20 Years of New Who: How Series 1 remains a great starting point for new Doctor Who fans

Twenty years since series finale The Parting of the Ways, we explore how the first series of Doctor Who’s 21st century revival secured the series’ legacy for decades to come…

“You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And d’you know what? So was I.” 

These were the final words from Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor to his companion Rose Tyler, before releasing the power of an explosive regeneration in 2005’s The Parting of the Ways. After thirteen episodes with co-star Billie Piper, Eccleston handed the TARDIS key over to the incoming Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), solidifying the first series of the show’s 21st century revival as the complete ‘Ninth Doctor Era’.

Twenty years since this heart wrenching finale, we have enjoyed the continuation of the Doctor's adventures; in another fourteen series plus adjoining specials, with the introduction of at least eight new Doctors. And with decades of adventures and 892 episodes to choose from, Doctor Who can be overwhelming for sci-fi fans to approach. The question of where to start with Doctor Who is a time-honoured debate between seasoned fans and curious newcomers: Do you begin with the latest Doctor’s adventures? Or start right at the beginning with William Hartnell?

We’ve explored some choice episodes to share with new fans in the past; but since its debut in 2005, Series 1 has always remained a popular starting point. And twenty years on, we’re exploring why that still remains true today…

A New Era of TV

After it first began its hiatus in 1989 (officially closing the ‘Classic Era’ with 1996’s Doctor Who: the Movie), the TV landscape had changed greatly by the time Doctor Who returned in 2005. The shorter ‘serial’ style of programming had fallen out of fashion – and where one Doctor Who story would previously be spaced out over several weeks, the Doctor and Rose’s adventures were usually contained to one 45-minute experience each (with the occasional two-parter).

While many things have changed about how we watch television twenty years on, that 40-50 minute episode length remains an audience favourite today – such that even young fans will find Series 1 as easy to enjoy as a more recent adventure!

Old Meets New

The TARDIS always brings the Doctor to new and exciting places, full of new people and monsters to meet. However, the Doctor’s own rogue’s gallery is rich with favourites that have returned many times over the years. Introducing the series to a new audience in 2005 meant striking an important balance between the two – enough to keep returning fans happy, without turning off new viewers with the weight of the show’s lore.

While most of Series 1 is full of all-new adventures, its beginning, middle and end are punctuated by familiar faces in the Whoniverse. The return of the villainous Autons for Rose was a notable callback to Third Doctor Jon Pertwee’s debut adventure Spearhead from Space, where he first faced off against the sinister living plastic in 1970.

And while the Autons are a classic favourite, it’s hard to argue that they share the pop cultural clout of the Doctor’s greatest enemies, the Daleks. Teasing audiences with the appearance of a single, battle-ravaged Dalek in Series 1’s sixth episode Dalek, we see the emotional impact these creatures have on the Doctor, as well as the fearsome power of a single Dalek in action. 

Fast-forward to the series' penultimate episode Bad Wolf, and the Daleks return in full force – raising the stakes in a way the series had rarely done before, and beginning a new Whoniversal tradition of ending the series in a climactic finale. The set-up and pay-off of the Daleks’ return in Series 1 became the perfect way to re-introduce a whole new generation to the Doctor’s deadliest foes.

Enter the Whoniverse

Accompanying Doctor Who in its 2005 return was Doctor Who Confidential, an all-new behind-the-scenes companion show airing after each episode. Not only was the flagship series raking in new young viewers, this series was also showing them how it was made – inspiring a generation of fans to eventually enter careers in media production.

However, Confidential wouldn’t be the only show to spring from Doctor Who’s rising success – spin-off series such as Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Totally Doctor Who would soon follow, as well as many other projects across a changing mixed-media landscape.

These were the roots of the Whoniverse we know today – an all-new behind-the-scenes format in Doctor Who: Unleashed, another upcoming spin-off in The War Between the Land and the Sea, as well as other vessels for storytelling in the Doctor’s world such as 2023’s Tales of the TARDIS. It’s fair to say that much of this new opportunity stems from the success of the series’ return in 2005 – not to mention the fans’ appetite for delving deeper into the secrets of the show!

A Complete Arc

Series 1 is full of new beginnings and re-introductions; but as mentioned above, it also contains some important endings. In The Parting of the Ways, both Rose and the audience bade the Ninth Doctor farewell, after he absorbed the Time Vortex energy contained within Rose, sacrificing his own life to save hers.

While he has since returned to the role in Big Finish audio drama collection The Ninth Doctor Adventures, Christopher Eccleston’s departure from the TV series has remained a bittersweet moment in Whoniversal history. But there is a silver lining in the Ninth Doctor’s full character arc being contained to one series. Over thirteen episodes, we follow a more embittered, veteran Time Lord, traumatised by a devastating Time War, as he rediscovers the wonders of the universe through the eyes of his human companion. Borne of the sacrifice of his own people, the Doctor’s own self-sacrifice for Rose in the series finale almost feels like a full-circle moment for the character, allowing the Doctor to shed at least some of his survivor’s guilt as he begins life anew.

While every Doctor has their own trials, tribulations and evolution, rarely is it ever contained to just one series. Twenty years later, the Ninth Doctor’s brief yet impactful run is what makes Series 1 an ideal sample size of adventures for curious new fans – and of course, if you choose to go on further adventures in the TARDIS, there is a whole universe of possibilities waiting for you!

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