| “ | Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly... friends, companions I've known, I salute you. And Cass, I apologise. | „ |
| ~ The Eighth Doctor shortly before drinking an elixir to regenerate into a warrior. |
The Eighth Doctor is the main protagonist of the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie and the 2013 TV Short, The Night of the Doctor, as well as the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels and Big Finish's "Eighth Doctor" audio dramas.
He is portrayed by Paul McGann.
Biography[]
The Eighth Doctor regenerated from the Seventh Doctor after he was fatally wounded while on Earth. Initially following his regeneration, the Doctor suffered a case of post-regeneration amnesia, though he eventually regained his memories and went on to thwart a plan by the Master to steal his body.
The Eighth Doctor would go on to embark on various adventures across time and space. The Doctor had adventures with sci-fi fan Izzy in the Doctor Who Magazine comics, battling treats such as the Threshold. Within the novels, the Doctor travelled with environmentalist Sam Jones, finding himself facing the ripple effects of a time war, as well as the manipulations of the Faction Paradox cult. They took in Fitz Kreiner, who the Doctor would grow exceptionally close to. At the conclusion of his involvement in The War, the Doctor was left without his past for over a century on Earth, and would only sometimes show glimpses of his former memories when he travelled in the Post War Universe. Eventually, the Time Lords were restored and the Doctor regained his thousand years of experience.
After the deaths of Lucie Miller, Tamsin Drew and his great grandson Alex, he would be left emotionally broken. However, the Doctor would recover the strength to face several vast schemes from the likes of the Dalek Time Controller, the Master and the Eminence, the Eleven and the Doom Coalition, and the Ravenous and Divine Intervention.
When the Time War erupted between the Time Lords and the Daleks, the Eighth Doctor initially tried to stay out of the conflict, doing what he could to help those affected by it but choosing not to participate in the fighting. However, when his attempt to save Cass, a crewmember of a crashing ship, was rebuked by her due to him being a Time Lord, the ship went down with both of them on it. The Eighth Doctor was saved by the Sisterhood of Karn, albeit only temporarily as he'd been fatally wounded by the crash. Realizing that the Time War threatened to tear the universe apart and that he could avoid it no longer, the Doctor drank an elixir given to him by the Sisterhood to regenerate into a "warrior" to fight in the war.
Personality[]
The Eighth Doctor was an enthusiastic adventurer who explored the universe for the sheer love and expereince of it. He was much more open in expressing and feeling emotion than his predecessors, and was even shown to be a romantic figure, falling in love with his female companions. The Eighth Doctor believed that it was his duty to save anyone and everyone he could, and that any life was worth saving. Despite his positive spirit, he did possess a darker side to his personality which would surface whenever his friends and the universe was threatened.
Quotes[]
| “ | Injustice is the rule, but I want justice. Suffering is the rule, but I want to end it. Despair accords with reality, but I insist on hope. I don't accept it because it is unacceptable. I say no. | „ |
| ~ The Doctor rejects Sabbath's philosophy in Camera Obsura. |
| “ | You feel that pounding in your heart? That tightness in the pit of your stomach? The blood rushing to your head, do you know what that is? That's adventure, the thrill and the fear and the joy of stepping into the unknown. That's why we're all here and that's why we're alive! | „ |
| ~ The Eighth Doctor, Storm Warning. |
| “ | Sorry, I was soliloquising again. Filthy habit. | „ |
| “ | I’m a Time Lord in a realm where the term is meaningless. My pain has been infinite. Eight lifetimes worth. I left my world to travel, to experience the universe, but there’s been a price for my freedom. Worlds, I’ve seen subjugated or destroyed. Friends I’ve lost. Don’t tell me you’ve tapped yourselves in my mind and you can’t see that. Come on, there’s something else. Some other reason for all this… You’re frightened of me, aren’t you? You think I’ll destroy you. | „ |
| ~ The Eighth Doctor in The Twilight Kingdom. |
| “ | If you're prepared to accept that much collateral damage to the rest of the universe, then what exactly are you fighting for? I'll protect those with no choice in the matter, no voice. | „ |
| ~ The Eighth Doctor to the Time Lords, The Conscript. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Due to having no TV series, and thus less oversight, the Doctor's characterisation would be developed in ways that the revived TV show would take several years to approach again, with the Doctor being depicted as having a fluid sexuality. He had romantic overtones with both Fitz and Charley in the novels and audios respectively.
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 Heroes
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The Doctor The Doctor's companions UNIT Torchwood Institute Bannerman Road Gang Investigators of Infernal Incidents Paternoster Gang Coal Hill defenders Other Allies | ||
