I did a thread a while back expressing my disgust that Mcgann wasn't returning! I'm SOO pleased for him and I'm delighted that the BBC did this. I had come to the sad belief that the BBC wouldn't touch him because of the so called "disaster" the movie had been.



Also, if you think about it, he wasn't even lying when he said he wasn't in the special!

It was very good, make me want to see more of the Mcgann doctor, but sadly that's it, I think

Just reinforces my opinion that he would have been a fantastic Doctor.

Such a shame he didn't get a series.

It's certainly a shame that Sheridan Smith never appeared as a companion in a visual media. She would have out Peried Peri.

She'd have beaten Peri's 95% record and spent 100% of the time just having tedious little arguments inside the Tardis?

Paul McGann - gravitas and likeability all in one. Just six and a half minutes of screen-time and he was brilliant. Such a shame that we've not seen more of the eighth doctor...

Since he salutes his companions in the mini-sode, does this mean the Big Finish audios (for 8, at least) are canon?

There is no reason he can't be in a multi-doctor episode with Peter Capaldi. The BBC are watching the reaction to Paul Mcgann. seems all positive and is a definite ratings winner

BF are saying it does, but they would really.

Just so glad Moff seems to agree.

There is something very beautiful about Paul finally having his moment. I know he has been endlessly discussed and done great work on Big Finish but today has shown what affection fandom has for his Doctor. Its particularly significant for me as his Movie was what I had been waiting years for and I loved his performance despite having misgivings about the episode as a whole even at a relatively young age. He was my second 'real time' Doctor. And to see so much love for Eight is very nice after what was widely considered a failure in general terms.

And while we are on the subject! That wasn't too shabby as a regeneration scene! I would rank it among the very best. Certainly better than what Ten got.

I hope they bring back Paul as the 8th for something more, there is so much potential there that hasnt been utilised yet!

Me too, we can only keep our fingers crossed it will happen

He is lovely

I remember when it was announced that Matt was leaving the role a bunch of people wanted the Doctor to degenerate back into Tennant. I was, and still am against that idea, because Tennant had a fair crack of the whip but I would be 100% in favour of Capaldi's Doctor degenerating back into McGann when Capaldi decides to leave (although it's possibly a little too early to talk about Capaldi leaving ).

Considering the "modern" BBC understands the concept of spin offs - I've never understood why they haven't done the odd one-off special with previous Doctors.

I'm sure a 50 minute live action episode with McCoy or McGann would be great audience puller for a bank holiday - though Baker (x2) or Davison's aged appearances would take some explaining (maybe CGI episodes?).

Hell, stick them on BBC2 if you are that worried about confusing a younger audience - Call the show The Doctor or TARDIS Tales if you want to make it clear that it is a seperate programme.

bank holiday's aren't what they were so I dont think that would work maybe a Christmas special like a boxing day showing ect?

What a great Doctor he would have been. I’m so glad we had this chance to catch another glimpse and see his regeneration. I hope Peter Capaldi’s Doctor is more like McGann’s, strong, dry and serious as opposed to the last two clown-like interpretations.

This has kicked off the anniversary brilliantly.

The moment I heard his voice again… Yes!

Whenever I meet my own end, I will go that bit happier to have seen Eight (My Doctor) again.

Me too. I prefer this portrayal rather to OTT silliness. Clown's are scary, or if you are looking at Tim Curry's interpretation of Pennywise in IT, they are funny but very frightening.

Wonderful to see McGann get some proper air time as the Dr again - his audio adventures were always great and he certainly gets a great regeneration scene...the whole 7 minutes just made my spine tingle...

Charley also travelled with the 6th Doctor so their adventure must be canon now and by extenstion all the other 6th Doctor Big Finishes

I'd call such a show "Doctor Who: Missing Adventures". That's the name one of the old novel lines used for past Doctors. It would utilise the 1970/1996 logo, as has been seen on the anniversary merchandise.

It was done cleverly though, where BF still isn't 100% canon. He simply named all his companions, so IF they were to make a spinoff series/mini series with 8 they could still choose to re imagine the whole thing. Who's to say he was talking about Lucie Miller for example? Maybe in any future TV adventures he'll be travelling with a Lucy Davies...

I'm choosing to treat them as canon for now though

I think there's always been a way to slip a past doctor in if they wanted to.
As an example, there has been a few 'doctor lite' episodes since 2005. It is a chance for some of the crew and main actor(s) to get a bit of a break from a busy filming schedule etc. (Blink, Love and Monsters). So why not have something along the lines of Peter Capaldi's doctor ending one episode finishing off some bad guy, then going back to the tardis and landing somewhere else to find a clue about some baddie that McGann might have met before. He gets a bump on the noggin and in the next time trailer all we see his him and Clara in a prison cell. He's all messed up and telling Clara about the aforementioned bad guy, and how it was a 'few lives ago' since the last time he encountered them. Maybe a little hint of regeneration energy or something just to spice things up?

Then everyone tunes in next week to find out if it really was regen energy, or what the hell it was, and we see the Tardis land somewhere, and Peter is narrating for a minute about when he met this bad guy before the door opens, and...................Paul steps out along with Sherridan Smith. So THAT becomes the doctor lite episode. 40 minutes of Doc 8 and Lucie, before going back for a couple of minutes at the end when it cuts back into Peter telling Clara that was how it all went down last time.. A little hint he might still regenerate before it ends(maybe? Too much?? yes? no?), and then next week Peter and Claa deal with the same bad guy.

Anyway- I've gone on long enough about that- it is just one possibility and I'm sure the writers can come up with something a LOT better.