Then Russel T. Davis came on the scene and, in 2005 brought Doctor Who back!
At first, we did not know if this new series was a new series or tied to the original series. So many of us began to call this "New Who" or even "NuWho."
Not only did we get a wonderful series that had all the charm of the old series, but we would also learn that this Doctor was the Ninth Doctor and he was the only survivor of the Great Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks.
The original series ran 26 years and had seven total Doctors. Eight if you count the movie. The new series has run for 14 seasons (though almost 18 years) and has had six doctors, or eight, or nine depending on how you count it.
The new series of Doctor Who has done so much to bring in new fans to the show and make it a world-wide phenomena. While the Tenth and Fourteenth (both David Tennant) and the Eleventh (Matt Smith) did much to make the show popular we really have to thank Christopher Eccleston for bringing the character back to life.
Eccleston's Doctor was a Doctor consumed with guilt and sadness. He was fresh off the Time War (tune in for that on "W" day), and you feel that Rose was his first companion in a very, very long time. This Doctor had seen everything he loved burn and to make it all worse, he knew he was the one that caused it all. This new reality; the Time War, Gallifrey destroyed, and the Doctor alone, made for a great way to bring in both new and old fans. It was, well to quote the Ninth Doctor, "Fantastic!"
This was the Doctor that got my wife and kids hooked on the show and made us a Who-loving family.
While Eccleston had his own reasons for leaving (and I won't debate his choice here) it did do one very, very perfect thing. It gave new viewers a complete Doctor Who experience in one whole season.
His regeneration at the end of his first and only season gave the new fans something we old fans always had. That fear and anticipation about who this new doctor was going to be.
My wife was SO upset with this. And as you can expect David Tennant's Tenth Doctor went on to become her favorite.
New Who has been fantastic to me as an old-school Doctor Who fan.
If you want more details on the new series of Doctor Who, pop on over to fellow A to Z blogger, Elena Square Eyes, and see what she is doing. She is also doing the A to Z of Doctor Who but focusing on the newer stories.
All images are used with permission from the BBC and are copyrighted 2023 by the BBC.
That has definitely been a successful soft reboot for the franchise.
ReplyDeleteSince his season on that show it seems all Eccleston does on this side of the pond is play bad guys in movies like GI Joe and Thor The Dark World.
I never did get into Dr Who. The Daleks frightened my daughter, particularly when she saw some 'real' ones somewhere or other, so we didn't persist. It is nice when you find something the whole family can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI never did get into Dr Who. The Daleks frightened my daughter, particularly when she saw some 'real' ones somewhere or other, so we didn't persist. It is nice when you find something the whole family can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI've not seen a whole lot of NuWho. I watched classic on PBS, and the new series debuted when I was in high school but I only saw maybe the first half of that first series for whatever reason. I don't remember why that is though, I feel like it had something to do with PBS's schedule but specifics elude me this far on. I feel like I saw at least up to the Ood, but I might have only seen the trailer for the second half of that story.
ReplyDeleteWhere have I been?! I've known nothing of all this, but I love your passion on the subject and the family unity factor as you enjoyed it all together!
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) was pretty popular in radio dramas and books, and I remember really waiting for the TV movie that turned out to be a dud (they spent more time trying to give him a love life than anything). Kind of shame....
ReplyDeleteGood summary and info here. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBeth
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