 In 1992, he was cast as Richard Sharpe, the lead character in the Sharpe series of made-for-TV films based on Bernard Cornwell's novels, however he injured his knee while playing football just days into filming "Sharpe's Rifles" in Ukraine.He was replaced by Sean Bean and the role effectively kick-started Bean's career and is the one that he is most closely identified with.McGann played the eighth incarnation of the Doctor in the "Doctor Who" 1996 television film.