Who story to contain an overtly romantic scene involving The Doctor.

 The first Doctor Who story to feature a narration since the 1976 Fourth Doctor story "The Deadly Assassin".

 The first time that Doctor Who has been filmed entirely abroad and the first time in Canada.


The Lasts (Subject to Future Stories):

 Sylvester McCoy's last regular appearance as the Seventh Doctor.

 The last Doctor Who story for 9 years - until the 2005 story "Rose".

 Paul McGann's last regular appearance as the Eighth Doctor.

 Eric Roberts' last appearance in the show as The Master.

 The Last Doctor Who story to be written by Matthew Jacobs.

 The last Doctor Who story to be directed by Geoffrey Sax.

 Philip Segal's last involvement in the show as Executive Producer.

 Jo Wright's last involvement in the show as Executive Producer.

 Alex Beaton's last involvement in the show as Executive Producer.

 Matthew Jacobs' last involvement in the show as Producer.

 Peter V Ware's last involvement in the show as Producer.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
The Seventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor

The Master has been tried on Skaro and has been found guilty of a ‘list of evil crimes’. His death sentence, at the hands of the Daleks, has been carried out but his last wish was for his remains to be returned to Gallifrey by his archenemy - The Doctor. And so in the TARDIS control room, the Seventh Doctor places the urn containing The Master’s remains into a casket and locks it with his sonic screwdriver. This done he rests by listening to a record, with a cup of tea and a book while the TARDIS heads for Gallifrey.

Unknown to The Doctor however, the casket starts to shudder. At the same time The Doctor’s cup of tea falls to the ground and the record becomes stuck playing the same part of the song over-and-over again. The casket then cracks open, releasing a jelly-like substance which swiftly moves to the TARDIS control console, vanishing inside. The console then starts to malfunction and, despite The Doctor’s attempts to stabilise it, a warning is given of a critical timing malfunction and the TARDIS prepares for an emergency landing.

On Earth, in San Francisco on the 30th December 1999, a group of youths – Chang Lee and two others – are being chased by a car. They scale a fence into a yard and believe themselves safe, but a group of armed thugs emerge from hiding. Suddenly a wind blows up and the TARDIS materialises in front of Chang Lee. The door opens and The Doctor exits, to be met by a hail of bullets. A car then pulls up and the gang members depart, leaving Chang Lee with the prone figure of The Doctor. As Chang Lee calls for an ambulance The Doctor is powerless as he witnesses a jelly-like substance emerge from the TARDIS’s keyhole.

The TARDIS Materialises
The TARDIS Materialises

The Doctor is taken to a hospital, in the ambulance, by a medic named Bruce. On arriving there The Doctor is rushed into surgery, while in the ambulance a jelly-like snake hides itself in Bruce’s jacket. Inside the hospital the medical staff are astonished to discover that The Doctor’s X-rays show’s him to have two hearts. The hospital’s cardiologist, Dr Grace Holloway, arrives at the hospital and prepares to operate on The Doctor. In surgery she starts to probe the heart of the apparently unconscious patient, but The Doctor wakes and as he starts to struggle he is quickly anaesthetised. Dr Grace Holloway finds that she cannot recognise the internal structure of The Doctor’s body and experimentally pushes the probe hard. The Doctor convulses and his life-signs vanish from the monitors. The death of her patient upsets Dr Grace Holloway and she demands to see the X-rays. Chang-Lee, waiting outside, is summoned and, after being told of The Doctor’s death, he is given The Doctor’s possessions.

The Doctor’s body is taken to the morgue where it is placed in a cubical. However, inside the cubical lightning plays around The Doctor’s prone body as he starts to regenerate. Returning to life The Doctor, now in his eighth incarnation, smashes his way out of the cubicle, causing a morgue technician to faint. The Doctor leaves the morgue in a state of confusion and finds himself in a deserted wing of the hospital where he breaks down on seeing his reflection as he doesn’t know who he is.

Saving The Doctor
Saving The Doctor

Meanwhile at Bruce’s apartment, the jelly-like snake emerges from the medic’s coat and approaches the bed where Bruce and his wife are lying. It rears up and enters Bruce’s body through his mouth. The following morning Bruce’s wife wakes to find her husband already up and acting strangely. He tells her to call him ‘Master’. However, when she starts to question her husband’s odd behaviour The Master, now controlling Bruce’s body, kills her by breaking her neck.

In the hospital The Doctor raids some lockers and obtains some suitable clothes. Still not knowing who he is The Doctor waits in the hospital corridor. Eventually he recognises Dr Grace Holloway as she passes him and he starts to remember what happened. The Doctor follows her as she leaves the hospital, and manages to get into her car. There, to her astonishment, he removes the broken probe from his chest. Now realising that this is the missing, apparently ‘dead’ patient, she drives him back to her apartment. There she checks The Doctor’s hearts again and also his blood and is puzzled by what she finds. The Doctor though assures her that everything is all right.

