10 Best Doctor Who Minisodes That You Need To See

Anyone who has seen Night Of The Doctor already knew it was going to be at the very top of this list.

To set the scene: It’s 2013, Day of the Doctor is just around the corner, and hype for the 50th anniversary is rampant. Doctor Who feels like a pop culture icon again in a way it hasn’t since Series 4 and fan favourite David Tennant is lined up to don his brown pinstripe suit again (though it’s looking a bit tight). To top it all off, by some cosmic miracle, acting legend John Hurt has also been revealed as the mysterious War Doctor.

With audiences waiting on the edge of their seats, the BBC quietly drops a minisode, a prequel to Day of the Doctor. With three Doctors slated to appear in the 50th, we aren’t sure which to expect when the opening shots of this minisode roll. As it turns out, it’s Paul bloody McGann, the oft sidelined and forgotten Eighth Doctor. A grand total of zero people saw this coming.

Returning to screen for the first time since his only prior appearance in 1996 (in the film we don’t talk about), McGann slips seamlessly back into the role, managing to establish himself more in six minutes than some Doctors do in an entire series. He is amazing throughout, and leaves us wishing he’d had a full series to really shine in (with some decent writing - looking at you 1996).

The story deals with Eight's death and subsequent regeneration into the War Doctor, after a run-of-the-mill response to a distress signal goes very wrong. It is the height of the Time War, and the woman he is attempting to rescue, Cass, turns on him the moment she realises he is a Time Lord, blaming him for the near-destruction of the universe. Refusing to step into his TARDIS, she deadlocks herself inside her crashing spacecraft. Eight attempts to reason with her, but fails, and they are both killed as the ship crash lands on Karn.

Resuscitated by the Sisterhood of Karn (keepers of the flame of eternal life/utter boredom), Eight is given a chance to choose his next form, and after realising that he must fight in the Time War if it is to finally come to an end, he chooses to become a warrior. He salutes the companions from his extensive Big Finish run, canonising them in a treat to hardcore fans, before going out like a boss with perhaps the most badass final line of any Doctor.

”Physician Heal Thyself...”

This was a treat for the long time fans of Who, finally giving McGann’s Doctor the treatment he deserved, and bridging the gap between Classic and NuWho, at last connecting the show into one continuous story. Us fans never thought we’d see McGann’s regeneration on screen like this after all these years - what a fantastic way to celebrate 50 years of Britain’s most iconic show.