Blastr post: Paul McGann admits he was 'gutted' to be passed over for Who’s 50th

Actor Paul McGann, who played the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 Doctor Who movie, has revealed that he was "gutted" not to be asked to return for Doctor Who’s 50th-anniversary special episode.

Read it up here.

Paul McGann Uncertain to Return as the Doctor

If Doctor Who fans were hoping for Paul McGann to at least make a return appearance as the Eight Doctor for the British yearly special Children In Need (like me), their hopes were sadly crushed today.

Apparently, McGann has never been in contact with the new Doctor Who team:

"I've never met these people, I've never been down to Cardiff and met what's his face, Russell T. Davies."

As for some other form of comeback, McGann says: "It's highly unlikely, because since I walked off that set in 1996, no-one's ever called me.

He goes on to say however that he's often heard the rumours of a comeback and McGann often claimed he would be happy to go back to the role. The actor still currently plays the Doctor in audio adventures.

Source

BBC, Give Us the Eight Doctor and the Great Time War

One of the most interesting Doctor incarnation of the Doctor Who Series, in my opinion, (besides incarnation number 10 of course) has been the Eight Doctor.

Played by Paul McGann, the Eight Doctor only appeared in the not very good 1996 Doctor Who: the TV movie. Though the movie itself failed to live up to expectations and was rather an interesting dud, the Eight Doctor himself was, in my opinion, a success. He was charming, gorgeous, romantic and half-human (on his mother's side). He was pefect.

To this day, his character has spanned series of countless novels and audio books. Though many wondered whether or not he was considered canon in the Doctor Who universe, the Eight Doctor was duly established as canon in two of the recent Doctor Who episodes. The first one was in the Series 3 wonderful episode Human Nature where a drawing of the Eight Doctor appeared in John Smith's Journal of Impossible Things alongside his 9 other incarnations. The most recent reiteration of is ''canonness'' was in the Christmas Special Episode The Next Doctor where McGann was shown alongside all the other incarnations, from William Hartnell's First Doctor to David Tennant's Tenth.

The Eight Doctor is a figure shrouded in mystery. He can be considered Byronic in nature and he does look the part, with his long locks (a wig McGann was wearing and swore would never wear again) and 19th century style garb. He was the first Doctor to ever (as the British say) snog his companion, Dr. Grace Holloway. Of Course, incarnation number 10 would later amply make up for all the time lost.

We know that in Series One, Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor is newly re-generated; at one point he stares into a mirror during the episode one Rose, and he comments on his ears which he seems to be seeing for the first time. We later learn, through the course of the series that the Doctor has fought in the Last Great Time War against his mortal enemy: The Daleks. However, details always remained sketchy and in the background. The Doctor would mention it once in a while but the viewers were never shown that great battle.

It is a wonder to me, then, that the BBC still has not decided to cash in the populatity of the subject matter. I mean who doesn't want to see the Great War with the dashing Eight Doctor at its helm fighting a fully fledged mighty Dalek Empire alongside the other Time Lords from Gallifrey? And then to see him regenerate into his Ninth Incarnation?

I say it's time they do it. I really wish the BBC would, once and for all, show us the story of the Time War. It's time the tale is finally told - especially with the end of the Tenth Doctor's reign upon us - and the fans be made happy. I am quite certain every Doctor Who fan out there is interested to see it and the BBC should do it before Paul McGann gets too old to reprise his role.

So what about it BBC? What are you waiting for, really?