March, 2005: Old fans and soon-to-be-fans alike sat in front of their television sets, awaiting the arrival of a new Doctor, fresh from war. It seems bizarre to think that it was a whole decade ago that the Sci-Fi anti-hero beloved by many returned to our screens (though, of course, time is hardly a reliable factor in Doctor Who). In commemoration of this, we’ve listed some of the best features of the first series that managed to convert us from casual watchers to cult devotees. Thank you to Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, Phil Collinson and of course good ol’ Russell T. – the people that gave us this first series that was absolutely fantastic!
Warning: Gratuitous overuse of puns ahead.
Father’s Day
If sci-fi shows through the years have taught us anything, then it’s not to mess with your past and you can’t cheat Death. Doctor Who combines these in the episode “Father’s Day” in a way that you’ll always remember.
The plot of the episode is fairly simple. Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to 1987 and the day her father, Pete, died so that she can see what happened. After witnessing the hit and run, Rose is urged by the Doctor to comfort her dad as he lies dying. At first she can’t so she asks for a second chance. But this time, she makes an impulsive decision to save her father…not caring for what is to come.
As someone who’s dealt with this loss personally (under different circumstances), it’s a decision I can understand and no doubt many others will. When we lose someone dear to us, how many of us would be prepared to do anything to have more time with them? Regardless of the cost?
Any happiness Rose experiences is short lived as the consequence becomes very real for all to see. Arriving at a friend’s wedding (the original location of Pete’s death), deadly creatures – Reapers – appear and soon begin devouring the guests. The Doctor, who had initially left Rose behind after seeing what she had done, comes back. He knows that the damage is done so now he has to fix it. The burden of responsibility is on him alone as we are told that the Time Lords used to stop paradoxes from happening but now it’s just him. Time is running out for all of them.
“The entire Earth’s being sterilized. This, and other places like it, are all that’s left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures. They’ll get through in the end; the walls aren’t that old. And there’s nothing I can do to stop them. There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening – my people would have stopped this. But they’re all gone. And now, I’m going the same way. ”
Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper’s performances are what stand out about this episode. Both torn between head and heart in different ways. This is one of the more human moments for the Doctor. He would love to do what Rose has done – go back in time and save his people, his home, his family. But seeing what damage one human can do to the world shows us all, especially Rose, exactly why he can’t. As for Rose, she is reminded of a simple truth – every single person is important in some way.
This episode is simple, to the point and incredibly human at its core. For me, it’s easily one of the best.
Words by Megan Roxburgh.
Bad Wolf & The Parting of The Ways
In this celebration of Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor, it might seem odd to jump straight to the end of his all too short reign of the TARDIS. But essentially, I think Doctor Who‘s biggest strength is in it’s capacity to move on, in a way that can be both creative and faithful to it’s sci-fi elements. I am talking of course, about the Doctor’s capability to regenerate into a new body, when his current one is dying. The process of regeneration has allowed the show to span for more than 50 years now – as the story of the Doctor can continue without relying on any single actor to portray him. He is, quite literally, timeless – and ever changing whilst still remaining the same at heart(s).
What makes the Ninth Doctor’s regeneration especially interesting is that it enlightened a new audience to the idea of regeneration, and allowed the newly rebooted show to go on, as it has to present day. Furthermore, the circumstances under which the Ninth Doctor’s character developed and ultimately perished was especially poignant, as he sacrificed his life for that of his beloved new companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).
At the beginning of the series, the Ninth Doctor was portrayed as a survivor of war – angry and embittered – and in David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor, this was only exacerbated further. But in Rose – a brave, if slightly gobby girl from an ordinary council estate – he found a friend to help calm his rage. And the strength of their friendship truly hit its peak in the finale; When he thought that she had been disintergrated by the “Anne-bot”, he was distraught and only more determined to fight the evils in control of Satellite Five. When it was revealed that Rose was actually alive and captured by the Daleks, he went to rescue her. And then in another effort to keep her safe, he sent her – and his beloved TARDIS – back to Earth, resigned to his fate. But Rose fought back, looking into the heart of the TARDIS and returning to vanquish the Dalek threat. Her human mind couldn’t handle the power of the Time Vortex however, so in a final gallant gesture, the heroic Time Lord took the deathly power from her, through a kiss.
Bittersweet as it was, I think we can all agree – from the word “run” – The Ninth Doctor was absolutely fantastic.
Words by Annie Honeyball
The Mystery of Nine
The revived series of Doctor Who introduced a 21st century dynamic to the classic television show, complete with a “grunge” TARDIS, new monsters and aliens, and, most importantly, the enigma that was the Ninth Doctor. At eight years old, I hadn’t seen the old seasons of Doctor Who (and at eighteen I still haven’t, oops), so Doctor Who is something so extraordinarily awe-inspiring; my DVD collection to this day has never featured anything as creative and exciting as the early seasons of New Who, and before 2005 I had never been introduced to a character more mysterious than the Ninth Doctor.
The mysterious introduction was written so well by Russell T. Davis, meaning that Christopher Eccleston could portray the Ninth Doctor as perfectly as he did. A certain suspense lingered around the thirteen episodes in the first season, and slowly the undeniably overwhelming questions, mostly concerning the Doctor’s anger, especially when faced with the tortured Dalek in ‘Dalek’, around the Time War, and around his unmistakable humanity even as an alien from Gallifrey, were answered. The intrigue surrounding the Ninth Doctor is something many Doctor Who fans comment on, making it a distinct part of Christopher Eccleston’s role.
As the events of the Time War were revealed towards Christopher Eccleston’s arguably prematurely-ended reign as the Doctor, he confesses that he is a coward. Although this distinguishing trait was reversed during the 50th anniversary episode, it forms the basis of his spine-tinglingly amazing threat to save Rose from the Daleks at the end of ‘Bad Wolf’. At the end of the season, the self-proclaimed coward kisses the girl, and absorbs the energy from the time vortex, naturally, of course, proving that he isn’t a coward; he’s the Doctor, the Ninth Doctor, possibly the most important incarnation of all.
Words by Caitlin O’Connor.
The Doctor
When it comes down to it, the reason we love Nine is because we love how Doctor he really is. From his leather jacket to his proud Northern accent, Nine reserves all the qualities best loved in a Time Lord. Perhaps as he was just out of battle, this Doctor is more raw than the others had been; Nine expresses his emotions openly and passionately (for example, his infamous encounter with a dalek) – his rage and his love both burn equally true and it was gripping to witness. The moment Nine grabbed Rose’s hand and told her to “Run!” was the moment it became evident that Nine was going to become a beloved regeneration in the iconic Doctor timeline. He told an alien to go to its room, took a Slitheen out to dinner, fought some possessed plastic, saved the universe – and had time to make a stop for some chips.
This Doctor is also the beginning of the infamous Doctor/Rose romance that is simply heart-squeezing (admit it), as well as the just as wonderful Doctor/Jack bromance (we wouldn’t have complained if that ship sailed either though). Overall, Nine and his brief reign were intelligently dark but still held the ability to restore your faith in humanity and entertain you. To skip Nine is similar to skipping to the end of a particularly suspenseful and exciting chapter: a foolish mistake that might seem like a good idea at the time, but ultimately only results in the loss of quality content. Never skip Nine.
Words by Charlie Ginger Jones.