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[[Image:Paul McGann.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Paul McGann in a casting call photo for the 1996 Doctor Who television movie.]]
{{Infobox Person
|image        = Paul McGann Snapshot.jpg
|birth date    = [[14 November (people)|14 November]] [[1959 (people)|1959]]
|job title    = [[Actor]]
|role          = [[Eighth Doctor]], [[Durian]]
|story        = [[#Credits|See Credits Section]]
|time          = 1996, 2001-present
|non dwu      =
|imdb          = 0001524
|clip          = Paul McGann's Doctor Who audition tape teaser - Doctor Who
|clip2        = Doctor Who Interview - Paul McGann on Peter Capaldi & 50th Anniversary
|clip3        = Doctor Who Night of the Doctor - Paul McGann Interview & 50th Anniversary Prequel
}}{{You may|Paul McGann (Hospitality)|Paul McGann (Father Time: "Set Visit")|n1=his DWU counterpart|n2=his invalid counterpart}}
'''Paul John McGann''' (born [[14 November (people)|14 November]] [[1959 (people)|1959]]<ref>[[REF]]: ''[[Who-ology: The Official Miscellany]]''</ref>) is a British actor who played the [[Eighth Doctor]], beginning with the 1996 TV movie ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''. He reprised the role in audio stories for [[BBC Radio]] and [[Big Finish Productions]], and reprised the role twice onscreen in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' mini-episode ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'' and the special ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]''.


'''Paul McGann''' (born [[14th November]] [[1959]]) played the [[Eighth Doctor|eighth incarnation]] of [[the Doctor]] in the [[1996]] [[Doctor Who: The TV Movie|''Doctor Who'' television movie]] and also voices the role in audio dramas for [[BBC]] Radio and [[List of Audio Stories#Big Finish Audio Dramas|Big Finish Audio Dramas]]. His is considered to be either the longest or shortest tenure as the Doctor, depending on whether one counts the non-television stories to be canon or not. (A few do not recognize the canonicity of the television movie at all.)
== Career ==
He was born in [[Surrey]], although his family moved to [[Liverpool]] when he was a young child. His brothers Mark, Joe, and Stephen are also actors; the four of them starred together (as four brothers) in the 1995 television miniseries ''The Hanging Gale''. They also formed the pop quartet "The McGanns", releasing the single "Shame About The Boy".


McGann made his name on the BBC serial ''The Monocled Mutineer'', in which he played the lead role. Following on from that part, he was cast as the eponymous "I" in Bruce Robinson's cult film comedy, ''[[Withnail and I]]'' ([[1987]]). He also starred as Anton Skrebensky in Ken Russell's [[1989]] adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's ''The Rainbow''.
McGann made his name on the BBC serial ''The Monocled Mutineer'', in which he played the lead role of Percy Toplis. Following that part, he was cast as the eponymous "I" in Bruce Robinson's cult film comedy, ''[[Withnail and I]]'' (1987). He also starred as Anton Skrebensky in Ken Russell's 1989 adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's ''The Rainbow''.


Since then his career has concentrated on television work including the ''Hornblower'' series and he has had small roles in a number of high-profile American films including ''Alien³'' and ''Queen of the Damned''. His voice also featured in the [[1997]] video game ''Ceremony of Innocence'' together with those of Isabella Rossellini and Ben Kingsley.  Coincidentally, his co-star in ''Withnail'', actor [[Richard E. Grant]], also played the [[Ninth Doctor (Scream of the Shalka)|Doctor]] in the [[2003]] animated webcast ''[[Scream of the Shalka]],'' and also played the [[Tenth Doctor (Comic Relief)|(Quite Handsome) 10th Doctor]] in the ''Doctor Who'' parody sketch, "[[The Curse of Fatal Death]]."
McGann was offered the lead role in the ITV series ''Sharpe'' in 1993. Unfortunately, during the filming of the series' first instalment, ''Sharpe's Rifles'', McGann was injured while playing football and subsequently had to withdraw. The role was then given to, and made famous by, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Bean Sean Bean].


Although McGann played the Doctor on screen only once, he has reprised the role of the Eighth Doctor in an extensive series of audio plays by [[Big Finish Productions]] and was treated as the "current" Doctor by the majority of fandom until [[Christopher Eccleston]] assumed the role in [[2005]]. McGann continues to play the Eighth Doctor on audio, and also in a second series of audios produced by Big Finish for broadcast on BBC7 radio. He also, like other past Doctors, contributes to [[BBC Video]]'s, ever-growing series of classic series DVD releases, for example providing the narration for "The Ties That Bind Us", a featurette on the 2008 release of ''[[The Five Doctors]]''.
=== ''Doctor Who'' ===
Paul McGann reportedly found out about the ''Doctor Who'' TV movie during the production of the 1993 film ''The Three Musketeers''. Tim Curry was offered the role of the Eighth Doctor and he was interested in playing the role because he's always interested in a role that isn't a villain, but he didn't know how to play the character. One day during filming, Curry approached McGann on how he would play the Eighth Doctor if he were cast. Curry turned down the role of the Eighth Doctor because of scheduling conflicts with several movies, and McGann would be cast as the Eighth Doctor.


