The Night of the Doctor (TV story)

 was a prequel to the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of The Doctor. It featured the return of Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and his regeneration into The War Doctor, his ninth incarnation. It was uploaded to the BBC's YouTube channel on the 14 November 2013 and will be available for UK viewers via the BBC's Red Button beginning on Saturday 16 November at several times throughout the week until 23 November 2013.

Synopsis
On the eve of his most terrible battle, the Time Lord is faced with a choice that will change the course of his life. The darkest of days are about to begin. The Doctor has always been a man of secrets - and now they can be told...

Plot
A woman, named Cass, is seen in a spaceship crashing. Asking for support from her computer, she response that she doesn't need a 'doctor' as she appeared not injured. Suddenly, the Doctor is there to help, stating that he is a Doctor, but not the one she's looking for. The Doctor wonders why Cass is still onboard, which she explains that her crew were teleported, but someone needed to teleport them which would be here. The Doctor then offers to take her away and become his companion, which they head for his TARDIS. Unaware, Cass is wondering what the universe is like whilst The Doctor is trying to open the doors in which behind them, his TARDIS is parked. He soon opens the doors with the Sonic Screwdriver, and Cass is horrified to find out that The Doctor is a Time Lord, a species that took part in The Time War. The Doctor quickly jumps to the fact that he didn't have a place in the event, which doesn't persuade the emotions of Cass. The doors lock with The Doctor inside and Cass on the outside. The Doctor states that he won't leave the ship without her and she doesn't mind, seemingly she'd rather die than travel with a Time Lord.

The ship crashes on a planet, where the Sisterhood of Karn have been expecting him. They find his body from the wreckage, dead and they bring him back to life, only briefly. The woman named Ohila, talks about how he is dead and how her cult have the drinks to bring him to his next regeneration. The Doctor soon comes to recognise the Cult as the Sisterhood of Karn in which they confirm. They talk to the Doctor as the only hope to stop The Last Great Time War, stating that all of reality is at threat. The Doctor doesn't become interested but they state that he is a doctor, and they bring in Cass, who appears to have died from the crash. In grief, The Doctor stated she wanted to see the universe, in which Ohila claims she didn't miss much and claims that The Doctor is part of The Time War, like it or not. He would rather die than join the Time War, in which Ohila brings up that he is already dead and how many more could die if he was not part of the war. After persuasion, The Doctor seems to know he's part of The Time War and has hold of a strap he took from Cass in which he claims 'Make me a Warrior now'. Ohila offers a drink in what it would help his regeneration into his next form. The Doctor wants to regenerate on his own, asking if it will hurt, she replies 'yes'. The Doctor says sorry and salutes to his eighth incarnation's companions and to Cass. He drinks the potion and begins to regenerate into his next incarnation. Ohila wonders if it works, as The Doctor gets to his feet, buckles on the strap and claims 'Doctor No More'

Cast

 * The Doctor - Paul McGann
 * Cass - Emma Campbell-Jones
 * Ohila - Clare Higgins
 * The War Doctor- John Hurt

Crew

 * Writer - Steven Moffat
 * Director - John Hayes
 * Producer - Denise Paul

Story notes

 * Paul McGann is not wearing the costume used in Big Finish Productions which was first seen on the cover and publicity material for Dark Eyes audio anthology. Instead he is wearing clothing similar to his original attire while sporting the short haircut from his more recent appearances.
 * This is the first time in which the revived series has directly referenced original characters from the Big Finish audio dramas.
 * The Doctor is told he has a little under four minutes left at approximately the 3-minute mark, with 4 minutes left to the minisode.

Continuity

 * The Doctor mentions his companions during his incarnation (Charley, C'rizz, Lucie, Tasmin and Molly, though not Grace Holloway), marking the first time any have been referenced on film.
 * The Eighth Doctor's last visit to Karn was in AUDIO: The Vengeance of Morbius)
 * Since making his decision about the war in PROSE: Museum Peace, the Doctor has decided not to fight but help out where he can.