If Tom Had Been in the 1996 TV Movie

[ThetaSigma]

and had a substantial part of it in which he appeared, until he regenerated into Paul McGann (and one not done as what happened with Sylvester McCoy) would fans have watched it in earnest both sides of the ponds, making it an instant hit?

[Graceful Leonard]

It's hard to say. I think some diehards would dislike the lack of continuity in going from Tom to McGann. Personally, I would have been much happier with that arrangement.

[tch]

While it would have been fun to see Tom in that great Tardis set, I think it would have been jarring to skip backwards, as well as it would have meant another Doctor that never got a regeneration scene, and I'm still bitter that it happened to poor Colin.

Sylvester was a nice enough guy to promise to come back, he deserved to have his scene.

An interesting 'what if' is if Sylvester and Tom traded final stories and we got the 7th in 'Logopolis' and Tom in the TV movie.

[Prydonian]

After some consideration, I don't know if I could stand to have Tom in the TV Movie. Not if he was going to go out just the way Sylv McCoy did in it. That would be traumatic, seeing MY Doctor go out like that.

[Graceful Leonard]

There is also the tricky problem of Tom having already had his regeneration. The film scriptwriters could no doubt have come up with an explanation for it, but I doubt many fans would buy it.

[Betty]

I thought Paul McGann was lovely in that film but he is simply not as good a doctor as Tom and so he would have been completely overshadowed had Tom been there instead of Sylvester McCoy. Just my humble opinion.

[Graceful Leonard]

I thought Paul McGann was lovely in that film but he is simply not as good a doctor as Tom and so he would have been completely overshadowed had Tom been there instead of Sylvester McCoy. Just my humble opinion.

I think Paul McGann is, in his own way, just as good as Tom, but they are very different types. He (McGann) was superb in Withnail & I. But I think you're right that Tom would overshadow almost anyone because he is such a charismatic presence. And it would have been horrible to see Tom for just 10 mins or so. Whereas, I was happy to see only 10mins of McCoy.

[Betty]

And it would have been horrible to see Tom for just 10 mins or so. Whereas, I was happy to see only 10mins of McCoy.

Nicely said