Doctor Who (film): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|1996 British television movie}}

{{Doctorwhobox|

{{For|the two theatrical films|Dr. Who and the Daleks|Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.}}

|serial_name=160 - Doctor Who

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}

|doctor=[[Paul McGann]] ([[Eighth Doctor]])<br>[[Sylvester McCoy]] ([[Seventh Doctor]])

{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}

|writer=[[Matthew Jacobs]]

{{Infobox Doctor Who episode

|director=[[Geoffrey Sax]]

| number = 156

|script_editor=None

| serial_name = Doctor Who: The Television Movie

|producer=[[Peter V. Ware]]<br>Matthew Jacobs

| show = DW

|executive_producer=[[Philip Segal|Philip David Segal]]<br>[[Alex Beaton (producer)|Alex Beaton]]<br>[[Jo Wright]] (for the [[BBC]])

| type = television film

|production_code=None

|series=[[List ofimage Doctor Who serials# = [[File:Doctor Who (1996) poster.jpg|None230px]]

| caption = 1996 promotional poster

|length=85 mins (UK)<br/> 89 mins (US)

| doctors =

|date=[[May 12]], [[1996]] (Canada)<br>[[May 14]], [[1996]] (USA)<br>[[May 27]], [[1996]] (first [[United Kingdom|UK]])

* [[Paul McGann]] – [[Eighth Doctor]]

|preceding=[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]

* [[Sylvester McCoy]] – [[Seventh Doctor]]

|following=[[Rose (Doctor Who)|Rose]]

| companion = [[Daphne Ashbrook]] – [[Grace Holloway]]

|imdb_id=0116118

| guests =

|}}

* [[Yee Jee Tso]] – Chang Lee

'''''Doctor Who''''' is a [[television movie]] based on the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. It was originally broadcast on [[May 14]], [[1996]] on the [[Fox Network]]. In order to avoid confusion with the series name, the [[executive producer]] [[Philip Segal]] subsequently suggested that fans of the series could refer to the telemovie by the unofficial title '''''Enemy Within''''' although this title was never used during production.

* [[Eric Roberts]] – [[The Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]]

* [[John Novak (actor)|John Novak]] – Salinger

* Michael David Simms – Dr. Swift

* Eliza Roberts – Miranda

* Dave Hurtubise – Professor Wagg

* Dolores Drake – Curtis

* [[Catherine Lough Haggquist|Catherine Lough]] – Wheeler

* [[William Sasso]] – Pete

* Joel Wirkkunen – Ted

* Jeremy Radick – Gareth

* Bill Croft – Motorcyclist Policeman

* [[Mi-Jung Lee]] – News Anchor

* Joanna Piros – News Anchor

* Dee Jay Jackson – Security Man

* Gordon Tipple – The Old Master

| director = [[Geoffrey Sax]]

| writer = [[Matthew Jacobs]]

| script_editor = <!--None-->

| producer = Peter V. Ware<br>Matthew Jacobs (co-producer)

| executive_producer = [[Philip David Segal]]<br />Alex Beaton<br />Jo Wright (for the [[BBC]])

| composer = [[John Debney]]<br>John Sponsler<br>[[Louis Febre]]

| production_code = 50/LDX071Y/01X<ref name="Segal" />

| series = [[List of Doctor Who episodes (1963–1989)#Television movie (1996)|Television film]]

| length = 89 minutes{{efn|name="Speedup"|Original NTSC running time. The UK home video releases are affected by [[PAL speedup]], which shortens the runtime to 85 minutes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Roberts |first1=Steve |title=The Television Movie |journal=The Doctor Who Restoration Team |date=4 June 2001 |url=http://www.impossiblethings.net/restorationteam/tvm.htm |access-date=26 May 2019 |archive-date=26 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526164018/http://www.impossiblethings.net/restorationteam/tvm.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

| date = {{Film date|1996|5|12|Canada|1996|5|14|US|1996|5|27|UK|df=y}}

| preceding = ''[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]''

| following = "[[Rose (Doctor Who episode)|Rose]]"

}}

'''''Doctor Who''''', also referred to as '''''Doctor Who: The Movie''''' or as '''''Doctor Who: The Television Movie''''' or '''''Dr Who''''' in the US<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Movie-Special-Edition/dp/B0049S1NYG|title=Amazon.com: Doctor Who: The Movie (Special Edition): Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, Eric Roberts, Glen MacPherson, Geoffrey Sax, Peter V Ware, Matthew Jacobs: Movies & TV|work=amazon.com|date=8 February 2011|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305091130/http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Movie-Special-Edition/dp/B0049S1NYG|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/|title=BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Doctor Who: The TV Movie – Index|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=20 December 2019|archive-date=4 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204163719/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/|url-status=live}}</ref> is a 1996 [[television film]] continuing the British [[science fiction television]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. Developed as a [[co-production (media)|co-production]] between [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] and [[BBC Worldwide]], it premiered on 12 May 1996 on the Canadian television station [[CITV-TV|CITV]] in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada, 15 days before its first showing in the United Kingdom on [[BBC One]] and two days before being broadcast in the United States on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]. It was theatrically released in some countries.

The first attempt to revive ''Doctor Who'' following its suspension in 1989, it was intended as a [[backdoor pilot]] for a new American-produced ''Who'' TV series. It introduced [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]] in his only televised appearance as the character until "[[The Night of the Doctor]]" in 2013 (though McGann has portrayed the Doctor also in various audio productions). It also marks the final appearance of [[Sylvester McCoy]] as the [[Seventh Doctor]] until his cameo appearance in "[[The Power of the Doctor]]" in 2022, the only appearance of [[Daphne Ashbrook]] as [[Companion (Doctor Who)|companion]] [[Grace Holloway]], and the only onscreen appearance of [[Eric Roberts]]'s version of [[The Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]], although he has since reprised the role in audio dramas for [[Big Finish Productions]]. Although a ratings success in the United Kingdom, the film did not fare well on American television and no series was commissioned. The series was later relaunched on the BBC in 2005.<ref name="Segal" /> The only ''Doctor Who'' episodes between the film and the new series were a 1999 spoof, ''[[Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death]]'', and a 2003 animation, ''[[Scream of the Shalka]]''.

==Synopsis==

[[Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]]'s last wish was for his old enemy, [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]], to bring his remains home. In [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] on [[New Year's Eve]], [[1999]], a trap is sprung that could mean the end of the world. Only the newly-regenerated [[Eighth Doctor]] can stop the Master &mdash; if he can only remember who he is.

Although primarily produced by different entities than the 1963–1989 series and intended for an American audience, the producers chose not to produce a "re-imagining" or "[[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]]" of the series but rather a continuation of the original narrative. The production was filmed in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]] and is the only episode of ''Doctor Who'' to be filmed in Canada.

==Plot==

[[The Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]], currently in his [[Seventh Doctor|seventh incarnation]], transports [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]]'s remains, from [[Skaro]], to [[Gallifrey]] via his [[TARDIS]]. The Master had been previously tried and executed at the hands of the [[Dalek]]s. En route to their destination and while the Doctor reads, the locked box with the Master's remains breaks open. The Master, in the form of a snake-like ooze, leaks out and infects the TARDIS. The Doctor is forced to make an emergency materialisation in [[San Francisco's Chinatown]] on 30 December 1999.

{{spoiler}}

[[Image:doctorwho1996.jpg|thumb|300px|The Doctor and the Master in their climactic battle]]

On the planet [[Skaro]], the renegade [[Time Lord]] known as [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] is put on trial by the [[Dalek]]s, and executed. His last wish is for his remains to be returned to [[Gallifrey]] by his greatest enemy, [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]].

After exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor is shot by a gang chasing down Chang Lee, a young [[Chinese-American]] man. Lee calls for an ambulance and escorts the unconscious Doctor to a hospital. The ooze also gets aboard the ambulance. At the hospital, after the bullets are removed, [[cardiologist]] Dr. [[Grace Holloway]] attempts surgery to stabilise his unusual heartbeat, but is confused by his strange double-heart anatomy. After the Doctor apparently dies in the operating table, his body is taken to the morgue, and Lee steals his possessions. That night, the Master takes over the body of Bruce, the paramedic.

In the [[TARDIS]], the [[Seventh Doctor]] stows the urn containing the Master's remains in a container, locking it with his [[sonic screwdriver]], then settles in for the trip back to the Time Lords' planet. As he relaxes with a copy of ''[[The Time Machine]]'' by [[H.G. Wells]] and listens to a [[jazz]] record, he does not see the container shake and shatter. A gelatinous slug-like creature oozes out of the container and enters the TARDIS console, causing sparks to fly out. The Doctor tries to compensate, but the TARDIS systems indicate a critical timing malfunction and initiate an emergency landing. The Doctor finds, to his horror, that the Master's container is cracked open.

Later, the Doctor [[Doctor (Doctor Who)#Changing faces|regenerates]]. The [[Eighth Doctor|new Doctor]], suffering amnesia, recognises Holloway, who has resigned from the hospital after the failed operation. He follows her to her car and proves he is the same man she failed to save. Grace takes him home to recover. Now in Bruce's body, the Master convinces Lee that the Doctor had stolen his original body and persuades him into opening the TARDIS' Eye of Harmony, which requires a human retinal scan. When the Eye opens, the Doctor is flooded with memories and realises the Master is searching for him. He warns Grace that while the Eye is opened, the fabric of reality will weaken. Earth will be potentially destroyed by midnight on New Year's Eve if they cannot close it. To solve this conundrum, he needs an [[atomic clock]], and there is one on display at the San Francisco Institute of Technological Advancement and Research.

