Doctor Who returns with Paul McGann as the eighth Doctor

On 27 May 1996 Doctor Who returned to the BBC for the first time in seven years. The 1996 revival was a feature length episode and – after the death of the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy - introduced viewers to the Eighth Doctor, the dashing Paul McGann. Doctor Who the Movie, as it came to be known, was greatly anticipated by fans deprived of the show for so long. It attracted nine million viewers and was generally welcomed by critics.

When the Controller of BBC One, Michael Grade, cancelled Doctor Who in 1989 it was suffering from greatly reduced budgets and Grade judged it to be "tired". The revival was a lavish co-production, written by Matthew Jacobs, with a script that pointed to the future development of the Doctor’s character. As such it featured his first on-screen kiss, with Grace Holloway, played by Daphne Ashbrook.

When Doctor Who finally returned in 2005, the Doctor was played by Christopher Eccleston, with no part for McGann. However McGann’s role - and that of the Eighth Doctor - was acknowledged in a mini episode, that was one of the highlights of the 50th anniversary celebrations. In The Night of the Doctor, McGann’s Doctor is seen for one last time before he regenerates into John Hurt, the War Doctor. The Eighth Doctor, although seen on television only briefly, has inspired more official audio dramas and novels than any other Doctor.