h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

the episode titles could do with being updated as im sure your aware and on the subject of the new series does anyone know why mcgann (considered the eigth doctor to which i agree) was not used at all in the new series Eccleston is fantastic as the doctor and ive always been a fan of his but it seems odd with no regeneration story. I know it is to reach a new audience and to the start of the series was a great introdution to the doctor but the regeneration should and could of been worked in later in the series as maybe a flashback this would of kept fans happy and introduced new fans to what is to come but as it is now eccleston has left and that crossover will never happen

There is precedent for it though; we never got to see the Troughton / Pertwee regeneration either.

it was red tape about copyright i believe, as the 1996 film's copyright, including McGann as the doctor, is jointly owned by the bbc and i think fox, but not sure. basicly it would have cost a ridiculous amount of money to buy the rights to have McGann appear as the doctor

or something like that

Actually, it was nothing to do with red tape - it was a purely creative decision. Russell Davies wanted the new audience to get to know this new Doctor so that when he regenerated at the end of the series they'd have a genuine emotional response and so it would come as a surprise. If they'd begun the series with a regeneration it would have spoiled the surprise. Bringing back Paul McGann was never considered an option, from day one of production on the new series.

You can see this in Russell's pitch, where he describes how the Doctor is already in position, the sole survivor of the Time War (or so he thinks).

While it would have been nice for the fans, beginning a series with McGann would have alienated the new audience. The TV movie kind of showed that, in that it had such a low rating in America, where it was being treated as a brand new show, whereas it got very good ratings here, where the idea of a regenerating Doctor was established. By 2005 though, few of the target audience would have even been born when the TV movie was transmitted. They had the luck to be able to watch this all fresh

"By 2005 though, few of the target audience would have even been born when the TV movie was transmitted. They had the luck to be able to watch this all fresh."

Thanks for that Jimster. I feel *old* now.

Y'know, we're now further away from The Five Doctors than it was from the very first episode?

Huh. At least no-one younger than me's been cast as the Doctor.