Fun fact: Steven Moffat was hired on to write the script for Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s ‘Tintin’ movie but when he took Russell T Davies’ offer to be the showrunner for Doctor Who after him, he had to let Spielberg and Jackson know that he needed to leave the project. They respectfully granted his request as Jackson is himself a big Doctor Who fan (McCoy being his favorite Doctor, hence why he was in The Hobbit) and Spielberg told Moffat personally that “the world would be a poorer place without Doctor Who.” What a guy.
You missed another point that impacted the ratings. The frankly bizarre decision to release it on VHS two weeks before transmission. I watched the broadcast having already bagged it at 'Our Price' at 09:00 on 13th May, but many won't have tuned in to watch something they already owned.
I got the TV Movie on DVD as part of one of the Revisitation boxsets and I have watched it multiple times in a short amount by now, getting some fondness for it. It's its own little piece of Doctor Who and some things do mess with canon a bit, but that said: Will we ever know the full truth of who the Doctor really is? I like the idea that their origins remains a mystery or that stories contradict each other. Anyways, if it wasn't for The TV Movie, we wouldn't have Chris, David, Matt, Capaldi and Jodie (along with Jo Martin and the great late Sir John Hurt). So, thanks, Paul, for being the start of the show's big return.
I didn’t became aware of the tv movie until i picked up doctor who magazine which was all about Paul McGann. But yeah i like tv movie and i love listening to him in big finish.
Ah yes, the McGann years, he may have been the incumbent Doctor at the time, but the future was looking bright for the Eighth Doctor. The Night of the Doctor may have shown Eight's regeneration into the Doctor of War, but his adventures and stories were far being all over.
I’ve Always Loved These Video’s Because Every one Is Always Extremely Entertaining To Watch. I Hope It Doesn’t Take Almost A Year To Make The Wilderness Years Part🫰🫰🫰🙃🙃🙃
The idea of the TV Movie being a "backdoor pilot" was to put it mildly - very hopeful! The TVM would have needed massive viewing figures Stateside to get Fox to commission a series. With much better viewing figures they may have commissioned some sequel TV movies, which did happen at times. But made for TV movies going straight to a series was incredibly rare.
I love this movie! It's a fun 90s action adventure film for kids, and the cast is great,specially McGann. Some dw fans are a bit pretentious and like to think the show is some adult sophisticated drama, so of course they hate the movie 🙄
Wonderful as always Adam, adore this series, as I always say you take all this information and present it in such an interesting way, your passion for who explodes through this and it's impossible to not love it. That plug at the end though 👀
If we take every story of 1996, we can calculate an average of 9.08 Million Viewers 🤪 Another fab video, always love these videos. The TV Movie isn’t really a favourite of mine, but McGann is an incredible Doctor
Even though it didn't directly spawn a TV series the TVM was instrumental in the way Dr Who was viewed at BBC TV and contributed to the momentum that allowed it to return. Although Alan Yentob and some others were already supportive of Dr Who, winning the timeslot against strong competition on ITV made it clear to the BBC execs (including Mal Young, Patrick Spence and Jane Tranter) that Dr Who could have a future and by early 99 Russell T Davies was already being sounded about about writing a new series. It took a few years for all the pieces to come together, but it did happen!
If anything Doctor Who might of been more like television movie series of the 1970s like “McMillan & Wife” and “Columbo” which had up to 8 movies in an American television season. Or maybe a movie or two every year. Having a television movie became a television series with 20 plus episodes a season in like said extremely unheard of.
Another informative documentary. That said, I could have done without the reminder that the broadcast of "The Ghosts of N-Space" overlapped with my 30th birthday :(
Having heard so many mixed reviews, I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed the TV movie. I particularly enjoyed Paul McGann's performance and characterisation of the Doctor. As you touch upon in the video, he feels naturally sincere yet inquisitive and fun: all the traits I would expect to see in the Doctor. A brilliant actor that truly deserves more credit for his time as the Doctor, though short. I really, really enjoyed this video my love, well done you 😘❤
Also that bit... Grace: "I know who I am." Doctor: "I'm glad." Is STUNNING. SOME GORGEOUS ACTING FROM GORGEOUS HUMANS. Well... one alien, but you know.
