Doctor Who (TV story)

Title logo for "Doctor Who: The TV Movie"

Cast

Doctor Who: The TV Movie was a 1996 co-production between the BBC and Universal Pictures. Its executive producer, Philip Segal, had hoped that it might be a "back-door pilot" for a new series of Doctor Who, but poor ratings in the United States prevented this.

The TV Movie was broadcast on Fox Television in America on 14 May, 1996, and on BBC1 on 27 May, 1996. Both during production and during its airing, it was referred to only as "Doctor Who". Philip Segal later told a convention audience that if fans wanted a distinct title for the TV Movie, they could call it "Enemy Within", but this name was never used in any official capacity.

British-born television producer Philip Segal had a longtime ambition to create Doctor Who. While working at various American production companies, including Steven Spielberg's Amblin, he attempted to develop a Doctor Who series or film. Eventually he was able to arrange a coproduction between Universal Pictures and the BBC. The script went through several different forms, including some which would have started Doctor Who continuity over again.

The eventual script by Matthew Jacobs continued from the BBC series, including a substantial role for Sylvester McCoy, the last occupant of the role of the Doctor. The story was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from 15 January to 21 February 1996.

Several aspects of this story appear to be at variance with established Doctor Who continuity, most notably the assertion that the Doctor is half-human. Several BBC Eighth Doctor novels deal with this issue, notably Unnatural History, which also deals with the consequences of this adventure.

The Big Finish audio adventure "The Apocalypse Element" attempts to explain why the Eye of Harmony, Gallifreyan technology, could be opened only by a human eye.