On [[December 30]], [[1999]] in [[San Francisco]], a [[Chinese-American]] teenager named [[Chang Lee]] and his two friends run from rival gang members. An ambush opens fire on them, and as Lee is about to be shot, a high wind whips up in the alley and a [[police box]] materialises in front of him. The Doctor steps out only to be shot by the startled gang, and he falls. Lee finds his friends dead and the Doctor gravely wounded. He is unable to warn Lee about the worm oozing out of the TARDIS lock and following Lee as he calls for an ambulance.

[[File:Doctor Who1996.jpg|275px|thumbnail|left|The Doctor and the Master in their climactic battle]]

In the ambulance, Lee signs the paperwork that Bruce, the paramedic, gives him, putting the Doctor's name as "[[John Smith]]". The Doctor is wheeled into the [[operating theatre]] while the worm hides in the ambulance, and then in Bruce's uniform. The medical staff are puzzled by the fact that the Doctor's [[X-ray]]s reveal two hearts which are racing wildly. They decide to page the on-call [[cardiology|cardiologist]], Dr. [[Grace Holloway]], who is at a performance of ''[[Madama Butterfly|Madame Butterfly]]''. To the annoyance of her boyfriend, Brian, she rushes back to the hospital, still in her evening wear.

Outside, the Doctor and Grace find the ambulance. Stepping from it, the Master and Lee offer them a ride. The Doctor does not immediately recognise the Master, but discovers his true identity en route, and escapes with Grace. The two continue to the Institute, obtain the clock and return to the TARDIS. The Doctor then installs the clock and closes the Eye. However, the damage is so great that he must revert time before the Eye was opened to prevent Earth's destruction. As he connects the proper TARDIS circuits to do this, the Master takes control of Grace's body, and she strikes the Doctor unconscious.

The Doctor wakes to find himself chained above the Eye, the Master poised to take his remaining regenerations while Lee and Grace watch. The Doctor is able to prove to Lee that the Master lied to him after the Master accidentally reveals that the Doctor's body is not his, and he refuses to open the Eye again. Enraged, the Master kills him, forces Grace to open the Eye and begins drawing the Doctor's lifeforce. After being released from The Master's control, Grace completes the final circuits to put the TARDIS into a time-holding pattern, preventing the destruction. She then goes to free the Doctor. The Master kills her, but this has given enough time for the Doctor to free himself. In the ensuing fight, The Doctor gains the upper hand and pushes the Master into the Eye. The Eye closes and time reverts a few minutes, undoing Lee and Grace's deaths.

[[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]] plays as Grace starts to operate. The Doctor's eyes snap open and he tries to tell Grace that he is not human, and that he needs a [[beryllium]] [[atomic clock]], but the staff puts him back under. The use of a cardiac probe goes wrong as Grace is unfamiliar with the Doctor's physiology. The Doctor goes into a seizure and flatlines. Grace is angry and upset, demanding to see the patient's X-rays, and is disturbed when she sees the two hearts and realizes it is not a double exposure as assumed.

With no further risk to Earth, the Doctor prepares to leave. Lee returns his possessions, and the Doctor warns him not to be in San Francisco on the next New Year's Eve. The Doctor offers Grace the opportunity to travel with him, but she politely refuses, and kisses him goodbye. The Doctor returns to the TARDIS and begins to continue his book from the start of the film, while the record player begins to skip once more.

Grace tells Lee that "Mr. Smith" is dead, and when Grace figures out that he does not really know the dead man, Lee takes the Doctor's belongings and runs off. Now past midnight on [[December 31]], the Doctor's body is put in the morgue freezer. In Bruce's house, the now [[cobra]]-like manifestation of the Master creeps out of his uniform and forces itself into Bruce's mouth while he is sleeping next to his wife. The Master has taken over his body.

==Production==

In the mortuary, the body of the Doctor crackles with [[electricity]], and he [[Doctor (Doctor Who)#Changing faces|regenerates]] into the [[Eighth Doctor]], who rises from the gurney, disoriented and [[amnesia|amnesiac]]. The Doctor manages to pound the door of the storage chamber off its hinges, frightening the morgue attendant into a faint. Confused, he staggers into a disused section of the hospital, clad only in a sheet and the tag still on his toe. As he spies his reflection, he cries out in anguish, "Who...am...I?"

{{see also|History of Doctor Who#The Eighth Doctor|l1=History of Doctor Who}}

<onlyinclude>{{#invoke:Episode table|main |background=#3C5757 |overall=5 |title=36 |director=12 |writer=13 |airdate=15 |prodcode=6 |viewers=10 |aux4=3 |country=UK

|overallT = {{Abbr|No.|Number}}<br />story

|aux4T = [[Appreciation Index|{{abbr|AI|Appreciation Index|style=color:white}}]]

|aux4R = <ref name="TCH47">{{Cite magazine |title=The TV Movie |magazine=Doctor Who: The Complete History |publisher=[[Panini Comics]], [[Hachette Book Group|Hachette Partworks]] |editor-last=Ainsworth |editor-first=John |date=3 May 2017 |issue=47 |page=118}}</ref>

|viewersR = <ref name="TCH47" />

|episodes =

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 156

| RTitle = ''{{nsl|Doctor Who (film)|Doctor Who}}''

| DirectedBy = [[Geoffrey Sax]]

| WrittenBy = [[Matthew Jacobs]]

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|5|12|df=y}} (Canada)<br />14 May 1996 (USA)<br />27 May 1996 (UK)

| ProdCode = 50/LDX071Y/01X<ref name="Segal" />

| Viewers = 9.08

| Aux4 = 75

| LineColor = 3C5757

}}

}}

{{reflist|group=note}}</onlyinclude>

===Pre-production===

As dawn comes to San Francisco, the Doctor rummages through the worker's lockers, finding pieces of costumes for the New Year's Party. Lee searches through the Doctor's things and finds the TARDIS key (as well as the sonic screwdriver and a pocket watch). The Master awakens in Bruce's body, saying that he needs to find the Doctor, and that the body will not last long. When Bruce's wife sees the green glow of his eyes, he kills her.

Producer [[Philip Segal]] had been trying for some years to launch a new American-produced series of ''Doctor Who'', but the Fox Network — the only American network that showed any interest — was only prepared to commit to a single telemovie. It was hoped that, should the telemovie be successful, Fox might be persuaded to reconsider a series; however, the telemovie's ratings performance in America was not strong enough to hold Fox's interest.

The production budget for the movie (as revealed in the book ''Doctor Who: Regeneration'') was US$5 million, with the [[Fox Network]] spending $2.5 million, [[BBC Television]] contributing $300,000, and the remaining $2.2 million split between [[BBC Worldwide]] and [[Universal Television]].

The hospital administrator discusses the Doctor with Grace, and burns the X-rays so that they can cover up the death of the patient. Grace is indignant and threatens to resign. She gathers her things and leaves the hospital, followed by the Doctor, who in his confused state latches on to her as someone he recognizes. Grace tries to fob him off, thinking that he is insane, but he climbs into her car anyway. Suddenly the Doctor screams as he removes the remains of the cardiac probe from his chest. As the Doctor tells her that he has two hearts, Grace begins to realize that this might be the same man, impossible as it seems. The Doctor cries for Grace to drive off and she does.

===Casting===

The Master goes to the hospital to find the Doctor's body but is told it is missing. A nurse tells "Bruce" that the Doctor's property is with the Asian youth, and the Master thanks her and goes off. When Grace and the Doctor arrive at her home, she finds that Brian has moved out and taken most of the furniture. Grace listens to the Doctor's chest and confirms that he has two hearts. The Doctor starts to remember details, saying that he was dead too long this time &mdash; the anaesthetic nearly destroyed the regenerative process. Grace asks the Doctor not to talk to her like she is a child; the dead stay dead. However, she is startled when he tells her about the dream she had as a child to hold back death, and that she will do great things.

[[File:Daphne Ashbrook.jpg|thumb|right|[[Daphne Ashbrook]] on set of ''Doctor Who'' in 1996]]

Casting sessions took place in March 1994; actors who actually auditioned for the role include [[Liam Cunningham]], [[Mark McGann]], [[Robert Lindsay (actor)|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.<ref name="Segal">{{cite book |last1=Segal |first1=Philip |author-link1=Philip Segal |first2=Gary |last2=Russell |author-link2=Gary Russell |title=Doctor Who:Regeneration |year=2000 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |___location=London |isbn=0-00-710591-6}}</ref>

Among the actors who were invited to audition for the role of the Doctor but declined the opportunity were [[Christopher Eccleston]]<ref name="eccleston">{{cite journal |author=Hickman, Clayton |author-link=Clayton Hickman |title=Revolution #9 |page=11 |journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]] |issue=343| ___location=[[Tunbridge Wells]] |publisher=[[Panini UK]] |date=26 May 2004 }}</ref> and [[Peter Capaldi]].<ref name="capaldi">{{cite web |url=http://www.kasterborous.com/2014/08/capaldi-couldve-eighth-doctor/ |title=Capaldi could've been the Eighth Doctor! |last1=Bates |first1=Philip |date=1 August 2014 |website=Kasterborous.com |access-date=24 August 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808053048/http://www.kasterborous.com/2014/08/capaldi-couldve-eighth-doctor/ |archive-date=8 August 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Eccleston and Capaldi later played the [[Ninth Doctor|Ninth]] and [[Twelfth Doctor|Twelfth]] incarnations of the Doctor, respectively, in the revived series of ''Doctor Who'' which began in 2005. Eccleston turned down the offer to audition for the TV Movie because, at the time, he felt he did not want to be associated with a "brand name" so early in his career.<ref name="eccleston"/> Capaldi declined because he felt it was unlikely that he would be given the part.<ref name="capaldi"/>

In [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]], Lee uses the key to enter the TARDIS, and is shocked when he sees its dimensionally transcendental interior. The TARDIS also seems to respond to Lee, powering itself on when he touches the console. Somehow, the Master is already there, and [[hypnosis|hypnotises]] Lee into giving him the Doctor's belongings. He tells Lee that the "dead man" has stolen his body and they need to find him before the Master dies.

