Summary
- Paul McGann's controversial kiss as the Eighth Doctor paved the way for future romantic storylines in Doctor Who, allowing subsequent Doctors to explore emotional love stories.
- The kiss between the Eighth Doctor and Grace Holloway sparked unease because it went against the established portrayal of the Doctor as an alien figure devoid of romantic feelings.
- Modern Doctor Who romances receive less backlash because they serve to develop the Doctor's character and utilize the show's sci-fi elements, unlike the 1996 TV movie kiss which felt like a contractual obligation.
Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor has a lot to answer for, as Doctor regeneration sequence, but much had changed. A co-production between the BBC and Universal, Doctor Who had a Hollywood sheen, the titular Time Lord suddenly proclaimed himself as half-human, and the Master could transform into a serpent.
By far the most controversial addition 1996's sort-of-reset made to Doctor Who's dusty tome of rules and lore, however, was the sprinkling of romance between Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and new companion Grace Holloway, played by Daphne Ashbrook. The sexual tension between Eight and Grace was as subtle as Gallifreyan interior design, and their chemistry culminated in a ionate farewell smooch on the stroke of New Year's Eve. Controversy duly followed, but despite the trouble Eight's big kiss caused, Doctor Who has continuously drawn from the very same creative well ever since.
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The Eighth Doctor & Grace Redefined Modern Doctor Who
What was shocking, taboo and groundbreaking in 1996 has since become an integral component of the Doctor's character.
Locking tongues with a Time Lord immediately made Grace Holloway a contentious figure within Doctor Who canon, but what was shocking, taboo and groundbreaking in 1996 has since become an integral component of the Doctor's character. Normal service looked to be resumed initially, with Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor returning the sci-fi franchise to asexual territory, but when ex-Casanova star David Tennant arrived in the TARDIS, that quickly changed. The Tenth Doctor enjoyed a full-on love story with Rose Tyler, a bottle episode fling with French royalty, unrequited obsession from Martha, and early-20th century bliss with Joan Redfern.
If Paul McGann's Doctor dipped a toe into the pool of fictional romance, David Tennant's version found himself quiff-deep, and that evolution continued into future regenerations. Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor endured a misguided semi-attraction with Amy Pond, followed by "Mrs. Robinson in space" with Alex Kingston's River Song. Even Clara Oswald - one iteration of her, at least, landed a kiss with Eleven. Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor proved altogether less romantic than his fellow double-digit Doctors, but enjoyed a tender story with River in the wholesome "The Husbands of River Song." Jodie Whittaker then continued the streak by falling for one of her many companions, Yasmin Khan.
The 1996 Doctor Who TV movie is often viewed as a best-forgotten chapter in the franchise's long history - a misguided production that wasted a game Paul McGann. Clearly, however, the Eighth Doctor's debut left a lasting tint on the Doctor Who tapestry. Whether the various romantic endeavors of Tennant, Smith, Capaldi and Whittaker would have happened if Paul McGann hadn't blazed that trail is impossible to say, but Eight's antics certainly greased the inertial dampeners for future Doctors to explore everything from brief clinches of attraction to fully-fledged emotional love stories.
Why Doctor Who's Movie Kiss Was So Controversial
Given how often Doctor Who's modern Doctors unleash their charms upon TARDIS companions, it seems strange in hindsight that the Eighth Doctor and Grace's parting kiss sparked such unease. The cause of said controversy was actually twofold. On one hand, Doctor Who's hero had always been portrayed as a distinctly alien figure - both in physiology and character. He was devoid of lust and romantic feeling, never wanting others or being wanted himself. 1996's kiss was such a flagrant betrayal of this iron-clad rule, a degree of backlash was inevitable.
Part of the controversy, however, derived from the wider transition Doctor Who was going through during the 1990s. This once quaint, British TV show had entered Hollywood's grip, and with its schlocky Master, rudimentary digital effects, Stateside setting, and half-human protagonist, Doctor Who was clearly marketing itself toward a mainstream global audience. The romantic notes of Eight's relationship with Grace were easy to perceive as Doctor Who compromising its uniqueness to conform with Hollywood norms.
Why Modern Doctor Who Romances Receive Less Backlash
While there will always be some level of resistance to any and all Doctor Who love interests, modern pairings have received considerably less pushback compared to the New Year's Eve incident of '96. That partly comes down to Paul McGann's Doctor being first to bite the bullet, ensuring his successors' moments of ion would prove less shocking. More importantly, Doctor Who romances from David Tennant onward have served to develop the Doctor's character in a way 1996's TV movie kiss never did. Eight and Grace's ending came across as little more than a contractual obligation for the male and female leads to saliva-swap before the credits rolled.
Times have changed since then. Watching the Tenth Doctor's heart shatter after losing Rose Tyler, seeing numerous Doctors experience their relationship with River Song in reverse, and "The Girl in the Fireplace" are all examples of Doctor Who incorporating love stories in ways that develop the Time Lord's character and utilize the show's sci-fi components to create the kind of onscreen relationships only possible with a TARDIS. Doctor Who has done romance better in the new millennium, that much is clear, but the Doctor's friendzone escape was only possible thanks to one infamous moment from Paul McGann's incarnation.
Doctor Who
- Release Date
- December 25, 2023
- Network
- BBC
- Directors
- Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
Cast
The Doctor
Millie GibsonRuby Sunday
WHERE TO WATCH
The latest Doctor Who series introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, ed by new companion Ruby Sunday.
- Seasons
- 2
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