He was born in [[Surrey]], although his family moved to [[Liverpool]] when he was a young child.  His brothers Mark, Joe, and Stephen are also actors; the four of them starred together (as four brothers) in the [[1995]] television miniseries ''The Hanging Gale''. They also formed the pop quartet "The McGanns", releasing the single "Everything But The Boy".
During the production of the TV Movie, McGann participated in the documentary ''[[Bidding Adieu: A Video Diary]]'', [[Sylvester McCoy]]'s personal documentary of his then-final outing as the [[Seventh Doctor]].


Paul McGann reportedly found out about the Doctor Who TV Movie during production of the 1993 film ''The Three Musketeers''. Tim Curry was offered the role of the Eighth Doctor and he was interested in playing the role, because he's always interested in a role that isn't a villain. But he didn't know how to play the character. One day during filming, Curry approached McGann on how he would play The Eighth Doctor if he was cast. Curry turned down the role of The Eighth Doctor because of scheduling conflicts with several movies and McGann would go on to be cast as the Eighth Doctor.
=== Post-''Who'' work ===
Since ''Doctor Who'', McGann's career has concentrated on television work including the ''Hornblower'' series. His voice was featured in the 1997 video game ''Ceremony of Innocence'', together with those of Isabella Rossellini and Ben Kingsley.


== Works on Doctor Who ==
McGann portrayed power-hungry ambassador [[Durian]] in [[The Minister of Chance (series)|The Minister of Chance]] series, a [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] of [[Doctor Who]].
===Television Movie - [[1996]]===
*[[Doctor Who: The TV Movie]]


===[[Webcast]] - [[2003]]===
In 2013, McGann appeared as himself in ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]'', alongside fellow classic Doctor actors [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]], and [[Sylvester McCoy]].
*[[Shada (webcast)]]


===Audio===
From 2017 to 2018, McGann played sinister surgeon John Gaskell in forty episodes of the medical drama series ''Holby City'' (1999-ongoing).
====[[Big Finish - Doctor Who Audio Dramas]]====
* [[Storm Warning]]
* [[Sword of Orion]]
* [[The Stones of Venice]]
* [[Minuet in Hell]]
* [[Invaders from Mars]]
* [[The Chimes of Midnight]]
* [[Seasons of Fear]]
* [[Embrace the Darkness]]
* [[The Time of the Daleks]]
* [[Neverland]]
* [[Scherzo]]
* [[The Creed of the Kromon]]
* [[The Natural History of Fear]]
* [[The Twilight Kingdom]]
* [[Faith Stealer]]
* [[The Last]]
* [[Caerdroia]]
* [[The Next Life]]
* [[Terror Firma]]
* [[Scaredy Cat]]
* [[Other Lives]]
* [[Time Works]]
* [[Something Inside]]
* [[Memory Lane]]
* [[Absolution]]
* [[The Girl Who Never Was]]


=====Webcast Audio=====
=== Reprising the Doctor ===
* [[Shada (audio release)|Shada]]
McGann had given permission for his likeness to be used in [[BBC Books]]' [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures|Eighth Doctor Adventures]] novel range and the monthly ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic strip continuing his character's adventures without him having any actual involvement. As a result, in the many years before television ''Who'' returned to production, the Eighth Doctor remained the "current" Doctor in all the new ''Doctor Who'' spin-off media with the character's mannerisms extrapolated from his brief performance.


=====The New Eighth Doctor Adventures=====
In 1997, McGann made his first foray into ''Doctor Who'' audio when he recorded several audiobooks for [[BBC Audio]], beginning with an audio adaptation of ''[[The Novel of the Film]]'' and continuing with a collection of short stories, ''[[Earth and Beyond (audio anthology)|Earth and Beyond]]''. In 2000, he joined the roster of [[Big Finish Productions]], reprising the role of the Eighth Doctor for the ''[[Main Range]]'', and was treated as the "current" Doctor by the majority of fandom and the BBC until [[Christopher Eccleston]] assumed the role in 2005. He also made his [[webcast]] debut with the animated ''[[Shada (webcast)|Shada]]''. McGann continues to play the Eighth Doctor in Big Finish's main ''Doctor Who'' range, as well as ''[[Eighth Doctor Adventures (audio series)|Eighth Doctor Adventures]]'', a second series of audios produced by Big Finish for broadcast on [[BBC7]] Radio.
* [[Blood of the Daleks]]
* [[Horror of Glam Rock]]
* [[Immortal Beloved]]
* [[Phobos]]
* [[No More Lies]]
* [[Human Resources]]
* [[Dead London]]
* [[Max Warp]]
* [[Brave New Town]]
* [[The Skull of Sobek]]
* [[Grand Theft Cosmos]]
* [[The Zygon Who Fell to Earth]]
* [[Sisters of the Flame]]
* [[Vengence of Morbius]]


==External links==
McGann participated in a commentary and other material for the DVD re-release of his own TV Movie. He has narrated material on other classic ''Who'' DVD releases as well, for example, the ''[[The Five Doctors (TV story)|Five Doctors]]'' DVD featurette "The Ties That Bind Us."
* {{imdb name|id=0001524|name=Paul McGann}}
 
Paul McGann finally returned to the screen as the Eighth Doctor in 2013, when he reprised the role in ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]''. Though it was only a brief outing, the mini-episode allowed him a chance to at last depict his [[regeneration]] story. Following this, he bragged that [[Colin Baker]] was now the only previous Doctor to have never filmed his regeneration sequence, due to his forced dismissal from the role, which was later rendered a moot point when Baker himself recorded his regeneration in the audio anthology ''[[The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure]]'' released in 2015. During his regeneration story, McGann also briefly portrayed the newly regenerated War Doctor, making him one of two actors to have technically portrayed two different incarnations of the Doctor (the other being his predecessor Sylvester McCoy, who similarly briefly played the Sixth Doctor during his regeneration sequence).
 
