10 Great Movies Starring Doctor Who Actors You Need To See

One of the pre-eminent examples of British cult cinema, Withnail & I stars future Eighth Doctor Paul McGann and future villain Richard E. Grant in the titular roles.

Withnail & I is the story of two floundering actors who live together in a squalid flat in London. Their lives are falling apart and they have the idea of getting out of the city under the belief it will allow them to “reset” and approach their careers with fresh vigour. The darkly comic film revolves largely around the two men’s inability to survive in a country setting and the various ways in which they raise the ire of the locals.

Paul McGann would go on to play the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 television movie, his only on-screen appearance until special minisode Night of the Doctor over a decade later. However he went on to become a fan favourite thanks to his many exciting adventures in audio format thanks to Big Finish.

Richard E. Grant himself has often been rumoured as a potential Doctor and even played a non-canon version of the Ninth Doctor in the 40th anniversary animated special “Scream of the Shalka”.

It is difficult to explain the appeal of Withnail & I exactly, after all it is a film in which nearly nothing happens. The movie is a character study into the dynamic between these two and the idea of the toxic friendship that exists between them. It’s easy to see why it became a cult classic and it is definitely one to watch if you’ve got a taste for dark humour.