If you wondered why we never got to see Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor regenerate into Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor, wait no further.  A new seven-minute episode on the Web written by Steven Moffat called The Night of the Doctor reveals the last minutes of the Eighth Doctor as the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who approaches next week.

If you haven’t seen the only appearance until now of the Eighth Doctor, you must get your copy of Doctor Who: The Movie, on DVD.  When everyone everywhere was speculating on the selection of what actor would be the Twelfth Doctor, which ultimately was given to Peter Capaldi, my instant pick for the perfect Doctor was Paul McGann, based on his role as Mr. Bush in the A&E Horatio Hornblower mini-series opposite Ioan Gruffudd, as well as roles in Kidnapped and Sea of Souls.  I was quickly advised by my brother-in-law, however, that McGann already played The Doctor.  Since I began my watching with Eccleston, I hadn’t known.

After watching Doctor Who: The Movie this week, “my good idea” was confirmed as he is simply brilliant as the crazed Doctor with amnesia stuck in 1990s San Francisco, in his first adventure regenerating from Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor, with a new companion played by Daphne Ashbrook, who made an appearance at Planet Comicon this year.  And now McGann returns to the role for the first time on-screen since his first appearance in the role.

What you might not know is that Paul McGann, although appearing only once as the Doctor on-screen, has played the Eighth Doctor many times in the Big Finish audio drama series.  McGann’s first audio appearance was in 2001 in the story Storm Warning.  McGann’s main companions in the audio plays are Charley Pollard (India Fisher) and C’rizz (Conrad Westmaas).  McGann confronted the Daleks in The Time of the Daleks and the Cybermen in Sword of Orion.

So without further ado, check out this exciting mini-episode featuring the last appearance of the Eighth Doctor:

Just when you thought you knew who the Eleventh Doctor was, Moffat goes and throws the numbering in flux.  All a part of the lead-in to his 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor, coming next Saturday, November 23, 2013 to BBC and BBC America, and in theaters as reported here at borg.com earlier this month.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com