Of those actors who originally auditioned for the role of the Doctor, a number guest-starred in the series when it returned from 2005:

Grace and the Doctor go for a walk, and she theorises that he might be the product of a genetic experiment. The Doctor remembers more details &mdash; he is from Gallifrey, and remembers a [[meteor]] storm he saw with his father. In the TARDIS, the Master convinces Lee that the Doctor is the evil one and that they must stop him. The Master brings him to the Cloister Room, where the [[Eye of Harmony]] is housed. The Master uses Lee's [[retina]]l pattern to open the Eye. As the Eye opens, the Doctor's memories start flooding back and he kisses Grace in joy.

* Anthony Head guest-starred in the Series 2 episode "[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]" as Mr. Finch.

* Tim McInnerny guest-starred in the Series 4 episode "[[Planet of the Ood]]" as Klineman Halpen.

* Liam Cunningham guest-starred in the Series 7 episode "[[Cold War (Doctor Who)|Cold War]]" as Captain Zhukov.

* John Sessions guest-starred in the Series 8 episode "[[Mummy on the Orient Express]]" as the voice of the homicidal computer GUS.

===Production===

The Eye projects images, first of the Seventh, then the Eighth Doctor &mdash; and his retinal structure, which is human. The Master concludes that the Doctor is half-human. Meanwhile, the Doctor senses that the Master has opened the Eye, and that he will be able to see through the Doctor's eyes. He shuts them, but not before the Master spots Grace. The Doctor tells Grace that the Master wants to force him to look into the Eye, so that the Doctor's soul will be destroyed and the Master can take his body. He explains that if the Eye is not closed, the planet will soon be sucked through it, and that he needs an atomic clock to fix the timing mechanism on the TARDIS to prevent this. They have until midnight.

The movie was filmed on 35mm film in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]], the first time any ''Doctor Who'' story had been filmed in North America.

In the 2005 ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' episode "Weird Science", and on the DVD commentary, Sylvester McCoy reveals that during the sequence where he locks the casket with his [[sonic screwdriver]], he held the tool pointing the wrong way around (although in the original series, it is seen being used both ways). The sonic screwdriver was blurred in post-production to conceal the error.

Grace, now believing the Doctor to be insane, runs back into the house to call an ambulance to take the Doctor away. The Doctor convinces her, showing that the molecular structure of the planet is changing by walking through her picture window. The Master hears all this and goes with Lee to drive the ambulance to Grace's house as "Bruce". On the television, the Doctor sees reports of weather patterns changing around the world, and then a report of an event in San Francisco showcasing the unveiling of an atomic clock at the Institute of Technological Advancement and Research.

===Post-production===

The Master arrives at the door but the Doctor does not recognize him. They ask him to take them to the Institute. The ambulance lurches as they stop for a traffic jam, and the Master's sunglasses fall, revealing his alien eyes. The Doctor takes a fire extinguisher and fires it in the Master's face as he spits burning, [[bile]]-like venom at them, hitting Grace in the wrist. Grace and the Doctor escape from the ambulance. The Doctor commandeers a police motorcycle by threatening to shoot himself. The ambulance, driven by Lee, races the Doctor and Grace on the motorcycle towards the Institute.

The opening pre-credits sequence went through a number of modifications, with several different voice-overs recorded. At one stage the voice-over was to be made by the old Master, played by Gordon Tipple; in the end this was not used. Tipple is still credited as "The Old Master", though in the final edit his appearance is very brief, stationary, and mute. Had the original pre-titles voice-over been used, it would have been unclear what incarnation of the Doctor Sylvester McCoy portrays in the movie (as he is simply credited as "The Old Doctor"). Only the rewritten narration (as read by Paul McGann) makes his number of regenerations clear. The sequence of the TARDIS flying through the time vortex was briefly reused in the opening of ''[[Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death]]'', as the Master observes [[Rowan Atkinson]]'s Doctor.

Instead of designing a new ''Doctor Who'' logo for this film, it was decided instead to use a modified version of the logo that was used for the [[Jon Pertwee]] era of the original series (with the exception of [[Doctor Who season 11|the final season]]). This logo, being the last logo used on an "official" Doctor Who broadcast before the 2005 revival, was, until 2018, used by the BBC for most ''Doctor Who'' merchandise relating to the first eight Doctors. In 2018, efforts were made to make the show's merchandise more uniform, and so most items of merchandise began to use the logo designed for Jodie Whittaker's time as the Doctor, abandoning the "Movie" logo for the first time in 22 years.

When the Doctor and Grace reach the Institute, they see the ambulance in the parking lot. Grace and the Doctor mingle at the reception, introducing the Doctor as "Doctor Bowman" from London, but are blocked from entering the room containing the clock. They manage to sneak in anyway, and the Doctor removes the timing [[microchip|chip]]. As they make their way out, they see Lee and the Master and try to avoid them, running into a group of security guards who have been paralysed by the Master's venom. The Doctor triggers the fire alarm as he and Grace head for the roof, descending to the ground using a fire hose. They get back on the motorcycle and ride back towards Chinatown and the TARDIS.

[[John Debney]] was commissioned to write the score for this film, and intended to replace [[Ron Grainer]]'s original theme with a new composition. Ultimately Debney did in fact use an arrangement of Grainer's music for the theme, although Grainer goes uncredited.

They gain access to the TARDIS with the spare key the Doctor keeps in a cubbyhole above the 'P' in the "POLICE BOX" sign. As they enter, they hear the [[list of Doctor Who items#C|cloister bell]] signalling disaster. The Doctor installs the beryllium chip into the console and closes the Eye, but it may be too late &mdash; the Eye has been open too long. The only way to prevent the destruction of Earth is to go back before the Eye was opened, but the TARDIS is out of power. Grace challenges the Doctor to think - his knowledge of what happens to her in the future must come from somewhere. The Doctor proposes directing residual power from the Eye directly into the time rotor, [[jump start]]ing the TARDIS. But as the Doctor sets things up below the console, the Master's venom takes effect on Grace, making her take up a tool and knock the Doctor out, just as the Master and Lee enter the console room.

=== Alternative titles and labelling ===

The Doctor wakes up in the TARDIS cloisters, strapped down. He tries (apparently) unsuccessfully to convince Lee that the Master has been lying to him. The Master, in the meantime, has changed into Gallifreyan garb. Grace, still possessed by the Master, chains the Doctor on the upper balcony, attaching to his head a metal harness designed to keep his eyes open while he stares into the Eye of Harmony. The Master tries to get Chang Lee to open the eye but makes a slip which makes Lee realize the Master has lied. The Master breaks Lee's neck, and uses Grace to open the Eye instead.

Both [[DVD]] releases are labelled ''Doctor Who: The Movie''. The [[VHS]] release contains both the name ''Doctor Who'' and the phrase ''The Sensational Feature Length Film'' (plausibly read as a subtitle). The novelisation was labelled simply ''The Novel of the Film''. The 2021 ''Target Collection'' reissue of the novelisation is titled ''The TV Movie''. The most common fan usage appears to refer to it as "The TV Movie" or "TVM", or variations thereof.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Upon translation into French, this film was renamed ''Le Seigneur du Temps'' (literal translation: "The Lord of Time").

The glow from the Eye focuses onto the Doctor and the Master, linking them both and starts to transfer the Doctor's regenerations to the Master. The Doctor shouts for Grace to go to the console room and divert the power to start the TARDIS or everyone will die. As the clock counts down to midnight, Grace struggles with the console circuitry, and manages to connect the wires just as the clock strikes midnight. The time column starts to move and the TARDIS goes into a temporal orbit, suspending everything at the moment of destruction. Grace runs back to the Cloister Room and tries to free the Doctor from his chains but the Master pushes her over the side of the balcony and kills her.

"TVM" is the production code used in the BBC's online episode guide.<ref name="movie">{{cite web

The Doctor and the Master battle over the Eye of Harmony, and in the struggle, the Master gets sucked into the Eye and is seemingly destroyed. The clocks on the TARDIS continue ticking backwards, and a glow from the TARDIS washes over the bodies of Grace and Lee, bringing them back to life as the Eye closes once more. The Doctor then resets the console and brings them back to [[December 31]], just before the stroke of midnight in San Francisco, and time proceeds again as normal.

| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/detail.shtml

| title = The TV Movie: Details

| access-date = 2007-07-26

| last = Howe

| first = David J.

| author-link = David J. Howe

| author2 = Walker, Stephen James

| author-link2 = Stephen James Walker

| work = Doctor Who: The Television Companion

| publisher = BBC Doctor Who website

| archive-date = 29 October 2015

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151029152250/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/detail.shtml

| url-status = live

}}</ref> The actual code used during production is 50/LDX071Y/01X.<ref name="Segal"/> ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''{{'}}s "Complete Eighth Doctor Special" gives the production code as #83705.<ref name="Complete Eighth Doctor">{{Cite news

| date= 2003-09-03

| title= The DWM Archive: Doctor Who (1996) – In Production

| periodical= Doctor Who Magazine Special Edition

| issue= 5

| page= 69

}}</ref> [[Big Finish Productions]] uses the code 8A, and numbers its subsequent Eighth Doctor stories correspondingly.

==Broadcast and reception==

Back in San Francisco, Lee returns the Doctor's things to him. The Doctor tells Chang Lee not to be around next Christmas, and the teen leaves. The Doctor asks Grace to go with him, but she declines, saying that she's not afraid of life anymore. The Doctor kisses her goodbye, and enters the TARDIS, which then dematerialises. The Doctor settles back in his chair in the console room, picks up the H.G. Wells book he was reading earlier, replays the record, and heads off for further adventures.

