Series 1

 

The revival of BBC's Doctor Who has now been ongoing for over 13 years, making it one of the biggest shows on TV all over again and taking it global too. I've been rewatching from series 1 again (god knows how many times I've done this now) alongside our very own HausofTove, who is watching all of these episodes for the very first time. So I thought, what better to do than a new series of threads in the run-up to Jodie Whittaker's debut as the Thirteenth Doctor?

 

Please post your opinions on series 1, and vote for your favourite episode in the poll above!

 

The Details

 

In the nick of time, a mysterious stranger called the Doctor saves shop assistant Rose Tyler from a group of living shop-window dummies, changing her life forever. After they defeat the Nestene Consciousness, the Doctor invites Rose on a journey of a lifetime - to travel time and space in the TARDIS. After some persuading, Rose accepts, and together, they see the end of the Earth, ghosts with Charles Dickens, Slitheen infiltrating Downing Street and the return of the Doctor's greatest enemy, the Daleks. Along the way, they make friends in Adam Mitchell (who the Doctor returns home after he tries to exploit the privilege of time travel to change the past) and Captain Jack Harkness (who is exterminated by the Daleks on Platform One). In an act to save Rose's life, the Doctor absorbs the time vortex in the series finale and regenerates into his tenth incarnation (David Tennant) before Rose's eyes.

 

 

Starring

 

Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor [episodes 1-13]

David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor [episodes 13-Xmas]

Billie Piper as Rose Tyler

 

Guest Starring

 

Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith [episodes 1, 4-5, 11, 13, Xmas]

Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler [episodes 1-2, 4-5, 8, 13, Xmas]

Penelope Wilton as Harriet Jones [episodes 4-5, Xmas]

Bruno Langley as Adam Mitchell [episodes 6-7]

Shaun Dingwall as Pete Tyler [episode 8]

John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness [episodes 9-13]

 

 

Episodes

 

01: Rose | Written by Russell T. Davies

02: The End of the World | Written by Russell T. Davies

03: The Unquiet Dead | Written by Mark Gatiss

04: Aliens of London | Written by Russell T. Davies

05: World War Three | Written by Russell T. Davies

06: Dalek | Written by Robert Shearman

07: The Long Game | Written by Russell T. Davies

08: Father's Day | Written by Paul Cornell

09: The Empty Child | Written by Steven Moffat

10: The Doctor Dances | Written by Steven Moffat

11: Boom Town | Written by Russell T. Davies

12: Bad Wolf | Written by Russell T. Davies

13: The Parting of the Ways | Written by Russell T. Davies

 

XX: The Christmas Invasion | Written by Russell T. Davies *

 

(it's debatable as to which series the Christmas episodes count for but I've generally seen each episode as belonging to the series that aired before!)

 

 

Aliens & Villains

 

Autons [Rose]

Nestene Consciousness [Rose]

 

Lady Cassandra [The End of the World]

The Moxx of Balhoon [The End of the World]

Robot Spiders [The End of the World]

The Face of Boe [The End of the World]

The Forest of Cheem [The End of the World]

The Adherents of the Repeated Meme [The End of the World]

Alien Ambassadors [The End of the World]

Mr & Mrs Pacoon [The End of the World]

Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light [The End of the World]

 

Gelth [The Unquiet Dead]

 

Slitheen [Aliens of London / World War Three, Boom Town]

Space Pig [Aliens of London / World War Three]

 

Daleks [Dalek, Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways]

 

The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe [The Long Game]

The Editor [The Long Game]

 

Reapers [Father's Day]

 

The Empty Child & Gas Mask Zombies [The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances]

Nanogenes [The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances]

 

Anne Droid [bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways]

 

Robot Santas / Pilot Fish [The Christmas Invasion]

Sycorax [The Christmas Invasion]

Aliens of London/World War Three is up there as my fave, mainly because it felt like a better modern story in comparison to Rose which to me served as just that intro we needed and the Autons were very overshadowed. We got to know a little more about Rose’s background, how a significant event can impact on the country and how the Doctor doesn’t always get it right (e.g. dropping Rose home 12 months later and it actually being addressed properly). How it also linked us to Boom Town later on was kind of clever.

It's been a total joy revisiting this series recently, despite the fact that the CGI now looks a little outdated, the writing remains top notch and it was the perfect way to reintroduce the show, immediately showing off a wide range of themes across the series.