Meanwhile back at the hospital The Master has arrived and is told that The Doctor is dead and that his body has gone missing. He also discovers that Chang Lee has been given The Doctor’s possessions. Chang Lee has in fact returned to the TARDIS which he enters using a key that he found amongst The Doctor’s possessions. The Master arrives soon afterwards and tells Chang Lee that The Doctor stole the TARDIS from him, as well as his body, which he wants to retrieve. The Master then entrances him and takes the bag containing The Doctor’s things. The Master intends to use the boy to obtain The Doctor’s body, which he needs to take over as his own in order to survive. They move through the TARDIS to the Cloister Room. The door opens of its own accord and The Master comments that the TARDIS ‘likes’ Chang Lee. In the middle of the vast room is the Eye of Harmony, the centre of the structure. The Master gets Chang Lee to open the Eye of Harmony as it is something that can be done only with a human eye. They are though unaware that as the stone cover, over the Eye of Harmony, moves back The Doctor regains his lost memories.

Regeneration
Regeneration

Realising at last of The Master’s escape, The Doctor informs Dr Grace Holloway that he needs an atomic clock to fix the timing mechanism in the TARDIS. Dr Grace Holloway, believing that he has finally flipped, phones for an ambulance. As she does so The Doctor frantically explains that they have only until midnight to close the Eye of Harmony and leave the planet, taking The Master with them, or the Earth will cease to exist. To convince her that he is telling her the truth The Doctor demonstrates that molecular structures are already breaking down by pushing first his hand and then his whole body through a pane of glass. Back inside the apartment The Doctor sees on the television news an item about an atomic clock being unveiled in San Francisco that evening. He realises that this must be a beryllium clock and so becomes determined to obtain it.

The ambulance, that Dr Grace Holloway requested, arrives and The Doctor and Dr Grace Holloway go off in it, unaware that Chang Lee is driving and that their fellow passenger is The Master. The vehicle suddenly jolts to a halt in a major traffic jam and The Master’s sunglasses fall off, revealing his identity to The Doctor. The Doctor uses a fire extinguisher to temporarily blind The Master, and he and Dr Grace Holloway escape out of the back of the ambulance and steal a police motorbike - but not before The Master is able to shoot Dr Grace Holloway's wrist with a strange, bile-like fluid. With The Doctor and Dr Grace Holloway on the police motorbike, The Master and Chang Lee give chase in the ambulance through the streets.

Thinking they have shaken off the ambulance The Doctor and Dr Grace Holloway eventually arrive at the Institute for Technological Advancement and Research where the clock is situated. Dr Grace Holloway uses the fact that she is on the board of trustees to gain access for The Doctor. There they meet Professor Wagg, the inventor of the clock, and The Doctor steals his pass in order to get to the device and remove the component that he needs. On the way out, however, they are spotted by The Master and Chang Lee forcing them to find another exit from the building. They manage to escape by setting off the fire alarm and using a fire hose as a rope to lower themselves down the outside of the building. They then return to the TARDIS, where The Doctor discovers the Cloister Bell is tolling. The Doctor wires the beryllium chip into the TARDIS circuits which forces the Eye of Harmony to close. The Doctor though discovers that this was not done soon enough and, to prevent the destruction of the Earth, they must go back in time to before the Eye of Harmony was opened. To obtain sufficient power for this, The Doctor plans to divert energy from the Eye of Harmony. But while The Doctor is working on the console Dr Grace Holloway becomes possessed by The Master, when he enters the TARDIS, and she knocks The Doctor unconscious before he can complete the connections.

Newly Regenerated
Newly Regenerated

The Doctor awakes to find that he is now strapped to a trolley in the Cloister Room. Grace Hollow places a crown-like device on his head on the instructions of The Master, who has now changed into Gallifreyan robes. The Doctor is then chained up on a balcony overlooking the closed Eye of Harmony. He appeals to Chang Lee for help. But The Master, in countering this, inadvertently reveals to the boy that his earlier claim that The Doctor had stolen his lives was a lie. The Master kills Chang Lee and then kisses Dr Grace Holloway. This returns her to normal and so enables The Master to use her to open the Eye of Harmony. The Master then positions himself in the reflected light, via a mirror, from the Eye of Harmony and the transference of his mind to The Doctor’s body begins. In desperation The Doctor instructs Dr Grace Hollow to return to the Console Room and re-route the power as before.

As the transference process continues storms break over San Francisco. As the final countdown to the new millennium begins (with just thirty seconds to go) Dr Grace Holloway struggles to connect the correct wires beneath the console. She manages it with just one second to spare. This results in the TARDIS rolling back in time and entering temporal orbit. Dr Grace Holloway is then able to release The Doctor from his chains, but in doing so this also frees The Master who then kills her, by throwing her from the balcony when she tries to return to help The Doctor. The Master and The Doctor then fight which results in The Master leaping at The Doctor, intending to push him into the Eye of Harmony, but The Doctor blinds The Master with reflected light resulting in his arch-enemy being be sucked into the Eye of Harmony.

