20 Actors Who Have Appeared In Both Classic And New Doctor Who
2. Paul McGann
In the days ahead of the 50th anniversary, viewers received an online surprise in the form of The Night of the Doctor which marked the first on screen appearance of Paul McGann since the 1996 movie. In the short prequel, fans saw the Eighth Doctor crash-land on the planet Karn where the Sisterhood of Karn (last seen in the Fourth Doctor's The Brain of Morbius) agree to save his life in exchange for his participation in the Time War. Unusually, Paul McGann's only televised appearances involve him regenerating. Of course, before that, he was technically the longest serving Doctor. After his TV movie, he began recording adventures with Big Finish in 2001 and he's kept at it ever since. His Doctor no longer wears the frock coat and even Moffat himself has declared Big Finish part of the show's overall canon by naming some of his (many) audio companions on screen. McGann's Doctor is often seen as the bridge between the Classic and modern versions of the show. And just when you thought they couldn't classically surprise you any more...
Sara Habein is the author of INFINITE DISPOSABLE. She is a staff writer for Persephone Magazine, and the editor of the Word Riot blog. Her Doctor is number Eight, but the Twelfth is right behind.