I do wonder about the so-called Pilot Episode from 1963, which was shown on BBC as part of the "Lime Grove Story" day in what, August 1991? Daytime in the middle of summer so probably didn't get good ratings, but I did tune in on my portable, far from home!
Would love to see McGann feature in the 60th anniversary special in a substantial way. He is an incredible actor and I think he could add some real weight and credibility to a show that has now sadly lost its way.
Is there a way to combine the viewing figures for both the UK and US broadcasts? I feel like that would show the true average viewership of the all but brief McGann era.
Why didn't they remove the 8th Doctor from canon? What a waste of a regeneration. The 2 Doctor Who movies that Peter Cushing did weren't canon, so why was this one made into canon? Btw are you gonna do a video about the Peter Cushing era too? lol
“Doctor Who” on Fox got terrible ratings by 1996 standards. Compare that to sitcoms that were airing on ABC, “Roseanne” and “Home Improvement” which were in the top 20 in the Nelson Ratings at the time and the Doctor Who Television Movie had no chance. The movie only got 8.3 million viewers and a 9% shear of the viewers compared to “Roseanne” which got 21 million viewers and Home Improvement which got 22.9 million viewers. On NBC, you had “Fraser” which had 17.3 million viewers, “Wings” which had 15 million viewers, “3rd Rock on the Sun” which had 12.5 million viewers, and the “The John Larroquette Show” which had 12.1 million viewers, All of these particular episodes aired at the same time that the “Doctor Who Television Movie” was airing on Fox. That really hurt “Doctor Who either becoming a TV movie series or a regular television series. The viewing figures were just too poor compared to the competition. And, did the BBC actually think that the TV movie could get 12 million viewers in the UK. That is just delusional. I mean Doctor Who hadn’t had a regular episode since late 1989 and hadn’t had anything new on the television since November 1993. For most people in the viewing audience their interest in Doctor Who would of been not that great if they knew of it in the first place. Plus, like you said by 1996 VCRs were cheaper than ever before and more and more people were getting satellite or cable television and that would of dragged down viewership as well. Also airing it at 8:30 PM wasn’t a great idea. So for all of the reasons stated above, the 12 million viewers goal for the movie was very unrealistic.
As a former Doctor Who fan (the programme is dead now, a facedown corpse floating in the waters of wokeness), I do find these viewing figure videos to be strangely compulsive viewing.
the t.v movie was garbage. Total garbage. I remember at the time seeing concept art for a redesign of the Daleks had they appeared in the movie and it was so bad. They didn't look anything close to a Dalek
Fun fact: Steven Moffat was hired on to write the script for Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s ‘Tintin’ movie but when he took Russell T Davies’ offer to be the showrunner for Doctor Who after him, he had to let Spielberg and Jackson know that he needed to leave the project. They respectfully granted his request as Jackson is himself a big Doctor Who fan (McCoy being his favorite Doctor, hence why he was in The Hobbit) and Spielberg told Moffat personally that “the world would be a poorer place without Doctor Who.”
What a guy.
Great episode, love Mcgann as the Doctor easily the best thing about the TV movie.
Happy birthday Tomb of the Cybermen 🥳
You missed another point that impacted the ratings. The frankly bizarre decision to release it on VHS two weeks before transmission. I watched the broadcast having already bagged it at 'Our Price' at 09:00 on 13th May, but many won't have tuned in to watch something they already owned.
I was going to say that! A baffling decision. Anyone might think the BBC didn’t want it to succeed.
Your videos are awesome. Thank you.
Fitting that this was uploaded right after I was listening to a McGann Big Finish story (Caerdroia)
Anyway, another fantastic video Adam
I got the TV Movie on DVD as part of one of the Revisitation boxsets and I have watched it multiple times in a short amount by now, getting some fondness for it. It's its own little piece of Doctor Who and some things do mess with canon a bit, but that said: Will we ever know the full truth of who the Doctor really is? I like the idea that their origins remains a mystery or that stories contradict each other.
Anyways, if it wasn't for The TV Movie, we wouldn't have Chris, David, Matt, Capaldi and Jodie (along with Jo Martin and the great late Sir John Hurt).
