The Eighth Doctor made his first and only television appearance in a 1996 Telemovie that was meant to serve as a pilot for a whole new run of the series which was cancelled in 1989. The movie attracted controversy, breaking the long-standing taboo against romantic involvement with his companions by kissing Dr. Grace Holloway. Fans were extremely divided on this, as well as the revelation that the Doctor was apparently half-human.

While the movie did very well in the UK, it did poorly in the States (it was not widely promoted and pre-empted by sports in many areas) cancelling any hope for a new series. The Eighth Doctor did have further adventures, however, in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions which continue to this day, as well as in books and comics.

The exact circumstances of the Eighth Doctor's regeneration into the Ninth have not yet been revealed. An off-hand remark by the Ninth Doctor in the 2005 episode Rose (commenting on the size of his own ears) suggests that the regeneration took place shortly before that story. Due to this, many fans believe that it was the Eighth Doctor who participated in the Time War between the Daleks and the Time Lords which all but wiped out both races. Such speculation extends to the Time War being the cause of the Eighth Doctor's regeneration.