Doctor Who Rewind - Series 1 - The Last of the Timelords

On the 26th March 2005 (10 years ago) a modern audience was introduced to a very modern Doctor. Now, as we await the start of series 9, I'm going to be taking a closer look at each series since. Since Christopher Ecclestone we've had four other actors in that iconic role! Four very different Doctors. So, here to kick things off is my look at Series one and a Doctor who was presumed to be the last of the Timelords.

The Doctor

A modern Doctor for a
modern auidience

Christopher Ecclestone was an inspired choice to play The Doctor and it's perhaps questionable whether many other actors could've pulled it off. Yes, he only stayed in the TARDIS for one solitary series but still, what a Doctor he gave us. He was modern Doctor for a modern world, a Doctor as human as he'd ever been whilst still retaining that alien quality. He was a timelord not to be messed with, a Doctor with the weight of the unseen Timewar on his shoulders. Because we hadn't seen the timewar, because we hadn't seen what the Doctor did to end it, it gave him a mystery that truly begged the question Doctor who? 

The Companion

A modern series of Doctor Who required a modern companion and it got

A companion we could all relate to.

that in Rose. She was a girl brought up by a single mother on a council estate. She worked 9-5 in a department store and had a jack-the-lad boyfriend. Essentially she carried elements we all could relate to, even The Doctor! The death of her father when she was still a baby gave her a tragic side and meant she was more of an equal to The Doctor rather than just a plain old companion. 

Other Passengers in the TARDIS

Captain Jack would prove a hit. 

As well as Rose, the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness spent some time in the TARDIS. Although his morality was in question during his debut episode (Empty Child), he quickly became a well liked and heroic member of the TARDIS team. He was a character who made such an impression that he earned himself his own spin-off (Torchwood) as well as more appearances in Doctor Who! 

Another character who was invited to join the TARDIS crew was young Adam Mitchell. Apparently he was written in to show viewers how not to be a companion which is why he was quickly 'uninvited' from the TARDIS. He made poor choices but even so, he remains as a character who could've been a great companion given the chance. 

Stand Out Episode

This opening series of the modern version of Doctor Who is filled with great episodes. Rose was a great opening to the show and introduced the mysterious man in his blue box perfectly. Dalek saw the return of the Doctors biggest foe as well as revealing that now they know how to climb stairs! It also gave us more of an insight into the last great time war. In Fathers Day we learned what would happen if you could prevent a loved one from dying as Rose traveled back to save her father. The finale was a great end to the series pitting the Doctor against the Daleks as well as giving us our first regeneration of the modern era.

"Everybody Lives!"

 The standout episodes (because there are two) are The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances written by a little known writer by the name of Steven Moffat. Both episodes are fantastic in how they hail back to the 'hide behind your sofa' days of classic Who. Never before has the line "Are you my mummy?" been so scary! The storyline is fairly complicated and mysterious as you'd expect a Steven Moffat episode to be. Lets not forget that in this Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who, some of the most terrifying episodes were written by Moffat (Blink anyone?). The Empty Child also introduced us to the irrepressible Captain Jack Harkness, a true fan favourite of modern Who. One of it's finest moments though comes at the end of The Doctor Dances. This is when Christopher Ecclestone truly announces himself as the Doctor when he proclaims "Everybody lives Rose! Just this once, everybody lives!". It's apparent that the Doctor needs this day, a day when he manages to save everyone and it's plain that a little of that weight on his shoulders has been lifted!

Story Arc

The overall story arc is good although it's not really plain to see until we get to the finale. Then we learn why we kept seeing BADWOLF throughout the series. Because it is the first series of modern WHO though, it's not really about the overall story arc. That's just something to tie everything together, to give some meaning behind certain events. This series is all about us, the viewer, getting to know the Doctor. For those of us who weren't really around during the classic series it was a chance for us to learn who this mysterious man was. For long time Whovians it was a chance to get reaquained with an old friend. It was new enough to appeal to a modern audience while retaining certain elements which gave it its cult following in the first place.  

Final Word

All in all this was a good introduction (or reintroduction) to Doctor Who. There was enough to get a new viewer hooked as well as retaining enough of the original to please older viewers. Christopher Eccleston proved to be an excellent choice for the Doctor and he kinda set the bar pretty high for those who have since followed. Billie Piper made the transition from cheesy pop star to actress seamlessly and there's little wonder that Rose is often charted highly in greatest companion polls.