Series One Guide
Rose: Naysayers scoffed when the BBC announced the return of Doctor Who. Surely modern audiences wouldn't take to the quirky old character? But take to him they did, with millions tuning in to see Christopher Eccleston as the tough, flippant Ninth Doctor. The bad guys here are the Autons – plastic aliens first encountered by Pertwee's Doctor, but now on the loose again in London. And an extra treat is the eponymous character, Rose. Billie Piper certainly stunned the critics with her superb performance as the brave (and understandably befuddled) companion.
The End Of The World: The Doctor whisks Rose more than five billion years into the future in this story. Well, it is their first proper adventure together, so can't really blame the man for showing off. The destination in question is a space station orbiting Earth, where some foreign dignitaries – including the Face of Boe – have gathered to watch our planet finally meet its end in a blaze of glory. Not surprisingly, it all rather blows Rose's mind, and the episode really makes the most of its far-future context (revealing, for example, that in this era "classical music" refers to the likes of Britney Spears and Soft Cell.) On top of that, we get special effects worthy of a Hollywood movie – all a far cry from Pertwee battling rubber dinosaurs, that's for sure.
The Unquite Dead: The first episode of "new Who" to send kids scurrying to their rightful place at the back of the sofa, The Unquiet Dead is a chilling tale of walking corpses and ethereal alien spirits in 19th Century Britain. Naturally, the Ninth Doctor takes all the weirdness in his stride, and gets particularly excited when he bumps into Charles Dickens (played to perfection by Simon Callow). Can he, Rose and the great novelist work out why the dead are coming back to life in Victorian Cardiff? Speaking of Cardiff, it's well known that most of the new series is shot there, with the city doubling for London and various alien locations. Rather ironically, this episode, one of the few to actually be set in Cardiff, was actually filmed in Swansea. Something about a lack of Victorian buildings in the Welsh capital, apparently.
Aliens Of London: In "classic Who", the companions went off with the Doctor without a second thought about the lives they left behind – and their poor families certainly never got a look in. All that changed in the resurrected series, with Rose's boyfriend Mickey and even her mum Jackie turning up repeatedly to remind Rose that there's more to life than taking in the splendours of the cosmos and making contact with incredible alien races (unsurprisingly, Rose was never quite convinced by their argument). And it's this story – the first of a two-parter about an alien invasion of Earth – which sees Mickey and Jackie make the first of their many return appearances in the series. Old school fans will be pleased by the appearance of UNIT – the Doctor's chums from the wobbly set days – but the farting aliens may take some getting used to. (The kids will love them, though.)
World War Three: Handy hint – when confronted by deadly aliens, pick up a bottle of port and say you'll "triplicate its flammability" if they don't back off. Well, it works for the Doctor in this story, in which he must somehow put a stop to the plans of the Slitheen: a monstrous, though curiously cute family of aliens who have some very catastrophic plans for our humble planet Earth. One of the most action packed episodes in Who history, this story's got it all: flamboyant baddies, panicking crowds and the Ninth Doctor being all shouty and Northern at foolish, gawping humans. And there's even a touching bit where he decides to make friends with Rose's boyfriend Mickey. Shucks.
Dalek: Without a doubt the most eagerly anticipated episode of series one (apart from the debut episode, of course), Dalek brings one of history's most iconic sci-fi villains into the 21st Century. Rather wisely, the programme makers decided not to tamper with the classic Dalek design, although the pepperpot is now deadlier than ever before (just wait till you see what it can do with its plunger). As for the storyline – well, the Doctor and Rose turn up in Utah in 2012, where an American billionaire has created a secret alien museum boasting such exhibits as a Cyberman head, a Slitheen arm, and something he's called a metaltron – which of course turns out to be a disgruntled Dalek that's just itching to get some exterminating done. Looks like the good Doctor's got his work cut out for him again.