According to [[Nicholas Briggs]], McGann nearly stopped doing Big Finish during his initial run with companion [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]], but changed his mind following the casting of [[Sheridan Smith]] as new companion [[Lucie Miller]] and the new direction for the Eighth Doctor.<ref>https://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/2021-10-31-twelfth-timejacked</ref>
 
== In the DWU ==
A version of [[Paul McGann (Hospitality)|Paul McGann]] was mentioned as being one of the actors in the [[Doctor Who TV movie (Bafflement and Devotion)|''Doctor Who'' TV movie]], in ''[[Hospitality (short story)|Hospitality]]'', a short story featuring the {{Lesbian novelist}} in ''[[Iris: Abroad (anthology)|Iris: Abroad]]''.
 
[[Paul McGann (Father Time: "Set Visit")|Another version of Paul McGann]] appeared in the [[2001 (releases)|2001]] short story ''[[Father Time: "Set Visit" (short story)|Father Time: "Set Visit"]]'', a speculative piece about what if the [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]] was part of the television series.
 
== Credits ==
As the [[Eighth Doctor]]
=== Television ===
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]''
* ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]''
 
==== Mini-episodes ====
* ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]''
 
==== Other ====
* ''[[The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (TV story)|The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot]]''
 
=== Webcasts ===
* ''[[Shada (webcast)|Shada]]''
 
=== Audio ===
==== Doctor Who Main Range ====
* ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]''
* ''[[Sword of Orion (audio story)|Sword of Orion]]''
* ''[[The Stones of Venice (audio story)|The Stones of Venice]]''
* ''[[Minuet in Hell (audio story)|Minuet in Hell]]''
* ''[[Invaders from Mars (audio story)|Invaders from Mars]]''
* ''[[The Chimes of Midnight (audio story)|The Chimes of Midnight]]''
* ''[[Seasons of Fear (audio story)|Seasons of Fear]]''
* ''[[Embrace the Darkness (audio story)|Embrace the Darkness]]''
* ''[[The Time of the Daleks (audio story)|The Time of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Neverland (audio story)|Neverland]]''
* ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]]''
* ''[[Scherzo (audio story)|Scherzo]]''
* ''[[The Creed of the Kromon (audio story)|The Creed of the Kromon]]''
* ''[[The Natural History of Fear (audio story)|The Natural History of Fear]]''
* ''[[The Twilight Kingdom (audio story)|The Twilight Kingdom]]''
* ''[[Faith Stealer (audio story)|Faith Stealer]]''
* ''[[The Last (audio story)|The Last]]''
* ''[[Caerdroia (audio story)|Caerdroia]]''
* ''[[The Next Life (audio story)|The Next Life]]''
* ''[[Terror Firma (audio story)|Terror Firma]]''
* ''[[Scaredy Cat (audio story)|Scaredy Cat]]''
* ''[[Other Lives (audio story)|Other Lives]]''
* ''[[Time Works (audio story)|Time Works]]''
* ''[[Something Inside (audio story)|Something Inside]]''
* ''[[Memory Lane (audio story)|Memory Lane]]''
* ''[[Absolution (BFM audio story)|Absolution]]''
* ''[[The Girl Who Never Was (audio story)|The Girl Who Never Was]]''
* ''[[The Company of Friends (audio anthology)|The Company of Friends]]''
** ''[[Benny's Story (audio story)|Benny's Story]]''
** ''[[Fitz's Story (audio story)|Fitz's Story]]''
** ''[[Izzy's Story (audio story)|Izzy's Story]]''
** ''[[Mary's Story (audio story)|Mary's Story]]''
* ''[[The Silver Turk (audio story)|The Silver Turk]]''
* ''[[The Witch from the Well (audio story)|The Witch from the Well]]''
* ''[[Army of Death (audio story)|Army of Death]]''
* ''[[The End of the Beginning (audio story)|The End of the Beginning]]''
 
==== Special Releases ====
* ''[[Living Legend (audio story)|Living Legend]]''
* ''[[Shada (audio story)|Shada]]''
* ''[[The Four Doctors (audio story)|The Four Doctors]]''
* ''[[The Light at the End (audio story)|The Light at the End]]''
* ''[[The Legacy of Time (audio anthology)|The Legacy of Time]]''
** ''[[Lies in Ruins (audio story)|Lies in Ruins]]''
** ''[[Collision Course (audio story)|Collision Course]]''
 
==== Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventuress ====
* ''[[The Mummy Speaks! (audio story)|The Mummy Speaks!]]''
* ''[[Eclipse (audio story)|Eclipse]]''
* ''[[The Slaying of the Writhing Mass (audio story)|The Slaying of the Writhing Mass]]''
* ''[[Heart of Orion (audio story)|Heart of Orion]]''
 
==== The Eighth Doctor Adventures ====
* ''[[Blood of the Daleks (audio story)|Blood of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Horror of Glam Rock (audio story)|Horror of Glam Rock]]''
* ''[[Immortal Beloved (audio story)|Immortal Beloved]]''
* ''[[Phobos (audio story)|Phobos]]''
* ''[[No More Lies (audio story)|No More Lies]]''
* ''[[Human Resources (audio story)|Human Resources]]''
* ''[[Dead London (audio story)|Dead London]]''
* ''[[Max Warp (audio story)|Max Warp]]''
* ''[[Brave New Town (audio story)|Brave New Town]]''
* ''[[The Skull of Sobek (audio story)|The Skull of Sobek]]''
* ''[[Grand Theft Cosmos (audio story)|Grand Theft Cosmos]]''
* ''[[The Zygon Who Fell to Earth (audio story)|The Zygon Who Fell to Earth]]''
* ''[[Sisters of the Flame (audio story)|Sisters of the Flame]]'' / ''[[The Vengeance of Morbius (audio story)|The Vengeance of Morbius]]''
* ''[[Orbis (audio story)|Orbis]]''
* ''[[Hothouse (audio story)|Hothouse]]''
* ''[[The Beast of Orlok (audio story)|The Beast of Orlok]]''
* ''[[Wirrn Dawn (audio story)|Wirrn Dawn]]''
* ''[[The Scapegoat (audio story)|The Scapegoat]]''
* ''[[The Cannibalists (audio story)|The Cannibalists]]''
* ''[[The Eight Truths (audio story)|The Eight Truths]]'' / ''[[Worldwide Web (audio story)|Worldwide Web]]''
* ''[[Death in Blackpool (audio story)|Death in Blackpool]]''
* ''[[Situation Vacant (audio story)|Situation Vacant]]''
* ''[[Nevermore (audio story)|Nevermore]]''
* ''[[The Book of Kells (audio story)|The Book of Kells]]''
* ''[[Deimos (audio story)|Deimos]]'' / ''[[The Resurrection of Mars (audio story)|The Resurrection of Mars]]''
* ''[[Relative Dimensions (audio story)|Relative Dimensions]]''
* ''[[Prisoner of the Sun (audio story)|Prisoner of the Sun]]''
* ''[[Lucie Miller (audio story)|Lucie Miller]]'' / ''[[To the Death (audio story)|To the Death]]''
* ''[[What Lies Inside? (audio anthology)|What Lies Inside]]''
** ''[[Paradox of the Daleks (audio story)|Paradox of the Daleks]]''
** ''[[The Dalby Spook (audio story)|The Dalby Spook]]''
* ''[[Connections (audio anthology)|Connections]]''
** ''[[Here Lies Drax (audio story)|Here Lies Drax]]''
** ''[[The Love Vampires (audio story)|The Love Vampires]]''
** ''[[Albie's Angels (audio story)|Albie's Angels]]''
* ''[[Audacity (audio anthology)|Audacity]]''
** ''[[The Devouring (audio story)|The Devouring]]''
** ''[[The Great Cyber-War (audio story)|The Great Cyber-War]]''
* ''[[In the Bleak Midwinter (audio anthology)|In the Bleak Midwinter]]''
** ''[[Twenty-Four Doors in December (audio story)|Twenty-Four Doors in December]]''
** ''[[The Empty Man (audio story)|The Empty Man]]''
** ''[[Winter of the Demon (audio story)|Winter of the Demon]]''
* ''[[The Stuff of Legend (audio story)|The Stuff of Legend]]''
 
==== The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller ====
* ''[[The Dalek Trap (audio story)|The Dalek Trap]]''
* ''[[The Revolution Game (audio story)|The Revolution Game]]''
* ''[[The House on the Edge of Chaos (audio story)|The House on the Edge of Chaos]]''
* ''[[Island of the Fendahl (audio story)|Island of the Fendahl]]''
 
==== Dark Eyes ====
* ''[[Dark Eyes (audio anthology)|Dark Eyes]]''
** ''[[The Great War (audio story)|The Great War]]''
** ''[[Fugitives (audio story)|Fugitives]]''
** ''[[Tangled Web (audio story)|Tangled Web]]''
** ''[[X and the Daleks (audio story)|X and the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Dark Eyes 2]]''
** ''[[The Traitor (audio story)|The Traitor]]''
** ''[[The White Room (audio story)|The White Room]]''
** ''[[Time's Horizon (audio story)|Time's Horizon]]''
** ''[[Eyes of the Master (audio story)|Eyes of the Master]]''
* ''[[Dark Eyes 3]]''
** ''[[The Death of Hope (audio story)|The Death of Hope]]''
** ''[[The Reviled (audio story)|The Reviled]]''
** ''[[Masterplan (audio story)|Masterplan]]''
** ''[[Rule of the Eminence (audio story)|Rule of the Eminence]]''
* ''[[Dark Eyes 4]]''
** ''[[A Life in the Day (audio story)|A Life in the Day]]''
** ''[[The Monster of Montmartre (audio story)|The Monster of Montmartre]]''
** ''[[Master of the Daleks (audio story)|Master of the Daleks]]''
** ''[[Eye of Darkness (audio story)|Eye of Darkness]]''
 
