‘You held back death.’
In 1996 an American-made Doctor Who television film burst on the scene, starring the charismatic English actor Paul McGann as the Doctor, and fandom embraced him.
While there was at the time no more of Paul’s performance on screen, his Doctor transitioned to other media with ease: comics, books and finally audio, bringing a wealth of stories, adventures, companions and more to Doctor Who lore.
This book chronicles the creation and development of those media. Through interviews with more than fifty of the creators, and McGann himself, Reecy Pontiff picks a path through the so-called ‘Wilderness Years’, to emerge from the other side with literally hundreds of new adventures and stories to enjoy, all featuring the eighth Doctor.
It truly was … A Leap of Eighth!
READER COMMENTS
‘A lovely overview of the eighth Doctor from the Movie to The Time War by Big Finish. It’s written in a light bouncy style with many interview extracts and tells the story of the many versions of the Eighth Doctor over thirty years. … The exhaustive appendix of all the stories and the content of the “McGannerisms” memo add to the completeness. I’m happier for having read this, which is surely a good thing?’ Lesley OK on GallifreyBase
‘A well researched history of the Eighth Doctor on TV, comics, books and audio, and a few other areas of interest as well, featuring interviews with just about everyone involved in all of the Eighth Doctor’s various appearances. Highly recommended.’ James C McFetridge on GallifreyBase
267pp. 6×9 paperback non-fiction.
ISBN 978-1-84583-258-2 (this is the trad printed UK edition. There is also an identical overseas edition available on Amazon: 978-1-84583-259-9)
Published 12 May 2026
Cover by Martin Geraghty
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Having lived in six time zones on three continents, Reecy Pontiff has long embraced the lifestyle of a ‘professional vagabond’ (which sounds nicer in American). She’s a writer, tour guide and devastatingly clever lyricist. Her Renaissance faire alter ego Bettina Bawdeville has performed original, morally questionable songs in a spectacular hat. At the time of publishing Reecy has relocated to the UK to pursue broadcast journalism.
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