The Long Game: An enigmatic story, this, as its full implications aren't actually revealed until the very end of series one. Of course, it can also be enjoyed as a stand alone tale, with the Doctor, Rose and new companion Adam arriving at a space station orbiting Earth in the year 200,000. It's the time of the "Fourth Human Empire" – which should ring bells in fanboy heads as the "First Empire" was frequently mentioned in Pertwee-era stories. The space station beams news stories to hundreds of channels across the Empire, but just who's in charge of the operation? Step forward Mr Simon Pegg, who soon makes us forget the affable chaps he played in Spaced and Shaun of the Dead. Pegg steals every scene as the suave and vicious villain – well, that is until the monstrous Jagrafess makes an appearance.
Farthers Day: Critics and fans consider this one of the finest episodes of series one, and it's not hard to see why. Making space for the kind of emotional resonance that Doctor Who never bothered with in the old days, it follows the Doctor and Rose as they travel back to the 80s to catch a glimpse of her late father Pete Tyler, whom she never got to know. Unfortunately, Rose decides to save Pete from being killed by a hit-and-run driver, changing history and creating a "wound" in time that lets in the Reapers: terrifying airborne creatures which proceed to devour everything in sight. It's all monsters and time paradoxes, but in amongst all the sci-fi action there's the tender tale of a father and daughter's late-flowering reunion. If you know someone who doesn't like Doctor Who, plonk them in front of this and watch them become converted before your very eyes.
The Empty Child: It's never good when you find yourself stalked by a strange child with a gas mark for a face. It's even worse if the child is fond of saying "Are you my mummy?" in a haunting high-pitched voice. And it's really bad if this happens as bombs rain down around you. Unfortunately, it's just the scenario the Ninth Doctor and Rose must deal with in this gripping story set during the World War Two Blitz. Luckily they get some help in the form of a strapping, laughing, sexually ambiguous hunk of a man. The name's Captain Jack Harkness, ladies (and gentlemen).
The Doctor Dances: The second part of the story begun in The Empty Child, this is one of the most fiendishly enjoyable of all the Ninth Doctor's adventures. The Time Lord, Rose and Captain Jack race around a war-torn landscape to sort out an alien menace, but still find time to flirt and trade jibes along the way. Captain Jack: "Who has a sonic screwdriver? Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, 'Oooh, this could be a little more sonic'?" Who'd have thought facing certain death at the hands of a zombie army could be so enjoyable?
Boom Town: After the epic pyrotechnics of The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, we get to catch our breath with Boom Town, a quieter and more thoughtful episode which sees the Doctor re-consider his life and motivations. But don't worry, it's also got an end-of-the-world sub-plot and Captain Jack being all raunchy. The Tardis crew touch down in contemporary Cardiff, where Rose reunites with Mickey and the Doctor, rather less romantically, reunites with one of the evil Slitheen. Apprehending her in the middle of a fresh plot to destroy the Earth, the Time Lord decides to take her back to her home planet to face the death sentence. But, as the Slitheen points out, delivering her to her executioner would surely go against everything the Doctor stands for. Can a "moral" hero really be so indifferent to her fate? Ooh, it's well deep and philosophical, this one.
Bad Wolf: The Doctor wakes up in the Big Brother house, Rose finds herself playing The Weakest Link and Captain Jack is given a thorough makeover by two catty robots called Trine-e and Zu-Zana. No, it's not some kind of ironic spoof-episode of Doctor Who; it's the first part of the series one finale, the story which finally reveals the significance of "Bad Wolf", the phrase which has cropped up repeatedly through the Ninth Doctor's tenure. Our three heroes find themselves on the space station previously seen in The Long Game. Things are even darker than before, however, with the true nature of the station being revealed to an awe-struck Doctor. And as if all this isn't enough, Captain Jack even gets his kit off.
The Parting Of The Ways: Hankies at the ready, because this is the Ninth Doctor's final story. And he's got plenty on his plate, what with a massive Dalek army to deal with. The pesky pepperpots are out for blood, and let's not forget the super-duper Emperor Dalek, whose booming voice would put Tom Baker's expansive vocals to shame. This story is perhaps Eccleston's finest hour as the Doctor, just as Peter Davison's last story, The Caves of Androzani, featured hisgreatest performance. And then there's that climactic regeneration to look forward to.
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