==== Doom Coalition ====
* ''[[Doom Coalition 1]]''
** ''[[The Eleven (audio story)|The Eleven]]''
** ''[[The Red Lady (audio story)|The Red Lady]]''
** ''[[The Galileo Trap (audio story)|The Galileo Trap]]''
** ''[[The Satanic Mill (audio story)|The Satanic Mill]]''
* ''[[Doom Coalition 2]]''
** ''[[Beachhead (audio story)|Beachhead]]''
** ''[[Scenes From Her Life (audio story)|Scenes From Her Life]]''
** ''[[The Gift (audio story)|The Gift]]''
** ''[[The Sonomancer (audio story)|The Sonomancer]]''
* ''[[Doom Coalition 3]]''
** ''[[Absent Friends (audio story)|Absent Friends]]''
** ''[[The Eighth Piece (audio story)|The Eighth Piece]]'' / ''[[The Doomsday Chronometer (audio story)|The Doomsday Chronometer]]''
** ''[[The Crucible of Souls (audio story)|The Crucible of Souls]]''
* ''[[Doom Coalition 4]]''
** ''[[Ship in a Bottle (audio story)|Ship in a Bottle]]''
** ''[[Songs of Love (audio story)|Songs of Love]]''
** ''[[The Side of the Angels (audio story)|The Side of the Angels]]
** ''[[Stop the Clock (audio story)|Stop the Clock]]
 
==== Ravenous ====
* ''[[Ravenous 1]]''
** ''[[Their Finest Hour (audio story)|Their Finest Hour]]''
** ''[[How to Make a Killing in Time Travel (audio story)|How to Make a Killing in Time Travel]]''
** ''[[World of Damnation (audio story)|World of Damnation]]'' / ''[[Sweet Salvation (audio story)|Sweet Salvation]]''
* ''[[Ravenous 2]]''
** ''[[Escape from Kaldor (audio story)|Escape from Kaldor]]''
** ''[[Better Watch Out (audio story)|Better Watch Out]]'' / ''[[Fairytale of Salzburg (audio story)|Fairytale of Salzberg]]''
** ''[[Seizure (audio story)|Seizure]]''
* ''[[Ravenous 3]]''
** ''[[Deeptime Frontier (audio story)|Deeptime Frontier]]''
** ''[[Companion Piece (audio story)|Companion Piece]]''
** ''[[L.E.G.E.N.D. (audio story)|L.E.G.E.N.D.]]''
** ''[[The Odds Against (audio story)|The Odds Against]]''
* ''[[Ravenous 4]]''
** ''[[Whisper (audio story)|Whisper]]''
** ''[[Planet of Dust (audio story)|Planet of Dust]]''
** ''[[Day of the Master (audio story)|Day of the Master]]''
 
==== Stranded ====
* ''[[Stranded 1]]''
** ''[[Lost Property (audio story)|Lost Property]]''
** ''[[Wild Animals (audio story)|Wild Animals]]''
** ''[[Must-See TV (audio story)|Must-See TV]]''
** ''[[Divine Intervention (audio story)|Divine Intervention]]''
* ''[[Stranded 2]]''
** ''[[Dead Time (audio story)|Dead Time]]''
** ''[[UNIT Dating (audio story)|UNIT Dating]]''
** ''[[Baker Street Irregulars (audio story)|Baker Street Irregulars]]''
** ''[[The Long Way Round (audio story)|The Long Way Round]]''
* ''[[Stranded 3]]''
** ''[[Patience (audio story)|Patience]]''
** ''[[Twisted Folklore (audio story)|Twisted Folklore]]''
** ''[[Snow (audio story)|Snow]]''
** ''[[What Just Happened? (audio story)|What Just Happened?]]''
* ''[[Stranded 4]]''
** ''[[Crossed Lines (audio story)|Crossed Lines]]''
** ''[[Get Andy (audio story)|Get Andy]]''
** ''[[The Keys of Baker Street (audio story)|The Keys of Baker Street]]''
** ''[[Best Year Ever (audio story)|Best Year Ever]]''
 
