Advertisement
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: HALF PRICE Big Issue magazine subscription
SUBSCRIBE
Opinion

Russell T Davies' new Doctor Who will change the landscape of TV. Again

The 2005 return of Doctor Who changed UK TV. The new series looks primed to repeat the trick

Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday

Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Image: BBC Studios,/James Pardon

Back in the mid-’80s, it was never cool to like Doctor Who, despite it being utterly brilliant. We geeks have always been trendsetters…

But with ratings dwindling, the BBC were trying to get rid of the show and eventually succeeded in 1989. After 26 years on screen, the Time Lord walked into the sunset with no future in sight. A brief return in a 1996 TV movie aside, the long-running sci-fi show wouldn’t be seen again until 2005 – a revival that ultimately changed the landscape of both British and genre television. 

It’s this production team who have, 13 years later, returned to breathe new life into the franchise, once again under showrunner and TV legend Russell T Davies. Despite each era since – a further six actors have now played the Doctor following Christopher Eccleston – having a loyal audience, it’s fair to say that the series has not been as critically acclaimed in recent years. With the BBC looking to overhaul Doctor Who, Davies stepped back in – “It needed looking after,” he told SFX magazine

Change a Big Issue vendor’s life this Christmas by purchasing a Winter Support Kit. You’ll receive four copies of the magazine and create a brighter future for our vendors through Christmas and beyond

Now the show is, for the first time, reaching a truly global audience in more than 200 countries. We might find it hard to believe but there are people who haven’t seen Doctor Who, and what a trip they’re in for. More than 800 episodes have now been made available on iPlayer, just in time for those coming on board the TARDIS. 

Yes, there’s much love for the nostalgia of David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning for three anniversary specials, but it’s what’s to come next, with Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday, that will take the series to new heights.  

Advertisement
Advertisement

This quintessentially British juggernaut will finally be able to compete with other heavy hitters in the sci-fi arena. Though let’s not forget that Davies had already built a ‘Doctor Who Universe’ years before it was a thing. It’s something this new iteration will seek to repeat and the returning production team know exactly what they’re doing.

The show’s never looked better, easily standing alongside others with impressive special effects and budgets. Gatwa and Gibson sparkle with energy and there’s a feeling of public excitement and goodwill that long-running shows don’t often enjoy a second time round, let alone a third.  

As editor of the world’s longest-running sci-fi magazine, writing about Doctor Who has never been more exciting. All those years ago, I always knew we were the cool kids. 

Darren Scott is the editor of SFX.

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue or give a gift subscription. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

Advertisement

Buy a Big Issue Vendor Support Kit

This Christmas, give a Big Issue vendor the tools to keep themselves warm, dry, fed, earning and progressing.

Recommended for you

View all
Political censorship in theatre has gone too far – especially on Palestinian art. Here's why
Performer Issam Al Ghussain is part of Cutting The Tightrope. Image: Ali Wright
Cressida Brown

Political censorship in theatre has gone too far – especially on Palestinian art. Here's why

It will take modern thinking to solve the age-old problem of rough sleeping
John Bird

It will take modern thinking to solve the age-old problem of rough sleeping

I thought being a man meant being tough and strong. But real strength comes from asking for help
Dan Guiness

I thought being a man meant being tough and strong. But real strength comes from asking for help

A strong benefits system is the sign of a healthy society – and essential to ending child poverty
Child poverty
Joseph Howes

A strong benefits system is the sign of a healthy society – and essential to ending child poverty

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know