Doctor Who: Ranking All 12 Doctors From Worst To Best
11. The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann)
STORIES: 1
ALIENNESS: 6
HEROISM: 1
LIKEABILITY: 9
LEGACY: 7
OVERALL SCORE: 24
With only one misjudged feature length story and a short prequel to the 50th anniversary special, the Eighth Doctor was always going to be low in the pecking order. The TV movie is fun to watch, but as a pilot for a relaunch it failed spectacularly.
By including McCoy’s regeneration for continuity’s sake, the script did not give sufficient time for the Eighth Doctor’s character to shine and affect the narrative. Sticking to what had become a convention since Davison, the Doctor’s regeneration carried side effects – in this case amnesia, which made the story unrepresentative of what the new Doctor would be like. Russell T Davies’ approach with Eccleston’s introduction in Rose works so much better, with just a passing reference to his regeneration in the mirror scene.
The Eighth Doctor does however score highly in both the likability and legacy categories. That air of vulnerability and childlike innocence are appealing enough for the audience to want him to be their hero.
In many ways the TV Movie was as much an influence on the 2005 show as was the 1963-1989 run – the more realistic dynamic with the companion, the production and design values, the set pieces and high octane pace to name but a few discernible links.
Fans who looked to continue their journey with the Doctor during the so-called wilderness years were treated with a range of quality BBC books and Big Finish audios starring the Eighth Doctor, the latter still being made to this day. Unlike the other 20th century Doctors, McGann’s audio stories can be retconned into the show after Steven Moffat referenced his Big Finish companions in The Night of the Doctor – such a shame that we meet him there at his least heroic.