{"id":24626,"date":"2022-10-27T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T07:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1728894"},"modified":"2022-10-27T09:38:26","modified_gmt":"2022-10-27T07:38:26","slug":"doctor-who-am-i-review-extraordinary-doc-of-a-real-life-regeneration","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-am-i-review-extraordinary-doc-of-a-real-life-regeneration\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who Am I review: Extraordinary doc of a real-life regeneration"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Sabastian Astley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 27 October 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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<\/div> 5.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

Just over 25 years ago, the Doctor Who 1996 TV movie debuted \u2013 from the minds of producer Philip Segal and writer Matthew Jacobs, it was a last-chance effort to save the show. Their ideas were ambitious, Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor was an inspired choice, and in many ways, the creative risks taken paved the way for some of the Russell T Davies revival\u2019s greatest moments \u2013 but it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

Reception was mixed at best \u2013 many decried Jacobs for his treatment of the Doctor, not only revealing the Time Lord to be half-human but also introducing a spark of romance with Daphne Ashbrook\u2019s companion, Grace Holloway. (Given everything that\u2019s followed, it\u2019s hard to imagine now just how much a simple kiss could rile up the fandom.)<\/p>\n

Ever since, the Eighth Doctor and his associates were stuck in a state of limbo \u2013 at first, no one knew where the TV movie sat on the timeline or if it even had a place. What\u2019s more, those involved were unsure as to whether the fanbase would be willing to embrace them.<\/p>\n

Understanding the TV movie\u2019s place in the fandom is Matthew Jacobs\u2019s objective in Doctor Who Am I<\/a>. Co-directed by Jacobs and longtime-friend Vanessa Yuille, it chronicles his first experiences with the convention circuit, spotlighting the dedication of Doctor Who fans and the unique community that has sprung up around the show \u2013 but the film also explores how, just like The Doctor himself, Jacobs goes through his own transformation.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s important to understand is that this is not a chronicle of the TV movie\u2019s development \u2013 although a myriad of the original cast and crew appear, Jacobs and Yuille are instead seeking to explore the TV movie\u2019s evolving legacy over the past two decades.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Doctor Who Am I<\/span><\/figcaption> Strike Media<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Jacobs takes lengths to push the focus of the documentary off of him, and onto the remarkable fans they encounter \u2013 there\u2019s a touching humility to how Jacobs carries himself throughout much of Doctor Who Am I, including politely sitting through a fan\u2019s half-joking beratement of some of the TV movie\u2019s finer details.<\/p>\n

But try as he might, Jacobs\u2019s story is too fascinating not to explore \u2013 just as we discover each fan\u2019s personal connection to the show, so do we begin to understand the complex emotional entanglement Jacobs has.<\/p>\n

His father, Anthony Jacobs, was an actor who appeared in First Doctor serial The Gunfighters, and Matthew\u2019s recollection of his day on the set begins to reveal that he\u2019s perhaps much closer to this fantastical franchise than he has initially let on.<\/p>\n

Every time that he attempts to distinguish himself from the typical Whovian fan, a moment occurs, or a memory is shared that betrays that deception \u2013 what begins to reveal itself is that this journey into the convention circuit is more than just an exploration of the TV movie\u2019s legacy, but in fact a document of Jacobs attempting to understand his own complicated relationship with the show.<\/p>\n