So, thanks, Paul, for being the start of the show's big return.
Ah another Adam video to really enjoy - he's got such a way to make this series all fun as well as informing and smart.
Thank you so much+
I didn’t became aware of the tv movie until i picked up doctor who magazine which was all about Paul McGann. But yeah i like tv movie and i love listening to him in big finish.
Ah yes, the McGann years, he may have been the incumbent Doctor at the time, but the future was looking bright for the Eighth Doctor. The Night of the Doctor may have shown Eight's regeneration into the Doctor of War, but his adventures and stories were far being all over.
Another great episode, love the mini TV Movie history documentary!
Great video! agreed the TV movie wasn't perfect, but there's so much to enjoy in it. And of course, it gave us Mcgann!
A great overview, and I especially love how you fit the movie in with the chronology surrounding it. These reviews, they fit perfectly!
Thank you mate! Really glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve Always Loved These Video’s Because Every one Is Always Extremely Entertaining To Watch. I Hope It Doesn’t Take Almost A Year To Make The Wilderness Years Part🫰🫰🫰🙃🙃🙃
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! Gx
The idea of the TV Movie being a "backdoor pilot" was to put it mildly - very hopeful! The TVM would have needed massive viewing figures Stateside to get Fox to commission a series. With much better viewing figures they may have commissioned some sequel TV movies, which did happen at times. But made for TV movies going straight to a series was incredibly rare.
I love this movie! It's a fun 90s action adventure film for kids, and the cast is great,specially McGann. Some dw fans are a bit pretentious and like to think the show is some adult sophisticated drama, so of course they hate the movie 🙄
Always find the story of how this project ultimately came about fascinating. It's about as interesting a story as the movie itself
The Meta Crisis Doctor confirm what the Eighth Doctor said about being half human. Also the chameleon arch also confirmed the half human lore
Wonderful as always Adam, adore this series, as I always say you take all this information and present it in such an interesting way, your passion for who explodes through this and it's impossible to not love it.
That plug at the end though 👀
If we take every story of 1996, we can calculate an average of 9.08 Million Viewers 🤪
Another fab video, always love these videos. The TV Movie isn’t really a favourite of mine, but McGann is an incredible Doctor
Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed!
That’s Sooooooooooooooooooo Easy.
Nice coincidence that I finished listening to Ghost if N-space just last night. 😄
Thank you Adam! Really enjoy your viewing figures series, excellent stuff! 👍
Thank you Michael!
Even though it didn't directly spawn a TV series the TVM was instrumental in the way Dr Who was viewed at BBC TV and contributed to the momentum that allowed it to return. Although Alan Yentob and some others were already supportive of Dr Who, winning the timeslot against strong competition on ITV made it clear to the BBC execs (including Mal Young, Patrick Spence and Jane Tranter) that Dr Who could have a future and by early 99 Russell T Davies was already being sounded about about writing a new series. It took a few years for all the pieces to come together, but it did happen!
If anything Doctor Who might of been more like television movie series of the 1970s like “McMillan & Wife” and “Columbo” which had up to 8 movies in an American television season. Or maybe a movie or two every year. Having a television movie became a television series with 20 plus episodes a season in like said extremely unheard of.
A great series of videos. Though I'm a bit worried about where they are going to end up..!
If Russell T Davis was showrunner during the 50th anniversary Paul McGann would have been the War Doctor
Another informative documentary. That said, I could have done without the reminder that the broadcast of "The Ghosts of N-Space" overlapped with my 30th birthday :(
The final part of Ghosts of N Space broadcast the day I was born 👀
Having heard so many mixed reviews, I was happily surprised at how much I enjoyed the TV movie. I particularly enjoyed Paul McGann's performance and characterisation of the Doctor. As you touch upon in the video, he feels naturally sincere yet inquisitive and fun: all the traits I would expect to see in the Doctor. A brilliant actor that truly deserves more credit for his time as the Doctor, though short. I really, really enjoyed this video my love, well done you 😘❤
Also that bit... Grace: "I know who I am." Doctor: "I'm glad." Is STUNNING. SOME GORGEOUS ACTING FROM GORGEOUS HUMANS. Well... one alien, but you know.
