Paul McGann is seriously one of the most underrated doctors, potentially my favourite , I wish he could have done more on screen time

"Will it Hurt?" - so clever wordplay.

I loved the end shot, where we see a younger John Hurt in the reflection. I guess the war went on for long enough to see one Doctor age considerably.

He toasted his companions from the Big Finish audio dramas making them canon.

and in one sentence, all the radio dramas become canon

It was amazing that they could pack more storytelling in this short, than some of the later full episodes.

For such a short episode, so powerful.

The best 7 stand-alone minutes of Doctor Who that we're ever likely to see

This was the only second time Paul McGann played The Doctor in live action. He has mostly done the audio stories. Before he regenerated in this, he named his audio companions which means all those stories are canon. This minisode did a great job of showing how horrible the consequences of the time war were. Also, the 8th doctor regenerated into a younger John Hurt. When we saw him in Name of the Doctor, he was much older. Since timelords age slower than humans, it hints to how long the time war lasted for.

I'm so glad you watched the TV movie before watching this one. It adds a huge layer to the story.

Physician, heal thyself...

Two interesting points to mention here. 1: This minisode was kind of a sequel to the 4th Doctor story "The Brain of Morbius" which is the one and only time before this that the Doctor visited the planet Karn (On-Screen, I should say, as there was a Big Finish 8th Doctor story where he goes back to Karn) and met with the Sisterhood. (Sarah Jane Smith was the companion in "The Brain of Morbius" btw.) And 2: This minisode delighted the fans of Paul McGann's Big Finish audio adventures, because it made the Big Finish 8th Doctor stories Canon! The 8th Doctor lists out the names of all his Big Finish audio adventure companions right before he drinks the elixir and regenerates into the War Doctor.

This minisode was SO incredibly helpful to the Doctor Who lore, we absolutely needed this.

It was such an unexpected thrill to have Paul McGann back for this taster for the 50th anniversary episode. You looked every bit as surprised and excited as I was back then ....roll on Day of the Doctor!!!!

I may be wrong, but as far as I can remember, this was as much a shock to the rest of us when we saw this as it was to you - Paul McGann's turn in this was not announced or expected.

Blood hell McGann's actor presence is phenomenal (I.e. "Get out!! GET OUTTTT!!!!) He needs more. The right writer can bring this man back for a spin-off. Hope he/8,9,10,11,12 are in the 60th Anniversary!!!

"I really like Paul's portrayal of the Doctor" That's it, I'm taking Jess through the journey of Big Finish because those were the stories that made Paul's Doctor my third of all time :D

The Sisterhood of Karn were first seen in a Tom Baker Episode called, 'The Brain Of Morbius'. Sarah Jane was the Doctor's Companion.

this was such a major shock when it came out, glad you werent spoiled

I remember how floored I was to see Paul McGann in this minisode. As another pointed out, it had been 20 years, so it was very impactful for some of us old Whovians. LOL LOL I am glad you got to see the Doctor Who movie before this. Gave you real perspective. But none of us really understood what was coming up in the 50th. When we started watching that, the minisode made it all icing on the cake.

This story serves as the Doctor's hard check in the timeline that being even a carefree Time Lord and having the TARDIS to run around in was no longer enough. He had to face the Time War in one way or another, and even if he didn't agree with it, he could no longer run away from it.

Great little episode! Paul McGann is superb as usual. Biggest surprise for me was the return of the Sisterhood of Karn. And it was such a treat to see the Eighth Doctor regenerate into the War Doctor as played by the magnificent Sir John Hurt, RIP. Fun and engaging reaction as always, Jess. Thank you ☺

Can you imagine a full series with Paul as the Dr?

They did a clever thing. At the end you see a reflection. They used a image of John hurt from older movies when he was younger for that shot. Also all the names the eighth doctor meantioned were companions from audio adventures.

