Doctor Who Am I, 2022.
Directed by Matthew Jacobs, Vanessa Yuille.
Featuring Matthew Jacobs, Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, Philip David Segal, Eric Roberts, Vanessa Yuille, Nicholas Briggs, and Paul Salamoff.
SYNOPSIS:
An infamous Doctor Who screenwriter is dragged back into the American Whoniverse, in this funny and moving documentary about finding family in the unlikeliest of places.
The Doctor Who TV movie is one that has been mired in controversy and infamy, ever since its release back in 12 May, 1996. From its tumultuous production phase to the bizarre changes made to established Whovian lore that provoked the ire of the fandom, the film comes off as an abomination that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
One of the major contributors to this controversial affair was writer Matthew Jacobs. Previously being involved with such televisions productions as The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, the scribe clearly didn’t know what he was getting himself into when was hired, by producer Philip David Segal, to pen the script for the polarizing movie.
Segal had long been working on trying to get a Doctor Who TV series up and running for American audiences, ever since BBC wrapped up their run of the acclaimed show in the early 90s. Segal and John Leekley, the writer previously attached to the project before Jacobs, even crafted an extensive series bible titled the ‘Chronicles of Doctor Who’, which contains plot points and story concepts regarding their new incarnation of Doctor Who.
Jacobs’ draft closely followed Chronicles of Doctor Who, even including some of its polarizing plot points such as the Time Lord’s much maligned half-human origins. However, the decision to humanize the lead character by making him half-human and fall in love, didn’t sit well with the show’s die-hard fans, and this invariably translated to dismal ratings when the movie debuted in the US.
Paul McGann, in my opinion, made for a fantastic Doctor Who and it is a damn shame that we never got a full series featuring the charismatic Withnail & I star. Even the effervescent Daphne Ashbrook, brings her own brand of distinct charm and magic to the proceedings. And Doctor Who Am I beautifully navigates between all these different individuals- including McGann, Ashbrook, Segal and Roberts – as they recount their vivid experiences and the inevitable fallout of this troubled production, and share their thoughts about being part of the weird world of the American Whoniverse (on a positive note, though, the flick became part of the official Doctor Who continuity with McGann’s reappearance as the Eighth Doctor in the 2013 mini-episode The Night of the Doctor. It’s a less chirpy and more world-weary take on the character by McGann, still it lent the actor an opportunity to have another swing at the role, which is truly something).
But the bleeding heart of this moving documentary is none other than Matthew Jacobs. The ostracized writer chats up with Doctor Who fans, who both hates and loves his contribution to the movie, and try to understand what motivated him to write such a script. It is a cathartic experience for Jacobs as he attempts to grapple with his own personal demons and unburden the overwhelming guilt, he’s been weighed down by all these long years. But amidst all the drama, Jacobs also finds unexpected companionship and joyous camaraderie amongst the fans of the Whoniverse, and that brings him great peace of mind as a creative.
Doctor Who Am I is an absolute must see for fans of the show. It is a documentary that tackles a controversial subject while delivering a poignant story about finding family in the most unexpected of places.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
