Doctor Who was voted in 1998 as the most popular drama series ever produced by the BBC, a result which shocked its critics and embarrassed the corporation which had cancelled the 35-year-old series nearly ten years before. In its time it enjoyed enormous popularity and was sold to 87 different countries. Today it retains a hugely loyal cult following, even amongst children who are too young to remember Saturday teatimes before the age of the home video. But in the wilderness years of the 1990s, there had been one glimmer of hope - the TV movie starring Paul McGann as the eighth Doctor, which it had been hoped would spawn a new era for the programme. This book chronicles the BBC's seven-year struggle since cancelling the series in 1989 to develop it as a US co-production. It offers a glimpse in microcosm of the politics of television and the BBC in the 1990s, as well as the creative development hell.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'The best non-fiction Doctor Who book for years. Beautifully designed, full of rare photographs, sumptuous design sketches and concept art... a fabulous look at a turbulent time in the history of a classic television show. * * * * * ' SFX 'Every so often a book comes along which almost defies expectations. Doctor Who: Regeneration is such a book. Fascinating and enthralling, for anyone interested in television history, this is a landmark book. 10/10' Starburst
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From the Publisher
In 1996, over nine million people in Britain alone tuned in to watch the rebirth of a legend ‹ the Doctor Who film, starring Paul McGann as the eighth incarnation of BBC Television¹s famous Time Lord. As seen through the eyes of the only man who could tell it as it was ‹ the film¹s executive producer, Philip Segal ‹ Doctor Who-Regeneration offers a unique insight into television politics and the traumas of creating a whole new era for Doctor Who. Packed with behind-the-scenes accounts, this is the story of one man¹s struggle to bring one of the longest-running and most popular science fiction series of all time back to the TV screens of the world. Illustrated with 200 rare photos, design drawings, and production paintings, this may be the most detailed diary of a TV production ever published. Philip Segal¹s impressive career in television includes thirtysomething and Twin Peaks; he lives and works in Los Angeles.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The triumphs and tribulations of making a TV movie,
This review is from: Doctor Who: Regeneration (Dr Who) (Hardcover)
'Regeneration' is the story of the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie, as told by producer Philip Segal with additional material by Gary Russell. Although, given that the two authors' contributions are in different typefaces, one must assume that the credits have been negotiated Hollywood-style since Mr. Russell certainly contributed more words.This book probably has a limited audience (although some people would say "It's a Doctor Who book! Of course it's only got a limited audience!"), and it is hard for me to imagine exactly who it is for. I found it interesting enough, but tales of negotiating a particular property, no matter how interested I am in that property, through the maze of TV production really isn't my kind of thing. Information on discarded versions of the story (and I'm so glad they were discarded!) are probably the most interesting part of the book for me. I also found the very different ways of expressing themselves employed by Messrs. Segal and Russell interesting to read, but unless you have an interest in the content then that's hardly going to get you in. If you are interested in Doctor Who as a TV show (as opposed to the story told on the TV show), or interested in the internal politicking of TV production, this may be the book for you.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Doctors last gasp????,
By john michals (Whitestone, NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Doctor Who: Regeneration (Dr Who) (Paperback)
This is an excellent book which chronicles many of the most awful, proposed adaptations of Doctor Who which never made it to American television. The end result was a somewhat entertaining `96 TV movie which tries to capture the fun and spirit of the much loved show but still falls slightly short. At every stage, at every turn with every proposal the BBC was looking to charge any production company for every miniscule reference to the original series feeling they could make a fortune if they charged by the letter. Clearly as you read this book and look at the artwork there was the possibility that in migrating to American televison Doctor Who could've advanced to a more grown up type of SF tv show with the benefit of higher production values and writers willing to take chances. The Fox network known for the sucess of the X-Files had a potential winner here if they could take advantage of the tremendous continuity they show posesses. Sadly, it seems the BBC will not allow this racehorse out of the starting gate.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Photos, Very Informative,
By
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This review is from: Doctor Who: Regeneration (Dr Who) (Paperback)
Coauthored by Philip Segal (executive producer of the telefilm) and Gary Russell (all-around Who aficionado), Regeneration presents the whole story behind the 1996 Fox t.v. movie, "Doctor Who." In turns, Segal and Russell hand off back and forth to each other from time to time, and the typeface alternates between two styles to clearly indicate who is contributing what.The book is beautifully designed, and is packed with exceptionally nice photos, from the telefilm as well as from other eras of Doctor Who. These include very detailed photos of the amazing TARDIS interior from this production, giving the reader a chance to really explore the vast control room, with its library area, as well as the music room, green room, and cloister room. There is also lots of interesting information about the production, including details on the various stages it went through, from the earlier script (and its accompanying "bible") by John Leekley, which would have basically been a complete "reboot" of the series mythology, to the final form that used the script by Matthew Jacobs, with its greater continuity to the original series. Reading about the entire process makes it much easier to understand why it took so long to get new Doctor Who in the 90s, why this production didn't lead to a new series, and why certain oddities showed up in the script, such as the "half human" reference and the apparent necessity of featuring the Master. Since three production entities - Universal, the BBC, and Fox - all required creative control of some degree, there were frequent squabbles between the various production personnel, and just too many cooks. And Regeneration is not only about the telefilm - it basically chronicles the entire period from the end of the original series in 1989, through the early 1990s, to a few years after the 1996 telefilm. In the course of this, it covers the attempts at bringing Doctor Who to the big screen, which began in the late 80s, and the 1993 production, The Dimensions of Time. Published in 2000, Regeneration is now out of print. After becoming aware of this book last year, I decided I had to find myself a copy, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The only thing about it that detracts from its quality is the surprisingly sloppy editing job - many typos and other minor errors made their way into the final publication. But that's a minor fault, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed or has an interest in the 1996 telefilm.
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