Today marks twenty years since the revival of the hit science-fiction franchise Doctor Who, after the original series had been cancelled 16 years prior. With two decades of the show having stayed on the air since then, going from highs to lows, this remains a remarkable achievement.
The show, which originally had run from 1963 to 1989, had largely been written off as a relic from a bygone era. By the twenty-first century, Doctor Who was dead, remembered mostly for its wobbly sets, shaky cameras, and laughable special effects.
Next to other sci-fi franchises from across the pond, the show was seen as a joke, an embarrassment for those fans who stuck with it, and widely lampooned in comedy series and the popular press. The chance for any kind of return for the franchise seemed impossibly remote, with an abortive American remake in the mid-nineties ending up as an incoherent mess that turned off both fans and new viewers. The show seemed destined to live on only in the form of low budget animations, tie-in novels, audio dramas, and Comic Relief skits.
Yet, when the show was finally brought back by Queer As Folk writer Russell T Davies, it proved a huge success. Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, the first episode, Rose, which aired on the 26th March 2005, brought in 10.81 million viewers, making it the most viewed episode of the series since 1979, and immediately landing it a second series. Whilst many may only have tuned in at first out of curiosity; the show managed to build momentum as it went on and soon attracted a new generation of fans.
It’s easily forgetten now — with the show once more diving in the ratings since — just how huge Doctor Who was when it was first brought back. It regularly brought in millions of viewers each week, with various spin offs also being produced, not to mention a host of other shows, such as Primeval or Merlin, that were made for much the same demographic and timeslot, in hopes of replicating its success. Merchandise for it was everywhere, and stars like David Tennant became household names, with his apparent surprise departure at the end of series four being breaking news. A show which the BBC had at one point wanted to bury suddenly became one of its most recognisable IPs, with a global audience — a fact which has kept it running to this day, even whilst audience appreciation has dwindled.
Looking back at those initial thirteen episodes, twenty years on, it is clear to see why the show became as much of a success as it did, not to mention where it has gone wrong in more recent years. Even now, series one feels incredibly fresh and sure of itself. Whilst the effects may have dated, and although it would receive its highest levels of popular success under David Tennant and Matt Smith, the show has arguably never produced as tight or as well-crafted a series as this first one managed to deliver.
It’s obvious, on revisiting this series, that writer and showrunner Russell T Davies had a tremendous love for the original series, but also, crucially, had spent years keenly aware of where it had gone wrong, and considering how it could work for a modern television environment. Davies threw out the rulebook that previous seasons had operated by, with faster-paced, single-part stories becoming the norm. Davies heavily drew from shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which had combined its fantasy elements with witty dialogue, genuine character growth, and season long story arcs.
What really marks this series out, in contrast to those that came before and since, is just how grounded it feels. Most of Davies’s episodes are based not on far-off planets, but on ordinary council estates, with people that feel real. The companion, Rose, after whom the first episode is named, is very much the central character of the series, with her emotional journey being at the core of everything. A strong emphasis is placed on her very ordinary, working-class background — we meet her mum, her boyfriend, we see her daily life, and we understand why she would leap at the chance to leave it all behind.
Episodes like Father’s Day, by Paul Cornell, in which Rose attempts to go back in time to save her deceased father, are examples of the kind of story that Doctor Who simply never did in previous era’s. It’s an episode that feels incredibly relatable in its portrayal of Rose meeting the real man — as opposed to the image of him that she had built up in her head — with a gut wrenching ending that is genuinely heartfelt.
Eccleston’s Doctor, who is moody yet cheeky, and who speaks with a northern, working-class accent and wears a leather jacket, is immediately a far more down-to-Earth and serious incarnation than most of the previous, more eccentric takes on the character. Even now, Eccleston, who was never himself a fan of the show, remains perhaps the most unique and distinctive of all the actors to play the part, standing out as one of the only versions who is decidedly not wearing a costume, nor just repeating the kinds of performances we’ve seen before, with the series gradually exploring the trauma and loneliness he now has following the war that we are told had taken place offscreen.
This is a series that very clearly is out to prove itself. The pitch Davies had made to the BBC was incredibly well-laid out, with an emphasis on relatable, human stories, as well as laying out clear plans for every episode, with each adding something to the overall story arc, whether that be a plot element, a piece of worldbuilding, or a character beat that would then be paid off in the finale. The series does this through some incredibly efficent storytelling, which serves to ease new viewers into it’s world.
After the first episode had focused solely on introducing its two leads and the basic premise, the second episode, The End of the World, goes all in on showing how far out the show can get, depicting a space station that is filled with a wild variety of aliens, and leaning much into the campier aspects of it’s humour. Importantly though, it never feels like it strays too far in this direction, or goes too over-the-top, because it keeps the focus throughout on Rose’s reactions to all of this, and how it is just as mad and as overwhelming for her.
Episode Six, Dalek, is similarly a masterclass here, as it succesfully brings back the classic shows most iconic villains. Writer Robert Shearman ticks off each of the elements for which the titular pepperpots had come to be seen as a joke — from having a sink plunger for an arm, to being unable to get up stairs — and manages to provide them with a real sense of menace again, whilst effectively setting up the series finale.
Of all the actors to play the title role, Eccleston’s Doctor is the only one who lasts for just a single series. But it’s precisely because of this that he also stands apart as among the only ones to be given a fully defined character arc. The finale which the series builds towards is one where the stakes feel high, yet at the same time is intimate, with the drama focusing on how it impacts each of the main characters. Eccleston’s final sacrifice at the end is on that genuinely feels like a payoff to what had been set up earlier, rather than simply an over-dramatic changing of the guard.
Ultimately, series one makes for a perfect introduction for the show. It’s a basic, stripped-back version that loses much of the extra lore and fluff found in other seasons, with some incredibly efficient storytelling, and a natural balance between comedy, drama, and horror that helps to showcase all that the show is capable of. Crucially, it’s a series that knows what it wants to say, with a specific set of stories that it wants to tell. Unlike later series, it’s one that never feels like it’s being dragged on simply for the sake of it, but rather is the work of people who knew the franchise well, knew where it was lacking, and where they wanted to take it. Series one allowed for a real injection of fresh blood into the show, something that is sorely missed with the current run.
Words by Daniel Goldstraw
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