==== The Eighth Doctor: The Time War ====
* ''[[The Eighth Doctor: Time War: Volume One]]''
** ''[[The Starship of Theseus (audio story)|The Starship of Theseus]]''
** ''[[Echoes of War (audio story)|Echoes of War]]''
** ''[[The Conscript (audio story)|The Conscript]]''
** ''[[One Life (audio story)|One Life]]''
* ''[[The Eighth Doctor: Time War: Volume Two]]''
** ''[[The Lords of Terror (audio story)|The Lords of Terror]]''
** ''[[Planet of the Ogrons (audio story)|Planet of the Ogrons]]''
** ''[[In the Garden of Death (audio story)|In the Garden of Death]]''
** ''[[Jonah (audio story)|Jonah]]''
* ''[[The Eighth Doctor: Time War: Volume Three]]''
** ''[[State of Bliss (audio story)|State of Bliss]]''
** ''[[The Famished Lands (audio story)|The Famished Lands]]''
** ''[[Fugitive in Time (audio story)|Fugitive in Time]]''
** ''[[The War Valeyard (audio story)|The War Valeyard]]''
* ''[[The Eighth Doctor: Time War: Volume Four]]''
** ''[[Palindrome (audio story)|Palindrome]]''
** ''[[Dreadshade (audio story)|Dreadshade]]''
** ''[[Restoration of the Daleks (audio story)|Restoration of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Cass (audio anthology)|Cass]]''
** ''[[Meanwhile, Elsewhere (audio story)|Meanwhile, Elsewhere]]''
** ''[[Vespertine (audio story)|Vespertine]]''
** ''[[Previously, Next Time (audio story)|Previously, Next Time]]''
* ''[[Reflections (audio anthology)|Uncharted: Reflections]]''
** ''[[Nowhere, Never (audio story)|Nowhere, Never]]''
** [[The Road Untravelled (audio story)|''The Road Untravelled'']]
** ''[[Cass-cade (audio story)|Cass-cade]]''
** [[Borrow or Rob (audio story)|''Borrow or Rob'']]
 
==== The War Doctor ====
* ''[[Exit Strategy (audio story)|Exit Strategy]]''
 
==== Sontarans vs Rutans ====
* ''[[The Battle of Giant's Causeway (audio story)|The Battle of Giant's Causeway]]''
 
==== The Robots ====
* ''[[The Final Hour (audio story)|The Final Hour]]''
 
==== The Paternoster Gang ====
* ''[[Till Death Us Do Part (audio story)|Till Death Us Do Part]]''
 
==== Peladon ====
* ''[[The Truth of Peladon (audio story)|The Truth of Peladon]]''
 
==== Classic Doctors, New Monsters ====
* ''[[The Sontaran Ordeal (audio story)|The Sontaran Ordeal]]''
* ''[[Day of the Vashta Nerada (audio story)|Day of the Vashta Nerada]]''
* ''[[Together in Eclectic Dreams (audio story)|Together in Eclectic Dreams]]''
* ''[[If I Should Die Before I Wake (audio story)|If I Should Die Before I Wake]]''
 
==== Once and Future ====
* ''[[The Union (audio story)|The Union]]''
 
==== Doom's Day ====
* ''[[The Crowd (audio story)|The Crowd]]''
 
==== Time Lord Victorious ====
* ''[[He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not (audio story)|He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not]]''
* ''[[The Enemy of My Enemy (audio story)|The Enemy of My Enemy]]''
* ''[[Mutually Assured Destruction (audio story)|Mutually Assured Destruction]]''
* ''[[Echoes of Extinction (audio story)|Echoes of Extinction]]''
 
==== The Diary of River Song ====
* ''[[The Rulers of the Universe (audio story)|The Rulers of the Universe]]''
 
==== Susan's War ====
* ''[[The Shoreditch Intervention (audio story)|The Shoreditch Intervention]]''
 
==== Master! ====
* ''[[Hellbound (audio story)|Hellbound]]''
 
==== The War Master ====
* ''[[Rage of the Time Lords (audio anthology)|Rage of the Time Lords]]''
** ''[[The Missing Link (audio story)|The Missing Link]]'' / ''[[Darkness and Light (audio story)|Darkness and Light]]''
* ''[[Hearts of Darkness (audio anthology)|Hearts of Darkness]]''
** ''[[The Castle of Kurnos 5 (audio story)|The Castle of Kurnos 5]]''
** ''[[The Cognition Shift (audio story)|The Cognition Shift]]''
 
=== Stage plays ===
 
* ''[[The Stuff of Legend (stage play)|The Stuff of Legend]]''
 
As [[Durian]]
=== Webcasts ===
==== The Minster of Chance ====
* ''[[The Minister of Chance: Prologue (webcast)|The Minister of Chance: Prologue]]''
 
=== Audio ===
==== The Minster of Chance ====
* ''[[The Pointed Hand (audio story)|The Pointed Hand]]''
* ''[[The Broken World (audio story)|The Broken World]]''
* ''[[The Forest Shakes (audio story)|The Forest Shakes]]''
* ''[[Paludin Fields (audio story)|Paludin Fields]]''
* ''[[The Tiger (audio story)|The Tiger]]''
* ''[[In a Barque on the River Hex (audio story)|In a Barque on the River Hex]]''
 
Other Roles
=== Audio ===
==== Doctor Who Main Range ====
* ''[[Zagreus (audio story)|Zagreus]]'' - [[Zagreus]]
* ''[[Other Lives (audio story)|Other Lives]]'' - [[Edward Marlow]]
* ''[[Klein's Story (audio story)|Klein's Story]]'' - [[Johann Schmidt]]
 
==== Master! ====
* ''[[Hellbound (audio story)|Hellbound]]'' - [[Axon Doctor]]
 
==== The War Master ====
* ''[[The Cognition Shift (audio story)|The Cognition Shift]]'' - {{Jacobi|n = The Master}}
 
