Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift
- Publication: The Press Democrat
- Date: 1996-05-12
- Author: Bill Mann
- Page: 14
- Language: English
"Doctor Who" has aired on the BBC and PBS since 1963. I've channel-surfed right by TV's longest-running sci-fi series countless times, rarely stopping because of its cheesy, low-tech look.
Here in America, we like our sci-fi flashy, with bells and whistles. If I want character development, I'll generally look for more conventional dramas. I hadn't even realized there have been seven actors playing the British time-traveller going back 30-plus years.
But things change at 8 p.m. Tuesday on KTVU-TV, Channel 2, with the unveiling of the first North American-produced "Doctor Who." This two-hour Fox movie was filmed in Vancouver, and is a Canadian-BBC production.
It will be interesting to see how longtime followers of this TV cult classic react to Tuesday's expensive, new high-tech look, as well how "Who" fans (the Doctor, not the rockers) receive the eighth and latest Doctor in this new tale set in San Francisco in 1999 (Just don't squint too hard looking for that Transamerica Pyramid; remember; this was done in B.C.).
The latest Doctor Who is British actor Paul McGann ("Alien") who, speaking of The Who as we were, reminds me a bit of the "Tommy"-era Roger Daltry, with his mane of blonde hair and Edwardian wardrobe.
One nice touch and a nod to the series' estimable history is that the seventh and previous Doctor from the BBC series, Sylvester McCoy, "passes the baton" to his successor, McGann, by McCoy's appearing at the opening of Tuesdays movie. Doctor Who is 950-odd years old and from time to time, "regenerates" in a new body.
The Doc's time machine, the TARDIS (disguised on the outside as an old London police call box) crash-lands in San Francisco — right in the middle of an Asian gang shooting, and The Doctor (the older, heavyset McCoy, that is) is shot and is taken to S.F. General for lifesaving surgery.
But cardiologist Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) accidentally kills her patient, having not checked for an extra heart when she tries to defibrillate the patient.
In the morgue, the Doctor uses up another life and — cue the laser flashes — emerges in a younger body (McGann). He shuffles around the hospital dazed, trying to figure out who he is — complete with morgue tag on his toe.
Soon, with Dr. Holloway's help, the Doctor is out to save the world from being destroyed by his archenemy, another time-traveller known as the Master (played by a diabolical-looking Eric Roberts, Julia's sibling).
It's New Year's Eve, 1999, in San Francisco, and strange things are happening as the millennium nears. "Flood warnings have gone out for the Russian and Napa Rivers," announces a San Francisco TV anchor, explaining that "there are strange fluctuations in the earth's gravitational pull."
The Doctor rushes for his spacious lab inside the TARDIS — which has that familiar, low-tech look to it. There he has a big showdown with the Master, complete with high-tech special effects.
He saves the world, of course, the millennium begins, and the planet is safe for the next Doctor Who. (That is, if Fox's ratings Tuesday are high enough.) The youthful McGann will probably do several more years as the character, at least for the BBC.
They can do 10 more "Doctor Whos," and this non-sci-fi fan probably still won't be able (or willing) to follow these contrived and serpentine storylines, no matter how well-rendered they may be.
Fox has front-loaded Tuesday's drama with special effects to hold the audience, in effect saying, "This isn't your father's Doctor Who."
I don't know if long-time "Who" followers will like the new high-tech look here (I suspect many won't). I'll be over on NBC Tuesday watching a "sci-fi" show I can understand, NBC sitcom "Third Rock From The Sun."
Caption: Paul McGann, left photo, stars as the Doctor, a renegade time-traveler who battles his arch nemesis, the Master, played by Eric Roberts, in the world premiere of 'Doctor Who.'
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Mann, Bill (1996-05-12). Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift. The Press Democrat p. 14.
- MLA 7th ed.: Mann, Bill. "Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift." The Press Democrat [add city] 1996-05-12, 14. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Mann, Bill. "Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift." The Press Democrat, edition, sec., 1996-05-12
- Turabian: Mann, Bill. "Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift." The Press Democrat, 1996-05-12, section, 14 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_gets_high-tech_face_lift | work=The Press Democrat | pages=14 | date=1996-05-12 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Doctor Who gets high-tech face lift | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Doctor_Who_gets_high-tech_face_lift | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=22 March 2025}}</ref>
