After a disappointing celebration of the too-short Eighth Doctor era (trust me, do not get me started), BBC America will continue its monthly 50th anniversary Doctor Who specials on Sept. 29 with a documentary examining Christopher Eccleston, the Ninth (?) Doctor, who brought the British sci-fi cult phenomenon roaring back to television and long-overdue international prominence in 2005.
After a retrospective featuring current executive producer Steven Moffat, sci-fi writer Neil Gaiman and Eccleston-era co-stars John Barrowman and Noel Clarke, we’ll be treated to a double-feature of the first 21st-century Doctor’s explosive final two-part adventure, “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways.”
That’s right, after Number Eight Paul McGann failed to materialize at his own party last month, we’re even far less likely this time around to see the Doctor in question reflect on his TARDIS time, what with Eccleston’s well-publicized but little-understood feud with the program, in which he featured for just one season. But we’ll get to relive his swan song, which introduced most of the world to David Tennant and one of the most nagging memes in all of sci-fi: “Bad Wolf.”
Take note: This time, the special will be on a Sunday, instead of the traditional (so far) Saturday.
Which Ninth (?) Doctor episode do you think is the most … fantastic?
Father’s Day.
Dalek