Enemy Within
Doctor Who was a 1996 telemovie based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which it was hoped could be the pilot for a new series. In order to avoid confusion the producer subsequently suggested that fans of the series could refer to the telemovie by the unofficial title Enemy Within although this title was never used during production.It was broadcast in 1996 on the Fox Network, where it received disappointing ratings (partly due to the popularity of the programs it was up against). When shown on BBC 1 in the UK during the same year, however, it received 9 Million viewers.
Unlike most American series based on UK ones (such as Sanford and Son or All in the Family), the show made a direct attempt to continue on from where the original BBC series had left off. To this end, it features a cameo appearance by Sylvester McCoy, the last actor to play the Doctor in the older series.
Producer Philip Segal had been trying for some years to launch a new American-produced series of Doctor Who, but the Fox Network - the only American network that showed any interest - was only prepared to commit to a single telemovie. It was hoped that, if the telemovie were successful, Fox might be persuaded to reconsider a series; however, the telemovie's ratings performance was not strong enough to hold Fox's interest.
It remains Paul McGann's sole televised story as the Doctor. It has nonetheless had a significant impact, with the ongoing Doctor Who novel line, comic strip, and audio series all featuring the Eighth Doctor from the telemovie.
While moving the remains of his old enemy and rival Time Lord, the Master back to their home planet Gallifrey, the Seventh Doctor finds his TARDIS being taken off course. It lands in San Francisco, 1999, where suffering from fatal injuries the Doctor regnerates into his eighth incarnation.
The Master, meanwhile, has resurrected himself by taking over the body of an ambulance driver (Eric Roberts), and plans to open the Eye of Harmony inside the TARDIS, allowing him to take the Doctor's remaining regenerations. He obtains the assistance of a young man, Chang Lee (Yee Jee Tso), by convincing him that the Doctor is an evil alien who steals people's bodies.
The Doctor obtains the assistance of Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook), a cardiac surgeon, and together they must stop the Master from causing the destruction of Earth at Midnight on December 31, 1999.
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