Doctor Who was put on indefinite hiatus in 1989, due to falling ratings and a lack of leadership on set. While reduced at times to a low rumble, there were consistently efforts to bring the show back. In the mid-1990's, these efforts took the form of a collaboration between American producers and BBC Worldwide. The result was Doctor Who: The Movie, a two hour television movie which aired on Fox in May 1996.
Often abbreviated to TVM by American fans, the movie, featuring the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) and Grace Holloway, was intended as a backdoor pilot for an American co-produced television series. The movie tried to serve as a Doctor Who primer for an American audience- highlighting the Time Lords, the TARDIS, sonic screwdrivers, several key enemies, even regeneration (Sylvester McCoy makes a cameo as the Seventh Doctor before dying and regenerating into the Eighth)- while also trying to appeal to a stereotypically American taste- featuring guns, car chases, and, for the first time in the show's history, romance between the Doctor and his Companion.
While a solid success in the UK when it eventually aired, it flopped in the US. And understandably so- it was pretty ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot to like- Paul McGann was a terrific Doctor; Daphne Ashbrooke portrayed an intelligent, independent, and delightfully sassy Companion in Grace Holloway; the TARDIS interior was absolutely gorgeous; Eric Roberts played a good Master (in that so-bad-it's-good sort of way); and the movie was written as a continuation of the classic series instead of a full reboot, lending it the credibility it needed to be taken seriously. But overall, it was campy in a bad way, the dialogue was downright awful in spots, and the continuity errors (in so much as Doctor Who even HAS continuity, which some have argued against) were big and distracting enough to mar the experience.
Unfortunately, picking an Eighth Doctor television story to review was easy, since this was the only one produced. Due to the low American ratings, there was no series pickup, and, except for novels and audio dramas, Doctor Who went back into limbo for another nine years (until the premiere of the BBC Wales restart in 2005). Which is unfortunate- for all of TVM's faults (and they are legion) it showed great potential for an Eighth Doctor run and a faithful continuation of the classic series. As it is, we're left with a teasingly-campy vision of what Doctor Who would have been in the 1990's- high production values, lots of action, and plots reminiscent of the syndicated science fiction programs popular in the late 90's and early 2000's.