I absolutely loved this prologue to the Day of the Doctor. I almost fell off my chair when that flash dispersed to reveal Paul's face. He most certainly was 'not the one I was expecting'! I bet everyone here can remember how they felt when they first saw it too. And speaking as a spoilerphobe, I pity those that seek and sniff out spoilers, plot lines, etc. when this amount of excitement and surprise can happen with _every_ episode.

This recently popped up on my feed. I"m glad to see some else's reaction to this clip. It's definitely one of the best Doctor Who I've ever seen. I remember when I saw it for the first time and saw McGann in the ship, I threw my hands up into the air and said "Yes!" We could definitely have used more of him. =)

Seven minutes, the best episode ever made.

I was really pleased Paul McGann got to give more indications of how good he could have been and even happier that they got John Hurt to be The War Doctor instead cos nobody does moral agonising like he did (except possibly Jacobi and he'd done his bit). They could easily have gone for a more physically imposing actor but of course that's not the kind of warrior the universe needed. I also liked the way they made him seem a good bit younger in that reflection - it accentuates the toll that the War takes out of him and that he does run out of choices. Oh and I also enjoyed Claire Higgins milking that role as head of the sisterhood for all it was worth.

YEEESSS! I was so ready when this came out. Eight's regeneration! And not just that, but the day Doctor Who established Big Finish as canon! This was a fantastic way to end Eight's run. And it came out on Paul McGann's birthday too :D

I lost my mind when 8 showed up. He is one of my favorite Doctors. The Big Finish audios are amazing and really have done a great job of letting 8 shine. I lost my mind again when he rattled off the names of a bunch of his companions before regeneration. Lucy! Charley! If you ever want to know the 8th Doctor, listen to his stories from Big Finish. They’re great when you’re in the car, doing things around the house, etc. A bunch of them are available on Spotify, Google Play Music etc. so you can listen to them free! The other classic Doctors get great stories too but just listening to 8’s stories is a great way to fill in his history.

When the Doctor lists his companions, that confirms that the Big Finish Audio adventures are now canon! Also, in case you're wondering, the Sisterhood of Karn are from a Tom Baker story 'The Brain of Morbius' from 1976.

This minisode could've easily been turned into a full one-off episode, just further proof that we could enjoy a 8th Doctor live action season or something

After seeing how easily McGann resumed the role of the Doctor I would have loved to see him in a prequel series, just one. It was fascinating to see him become Eight just like that. He deserves more than just the audios. He deserves a series. And throw in Christmas special while you're at it!

"There she goes, back to her war. Dark eyes no more."

Do you see now why we were all so excited to see your reaction to this? I swear I punched the air, laughed, and wept more times in that seven minutes... "Who can tell the difference any more?" "I don't suppose there's any need for a Doctor any more..." Those two lines especially still bring tears to my eyes.

Eighth doctor! Sisterhood of Karn! Timelord potions! cool stuff. I'm glad folks enjoyed this surprise and I enjoyed finally seeing an eighth doctor exit regeneration scene.

I've been waiting for this. That was absolutely delightful! It was so much fun to see how absolutely stunned you were by this. It's so intense! I love The Night of the Doctor. I think it's one of the best pieces of Who that's been written recently, despite its length. Moffat nailed it - and it's so intense from beginning to end. Paul is absolutely wonderful, "Bring me knitting!". I'm so glad you liked him. He's one of my favorites - mostly through his extensive work of Big Finish audio dramas, but I just think he's the best part of the TV movie, he makes me so happy in that, and in this one he's phenomenal. I remember that when this one aired, it was just a bit after I'd gotten into the audio dramas, and the moment I heard his voice saying "I'm a doctor" - I paused and actually shouted out loud. It was such an amazing feeling. But I think that even if your connection to Eighth isn't big, this is still a really emotional short, and it sets up his character and the horror of the time war really well, without showing very much. So glad you enjoyed. I'm gonna rewatch that. Doctor Who December is continuing to be a highlight for me, every day. :D

The War Doctor were from the beggining young but then.. for years of fighting.. he get old. The Director propably just used some young photo version of John Hurt from his ''young age of cinematography''. PS: I'm not English and that means that my english is not correct sometimes... - I'm sorry.