The movie premiered in Canada, on the [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]] [[CITV-TV]] station on 12 May 1996, two days prior to its Fox Network broadcast.

Commercials on the Fox network advertising the film used special effects footage from the 1986 story ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', although this footage was not used in the movie. This marked the first time that footage from the original BBC series had been shown on a major American network. The advertisements also used a different arrangement of the Doctor Who theme music from that heard in the film.

==Cast==

*[[Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] — [[Paul McGann]]

*[[Master (Doctor Who)|The Master]] — [[Eric Roberts]]

*Dr. [[Grace Holloway]] — [[Daphne Ashbrook]]

*[[Seventh Doctor|The Old Doctor]] — [[Sylvester McCoy]]

*[[Chang Lee]] — [[Yee Jee Tso]]

*Salinger — John Novak

*Dr. Swift — Michael David Simms

*Miranda — Eliza Roberts

*Professor Wagg — Dave Hurtubise

*Curtis — Dolores Drake

*Wheeler — Catherine Lough

*Pete — [[Will Sasso|William Sasso]]

*Ted — Joel Wirkkunen

*Gareth — Jeremy Radick

*Motorcylist Policeman — Bill Croft

*News Anchor — Mi-Jung Lee

*News Anchor — Joanna Piros

*Security Man — Dee Jay Jackson

*The Old Master — [[Gordon Tipple]]

The movie received disappointing US ratings. It received 5.6 million viewers, a total 9% share of the audience.<ref name="DWM 433 page 53">{{cite journal| author= Bailey, David|date=April 2011 |title=Doctor Who| journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]| publisher=[[Panini Comics]]| issue=#433| page=53}}</ref>

===Cast notes===

Miranda, the wife of Bruce, is played by [[Eric Roberts]]' real-life wife, [[Eliza Roberts]].

Maureen Paton in the ''[[Daily Express]]'' praised the movie "At last we have a grown-up hi-tech Doctor Who in Paul McGann...only a low-tech Luddite would miss the endearing amateurism of the old teatime serial format...the makers would be mad not to pursue the option of a series."<ref name="th">{{cite book |first1=David J. |last1=Howe |author-link1=David J. Howe |first2=Stephen James |last2=Walker |author-link2=Stephen James Walker |first3=Mark |last3=Stammers |title=The Handbook: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide To The Production of Doctor Who |___location=Tolworth |publisher=Telos |year=2005 |isbn=1-903889-59-6 |pages=776–7 }}</ref> Matthew Bond of ''The Times'', by contrast stated "If the series is to return it will need stronger scripts than this simplistic offering, which struggled to fill eighty-five minutes and laboured somewhat in its search for wit".<ref name="th" /> The letters pages of the ''[[Radio Times]]'' were divided between viewers who liked and disliked the TVM.<ref name="th" /> Discussing the TVM, writer Gary Gillatt criticised it for having "too many unnecessary references" to the show's backstory. Gillatt added "although very entertaining, stylishly directed and perfectly played, the TV movie perhaps tried a little too hard to be what ''Doctor Who'' once was, rather than crusading to demonstrate what it could be in the future".<ref>Gary Gillatt, ''Doctor Who: From A to Z''. London, BBC, 1998. {{ISBN|9780563405894}} (pp. 164–5).</ref>

===Casting the Doctor===

The producers of the television movie compiled several lists of actors to consider for the part of the Doctor. Actors considered by the producers and casting agents included: [[Adam Ant]], [[Rowan Atkinson]], [[Chris Barrie]], [[Sean Bean]], [[Jeremy Brett]], [[Jim Broadbent]], [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Simon Callow]] (who later played [[Charles Dickens]] in "[[The Unquiet Dead]]"), [[Martin Clunes]], [[Robbie Coltrane]], [[Billy Connolly]], [[Peter Cook]], [[Michael Crawford]], [[Liam Cunningham]], [[Tim Curry]], [[Timothy Dalton]], [[Alexis Denisof]], [[Christopher Eccleston]] (who later played the [[Ninth Doctor]] in the 2005 series of ''Doctor Who''), [[Trevor Eve]], [[Rupert Everett]], [[Ralph Fiennes]], [[Colin Firth]], [[Matt Frewer]], [[Stephen Fry]], [[Hugh Grant]], [[Rupert Graves]], [[Martin Jarvis]], [[Robert Hardy]], [[Nigel Havers]], [[Anthony Stewart Head]] (who later played Mr. Finch in "[[School Reunion]]"), [[John Hurt]], [[Eric Idle]], [[Derek Jacobi]], [[Ben Kingsley]], [[Hugh Laurie]], [[Robert Lindsay]], [[Rob Lowe]], [[Malcolm McDowell]], [[Mark McGann]] (brother of Paul), [[Tim McInnerny]], [[Ian McKellen]], [[Alfred Molina]], [[Sam Neill]], [[Bill Nighy]], [[Richard O'Brien]], [[Peter O'Toole]], [[Michael Palin]], [[Nathaniel Parker]], [[Jonathan Pryce]], [[Aidan Quinn]]), [[John Sessions]], [[Tony Slattery]], [[Patrick Stewart]], [[Peter Ustinov]], [[Kevin Whately]], [[Tom Wilkinson]] and [[Edward Woodward]].

===Awards===

Of this extensive list (not all of whom are mentioned here), Crawford, Curry, Idle, Rees, Connolly, Eve, Palin, Lindsay and Price were the producers' early favourites. Not all were interested in the project, or available for the intented filming dates. Casting sessions took place in March 1994; 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Segal |first=Philip |authorlink=Philip Segal |coauthors=[[Gary Russell]] |title=Doctor Who:Regeneration |year=2000 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |___location=London |id=ISBN 0-00-710591-6 |pages=34–44}}</ref>

''Doctor Who: The Television Movie'' won the 1996 [[Saturn Award]] for [[Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation|Best Television Presentation]].

==Commercial releases==

==Continuity==

===Home media===

*This is one of four ''Doctor Who'' adventures to be set on New Year's Eve 1999 and New Year's Day 2000. The [[Virgin Missing Adventures]] novel ''[[Millennial Rites]]'' by [[Craig Hinton]], published in October 1995, the [[Past Doctor Adventures]] novel ''[[Millennium Shock]]'' by [[Justin Richards]], published in May 1999, and the comic strip ''Plastic Millenium'', published in the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' Winter 1994 Special, all take place on those dates. This would mean that the fourth, sixth and seventh incarnations of the Doctor were in London at the same time that his eighth incarnation was "born" in San Francisco.

{{see also|List of Doctor Who home video releases|List of other Doctor Who home video releases}}

*The book that the Doctor sits down to read at the beginning and the end of the movie is ''[[The Time Machine]]'' by [[H. G. Wells]]. The Doctor shared an adventure with Wells in the [[1985]] [[Sixth Doctor]] serial ''[[Timelash]]''. In 1973's ''[[Frontier in Space]]'', the Master is seen reading Wells's ''[[The War of the Worlds (novel)|The War of the Worlds]]''. In the untelevised story ''[[Shada]]'', [[Professor Chronotis]] can be seen with a copy of ''The Time Machine'', which is later visible throughout the episode.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Doctor Who 1996 film DVD cvr.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|Official cover art of the TV movie's 2001 DVD release in the United Kingdom from BBC Video.]] -->

*The scene where the newly-regenerated Eighth Doctor breaks down the metal door at the morgue is echoed in the 2005 episode, ''[[Aliens of London]]'' when a mock-up [[pig|porcine]] "alien" breaks through the metal door of the morgue at Albion Hospital (similarly terrifying [[Toshiko Sato|Dr Sato]]).

*The "time tunnel" effect of the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' revival is reminiscent of the vortex that the TARDIS travels through in the opening credits of the television movie.

A [[Laserdisc]] release of the movie was released exclusively in Hong Kong by Universal in 1997.<ref>{{cite journal| author= Bailey, David|date=April 2011 |title=Doctor Who| journal=[[Doctor Who Magazine]]| publisher=[[Panini Comics]]| issue=#433| page=61}}</ref>

===The Doctor===

*The television movie remains [[Paul McGann]]'s sole televised story as the Doctor. It has nonetheless had a significant impact on the ''Doctor Who'' mythos, with an ongoing ''Doctor Who'' [[Eighth Doctor Adventures|novel line]], comic strip, and [[Big Finish Productions|audio series]] that featured the Eighth Doctor for years, until the arrival of the new television series in 2005. Several of the audio plays have been broadcast in serial form on the digital radio channel [[BBC7]], accompanied by promos (delivered in-character by Paul McGann) that attempted to spin the audios as "backstory" for the 2005 series; in late 2006, BBC7 and Big Finish announced a new series of [[Eighth Doctor]] radio plays, with a format hewing more closely to the current television series. Although [[BBC Books]] intended to continue publishing occasional Eighth Doctor novels as part of its [[Past Doctor Adventures]] line, as of the debut of the new series all classic novel lines have been put on hiatus.

*The Seventh Doctor is seen wearing a totally different costume to the one he wore during his [[1987]]-[[1989]] tenure: gone is the [[question mark]] [[pullover]] and [[umbrella]]. In fact the only thing remaining from his original costume is his hat (which is actually owned by Sylvester McCoy).

*The Seventh Doctor's first words in this movie are "There, that should do it", as he locks the casket with his [[sonic screwdriver]]. The same words were spoken by the [[Fourth Doctor]] in ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'', as he sets up an explosive device. His final words were "Timing malfunction! The Master, he's out there! I've got to stop..."