With The Master no more The Doctor sadly collects the bodies of Dr Grace Holloway and Chang Lee as the TARDIS slips farther back in time. Suddenly, their life essences emerge from inside the Eye of Harmony and are returned to their bodies. The Eye of Harmony then closes by itself and, as he and Dr Grace Holloway embrace. The Doctor then directs the TARDIS to return them all to Earth on the 31st December 1999. When they arrive, he bids farewell to Chang Lee. He then asks Dr Grace Holloway to come with him, but she refuses. After they kiss, The Doctor returns to his TARDIS which then dematerialises. Inside, after carrying out some adjustments to the console, The Doctor again relaxes with a fresh cup of tea, his book and a record playing – which then gets stuck in exactly the same place again.

 
The Doctor and Dr Grace Holloway
The Doctor and Dr Grace Holloway
The Master
The Master
Chang Lee
Chang Lee
The Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor
 
The Master
The Master
The Doctor In Trouble
The Doctor In Trouble
The Kiss
The Kiss
The Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor




Quote of the Story


 'A Time Lord has 13 lives and the Master had used all of his. But rules never meant much to him, so I stowed his remains safely for the voyage back. Because even in death, I couldn't trust him. In all my travels through space and time, and nearing the end of my seventh life, I was finally beginning to realise that you could never be too careful.'

The Doctor



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
VHS
Doctor WhoMay 1996BBCV 5882Photo-montage
Video
DVD
Doctor Who: The MovieAugust 2001BBCDVD 1043Photo-montageBroadcast edited version
Video
DVD
Doctor Who: The MovieOctober 2010BBCDVD 2806Photo-montageSpecial Edition Full unedited version Released as part of the 'Revisitations 1' box set Released along with "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" and "The Caves of Androzani"
Video
DVD
Doctor Who: The MovieJune 2013BBCDVD 3801Photo-montagePart of the "Regeneration" Box Set
Audio
CD
The 50th Anniversary CollectionDecember 2013Photo-montageOriginal Television Soundtracks
Video
Blu-Ray
Doctor Who: The MovieSeptember 2016BBCBD 0374Photo-montage


In Print

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)PublisherAuthorCover ArtRemarks
Script
Script
The Script of the FilmMay 1996BBC BooksMatthew JacobsPhoto-montageContains an introduction by Philip Segal. ISBN: 0-563-40499-X
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who The Novel of the FilmMay 1996BBC BooksGary RussellPhotoISBN: 0-563-38000-4
Tape
Tape
Doctor Who The Novel of the Film1997BBC AudioGary RussellPhotoAudio version of the Target Novel read by Paul McGann.
ZBBC 1998.
MP3
MP3
Tales From The TARDIS - Volume 2July 2004BBC AudioGary RussellPhoto-montageMP3 version read by Paul McGann. Release includes 7 stories read by various actors and actresses from the show.
ISBN: 0-563-52377-2
Novel
Novel
Doctor Who: The MovieMarch 2021BBC BooksGary RussellAnthony DryTarget Collection. ISBN: 978-1-78594-531-1
CD
CD
Doctor Who: The MovieMarch 2021BBC AudioGary RussellAnthony DryAudio version of the Target Novel read by Dan Starkey
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (In Vision)Issue 108 (Released: August 2003)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 240 (Released: July 1996)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 416 (Released: January 2010)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 433 (Released: May 2011)
Doctor Who Magazine - Countdown to 50Issue 457 (Released: March 2013)
Doctor Who Magazine Special - ArchiveMovie Special (Released: 1996)

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Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companion/Acquaintance

Paul McGann
The Eighth Doctor

Sylvester McCoy
The Seventh Doctor
   

Daphne Ashbrook
Dr Grace Holloway
 
Yee Jee Tso
Chang Lee
   




On Release

VHS Video Cover
VHS Video Cover

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
Revisitations 1 DVD Cover
Revisitations 1 DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   
DVD Box Set
DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover
The 50th Anniversary Collection Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Blu-Ray Cover
Blu-Ray Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   


In Print

BBC Script Book Cover
BBC Script Book Cover

BBC
SCRIPT
BBC Book Cover
BBC Book Cover

BBC
NOVEL
Audio Cassette Cover
Audio Cassette Cover

BBC
TAPE
   
MP3 Cover
MP3 Cover

BBC
MP3
BBC Books Target Collection Cover
BBC Books Target Collection Cover

BBC
NOVEL
BBC Books Target Collection Audio CD Cover
BBC Books Target Collection Audio CD Cover

BBC
CD
   


Magazines

Doctor Who CMS Magazine (In Vision): Issue 108
Doctor Who CMS Magazine (In Vision): Issue 108

CMS
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 240
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 240

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 416
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 416

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 433
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 433

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Countdown to 50: Issue 457
Doctor Who Magazine - Countdown to 50: Issue 457

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine Special - Archive: Movie Special
Doctor Who Magazine Special - Archive: Movie Special

Marvel Comics
   

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