9 years after the movie and he slips back into the role as if it was yesterday. Loved your reaction. X

It killed me when he said, " there's no need for a Doctor anymore."

As is shown in several of the Big Finish Audio Stories, where the vast majority of the 8th Doctor’s life is, the 8th Doctor spends his last several years in emotional pain and agony as the Time War builds and rages, devastating planets that he’s never able to save.

Excellent Reaction!! 2 things to notice from this: 1) The Level of Terror Cass had to the Doctor as a time lord emphasizes what the 10th Doctor said in The end of Time about the War becoming Hell to the point that the Time Lords were seen as just as bad as the Daleks by the lesser races caught in the middle. 2) Look How young The War Doctor looks in the reflection vs how he looked in the Name of The Doctor. That should tell you that the War Lasted for a LONG time, long enough for the War Doctor to Age into his form in the Name of the Doctor which, given how slow the Doctor Ages, should tell you a Lot about his state going into the Day of the Doctor.

all of the names he saluted before drinking the concoction were the names of his companions in the audio adventures featuring Paul Mcgann - making them canon to the main Doctor Who timeline

I think they got the young John Hurt face from I, Claudius - where he played Emperor Caligula.

Great reaction. I wish paul had got more of a chance to play the doctor

anyone who likes paul McGann..look up withnail and I...one of his best performances and a great British comedy..

Yes, that is the correct reaction to Paul Mcgann's appearance... and the BBC managed to keep it under wraps until it came out. It was such an amazing moment when it first came out.

I am so excited for you to meet Capaldi's Doctor, just don't give up on him after his first series! SOO many fans have done this and missed series 9 and 10 and they are amazing!

Just watched this! Oh, Sesska - when this first dropped, it melted people's brains! I'm amazed that they kept it secret.

The head priestess of the sisterhood! What a phenomenal performance. I am always just enthralled by her in this. The 8th Doctor's performance as well. Shame the 90's movie didn't capture this side of him. That steaming pile of poop just missed opportunities and instead gave us "the Doctor is half human" and we are stuck with that as canon even when it makes no sense at all!

Wow. More intense and meaningful Doctor Who in 10 minutes than we get in an entire season.

I really liked Paul as the Doctor and there were so many who didn't want him to be part of the cannon and I think that made me an even bigger supporter of Paul as the 8th Doctor. While the show finally did recognize Paul as the Doctor... (and I was giddy with every reference) I was not prepared for this. When Paul appeared at the start of this episode, the raw screaming of absolute, excited joy made me miss the next few minutes... had to stop and go back because I was so overwhelmed with giddy delight!! I would love for a multi-Doctor story with Paul in it in the future.... But this was so good... even if it was just a short mini-sode. The references to older Doctor Who with the sisters and his salute to his companions from the audio dramas was just frosting on this cake of awesome! So glad you got to see it!! This meant almost as much to me as the 50th anniversary episode.

Been waiting for this reaction, yessss! Such a huge surprise and delight to see McGann on screen again. And now, after the Night comes the Day...

A fab Doctor and a truly lovely man! Paul McGann is definitely in my top five Doctors so I loved this minisode so much!

Paul McGann really did portray the Doctor wonderfully well, and sadly he only got the movie and a short, yet still, he really captured it.

So happy to see your reaction to this. :) It's completely mind-bending to think that Paul McGann only had two on-screen appearances as the Doctor and they were 17 years apart. He did a ton of Big Finish audio stories (after all, we had to have someone to keep Doctor Who alive between the 1996 movie and the 2005 revival) but yeah, apart from this, no other appearances apart from stock footage, like in The Eleventh Hour.

We're almost to the Day of the Doctor! Jess, thank you soooo much for doing these videos! BRAVO!