*Chang Lee gives the unconscious Seventh Doctor the alias "John Smith". The Doctor's use of that alias has a long history in the series, beginning with ''[[The Wheel in Space]]'' and then several times thereafter, in particular during the [[Third Doctor|Third Doctor's]] tenure with [[United Nations Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] as "Dr John Smith". The alias is next mentioned in the 2005 episode ''[[The Empty Child]]''. For other aliases used by the Doctor, see [[Doctor (Doctor Who)#"Doctor who?"|The Doctor - "Doctor who?"]]

*It can be argued that Grace technically "kills" the Seventh Doctor on the operating table, triggering his (delayed) regeneration. This is the only time in the series history that a companion has been directly responsible for the change, albeit unintentionally.

*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]]. The Eighth Doctor also offers a policeman a [[jelly baby]], a favourite confectionary of the [[Second Doctor|Second]] and Fourth Doctors.

*The [[Ninth Doctor]] alludes to the controversial kiss between the Doctor and Grace in ''[[The Long Game]]'' ([[2005]]) when he explains that time travel means immersing oneself in the period, including "kissing complete strangers... or is that just me?"

*The controversy in fan circles over the revelation that the Doctor is half-human is slyly referenced in ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'' (2005). When [[Rose Tyler]] suggests that the Daleks are half-human, the [[Dalek variants#Dalek Emperor|Dalek Emperor]] decries the words as "blasphemy".

The unedited version was released on [[DVD]] in the UK in 2001 titled as ''Doctor Who: The Movie'', and was re-released in 2007 as a limited edition with an alternative cover sleeve (but with no change in content) as part of a series of classic series re-releases aimed at attracting fans of the revived series to the older shows.

===Daleks and the Master===

*Although the Doctor's most famous alien adversaries, the [[Dalek]]s, are not seen in the film, they are heard condemning the Master to death during the film's opening sequence (sporting their trademark war cry of: "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!!"). However, their 'appearance' and role here has proven to be controversial amongst fans for a number of reasons, ranging from the arguably trivial (the [[Doctor Who Appreciation Society|DWAS]] said that their voices were "too squeaky") to the claim that it was uncharacteristic of the Doctor to run an errand for his mortal enemies (but see [[#Novelisation|below]]).

*The exact crimes for which the Daleks put the Master on trial is not known. One fan theory involves the events of ''[[Frontier in Space]]'', where the Master allied himself with the Daleks but their plans for galactic conquest came to nothing because of the [[Third Doctor]]. In the ''Doctor Who Annual 2006'', [[Russell T. Davies]] writes in an article about the [[Time War (Doctor Who)|Time War]] that President [[Romana]] of [[Gallifrey]] signs a treaty involving the "Act of Master Restitution" with the Daleks. The exact terms of the treaty are not elaborated on, but the Act suggests that part of it was the handing over of the Master to the Daleks.

*At several points during the film, including the opening credits, the Master is seen sporting cat's eyes. This is an apparent allusion to the cheetah virus he was infected with at the end of his last appearance, ''[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]''.

*The Master tried to use the Eye of Harmony to obtain a new set of regenerations before, in ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]''. He was also offered a new set of regenerations by the Time Lords in ''[[The Five Doctors]]'', but his continued quest for regenerations in later stories like ''[[Planet of Fire]]'' implies that he never received them.

*This remains [[Eric Roberts]]' sole appearance as the Master. See also [[Celebrity appearances in Doctor Who]].

Both the edited and unedited versions have also been released in countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

===The TARDIS===

*The TARDIS appears to materialise around Chang Lee early in this film, but immediately thereafter he steps out from behind it, which means it presumably materialised in front of him. In contrast, in the 2005 series finalé ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'', [[Rose Tyler]] (along with a Dalek) is transferred into the TARDIS interior when it materialises around her.

*As established in ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'' (1977), the Eye of Harmony was housed on Gallifrey; its presence on the TARDIS therefore appears to be a contradiction. Fan theory quickly resolved the conflict by speculating that the "Eye" on the TARDIS was merely a spaciotemporal link to the actual Eye, presumably contained on all TARDIS crafts as a source of energy. This theory was itself soon worked into licensed material such as the BBC novel range.

*The Eye of Harmony can only be opened by using a human [[retina]]l pattern. This may have been because the Doctor, according to the film, was in fact half-human. Since this connection was not made explicit in the film, though, many viewers find this confusing, as a human would have no reason for operating a TARDIS or opening the Eye (at least in theory). An explanation for this is attempted in the 2000 [[Big Finish Productions]] audio play ''[[The Apocalypse Element]]''. There, a Dalek invasion of Gallifrey necessitated using a non-Time Lord eye to act as a security key for Gallifrey's retinal scanner locks, with the eye chosen belonging to the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s human companion [[Evelyn Smythe]].

The 2010 DVD box set ''Revisitations'' contains the movie with new, updated Special Edition DVD features.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.doctorwhonews.net/2009/12/tv-movie-re-released-on-dvd.html |title=Doctor Who News: TV Movie re-released on DVD |publisher=Gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com |access-date=2014-03-08 |archive-date=2 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102014538/http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2009/12/tv-movie-re-released-on-dvd.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It included a new commentary with Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy, an hour-long documentary on the time in between the film and the series' cancellation in 1989, a documentary on the 7 years it took to get the film made, a documentary on the 8th Doctor's comic strip adventures, a documentary on the media reaction to the 8th Doctor, a documentary on the ties between ''[[Blue Peter]]'' and ''Doctor Who'' as well as all of the original features, including the original commentary with Geoffrey Sax.

===Controversy===

With its often dramatic changes or additions to established continuity, the TV movie has caused considerable controversy within ''Doctor Who'' fandom, some fans charging that it violates [[canon (fiction)#Doctor Who|canon]] in several areas. Although the controvery has dimmed somewhat in the wake of the 2005 series (which goes some lengths to address or resolve some of the conflicts), some ''Doctor Who'' fans go so far as to disavow the movie from "official" continuity. Meanwhile, other fans insist that all of these points can be easily explained or interpreted in the context of the series. Some lasting points of contention include:

Due to complex licensing issues, no VHS release of the film occurred in North America, and for more than a decade no DVD release occurred, either. Finally, on 25 August 2010, Dan Hall of [[2entertain]] confirmed that the 2010 updated version would be released in North America sometime in the next twelve months following extensive negotiations with [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.doctorwhonews.net/2010/08/tv-movie-coming-to-north-america.html |title=Doctor Who News: TV Movie coming to North America |publisher=Gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com |date=2010-08-25 |access-date=2014-03-08 |archive-date=29 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829052418/http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com/2010/08/tv-movie-coming-to-north-america.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Two months afterward, a North American DVD release date for the 2-disc ''Doctor Who: The Movie – Special Edition'' was announced to be 8 February 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-The-1996-Movie-and-The-Mutants/14618 |title=Doctor Who – Announced for February DVD: 'The Movie: Special Edition' and 'Story #063: The Mutants' |author=Lambert, David |date=2010-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101064636/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Doctor-The-1996-Movie-and-The-Mutants/14618 |archive-date=1 November 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

*The Doctor's being revealed as being half-human.

*That the Eye of Harmony hypothetically should be on [[Gallifrey]]; not in the TARDIS, as shown here.

*That the Doctor and his companion, Grace, enter into a romantic relationship (often seen as a taboo).

*That The Doctor uses the term "[[cloaking device]]" to refer to the TARDIS' chameleon circuit.

*That the movie's take on the Time Lord [[Time Lord#Physical characteristics|regenerative process]] differs from earlier depictions.

*That the interior of the TARDIS significantly differs from earlier versions.

In 2013 it was released on DVD again as part of the "Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited 5–8" box set, alongside the classic serials ''[[Earthshock]]'', ''[[Vengeance on Varos]]'', and ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. Alongside a documentary on the [[Eighth Doctor]], it also features an introduction from then current show runner [[Steven Moffat]]. This was also released in North America.

The writers of numerous original ''Doctor Who'' novels that followed the movie, such as [[Terrance Dicks]] and [[Lance Parkin]], have attempted to reconcile these and other points of continuity, with varying degrees of success.

The movie was released as a 2-disc Blu-ray set in Region 2 on 19 September 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://doctorwhowatch.com/2016/08/04/doctor-who-movie-set-for-release-on-blu-ray/|title=Doctor Who Movie Set for Release on Blu-ray|work=Doctor Who Watch |date=4 August 2016|access-date=7 August 2016|archive-date=9 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809001355/http://doctorwhowatch.com/2016/08/04/doctor-who-movie-set-for-release-on-blu-ray/|url-status=live}}</ref> The footage was not re-scanned from the original film negatives. Instead it is a 1080/50i upscale which suffered from the same [[PAL speedup]] issue as previous home media releases.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/09/tvm-blu-ray-070916153008.html|title=The TV Movie: Blu-ray update / competition|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-date=18 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918084001/http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2016/09/tvm-blu-ray-070916153008.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Several rebuttals have been made by other fans, starting with the argument that continuity in the original series was never ''that'' strong anyway. Specific rebuttals include:

==== VHS releases ====

*Although the Doctor has stated that he is not from Earth, there is nothing to explicitly contradict a mixed heritage. Indeed, the series contains vague hints that may support the theory, depending on interpretation. In ''[[The Evil of the Daleks]]'', the Daleks identify the Doctor as "more than human"; in ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]'', when the TARDIS returns the dying [[Third Doctor]] to Earth, he states it brought him "home". In addition, the Doctor's family background has never been explored in the series beyond the fact that he travelled for a time with his granddaughter, and an occasional reference to other relatives. Alternatively, as the film claims that a Time Lord can change species upon regeneration, some fans speculate that only the Eighth Doctor may be half-human. Another popular theory draws from the time the Seventh Doctor spends masquerading as a human named Joh Smith in [[Paul Cornell]]'s 1995 [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel ''[[Human Nature (Doctor Who)|Human Nature]]'', speculating that the Doctor's human DNA is left over from that experience. Although the revived television series has thus far avoided the issue, the [[New Series Adventures (Doctor Who)|New Series Adventures]] novel ''Only Human'' (2005) states that the Doctor's DNA is "close" to that of humans.