=== Audiobook Readings ===
==== BBC Novelisations ====
* ''[[The Novel of the Film]]''
 
==== BBC Audio ====
* ''[[Earth and Beyond (audio anthology)|Earth and Beyond]]''
** ''[[Bounty (audio story)|Bounty]]''
** ''[[Dead Time (short story)|Dead Time]]''
** ''[[The People's Temple (short story)|The People's Temple]]''
 
==== Time Lord Fairy Tales ====
* ''[[The Three Brothers Gruff (short story)|The Three Brothers Gruff]]''
 
=== Documentaries ===
* ''[[The Ultimate Guide (2013 documentary)|The Ultimate Guide]]''
* ''[[The Ties that Bind Us (documentary)|The Ties that Bind Us]]'' - Narrator
* ''[[Getting a Head (documentary)|Getting a Head]]'' - Narrator
* ''[[Doctor Who Am I]]''
 
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=0001524}}
* [http://www.mcgannlibrary.org The McGann Library fan forum]
* [http://www.mcgannlibrary.org The McGann Library fan forum]
* [http://www.kasterborous.com/articles.asp?id=24 On Borrowed Time - Paul McGann article at Kasterborous.com]
* [http://www.kasterborous.com/articles.asp?id=24 On Borrowed Time - Paul McGann article at Kasterborous.com]
{{Wikipedia|Paul_McGann}}
{{iwx|wiki=disney|wiki name=the Disney Wiki}}
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Doctor|McGann, Paul]]
{{iwx|wiki=alienanthology|wiki name=the Alien Anthology Wiki}}
[[Category:Doctor Who voice actors|McGann, Paul]]
* {{elx|[https://web.archive.org/web/20170531222609/https://twitter.com/pauljmcgann Official Twitter account]}} (archived)
[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast|McGann, Paul]]
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{NameSort}}
 
 
[[de:Paul McGann]]
[[es:Paul McGann]]
[[fr:Paul McGann]]
[[ru:Пол МакГанн]]
 
[[Category:Articles that were originally Wikipedia forks]]
[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast]]
[[Category:The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot cast]]
[[Category:Doctor Who webcast actors]]
[[Category:Actors who have voiced for the Doctor]]
[[Category:The Diary of River Song voice actors]]
[[Category:Pre-2005 Doctor Who cast reprising their roles at Big Finish]]
[[Category:BBC Audio audiobook readers]]
[[Category:BAFTA award nominees]]
[[Category:Saturn Award nominees]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Master]]
[[Category:Actors who were credited in the Doctor Who opening titles]]
[[Category:Main Range voice actors]]
[[Category:BBCi actors]]
[[Category:Bonus Releases voice actors]]
[[Category:Eighth Doctor Adventures voice actors]]
[[Category:Special Releases voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish regular cast]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the Eighth Doctor]]
[[Category:The Minister of Chance voice actors]]
[[Category:Dark Eyes voice actors]]
[[Category:Doom Coalition voice actors]]
[[Category:Ravenous voice actors]]
[[Category:The Eighth Doctor: Time War voice actors]]
[[Category:Classic Doctors, New Monsters voice actors]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed the War Doctor]]
[[Category:The War Master voice actors]]
[[Category:The Legacy of Time voice actors]]
[[Category:Susan's War voice actors]]
[[Category:Stranded voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish Time Lord Victorious voice actors]]
[[Category:1963 Doctor Who cast reprising their roles in 2005 Doctor Who]]
[[Category:The Robots voice actors]]
[[Category:Peladon voice actors]]
[[Category:Big Finish Doom's Day voice actors]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed multiple incarnations of the Doctor]]
[[Category:The Paternoster Gang voice actors]]
[[Category:Once and Future voice actors]]
[[Category:The War Doctor voice actors]]
[[Category:Sontarans vs Rutans voice actors]]
[[Category:Master! voice actors]]
[[Category:Doctor Who stage play actors]]

Latest revision as of 20:19, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for his DWU counterpart or his invalid counterpart.

Paul John McGann (born 14 November 1959[1]) is a British actor who played the Eighth Doctor, beginning with the 1996 TV movie Doctor Who. He reprised the role in audio stories for BBC Radio and Big Finish Productions, and reprised the role twice onscreen in the Doctor Who mini-episode The Night of the Doctor and the special The Power of the Doctor.

Career[[edit] | [edit source]]

He was born in Surrey, although his family moved to Liverpool when he was a young child. His brothers Mark, Joe, and Stephen are also actors; the four of them starred together (as four brothers) in the 1995 television miniseries The Hanging Gale. They also formed the pop quartet "The McGanns", releasing the single "Shame About The Boy".

McGann made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role of Percy Toplis. Following that part, he was cast as the eponymous "I" in Bruce Robinson's cult film comedy, Withnail and I (1987). He also starred as Anton Skrebensky in Ken Russell's 1989 adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's The Rainbow.

McGann was offered the lead role in the ITV series Sharpe in 1993. Unfortunately, during the filming of the series' first instalment, Sharpe's Rifles, McGann was injured while playing football and subsequently had to withdraw. The role was then given to, and made famous by, Sean Bean.

