Doctor Who: Night or Day – Should the Eighth Doctor’s regeneration have been a part of The Day of the Doctor?

The Eighth Doctor’s regeneration was arguably a major highlight of Doctor Who’s fiftieth anniversary year. But should it have been a minisode, or should it have been a part of The Day of the Doctor instead?

I’ve gone into great detail about how much I love the Eighth Doctor. To be honest, I’ve gone into great detail on his regeneration story, The Night of the Doctor. It may only be six minutes long, but there’s no question that it left a major impact on the show’s mythology. Eight years after Doctor Who returned to our screens, and we had finally found out how the Eighth Doctor regenerated.

Still, it does make you wonder: should the Eighth Doctor’s regeneration story have been a minisode? Or should it instead have been a part of the fiftieth anniversary special itself, The Day of the Doctor?

I’ve seen this question crop up with other fans. One point of view is that, since it’s only six minutes long, The Night of the Doctor could have easily been used as a pre-opening scene to Day. Also, since the minisode was primarily shown on BBC iPlayer, YouTube and as a digital extra, Paul McGann’s “exit” scene would have been seen by a much larger audience if it had been attached to the special itself. It would also have explained to the general audience better about where the War Doctor came from.

I can certainly see this point of view. Especially as even Steven Moffat himself made sure to include Night as one of the first chapters in his novelization of The Day of the Doctor. So would it have worked better as an opening scene?

Eight’s regeneration into War does make it instantly clear where Hurt’s Doctor fits in the lineup. But does it make narrative sense for that moment to be a part of The Day of the Doctor?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Why it works better on its own

While I can see it working quite well as an opening scene, The Night of the Doctor works best as its own thing.

For one thing, while it’s a very natural prelude to the fiftieth anniversary, I’m not sure that it works well as an opening scene to it. The War Doctor’s appearance in Day is heavily built up to, at least in the original TV version. It’s quite some time before he’s mentioned, and even then, they don’t show his face until he reaches the barn, carrying the Moment on his back.

With The Night of the Doctor, you actually see his face at the end of the minisode. Even while he clearly looks far younger than he does in Day, it doesn’t quite support the story that Moffat’s telling in the special. Narratively speaking, it makes more sense to happen in a different story, even one that’s heavily linked to the special.

And that’s the key thing with Night: as short as it is, it is definitely very much its own story. It sets up the introduction of the War Doctor, explaining where he comes from in terms of Doctor Who‘s vast continuity, but that’s it. There are no other direct links to Day: no mention of the Moment, no hints to Ten or Eleven, nothing else that would make it a part of the episode. Which isn’t surprising, considering it’s set a long time before the events of Day.

Paul McGann may not have had much of a run on TV, but it’s still nice to think of his final story as entirely his own.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

A huge reaction

Also, one particularly major reason Night worked so well on its own is what it did for McGann’s Doctor. I think we can safely say that his return appearance was one of, if not the biggest surprise of the entire fiftieth anniversary year. While it wasn’t watched by an audience as large as Day‘s, it still received millions of views during the week of its release. And what fans were talking about most during the week leading up to the release of The Day of the Doctor was McGann’s surprise return.

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Honestly, I don’t think that would have happened if Night had simply been a part of Day. The Day of the Doctor was a major episode that featured a lot of key moments that everyone talked about for a long time to come. The return of Ten; the War Doctor; Billie Piper as Bad Wolf; saving Gallifrey; the surprise appearances of both Peter Capaldi and Tom Baker. That’s a lot to include in one episode.

While I’m sure McGann’s return would have been talked about, it wouldn’t have been to the same extent as what happened after Night was released. The reaction to its release was huge, especially on social media. Both Facebook and YouTube were flooded with comments on the first day alone, and reactions ranged from shock at McGann’s return; gratitude that he had finally been given a regeneration, or curiosity regarding his Doctor.

That’s what fans talked about all week in the buildup to the broadcast of The Day of the Doctor, and I don’t think Eight’s regeneration would have gotten quite the same reaction if it had been show as a part of the special itself.

Lastly, while it’s admittedly a rather small reason, the Eighth Doctor fan in me likes the idea that – as small as it is – Eight’s final story is completely his own. Sure, it was created to tease the special, but the story, from start to finish, is all about Eight’s final moments. And that’s definitely something I’m grateful for.

Do you think Eight’s regeneration should have been a part of The Day of the Doctor? Or do you prefer it as entirely its own thing? Let us know in the comments below.