{{#lst:List of other Doctor Who home video releases|VHSFilm1996}}

*The Eye of Harmony shown in the telemovie was just a power-tap; a dimensional link to the actual Eye of Harmony. This explanation has been used in spin-off media, and referenced in a "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/guide.shtml beginner's guide]" to the show on the official Doctor Who website.

*The Doctor had an arguably romantic relationship in ''[[The Aztecs (Doctor Who)|The Aztecs]]'', and as he also had a [[Susan Foreman|granddaughter]], presumably he had sexual relations at some point. In the 2005 series, the [[Ninth Doctor]]'s (and later the [[Tenth Doctor|Tenth]]'s) relationship with his companion, [[Rose Tyler]], seems to verge on actual romance, as did the [[Fourth Doctor]]'s relationship with the second incarnation of [[Romana]]. Furthermore, the 2006 episode ''[[School Reunion (Doctor Who)|School Reunion]]'' portrays the Doctor's earlier relationship with [[Sarah Jane Smith]] in a nominally romantic light.

*Different eras of the series use different terminology. In [[1965]]'s ''[[The Time Meddler]]'' the TARDIS' disguising mechanism was called a "camouflage unit". The term "chameleon circuit" was introduced in the [[Target Books]] novelisations, then only first used in the series proper in [[1981]]'s ''[[Logopolis]]''. "Cloaking device" is a common term in late 20th century English and would be instantly understandable where "chameleon circuit" would not be. In the [[2005]] series episode ''[[Boom Town (Doctor Who)|Boom Town]]'', when Rose refers to the TARDIS's cloaking device, the Doctor clarifies that it is called the chameleon circuit.

*Furthermore, the Doctor may have misused terms or provided incorrect biographical information while his mind remained partially addled post-regeneration.

*The concept of regeneration has never been consistent and nothing in the telemovie directly contradicts the television series.

*The interior of the TARDIS had already changed several times throughout the series, if in more subtle ways. For that matter, the interior depicted in the 2005 series is an even more radical departure (whereas the version seen in the movie somewhat recalls the wood-panelled console room used in the series during 1976-1977). In ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', 2005 series producer [[Russell T. Davies]] explains that the TARDIS interior can be reconfigured in much the same way as its exterior; he compares the process to a [[Winamp]] [[skin (computing)|skin]].

==== Laserdisc releases ====

The film also rattled cages amongst several people associated with ''Doctor Who''. Former script-editor [[Terrance Dicks]] famously said, "It's incoherent crap!"; writers [[Pip and Jane Baker]] were particularly critical of the abundance of apparent plot holes, and of how McGann spends most of his screen time "in a daze". Even [[Sylvester McCoy]] commented that the script — in particular the regeneration, and the scene where the Master attempts to take the Doctor's lives — robbed the Doctor of his dignity. In a 2005 episode of ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'', McCoy mused, "I always thought [that] the [''Doctor Who''] film would probably have done better if they had begun the film with Paul [McGann]; and once the series had got going, I should then have come in to show how it [the regeneration] had happened."

{{#lst:List of other Doctor Who home video releases|LaserdiscFilm1996}}

==== DVD and Blu-ray releases ====

Despite this, the television movie is generally accepted as canonical, as evidenced by the current production team classifying [[Christopher Eccleston]] as the [[Ninth Doctor]] and by the BBC featuring the Eighth Doctor in a 40th anniversary tribute montage included on a number of DVD releases during 2002-2003.

{{#lst:List of Doctor Who home video releases|Film1996}}

===Soundtrack release===

==Production==

{{Infobox album

[[Image:DoctorWho96.jpg|thumb|200px|''Doctor Who'' 1996 movie poster]]

| name = Doctor Who – Original Soundtrack Recording

*Producer [[Philip Segal]] had been trying for some years to launch a new American-produced series of ''Doctor Who'', but the Fox Network - the only American network that showed any interest - was only prepared to commit to a single telemovie. It was hoped that, if the telemovie were successful, Fox might be persuaded to reconsider a series; however, the telemovie's ratings performance in America was not strong enough to hold Fox's interest. Reportedly, Fox had the choice of commissioning a new ''Doctor Who'' series or greenlighting an original project called ''[[Space: Above and Beyond]]'' and chose the latter.

| type = soundtrack

*Writer Matthew Jacobs's father [[Anthony Jacobs]] played the role of [[Doc Holliday]] in the [[1966]] [[First Doctor]] serial ''[[The Gunfighters]]'', and the young Matthew visited the studio during production.

| artist = [[John Debney]]

*The movie was filmed in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]], the first time any ''Doctor Who'' story had been filmed in the "[[New World]]" (although the 1985 [[Sixth Doctor]] story ''[[The Two Doctors]]'' was originally going to be filmed in [[New Orleans]]). It had its debut broadcast on the [[Edmonton, Alberta]] [[CITV-TV]] station on [[May 12]], two days prior to the Fox Network showing.

| cover =

*In "Weird Science", an episode of the documentary ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' in 2005, Sylvester McCoy revealed that during the sequence where he locks the casket with his [[sonic screwdriver]], he held the tool pointing the wrong way (although in the original series, it was seen being used both ways). The sonic screwdriver was blurred in post-production to conceal the error. This is also the only time the Seventh Doctor was seen using a sonic screwdriver.

| caption = Original soundtrack release cover art

| alt =

| released = 1997

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Soundtrack

| length =

| label = John Debney Productions

| producer = John Debney<br>John Thaxton

| misc = {{Extra chronology

Also see: [[History of Doctor Who#The television movie|History of Doctor Who]]

| artist = [[Doctor Who Soundtrack|''Doctor Who'' soundtrack]]

| type = soundtrack

| prev_title = [[Music from the Tomb of the Cybermen]]

| prev_year = 1997

| title = Original Soundtrack Recording

| year = 1997

| next_title = [[Doctor Who: Terror of the Zygons#Soundtrack|Terror of the Zygons]]

| next_year = 2000

}}

}}

Music from the movie was on a promotional-only soundtrack album published by the composer, [[John Debney]]. Additional music was contributed by John Sponsler and [[Louis Febre]].<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title = Doctor Who – Original Soundtrack Recording |year = 1997 |type = CD Booklet |publisher = John Debney Productions |id= JDCD 005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/composed-debney.php |title=Millennium Effect |access-date=2008-09-28 |archive-date=17 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117162357/http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/composed-debney.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the composer of the Doctor Who Theme, [[Ron Grainer]], did not receive screen credit for his composition in the TV movie broadcast, the CD finally attributes the proper credit on its cover. The entire score was re-released with previously unreleased cues as the eighth disc of the eleven disc ''[[Doctor Who: The 50th Anniversary Collection]]'' on 29 September 2014.

===Opening sequence===

*The opening pre-credits sequence went through a number of modifications, with several different voice overs recorded. At one stage the voice over was to be made by the old Master, played by [[Gordon Tipple]], however in the end this was not used. Tipple is still credited as "The Old Master" though on the final edit his appearance is very brief, stationary and mute. If the original pre-credits sequence voice-over as voiced by Gordon Tipple had been used, it would be unclear if Sylvester McCoy was playing the Seventh Doctor (he is simply credited as "The Old Doctor"). Only the rewritten narration (as read by Paul McGann) makes his number of regenerations clear.

*[[John Debney]] was commissioned to write the score for this film, and intended to replace [[Ron Grainer]]'s original theme music with a new composition. Ultimately, Debney did in fact use Grainer's music for the theme, although Grainer was not credited.

*Instead of designing a new ''Doctor Who'' logo for this film, it was decided instead to use a modified version of the logo used during the early part of the [[Jon Pertwee]] era of the original series (1970-1973). This logo, being the final form from the "classic series", is used to this day by the BBC for all ''Doctor Who'' merchandise relating to all of the first eight Doctors.

===Alternative=Track titleslisting====

{{Track listing

*There is some disagreement over exactly what the movie should be called. The production documentation only referred to the project as "Doctor Who". Segal suggested the unofficial title "Enemy Within" as an alternative at Manopticon 5, apparently after being repeatedly asked what the actual title for the movie was. The [[DVD]] release is labelled ''Doctor Who: The Movie''. The most common fan usage appears to refer to it as "the television movie", the "TVM", or variations thereof. ''See: [[Doctor Who story title controversy]]''

| collapsed =

*Upon translation into [[French language|French]], this film was renamed ''Le Seigneur du Temps'' ("The Lord Of Time").

| headline =

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==Broadcast==

| all_lyrics =

*Commercials on the Fox network advertising the film used special effects footage from the [[1986]] story ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', although this footage was not used in the movie. This marked the first time that footage from the original BBC series had been shown on a major American network.

| all_music = [[John Debney]], except where noted

*The television movie received disappointing US ratings (partly due to the popularity of the programmes it was up against, partly because of poor marketing by the Fox Network, and partly because of unfamiliarity among average American TV viewers with the British series). However, when shown on [[BBC One]] in the [[United Kingdom]] thirteen days after its American broadcast, it received over 9 million viewers in [[Great Britain]] alone (the highest drama ratings in Britain for the whole week).