I may have included that clip because I absolutely adored your reaction to it 🥰😘❤
@@AdamMartyn eeeee god, you're making me blush! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Are you going to do 1997-2004?
Great review
1999 has a lot to answer for, including Millennials
Oh yes... the McGann year
I was tempted to touch on Night of the Doctor but my chronological brain wouldn't allow it 😂
I do wonder about the so-called Pilot Episode from 1963, which was shown on BBC as part of the "Lime Grove Story" day in what, August 1991? Daytime in the middle of summer so probably didn't get good ratings, but I did tune in on my portable, far from home!
3'45": I didn't realise shiny David Cameron accompanied the Seventh Doctor!
Would love to see McGann feature in the 60th anniversary special in a substantial way. He is an incredible actor and I think he could add some real weight and credibility to a show that has now sadly lost its way.
Hi AMTV are you going to do Morden who?
I think you should as it is a brilliant series and I’ve learned so much about view figures
Will you continue this series any time soon?
If Dimensions in Time is canon then it's canon for EastEnders as well.
Adam, are you ever going to continue this series?
Paul Mcgann is my 13 favourite doctor who
Excellent video Adam!
Thank you Roger!
@@AdamMartyn No worries!
There was an audiobook of the 1996 novelisation back in 1997, too. I have it on cassette. Read by Paul McGann. Is that what you meant?
Is there a way to combine the viewing figures for both the UK and US broadcasts? I feel like that would show the true average viewership of the all but brief McGann era.
when is the next one out it's been over a year
When are you doing the new who ones ?
I wounder if Paul ever believed he'd get his own series
Can you do The Wilderness Years Part 2?
Why didn't they remove the 8th Doctor from canon? What a waste of a regeneration. The 2 Doctor Who movies that Peter Cushing did weren't canon, so why was this one made into canon? Btw are you gonna do a video about the Peter Cushing era too? lol
What was that episode with EastEnders?
Dimensions in Time- He covered it in his video on the first half of the Wilderness Years.
“Doctor Who” on Fox got terrible ratings by 1996 standards. Compare that to sitcoms that were airing on ABC, “Roseanne” and “Home Improvement” which were in the top 20 in the Nelson Ratings at the time and the Doctor Who Television Movie had no chance. The movie only got 8.3 million viewers and a 9% shear of the viewers compared to “Roseanne” which got 21 million viewers and Home Improvement which got 22.9 million viewers. On NBC, you had “Fraser” which had 17.3 million viewers, “Wings” which had 15 million viewers, “3rd Rock on the Sun” which had 12.5 million viewers, and the “The John Larroquette Show” which had 12.1 million viewers, All of these particular episodes aired at the same time that the “Doctor Who Television Movie” was airing on Fox. That really hurt “Doctor Who either becoming a TV movie series or a regular television series. The viewing figures were just too poor compared to the competition.
And, did the BBC actually think that the TV movie could get 12 million viewers in the UK. That is just delusional. I mean Doctor Who hadn’t had a regular episode since late 1989 and hadn’t had anything new on the television since November 1993. For most people in the viewing audience their interest in Doctor Who would of been not that great if they knew of it in the first place. Plus, like you said by 1996 VCRs were cheaper than ever before and more and more people were getting satellite or cable television and that would of dragged down viewership as well. Also airing it at 8:30 PM wasn’t a great idea. So for all of the reasons stated above, the 12 million viewers goal for the movie was very unrealistic.
Next do the new who era reviews
He's gotta finish off the Wilderness Years first!
And he was never seen again. (At least he did The Classic Series)
As a former Doctor Who fan (the programme is dead now, a facedown corpse floating in the waters of wokeness), I do find these viewing figure videos to be strangely compulsive viewing.
I like Paul McCann as the Doctor. love some of the big finish stories he done. but the Movie is not a true Who story
The film was awful but Paul was the doctor without a doubt
the t.v movie was garbage. Total garbage. I remember at the time seeing concept art for a redesign of the Daleks had they appeared in the movie and it was so bad. They didn't look anything close to a Dalek
the film is terrible