Doctor Who fans call for Paul McGann return amid rumours of spin-off
Fans overwhelmingly said they want a new show centred around McGann's Eighth Doctor when asked about potential Who spin-offs.
Ever since it was announced that Russell T Davies was returning as Doctor Who showrunner, talk of potential spin-off series has abounded – Davies did, after all, previously stress his interest in the show accruing its own Marvel-style universe.
This talk was only further fuelled by the news of the BBC's deal with Disney Plus for the international rights to the series, with suggestions recently that the series could get a "£100 million budget".
A source recently told industry site Broadcast that spin-offs could also be on the way, as their "sense" was that the deal was "an investment to fully exploit the franchise and bolster the BBC coffers."
Therefore, we put it to the fans – what spin-off would they most like to see should a new series in the Whoniverse be on the way? Well the responses came in thick and fast, and fans overwhelmingly said they would like to see a new series for Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor.
McGann's Eighth Doctor famously has had a long history with Big Finish audio dramas, but has only appeared on screen three times: once in his own TV movie, once in 50th anniversary short The Night of the Doctor, and most recently for a cameo appearance alongside other classic Doctors in The Power of the Doctor.
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He has however made a big impact on fans, with one saying they want the "8th Doctor missing adventures. It's about time!"
Another fan said they want "anything that stars Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor", while a third said: "Give us what we were promised back in 1996: a proper, full series with Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor. He can clearly still play the part and I suspect he'd love to do it, too! It's about time."
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Amongst the many responses calling for McGann's return there were some other suggestions – one fan called for "River Song's Adventures in Time", while another said they want a spin-off focussed on "Missy", Michelle Gomez's iteration of The Master.
Other suggestions included shows focussed on Clara and Ashildr, the Doctor's daughter Jenny, Jo Jones (née Grant) and a Torchwood revival.
Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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