10 'What Ifs' That Could Have Changed The Course Of Doctor Who

5. The 1996 Film Was A Success

Doctor Who Movie
BBC

The 1996 Doctor Who TV movie was meant as a backdoor pilot for a US-produced continuation of the iconic series. Starring the lovely Paul McGann as the dashing Eighth Doctor, the hopes and dreams of a revival unfortunately didn't come to fruition. The ratings weren't great, and the reception wasn't exactly sparkling either. If it were a success however, the series would have been produced, and things might have veered off canon-wise more than you might expect.

The show would've been chopped and changed as the seasons rolled on, as things do with American executives trying to keep the show's viewing figures up- yep, the Americans would have had the keys to the TARDIS now, and it would probably have only survived a few seasons before being cancelled- again. The Brits won't have liked the direction the show went in, and the American audience, if the 1996 movie figures were anything to go by, wouldn't have cared either.

Also, the stellar 2005 reboot probably wouldn't have happened if this did, so we should be thankful the movie bombed.

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Born in Theatre, sits at a Computer. After over a decade of tinkering with Video Editing software, Rich gets to spend his precious time editing whatever's thrown at him. Also the go-to for Doctor Who, and could tell you why Sans Serif fonts are better than most. Still occasionally tap dances under the desk.