New Doctor Who Retcon Explains Why The Eighth Doctor Is Half Human

Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has retconned the Doctor’s power of regeneration – and subtly explained why Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor is confirmed to be half-human in the Doctor Who TV movie. 2020 has been an eventful year for Doctor Who, with current showrunner Chris Chibnall and former showrunner Russell T. Davies both instituting fascinating, wide-ranging retcons.

Doctor Who season 12 revealed the Doctor is not actually a Time Lord, but instead is a unique being known as the “Timeless Child.” Discovered at the foot of a boundary into another universe or dimension, the Timeless Child became the base genetic code for the entire Time Lord race. Unlike Time Lords, however, there is absolutely no limit to the number of times the Doctor can regenerate. The revelation has divided the fanbase, with some viewers shocked at such a dramatic change in the status quo, while others are willing to wait and see where things go in season 13. Shortly after, though, Russell T. Davies returned in a short Doctor Who YouTube video that further extended the Doctor’s powers of regeneration. Davies revealed the Doctor can actually change race when she regenerates, not just switch between male and female. This has led to some speculation the Doctor has been switching between different humanoid races all along, explaining why different Doctors have had distinctive abilities.

But Russell T. Davies’ retcon may also explain another long-standing question; why the Doctor was said to be half-human in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie. In the movie, this was used to make the Doctor feel a little more relatable, justifying a romantic subplot between the Doctor and his companion Grace Holloway. The Doctor himself claimed to be half-human on his mother’s side, while the Master confirmed this when he saw the Doctor’s retinal pattern.

If the Doctor can indeed change race, then it’s entirely possible Paul McGann’s Doctor became half-human – that is to say, regenerated into a half-human form. This actually fits perfectly with an observation Russell T. Davies made during an interview with Big Finish. “I don’t like the half-human thing,” he observed. “He certainly isn’t half-human, but it’s less interesting to say it simply doesn’t count. I always wanted to put in a line where someone says to the Doctor, ‘Are you human?’ and the Doctor says, ‘No, but I was once in 1999. It was a 24-hour bunk.” Davies avoided putting in that dialogue, though, because he felt it was too self-referential and therefore inaccessible for casual viewers. Still, it’s fitting that his new retcon makes that chain of logic possible.

But if Time Lords can change races, why would the Master take such joy in discovering the Doctor is half-human? The most logical explanation is that the Doctor’s ability is unique, possessed because she is the Timeless Child, not a Time Lord at all. It is true the Time Lords copied the power of regeneration from the Timeless Child’s DNA, but that isn’t to say they copied everything. Thus the Master would see the evidence the Doctor is half-human, and naturally assume this was true of every incarnation. He would have no idea what he was truly dealing with – and the greatest secret in Doctor Who history, the lie of the Timeless Child, would remain concealed for a little longer.

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Thomas Bacon
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Tom Bacon is one of Screen Rant’s staff writers, as well as a Peer Mentor for new writers and a member of the Care Team, offering support and a listening ear to members of the Comics group. A lifelong fan of major franchises including Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Marvel, Tom is delighted his childhood is back – and this time it’s cool. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon.

A graduate of Edge Hill University, Tom remains strongly connected with his alma mater as a volunteer chaplain. He’s heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he’s into British politics too.

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