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Paul McGann reportedly found out about the Doctor Who TV movie during the production of the 1993 film The Three Musketeers. Tim Curry was offered the role of the Eighth Doctor and he was interested in playing the role because he's always interested in a role that isn't a villain, but he didn't know how to play the character. One day during filming, Curry approached McGann on how he would play the Eighth Doctor if he were cast. Curry turned down the role of the Eighth Doctor because of scheduling conflicts with several movies, and McGann would be cast as the Eighth Doctor.

During the production of the TV Movie, McGann participated in the documentary Bidding Adieu: A Video Diary, Sylvester McCoy's personal documentary of his then-final outing as the Seventh Doctor.

Post-Who work[[edit] | [edit source]]

Since Doctor Who, McGann's career has concentrated on television work including the Hornblower series. His voice was featured in the 1997 video game Ceremony of Innocence, together with those of Isabella Rossellini and Ben Kingsley.

McGann portrayed power-hungry ambassador Durian in The Minister of Chance series, a spin-off of Doctor Who.

In 2013, McGann appeared as himself in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, alongside fellow classic Doctor actors Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy.

From 2017 to 2018, McGann played sinister surgeon John Gaskell in forty episodes of the medical drama series Holby City (1999-ongoing).

Reprising the Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

McGann had given permission for his likeness to be used in BBC Books' Eighth Doctor Adventures novel range and the monthly Doctor Who Magazine comic strip continuing his character's adventures without him having any actual involvement. As a result, in the many years before television Who returned to production, the Eighth Doctor remained the "current" Doctor in all the new Doctor Who spin-off media with the character's mannerisms extrapolated from his brief performance.

In 1997, McGann made his first foray into Doctor Who audio when he recorded several audiobooks for BBC Audio, beginning with an audio adaptation of The Novel of the Film and continuing with a collection of short stories, Earth and Beyond. In 2000, he joined the roster of Big Finish Productions, reprising the role of the Eighth Doctor for the Main Range, and was treated as the "current" Doctor by the majority of fandom and the BBC until Christopher Eccleston assumed the role in 2005. He also made his webcast debut with the animated Shada. McGann continues to play the Eighth Doctor in Big Finish's main Doctor Who range, as well as Eighth Doctor Adventures, a second series of audios produced by Big Finish for broadcast on BBC7 Radio.

McGann participated in a commentary and other material for the DVD re-release of his own TV Movie. He has narrated material on other classic Who DVD releases as well, for example, the Five Doctors DVD featurette "The Ties That Bind Us."

Paul McGann finally returned to the screen as the Eighth Doctor in 2013, when he reprised the role in The Night of the Doctor. Though it was only a brief outing, the mini-episode allowed him a chance to at last depict his regeneration story. Following this, he bragged that Colin Baker was now the only previous Doctor to have never filmed his regeneration sequence, due to his forced dismissal from the role, which was later rendered a moot point when Baker himself recorded his regeneration in the audio anthology The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure released in 2015. During his regeneration story, McGann also briefly portrayed the newly regenerated War Doctor, making him one of two actors to have technically portrayed two different incarnations of the Doctor (the other being his predecessor Sylvester McCoy, who similarly briefly played the Sixth Doctor during his regeneration sequence).

According to Nicholas Briggs, McGann nearly stopped doing Big Finish during his initial run with companion Charley Pollard, but changed his mind following the casting of Sheridan Smith as new companion Lucie Miller and the new direction for the Eighth Doctor.[2]

In the DWU[[edit] | [edit source]]

A version of Paul McGann was mentioned as being one of the actors in the Doctor Who TV movie, in Hospitality, a short story featuring the "lesbian novelist" Iris in Iris: Abroad.

Another version of Paul McGann appeared in the 2001 short story Father Time: "Set Visit", a speculative piece about what if the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures was part of the television series.

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

As the Eighth Doctor

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Mini-episodes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

Webcasts[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Main Range[[edit] | [edit source]]

Special Releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventuress[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Eighth Doctor Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Further Adventures of Lucie Miller[[edit] | [edit source]]

Dark Eyes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doom Coalition[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ravenous[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stranded[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Eighth Doctor: The Time War[[edit] | [edit source]]

The War Doctor[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sontarans vs Rutans[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Robots[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Paternoster Gang[[edit] | [edit source]]

Peladon[[edit] | [edit source]]

Classic Doctors, New Monsters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Once and Future[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doom's Day[[edit] | [edit source]]

Time Lord Victorious[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Diary of River Song[[edit] | [edit source]]

Susan's War[[edit] | [edit source]]

Master![[edit] | [edit source]]

The War Master[[edit] | [edit source]]

Stage plays[[edit] | [edit source]]

As Durian

Webcasts[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Minster of Chance[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Minster of Chance[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other Roles

Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who Main Range[[edit] | [edit source]]

Master![[edit] | [edit source]]

The War Master[[edit] | [edit source]]

Audiobook Readings[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBC Novelisations[[edit] | [edit source]]

BBC Audio[[edit] | [edit source]]

Time Lord Fairy Tales[[edit] | [edit source]]

Documentaries[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ REF: Who-ology: The Official Miscellany
  2. ↑ https://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/2021-10-31-twelfth-timejacked
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