*[[Third Doctor]] actor [[Jon Pertwee]] died a few days after the US broadcast of the film, and the UK broadcast included an epitaph to the actor.

| writing_credits =

==In print==

| lyrics_credits =

[[Image:Audio Book dwNovel of the Film.jpg|thumb|200px|The audiobook version of the novelisation]]

| music_credits =

The television movie was [[novelization|novelised]] by [[Gary Russell]] and published by [[BBC Books]] in May 1996. It was the first novelisation of a televised ''Doctor Who'' story to not be published by [[Target Books]] (or related companies) since ''[[The Crusade (Doctor Who)|Doctor Who and the Crusaders]]'' in 1965. It is also the last novelisation of a televised story to date.

| title1 = Prologue: Skaro" / "[[Doctor Who theme music|'DOCTOR WHO' Theme]]

Basing the adaptation on an early draft of the script, Russell adjusted some details to make it more consistent with the original series, and the novelisation also contains elements that were cut from the shooting script for timing reasons.

| note1 = former composed by John Sponsler; latter composed by [[Ron Grainer]]

| writer1 =

| lyrics1 =

| music1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 1:38

| title2 = Breakout

*The novel begins with the Seventh Doctor receiving a telepathic summons from the Master (à la ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'') to collect his remains from Skaro and a short prologue detailing how the Doctor escapes from the planet with the casket. This was originally intended to be a pre-credits sequence in the movie, and was subsequently contradicted by the ending of the novel ''[[Lungbarrow]]'', where [[Romana]] gives the Seventh Doctor the assignment to retrieve the Master's remains.

| note2 = composed by John Sponsler

| writer2 =

*More detail is given to Chang Lee and Grace's backstory, including his recruitment into the Triads and his seeking a father figure as well as flashbacks to Grace's childhood.

| lyrics2 =

| music2 =

| extra2 =

| length2 = 2:39

| title3 = Wimps" / "Doctor #7 Is Shot

*The Eighth Doctor finds the Seventh Doctor's clothing in the hospital rather than the Fourth Doctor's scarf. Also, the sequence where Chang Lee and the Master see the Seventh Doctor in the Eye of Harmony features all the previous Doctors as originally drafted.

| note3 = former composed by John Sponsler; composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer3 =

| lyrics3 =

| music3 =

| extra3 =

| length3 = 1:44

| title4 = Aftermath

*The scene where the Doctor and Grace meet the motorcycle police officer is relocated to a traffic jam on the [[Golden Gate bridge]] (impossible to film in the movie since it was shot on ___location in [[Vancouver]]).

| note4 = composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer4 =

| lyrics4 =

| music4 =

| extra4 =

| length4 = 1:09

| title5 = X-Ray" / "Snake in the Bathroom

*When the Doctor first kisses Grace, he immediately pulls back, grins apologetically and murmurs, "I'm sorry, don't know what came over me there." This makes the romantic nature of the kiss more ambiguous. Instead of the second kiss at the end, he gives her the Seventh Doctor's straw hat as a memento.

| note5 = former composed by John Sponsler; latter composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer5 =

| lyrics5 =

| music5 =

| extra5 =

| length5 = 1:28

| title6 = {{-'}}Who Am I?{{'-}}

*The Doctor is still referred to as half-human, to which the Master comments, "The Doctor once claimed to be more than just a Time Lord — He should really have said ''less'' than a Time Lord!" This was a reference to a line cut from ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''.

| note6 = composed by [[Louis Febre]]

| writer6 =

| lyrics6 =

| music6 =

| extra6 =

| length6 = 1:58

| title7 = City Scape

*Instead of dying and brought back to life, Grace and Lee are merely rendered unconscious, though aware of what is happening around them. Russell also spends some time showing the Doctor and them discussing what a "temporal orbit" is.

| note7 = composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer7 =

| lyrics7 =

| music7 =

| extra7 =

| length7 = 1:07

| title8 = Time

The [[canon (fiction)#Doctor Who|canonicity]] of the novelisation, like all spin-off fiction, is unclear.

| note8 = composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer8 =

| lyrics8 =

| music8 =

| extra8 =

| length8 = 0:58

| title9 = Primitive Wiring" / "The Unbruce

The novelisation was the first ''Doctor Who'' novel published by BBC Books. The book was actually published prior to the conclusion of [[Virgin Books]]' contract for publishing original ''Doctor Who'' fiction, so the next release by BBC Books did not occur for about a year when the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] series began with ''[[The Eight Doctors]]''. The novelisation was released as a standalone work and is not considered part of this series. The Eighth Doctor Adventures series ran until 2005 when it was discontinued.

| note9 = former composed by Louis Febre; latter composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer9 =

| lyrics9 =

| music9 =

| extra9 =

| length9 = 1:40

| title10 = Two Hearts

In 1997, the novel was also released as an [[Doctor_Who_audio_releases|audio book]], read by Paul McGann.

| note10 = composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer10 =

| lyrics10 =

| music10 =

| extra10 =

| length10 = 1:15

| title11 = The Tardis" / "True Identity

==DVD and video releases==

| note11 = both composed by Debney and Louis Febre

The movie was released on [[home video]] in the United Kingdom the week prior to its debut broadcast on BBC One. Hundreds of fans queued in London at midnight in order to buy a copy at the earliest possible moment. The unedited version was released on [[DVD]] in [[2001]]. Both versions have also been released in countries such as Australia and New Zealand. However there has been no home entertainment release of any form in North America owing to complicated licensing.

| writer11 =

| lyrics11 =

| music11 =

| extra11 =

| length11 = 2:16

| title12 = Night Walk

| note12 = composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer12 =

| lyrics12 =

| music12 =

| extra12 =

| length12 = 1:48

| title13 = The Eye of Harmony" / "Half Human

| note13 = both composed by Louis Febre

| writer13 =

| lyrics13 =

| music13 =

| extra13 =

| length13 = 4:39

| title14 = Until Midnight" / "Atomic Clock

| note14 = both composed by Louis Febre

| writer14 =

| lyrics14 =

| music14 =

| extra14 =

| length14 = 2:03

| title15 = Green Eyes

| note15 = composed by John Sponsler

| writer15 =

| lyrics15 =

| music15 =

| extra15 =

| length15 = 0:48

| title16 = The Chase

| note16 = composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer16 =

| lyrics16 =

| music16 =

| extra16 =

| length16 = 2:23

| title17 = Beryllium Clock" / "Bragg's Key

| note17 = both composed by Louis Febre

| writer17 =

| lyrics17 =

| music17 =

| extra17 =

| length17 = 1:16

| title18 = Slimed

| note18 = composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer18 =

| lyrics18 =

| music18 =

| extra18 =

| length18 = 2:08

| title19 = Under the Influence

| note19 = composed by Louis Febre

| writer19 =

| lyrics19 =

| music19 =

| extra19 =

| length19 = 0:50

| title20 = Crown of Nails

| note20 = composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer20 =

| lyrics20 =

| music20 =

| extra20 =

| length20 = 1:16

| title21 = Lee's Last Chance

| note21 = composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer21 =

| lyrics21 =

| music21 =

| extra21 =

| length21 = 2:11

| title22 = {{-'}}Open The Eye{{'-}}

| note22 = composed by Debney and John Sponsler

| writer22 =

| lyrics22 =

| music22 =

| extra22 =

| length22 = 2:29

| title23="Reroute Power!'" / "Temporal Orbit

| note23 = former composed by John Sponsler; latter composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer23 =

| lyrics23 =

| music23 =

| extra23 =

| length23 = 6:20

| title24 = To Hold Death Back

| note24 = composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer24 =

| lyrics24 =

| music24 =

| extra24 =

| length24 = 1:48

| title25 = Farewell

| note25 = composed by Debney and Louis Febre

| writer25 =

| lyrics25 =

| music25 =

| extra25 =

| length25 = 1:38

| title26 = End Credits – "DOCTOR WHO" Theme

| note26 = composed by Ron Grainer

| writer26 =

| lyrics26 =

| music26 =

| extra26 =

| length26 = 0:50

}}

====CD credits====

* Music Score produced by John Debney

* Executive album producers: John J. Alcantar III and Thomas C. Stewart

* Music Editor: Laurie Slomka

* CD Edited and mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland

* CD Art direction: Mark Banning

* Front Cover concept: David Hirsch

* Special Thanks to Ryan K. Johnson

===In print===

{{see also|List of Doctor Who novelisations}}

{{#lst:List of Doctor Who novelisations|Film1996}}

The television movie was [[novelised]] by [[Gary Russell]] and published by [[BBC Books]] 15 May 1996. It was the first novelisation of a televised ''Doctor Who'' story to not be published by [[Target Books]] (or related companies) since ''[[The Crusade (Doctor Who)|Doctor Who and the Crusaders]]'' in 1966.

Basing the adaptation on an early draft of the script, Russell adjusted some details to make it more consistent with the original series, and the novelisation also contains elements that were cut from the shooting script for timing reasons.

* The novel begins with the Seventh Doctor receiving a telepathic summons from the Master (similar to ''[[The Deadly Assassin]]'') to collect his remains from Skaro and a short prologue detailing how the Doctor escapes from the planet with the casket. This was originally intended to be a pre-credits sequence in the movie, and was subsequently contradicted by the ending of the novel ''[[Lungbarrow]]'', where [[Romana (Doctor Who)|Romana]] gives the Seventh Doctor the assignment to retrieve the Master's remains.

* More detail is given to Chang Lee and Grace's backstory, including his recruitment into the Triads and his seeking a father figure as well as flashbacks to Grace's childhood.

* The Eighth Doctor finds the Seventh Doctor's clothing in the hospital rather than the Fourth Doctor's scarf. Also, the sequence where Chang Lee and the Master see the Seventh Doctor in the Eye of Harmony features all the previous Doctors as originally drafted.

