Paul McGann’s 1996 turn as the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Movie failed to translate the long-running British TV show for an American audience. Now, on the eve of the show’s 60th anniversary, Eighth Doctor-stans may finally get what they’ve hoped for: A full TV series with McGann in the role, the Mirror reports.
News of a potential eighth Doctor series comes as Doctor Who is set to premiere outside the U.K. on Disney Plus, with former showrunner Russell T. Davies at the helm. Along with that, Doctor Who itself reportedly now exists under the MCU-like Whoniverse umbrella, with several related properties rumored to be development in the U.K. and elsewhere.
On that note, Tales of the Tardis, featuring the return of classic Doctors played by Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, and Colin Baker, alongside former companions, already premiered on BBC iPlayer.
Before news broke that McGann may return to the role of the time-traveling Gallifreyan, fans were treated to two other Eighth Doctor on-screen appearances to whet their appetite. For the show’s 50th anniversary in 2013, McGann reprised the part of the TARDIS pilot in “The Night of the Doctor,” which saw McGann’s Doctor regenerate into John Hurt’s War Doctor. In 2022, he showed up again in “The Power of the Doctor” for Jodie Whittaker’s final outing in the role.
When could Paul McGann return to Doctor Who?
So far, details are scarce as to when the rumored Eighth Doctor TV series might premiere, how many episodes it might entail, or when or where it might be set in the Doctor’s timeline. Doctor Who is a show about time travel, after all, so the possibilities for explaining the Eighth Doctor’s return are virtually endless.
Reportedly, a source told the Mirror, returning showrunner, Russell T. Davies supports the idea. “Russell likes the idea of bringing back [Paul] McGann with his own set of episodes in the TARDIS. Disney are on board as they want more original content and want to fully exploit the franchise as they know how big it could become.”
As for whether McGann show up in any one of the three planned 60th anniversary specials, that remains to be seen. With David Tennant returning as the Fourteenth Doctor (let’s call him the “Ten-teenth”), and Catherine Tate reprising her role as Donna Noble, Doctor Who celebrates it’s big 6-0 with three specials: “The Star Beast,” premiering Nov. 25, 2023 in the U.S. on Disney Plus, followed by “Wild Blue Yonder,” and “The Giggle,” two consecutive Saturdays after that.