Underplayed Gems

Doctor Who (1996)

Doctor Who poster
Directed by
Geoffrey Sax
Genre
science fiction film
Country
United Kingdom, United States, Canada
Runtime
1h 29m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
6.2 of 10 from 248 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

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How it feels

A new Doctor regenerates into a form and takes a human doctor as a companion. They must stop a murderous villain from taking over the Doctor's body and destroying the Earth.

fast-pacedwhimsicalnostalgicmysteriousdramaticsuspensefulsci-fidarkly comedic

What happens

Doctor Who, also referred to as Doctor Who: The Movie or as Doctor Who: The Television Movie or Dr Who in the US, is a 1996 television film continuing the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Developed as a co-production between Universal Studios and BBC Worldwide, it premiered on 12 May 1996 on the Canadian television station CITV in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 15 days before its first showing in the United Kingdom on BBC One and two days before being broadcast in the United States on Fox. It was theatrically released in some countries. The first attempt to revive Doctor Who following its suspension in 1989, it was intended as a backdoor pilot for a new American-produced Who TV series. It introduced Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor in his only televised appearance as the character until "The Night of the Doctor" in 2013 (though McGann has portrayed the Doctor also in various audio productions). It also marks the final appearance of Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor until his cameo appearance in "The Power of the Doctor" in 2022, the only appearance of Daphne Ashbrook as companion Grace Holloway, and the only onscreen appearance of Eric Roberts's version of The Master, although he has since reprised the role in audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. Although a ratings success in the United Kingdom, the film did not fare well on American television and no series was commissioned. The series was later relaunched on the BBC in 2005. The only Doctor Who episodes between the film and the new series were a 1999 spoof, Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, and a 2003 animation, Scream of the Shalka. Although primarily produced by different entities than the 1963–1989 series and intended for an American audience, the producers chose not to produce a "re-imagining" or "reboot" of the series but rather a continuation of the original narrative. The production was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia and is the only episode of Doctor Who to be filmed in Canada. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.