Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who
- Publication: Daily Express
- Date: 1996-01-11
- Author: Pauline Wallin
- Page: 4
- Language: English
ACTOR Paul McGann has beaten the best of Hollywood to become the next Dr Who.
Star names like Jack Nicholson, Bill Cosby, Eric Idle and Alan Rickman were all in the running as the eighth reincarnation of the travelling timelord.
But McGann, the 36-year-old star of The Monocled Mutineer, was chosen to front a new £5 million TV film.
"Paul is good-looking but also looks like an alien in a way," said a senior BBC source. "He was always our first choice."
McGann is one of the four-strong clan of Liverpool-born acting brothers who appeared together on TV for the first time last year in story of the Irish famine, The Hanging Gale.
The doctor was first played by William Hartnell, who first battled against interstellar villains the Daleks 32 years ago. The last doctor was comic Sylvester McCoy in 1987.
McGann said: "Taking on such a key role hasn't really sunk in yet. I loved Doctor Who as a kid. William Hartnell used to terrify me.
"It's just beginning to dawn on me what all this means. Sylvester is a friend so he's told me everything I need to know.
"My favourite villain was the Yeti. The Daleks never did it for me — they couldn't run upstairs. The film will be loyal to the spirit of past series, but find fresh appeal too."
Dr Who has an enormous, worldwide cult following — particularly in the U.S., where reruns attract big audiences.
Universal and BBC Worldwide will make the film, which will be screened later this year on BBC 1 and in America by Fox TV.
Yesterday's announcement, made by BBC1 controller Alan Yentob, ends a bitter six-year battle between rival backers to bring the doctor back to life.
"We're delighted Paul is playing Doctor Who and particularly pleased to be working in collaboration with Universal," he said.
Captions:
LORDING IT: McGann 'looks like an alien'
FIRST: William Hartnell
LAST: Sylvester McCoy
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.: Wallin, Pauline (1996-01-11). Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who. Daily Express p. 4.
- MLA 7th ed.: Wallin, Pauline. "Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who." Daily Express [add city] 1996-01-11, 4. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Wallin, Pauline. "Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who." Daily Express, edition, sec., 1996-01-11
- Turabian: Wallin, Pauline. "Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who." Daily Express, 1996-01-11, section, 4 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Our_man_McGann_beats_the_stars_to_become_new_Dr_Who | work=Daily Express | pages=4 | date=1996-01-11 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Our man McGann beats the stars to become new Dr Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Our_man_McGann_beats_the_stars_to_become_new_Dr_Who | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=12 April 2025}}</ref>