 

I voted for Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways in the poll as it's gripping from start to finish, although there were a few other contenders for my top spot! My rank:

 

1. Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways

2. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances

3. Dalek

4. Father's Day

5. The Christmas Invasion

6. Rose

7. The End of the World

8. Boom Town

9. Aliens of London / World War Three

10. The Unquiet Dead

11. The Long Game

 

The Long Game is a solid enough episode and although it links to the finale, it feels like a filler episode more than anything. Aliens of London has taken a tumble having watched it with Haus and realising just how childish it is :') it's fun more for novelty reasons nowadays but not Who at its best, even if I love the "event television" aspect. It's very strong above that though, Boom Town has been a massive grower over the years!

 

I adore the presence of Mickey and Jackie throughout the series, and there's a whole host of other one-off characters that leave a lasting impression, such as Jabe and Lynda with a Y. The aliens are mostly great, the Daleks are played impeccably and the Empty Child was a genius invention. Could've done with less farting though? :')

 

Rose is at her best in this series too, incredibly relatable, and Christopher Eccleston shines from start to finish. David Tennant remains my favourite Doctor but I do wish we saw more of Eccleston! :(

I haven't revisited this series in a while and quite a few of them have dated quite badly but it will always hold a special nostalgic place in my heart. Chris Eccleston is excellent as a Doctor and I am so sad he didn't stay on for more as he could've been right up there with Tennant if he hadn't been so petty xx (jk I get it but still). Some of the stories hold up well, some less so x

 

My own ranking:

 

01. The Empty Child/Doctor Dances (still one of the best/creepiest of Nu Who)

02. Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways

03. Dalek (One of the best Dalek stories even if there's just one)

04. Father's Day

05. The Unquiet Dead

-Taking a bit of a drop off but still good-

06. The End of the World

07. Rose

08. The Christmas Invasion

-And then some rather bad/forgettable leftovers oops-

09. The Long Game

10. Boom Town

11. Aliens of London/World War Three

 

Slitheen to be erased from all living memory plz x

Oh Doctor Who discussion, and the old stuff I actually like, yay.

 

Tough between The Unquiet Dead and Boom Town as my favourite. The former is great, not just because of Dickens, but because this is the first time we see the past in NuWho and it's all so empty of universe-specific backstory, and the foreboding and hints of the Time War are beautiful. Dickens references and some good supporting cast buoys it up even further.

 

Meanwhile Boom Town I forgive completely for its Slitheeniness, because it really is just an episode of wonderful verbal sparring between the Doctor and Margaret, who prove to have really watchable chemistry. Aliens Of London is completely irredeemable though, glad I'm never ever watching that again.

 

I do still maintain that things like Father's Day are a bit too removed from what we got later, and that the Bad Wolf reality show stuff is just horribly dated, but the main overarching plot of the series is good for a 2005 dram series, even if it's just a little too much set in that time.

Where an obsession all kicked off for me! I'd very much been aware of the show beforehand and I remember seeing some repeats of the classic series on BBC Two - although not watching it properly and having no idea what was going on other than the Daleks and the TARDIS and Tom Baker. I still have the image of one cliffhanger from the classic series in my memory and only discovered where it was from several years later when I watched the story properly for the first time (Genesis of the Daleks)...

 

ANYWAY, I very much digress - I watched the first episode because my Dad was very excited but I was also immediately hooked! I always pinpoint Series 2 where I truly became an UBERFAN but I did become quite obsessed straight away. I guess it was a mix of that prior awareness, being the perfect age and there being nothing else like it on TV - and the absolute magnificent mind of Russell T Davies who has truly shown how to reboot a show. He was able to strike that balance between continuing the legacy but also making it feel like a complete new show - like it should do! It's odd how well he pulled off having the first episode feature an enemy from the classic series!

 

Parts are of course dated, but so is any show 13 years later. However, part of what made it so successful is ensuring that 2005 was an integral feel to the show. It made it modern and relatable. Rose was the perfect companion and the focus on her, giving her a background/family was great. She was the ultimate person who was getting by who just needed one chance to do so much more. Christopher Eccleston was good, but I'm not having any wishes that he stayed on for longer. I think his stay was just right.

 

Looking back, I do feel the series took a lot more risks than you might have expected/thought which is maybe another reason why it was so successful. Rather than stick to the traditional one companion/Doctor, it was quite nice that you had Adam and Jack Harkness there to mix things up a bit but also add some story that goes over episodes - and then for Margaret Blaine to also reappear even if that was more for budget reasons. Another stroke of genius was having one Dalek appear mid-series (to boost interest) and then have a whole massive army in the finale!

 

1. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances - this genuinely scared me for AT LEAST A YEAR. I was absolutely terrified of the gas mask zombies, genuinely the most scared I've ever been of something!! Beyond the scares though, it is such a brilliant story with a great resolution 'everybody lives'. The transformation of Richard Wilson though is so gruesome.

2. Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways - the ANNE DROID. DAVINA DROID. TRIN-E and ZU-ZANA. ICONIC. How can you not love an episode that mixes together your two favourite shows. The pop culture references aside though, it is such a dark episode and I love the massive gear change into that epic reveal of a finale - with the Doctor's fantastic speech too!

3. Father's Day - I liked exploring the implications of time travel and having the companion show a real personal desire of what someone would actually want to do if they went back in time. Again, so dark that you see the companion's father basically kill himself!

4. Dalek - perfect to reintroduce the ultimate monster and show how dangerous they are when that's the chaos just one can do!

5. Rose - perfect way to reintroduce the actual show and of course introduce Rose herself!

6. Aliens of London / World War Three - ok the Slitheen are now a bit shit but I do love the political thriller bit of it all and how it explored the global aspect of an alien invasion for the first time

7. The Unquiet Dead - so gothic, I love the story more for the aesthetics more than anything probably!

8. The End of the World - AGAIN, such a great way to introduce the entire possibilities of the show by just having so many different aliens in just the second episode! The 'mystery' falls flat because it is so obvious but it did help set the template for the rest of the show to follow

9. The Christmas Invasion - I do feel it is kind of weakened by a lack of the Doctor's presence and the Sycorax are a bit... weak as they essentially just hide for the episode. However, again, I like the political/global nature of it!

10. Boom Town - it does have to come quite low because it is quite low-key and quite obviously filler-y but the restaurant scene (and stuff like the bathroom scene) is such a great exploration as to the face behind the monster. It did go completely over my head as a kid but I love those little touches now.

11. The Long Game - it does turn out to be a bit... nothingy and perhaps another budget excuse so they could save on money for the finale by reusing the sets. Shame considering it has Simon Pegg and Anna Maxwell-Martin!

it must be at least 10 years since I've seen this season, must be worth a rewatch by now (will have to mentally prepare myself for the Slitheen though :mellow:)

 

from what I remember of it my faves were the opening episode and the finale, it's not really a vintage season though in comparison to the Tennant era. The Christmas Invasion was one of my fave Xmas specials too.

I've always thought this CIN special from 2005 should have been included as the actual intro to the Christmas Invasion. Yes it would've added 8 mins to the ep but it gave a recap and a great intro to what happened with the regeneration.

 

I will definitely be rewatching this again, I have the whole first 4 series on DVD somewhere but it’s all on Netflix so I’ll watch on my phone :lol:

 

 

I haven't seen series 1 in such a long time - there's so many guest stars inc. Elaine the Pain :lol:

Christopher Eccleston is my least favourite doctor in the revived series, but that's not to say I don't enjoy his series. This is where it all (re)started and there are some fantastic episodes here. Rose, Jackie, Micky, & Jack are all great characters introduced here too with Jack being one of my favourite side characters of the entire show. As has been said the CGI of this first series is questionable at times but can be slighted forgiven given it was 2005 and all.

 

1. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances

A terrifying episode in terms of the 'villain' and very clever in every other way. Whilst it's less scary to watch now, are you my mummy?" is still chilling and I'd consider these the 9th doctor's most iconic episodes. It's also where we first meet Jack (well, technically we first met him in The End Of The World :P)

 

2. Dalek

I love this episode, but I really don't like the doctor in it :lol: This is Christopher Eccleston at his darkest I think and gives modern day viewers a bit more information about who the time lord is and where he comes from. I feel for the Dalek too, which is a very strange and puts a bit of a twist on the whole Time Lord/Dalek roles.

 

3. Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways

The moment where Bad Wolf finally makes sense, a little anyway. I always thought this plot ended a bit abruptly, the same goes for how Rose saved the day. I loved the revelation that the doctors actions in The Long Game resulted in essentially the collapse of society, and the extremely dated reality show references are brilliant too :P

 

4. Aliens of London / World War Three

5. The Christmas Invasion

6. Rose

7. The End of the World

 

8. Boom Town

Another moment where the 9th doctor shows how dark he is, being more than willing to play literal executioner to the last slitheen.

 

9. The Unquiet Dead

 

10. Father's Day

The worst special effects ever :rofl: Storywise this was a decent episode albeit a bit pointless in terms of the overarching series.

 

11. The Long Game

 

 

My ranking

 

[ [GOLD] ]:

1. Bad Wolf/The Parting Of Ways

2. The End Of The World

3. Dalek

4. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

 

OUTSTANDING:

5. Father's Day

6. The Long Game

7. Rose

8. The Unquiet Dead

 

BRILLIANT:

9. Aliens Of London/World War Three

 

GREAT:

10. Boom Town