The eighth doctor mentions Charley. She is Charly Pollard the Edwardian adventurer. Best companion in the eighth doctors run.

YAY!! Thanks so much for this one! I bet everyone was biting their tongues when you posted the TV movie, knowing that this was coming! When I saw this at the time it blew me away, but it did make me wish for a full 8th Doctor series.

Jess, your reaction is priceless on this big reveal, I loved it! You have been my favorite Doctor Who reactor, and thank you for allowing us to share on this amazing journey with you.🤗

AIUI in a later prose story Ohila and the Doctor discuss what happened here, and Ohila reveals to him that the "potion" she gave him was only lemonade (= American Sprite/7UP) with dry ice in it. In other words, the "warrior"/War Doctor was entirely the Doctor's creation all along. That revelation cuts deep - and ties into all the building hurt and loss the 8th was feeling.

Been really excited for this, like everyone else. Seven of the best Doctor Who minutes ever. This is what got me listening to the Big Finish DW audio dramas, and after listening to most of the Paul McGann audio adventures, i realised that this minisode is perfect for the 8th Doctor. A little darker, pretty weird and a powerhouse performance. It must have been so much fun for McGann to film this, since he had honed his portrayal of the Doctor at Big Finish for about 12 years when Night was released. "Will it (John) Hurt?" is just such a cheeky fun line to throw in. "Bring me knitting." Glorious. And for once, for one shining moment, everyone agreed Moffat had done something utterly brilliant. Now i'm going to watch this reaction about five more times.

Paul Mcgann is an incredible Doctor, the Big Finish audio plays with him are very good indeed and worth a listen

Paul McGann is amazing, it's such a shame he only got a single televised episode.

This released like a week before the 50th because it was about to get leaked and the BBC had to scramble to pre-empt it. I assume it was originally going to be released the day before, but imo how it actually happened was better because we got a whole week for the hype train to kick into overdrive.

I'm from Liverpool, just like Paul McGann, first scouse Doctor, lol, great actor, he has done a lot of audio books as The Doctor.

That takes care of question #1 on your FAQ. Loved your reaction. Thank you for every day this month. I have been looking forward to today, and it did not disappoint.

So glad to finally see this reaction! It was definitely worth the wait! It was great that you watched the TV movie a couple of weeks back. The reveal of Paul McGann at the start of the minisode wouldn't have had half as much impact, otherwise. Oh, and I'm also glad to see that this minisode didn't get spoiled for you, as the surprise on your face was fantastic! I'm not gonna lie, I have a huge soft spot for The Night of the Doctor. 17 years since his previous TV appearance, seeing "my" Doctor on TV again was a huge shock, I can tell ya. And it was so great to FINALLY get his regeneration story, at long last. Tying into his audios by mentioning his companions was just the icing on the cake. Genuinely one of my favourite regeneration stories.

One thing that no one mentioned: he was made canon twice over in two 10th Doctor episodes. In "Human Nature" while John Smith (10) was writing in his Journal of Impossible Things he had drawn the 8th Doctor and then again in "The Next Doctor" when he was showing Jackson Lake the faces of his past selves stored in the 'info-stamps' one of them was the 8th Doctor. Now I can see some people saying about the Journal 'oh well that could have been anyone' ok, fine even though it is included in the drawings of other Doctors but the info-stamps show the faces of all who came before 10 and 8 is there. Hmmm....did I just hear a gunshot? No, I think it was a CANON!! :-)

I just realized. If the Doctor is dead and has been reanimated for 4 minutes, that makes the title a reference to Night of the Living Dead.

Charley Pollard is a Edwardian Adventuress. C’Rizz -a humanoid chameleon from a different universe Lucie - Lucie Miller, think s1 Rose with the mouth of Donna from present day Tamsin- present day actress Molly O Sullivan -Irish VAD from WW1 He’s also had Liv Chenka a medical tec from the future, Helen Sinclair a museum worker from 1963, River Song & Bliss a student from the future who’s class got destroyed in a effect from the Time War

Priceless reaction!