* The scene where the Doctor and Grace meet the motorcycle police officer is relocated to a traffic jam on the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] (impossible to film in the movie since it was shot on ___location in [[Vancouver]]).

* When the Doctor first kisses Grace, he immediately pulls back, grins apologetically and murmurs, "I'm sorry, don't know what came over me there." This makes the romantic nature of the kiss more ambiguous. Instead of the second kiss at the end, he gives her the Seventh Doctor's straw hat as a memento.

* The Doctor is still referred to as half-human, to which the Master comments, "The Doctor once claimed to be more than just a Time Lord — He should really have said ''less'' than a Time Lord!" This was a reference to a line cut from ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]''.

* Instead of dying and being brought back to life, Grace and Lee are merely rendered unconscious, though aware of what is happening around them. Russell also spends some time showing the Doctor and them discussing what a "temporal orbit" is.

The novelisation was the first ''Doctor Who'' novel published by BBC Books. The book was actually published prior to the conclusion of [[Virgin Books]]' contract for publishing original ''Doctor Who'' fiction, so the next release by BBC Books did not occur for about a year when the [[Eighth Doctor Adventures]] series began with ''[[The Eight Doctors]]''. The novelisation was released as a standalone work and is not considered part of this series. The Eighth Doctor Adventures series ran until 2005 when it was discontinued.

The novel was also released as an [[Doctor Who audio releases|audio book]] on 2 June 1997, read by Paul McGann. This reading was later included on the 2004 [[MP3 CD]] ''Tales from the TARDIS Volume Two''. A revised<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1204538181519056896|user=twilightstreets|title=@Star_Chasm @franklyme9 I wouldnt say...|date=10 December 2019}}</ref> [[Target Books]] edition titled ''The TV Movie'' was published in paperback and as an audiobook 11 March 2021.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1073116/doctor-who--the-tv-movie--target-collection-/9781785945311.html|title=Doctor Who: The TV Movie (Target Collection)|first=Gary|last=Russell|publisher=www.penguin.co.uk|access-date=9 April 2020|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803175431/https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1073116/doctor-who--the-tv-movie--target-collection-/9781785945311.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Awards==

*The television movie won the 1996 [[Saturn Award]] for [[Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation|Best Television Presentation]].

*Less than six months after this film was broadcast on British television, ''Doctor Who'' won the "Best Drama Series" [[Auntie (award)|Auntie]] at the BBC's ''TV60'' award ceremony, which celebrated the 60th Anniversary of [[BBC Television]] (beating such acclaimed series as ''[[EastEnders]]'' and ''[[Casualty (television)|Casualty]]''). The award was accepted by [[Fifth Doctor]] [[Peter Davison]] and [[Seventh Doctor]] [[Sylvester McCoy]].

==Trivia Continuations ==

* [[Paul McGann]] made a reappearance as the [[Eighth Doctor]] in the 2013 mini-episode "[[The Night of the Doctor]]" in which his regeneration was finally explored.<ref>{{cite web |date=11 March 2014 |title=Paul McGann's eighth Doctor takes over the 11th Doctor's Tardis |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-03-11/paul-mcganns-eighth-doctor-takes-over-the-11th-doctors-tardis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826121424/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-03-11/paul-mcganns-eighth-doctor-takes-over-the-11th-doctors-tardis |archive-date=26 August 2014 |access-date=14 August 2014 |work=Radio Times}}</ref>

*Eric Roberts (The Master) and Will Sasso (Pete, the morgue attendant) later worked together as cast members of the ABC TV sitcom ''[[Less Than Perfect]]''.

* [[Eric Roberts]] reprised the role of the Master in many Big Finish audio plays: Series 5 of "[[The Diary of River Song]]",<ref>{{cite web |last=Fullerton |first=Huw |date=2018-05-03 |title=Doctor Who: Michelle Gomez and Eric Roberts return as the Master to take on River Song |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-05-03/michelle-gomez-eric-roberts-and-derek-jacobi-team-up-as-the-masters-for-new-doctor-who-adventures/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021024622/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-05-03/michelle-gomez-eric-roberts-and-derek-jacobi-team-up-as-the-masters-for-new-doctor-who-adventures/ |archive-date=21 October 2020 |access-date=2020-03-04 |publisher=Radio Times}}</ref> Volume 4 of "[[Ravenous (audio drama series)|Doctor Who: Ravenous]]",<ref>{{cite web |last=Whitbrook |first=James |date=28 March 2019 |title=Paul McGann's Latest Doctor Who Adventure Doesn't Have One Master, But Four |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/paul-mcganns-latest-doctor-who-adventure-doesnt-have-on-1833640143 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802003954/https://io9.gizmodo.com/paul-mcganns-latest-doctor-who-adventure-doesnt-have-on-1833640143 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |access-date=16 April 2020 |work=[[io9]]}}</ref> and reprised the role again in "Masterful", a special release celebrating 50 Years since the Master first appeared in "[[Terror of the Autons]]" back in 1971.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gooden |first=Tai |date=13 December 2019 |title=DOCTOR WHO: MASTERFUL Brings Multiple Masters Together |url=https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-who-masterful-big-finish-audio/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407234033/https://nerdist.com/article/doctor-who-masterful-big-finish-audio/ |archive-date=7 April 2020 |access-date=16 April 2020 |work=[[Nerdist]]}}</ref> Roberts reprised the role of his incarnation of the Master in ''Master!'' two months after the release of ''Masterful''. The box set also starred [[Chase Masterson]] as Vienna Salvatorri. Roberts even recorded live-action material of himself playing the Master for the ''Big Finish'' [[YouTube]] channel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jeffrey |first=Morgan |date=5 November 2020 |title=Eric Roberts plays Doctor Who villain The Master in live-action for first time in 24 years |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-eric-roberts-master |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122231412/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-eric-roberts-master/ |archive-date=22 November 2021 |access-date=22 November 2021 |work=[[Radio Times]]}}</ref>

* Yee Jee Tso returned in 2002 to play Major Jal Brant in the [[Seventh Doctor]] audio drama ''[[Excelis Decays]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctor Who – Excelis Decays |url=http://bigfinish.com/3-Doctor-Who-Excelis-Decays |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519000115/http://www.bigfinish.com/3-Doctor-Who-Excelis-Decays |archive-date=19 May 2011 |access-date=1 May 2011 |publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]}}</ref> and Doctor Reece Goddard in the [[Sixth Doctor]] webcast ''[[Real Time (Doctor Who)|Real Time]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctor Who – Real Time |url=http://bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Real-Time |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426004245/http://bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Real-Time |archive-date=26 April 2011 |access-date=1 May 2011 |publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]}}</ref>

* Daphne Ashbrook returned in 2004, alongside Paul McGann, as Perfection in the audio drama ''[[The Next Life (audio drama)|The Next Life]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctor Who – The Next Life |url=http://bigfinish.com/64-Doctor-Who-The-Next-Life |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519023153/http://www.bigfinish.com/64-Doctor-Who-The-Next-Life |archive-date=19 May 2011 |access-date=1 May 2011 |publisher=[[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]}}</ref>

* Tso and Ashbrook returned to Big Finish together playing Captain Ruth Matheson and Warrant Officer Charlie Sato of UNIT in the audio dramas ''Tales From The Vault''<ref>{{cite web |title=6.01. Tales From the Vault – Doctor Who – The Companion Chronicles |url=http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/tales-from-the-vault-501 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413154610/http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/tales-from-the-vault-501 |archive-date=13 April 2014 |access-date=2014-03-08 |publisher=Big Finish}}</ref> and ''Mastermind'',<ref>{{cite web |title=8.01. Mastermind – Doctor Who – The Companion Chronicles |url=http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/mastermind-752 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413141540/http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/mastermind-752 |archive-date=13 April 2014 |access-date=2014-03-08 |publisher=Big Finish}}</ref> both part of the Companions Chronicles series, in 2011 and 2013.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

<div class="references-small">

<references/>

===Works cited===

</div>

* {{cite book |last=Smith |first=Paul |date=2014 |title=The Classic Doctor Who DVD Compendium |___location=United Kingdom |publisher=Wonderful Books |isbn=978-0-9576062-2-7}}

==External links==

{{Portal|1990s}}

{{Wikiquote|Doctor Who#The Eighth Doctor|Doctor Who (1996)}}

{{Wikiquote|The Eighth Doctor}}

*{{imdb title|id=0116118|title=Doctor Who (1996) (TV)}}

{{TardisIndexFile|Doctor Who (1996)}}

*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/tvmovie/ The TV movie guide on the BBC website]

* {{BriefIMDb title| id=tvm | title=Doctor Who (1996) (TV)}}

* {{Doctor Who RG BBCCDW| id=who_mov1 tvmovie| title=DoctorThe WhoTV (1996)movie}}

*{{OG|8a|Doctor Who (1996)}}

*[http://www.drwhoguide.com/mp3/who8.mp3 Theme music of this film]

===Reviews===

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110414090315/http://www.whoniverse.org/reviews/TVM.php The Whoniverse's review on ''Doctor Who: The Enemy Within'' DVD]

*{{OG review | id=8a | title=Doctor Who: The Movie}}

*{{DWRG | id=enemw | title=Doctor Who (1996)}}

*[http://www.whoniverse.org/reviews/TVM.php The Whoniverse's review on ''Doctor Who: The Enemy Within'' DVD]

===BBC novelisation===

* {{OG reviewISFDB title| id=book-tvm 364011| title=Doctor Who: Novel of the Film}}

*{{DWRG | id=enemwnov | title=Doctor Who (1996; novelisation)}}

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{{Doctor Who episodes|-}}

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{{Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation}}

{{Doctor Who soundtracks|state=collapsed}}

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