Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston (2005)

Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston (2005)

The Ninth Doctor | 13 episodes, approx 45 mins each.

After a nine year hiatus the time-travelling Doctor Who returned to TV screens in what was the beginning of a new extended run for the show. It got a new lead actor, too, in the form of Christopher Eccleston, whose tenure as the Ninth Doctor lasted just one series.

Without meaning to detract from the creative team behind the scenes that got the show moving again, many of whom surely deserve equal credit and praise, on the surface (i.e., onscreen) Eccleston revitalised the character.

His short cropped hair, well-worn leather coat and carefree walk made him recognisable, but it was the personality that made him stand out. The buoyant devil-may-care attitude projected an outward confidence, but every now and again there'd be a crack in the armour and we'd glimpse a deep sadness, underpinned by a feeling of loss and culpability. In the TARDIS time-machine he could go anywhere and see anything, but in the long term he was a lone traveller who was very, very far from home.

But he's not alone all the time; the Doctor's had more companions than he's had faces over the years. The first of them in the rebooted series was Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, a one-time teenage pop singer who'd moved into acting. I remember being sceptical about her ability when the announcement was made, but she proved herself. Piper excelled in the role of a working-class nineteen-year-old who has her eyes opened to the many wonders of the universe. And crucially her chemistry with Eccleston was good; and developed ever further over time.

Not only did the relaunch get a new logo, new Doctor (so to speak), and new companion, there was a redesigned TARDIS interior, too. The Time Column kept its traditional central position, but the wall's roundels were set inside hexagons. It's an impressive look, lit in a number of different ways but mostly revolving around a kind of aged copper with cyan highlights that sometimes resemble patina. But what's most unusual is that it kept the Police Box door design on the inside.

- The Time Column. I'd hate to be the one to have to dust it. -

It pleased me to see that the series' history of cheesy but inventive enemies wasn't completely eschewed in favour of the more common 'post-millennium' dark and brooding aesthetic that many American sci-fi dramas adopted. For many folks, a large part of the appeal of the show from its beginning was that it was British sci-fi that played to the strengths of a modest budget.

The very first episode is an excellent example of what I mean, with its walking mannequins that seem more eerie than ridiculous because of their uncanny valley nature. There's still some ropey CGI, alas, but more often than not it works the balance between the two better than most.

Every now and again it teases us with insight into the Doctor's past, and drops tantalising nuggets of information about why he's the last of his kind - the circumstances of which can be seen to contribute to his unique kind of madness. In later series, the tragedy will be expanded.

In addition to Rose there are a couple of other semi-regulars, the most notable being Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith. Mickey's personality is kind of lame, but that becomes a defining aspect of the character. (Clarke would later go on to star in and then helm the Hood Trilogy of films.)

If you plan to watch the show beyond the first series, try to keep meaningful events in mind, because some that may seem episode-specific will become much more relevant in future years.