I realise Paul McGann did alot of audio stories. I would have loved to have seen him get a series on screen. I really like him as the Doctor.

Paul's fantastic and his humor is amazing. I love that you loved it, and I loved that you were happy to see him. For those of us who watched the Fox movie originally it's crazy to think that it had been SO MANY YEARS since we'd seen him as the Doctor, it made me curious so see how you would react having just "met" him. Thank you for watching this. Love all of your reactions!

It blew me away too. One of the best things in the new Who story arc, ever

There’s another minisode/prequel to the day of the doctor called “The Last Day” available on KZfaq. Not sure if it’s already on your list 😊

That minisode was epic and badly needed to fill in a big gap in continuity.

I was screaming when I first saw this!! :D

Yay, been looking forward to this for some time. :) Your reactions have made December even better for me, thank you for these awesome videos.

As always: Brightly awesome, Jess! Ahhh ... John Hurt. Brought so much to DW in such limited time. And it is a crime the tremendous Paul McGann hasn't been used more!

BTW the one he regenerates into is the war doctor, from the end of the name of the doctor!

Where are we going ? - To the back of the ship. Why ? - Because the front crashes first!

Absolutely best reaction one of the few people whom know Paul Mcgann as the 8th Doctor. Very unique and fantastic reaction that made my day.

I'm so glad you've finally watched this!

If you want more Eighth and curious about Charlie, Lucie and others - try Big Finish Audios.

I'm really pleased that his reappearance was as much a surprise to you as it was to us in the run-up to the 50th special. McGann was still technically the Doctor when I got into the show before it came back (his Doctor having adventures in novels, comic strips and audio dramas - the latter which feature the companions he names here). When I first saw him, I leaped up and shouted "YES!" because I knew what it meant - that we would finally find out how he regenerated.

The absolute best 7 minutes of new who

even if it didnt make the list for doctor who december, please watch (even if you dont react to it) the fiveish doctors reboot. seeing as youre a fan of mcgann (hes in it) and also its a companion to the main special with a classic and comedic leaning, yet still emotional and heartwarming

Some people thought that Paul McGann got a raw deal from the movie. However, the character he portrays here is from many years of audio dramas (Published by Big Finish) and he has a well polished and stable persona as the Doctor in this minisode as a result. I was totally overjoyed to see him as part of the 50 years celebrations If you do ever get your hands on any of his audio books, they are brilliant and showcase a unique Doctor.

I'm watching this again before watching your Day of the Doctor reaction!

I liked this Doctor Who short lots. I was SO glad to see 8th Doctor again. He had so little screen time.

Watching this again, especially after you have seen so much of Classic Who it is cool. I really feel like Paul McGann really knocked this small part out of the park and gives you so much in such a small bit. With the 60th happening in November I think they are going to have a hard time matching the 50th in just how absolutely perfect it was. Even without Chris Eccelston they just nailed so much of Doctor Who. Steven Moffat is still my favourite show runner. Was he perfect, no. But when he hit it absolutely got hit out of the park.

That was the second time the sisterhood of karn saved the doctor's life . The first was after the mind wrestling battle with Morbius.

The names the doctor said before regenerating were the names of his companions in big finish

Best episode of New Who.

This was my favorite appearance of doctor number 8

i would recommend looking up a fanfilm called "seasons of war" as a sort of continuation of this. it's so good that it doesn't feel like a fanfilm, but like a real minisode

"Oh my God! OH MY GOD!" I know same 😂 Seriously that was my reaction when this first came out 😅❤ I was one of them who actually liked the TV film and wanted more Eight on screen 😁❤

I think your eyes told the whole story in this reaction :P Great minisode, perfect lead-in to Day of the Doctor.

The Sisterhood of Karn is a call back to a Tom Baker(4th Doctor) episode "The Brain of Morbius"