1994
As with many other franchises, fans of Doctor Who often made their own films as passion projects. Thanks to Doctor Who's unique licensing agreements however, fans were able to gain lisences to use specific characters and aliens from the writers who created them, if not the Doctor himself. As such, Shakedown: The Return Of The Sontarans was produced, and even featured several prominent actors from the series itself, including Carole Ann Ford (Susan) and Sophie Aldred (Ace).
1995
Although hugely popular in several countries, Doctor Who was never able to break into mainstream popularity in the US. Despite this, the Doctor made the first of his several cameos in The Simpsons, in the episode Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming. Although he didn't speak, nor was he even mentioned by name, one of the "Esteemed Representatives of Television" was an obvious representation of Tom Baker, complete with trademark scarf. Although series creator Matt Groening has admitted he is a Doctor Who fan, it is no coincidence that the episode aired on the FOX network not long after a certain BBC co-production was announced...
1996
This was the year that fans had been waiting for, and would go on to split opinions for years to come; what is just known as The TV Movie is a one-off feature length special that served as a "back door pilot", ie, a series would be produced if it was successful. The TV audience figures in the US were less than impressive, and although over nine million turned in to watch it a week later on BBC1, plans for the series were scrapped. Sylvester McCoy's cameo and regeneration only served to confuse American audiences new to the character, and many British viewers found it too different from the classic series. Although they accepted the motorbike chase as an inevitable Americanisation, it was the romantic element of new Doctor Paul McGann actually kissing his companion Grace Holloway that many found offensive to the character.