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Series 1 of Doctor Who was the first series produced by BBC Wales. Comprised of thirteen episodes, it came nearly sixteen years after the previous season, though only nine years after the last television story. It starred Christopher Eccleston in his only season as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler. John Barrowman's Jack Harkness, who would go on to have a profound impact on the shape and scope of the Doctor Who universe, also debuted this year.
- You may be looking for season 1 of the original series.
Its head writer was Russell T Davies, and thus the series was the start of what fans colloquially refer to as the "RTD era". But credit for the series hardly belonged to RTD alone. The struggles to bring Doctor Who back to BBC One after such a long absence are the subject of several documentaries and behind-the-scenes explorations, all of which confirm that series one was the result of the struggles of several individuals apart from RTD himself — notably BBC execs Jane Tranter and Lorraine Heggessey, as well as RTD's fellow executive producers, Julie Gardner and Mal Young.
Ultimately, the decision to make the series in Cardiff rather than London not only changed the face of Doctor Who, but also reshaped the British television industry. A then-sleepy satellite of the BBC was transformed by this series' success into a major hub of British television production. Series one was characterised not just by its unexpected success with the British public, but also by the teething problems inherent in filming a major, special-effects-heavy series in a country that, until then, had little experience with that kind of production.
Series 1 was unusually well-received. It won the National Television Award and BAFTA for "Best Drama Series", confirming its popular and critical success. Its BAFTA nomination was the first for the series since season 15 and the first ever for the programme in an "adult" category. Perhaps more importantly, it was the first time that a series of Doctor Who had actually won a BAFTA. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper both won National Television Awards for "Favourite Actor" and "Favourite Actress". Writer Steven Moffat also began a three-year domination of the Hugo Award "Short Form Presentation" category by winning one for his The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances two-parter.
Unlike the more recent series, series 1 was produced under a partnership deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[1] It was also the first whole series of Doctor Who to be broadcast on a national, commercial network in the United States, thanks to a late deal with the Sci-Fi Channel.
Overview
Series 1 introduced the Ninth Doctor, along with new companion Rose Tyler. It dealt with the words "Bad Wolf" being spread across time and space, which was the main arc of the series. This meme was seen in the majority of the episodes.
Series 1 also provided the first major information about the Last Great Time War. The Parting of the Ways featured the revived series' first regeneration. The season also introduced Jack Harkness, planting the seed for the spin-off Torchwood.
Cast
Recurring
- Jackie Tyler - Camille Coduri
- Mickey Smith - Noel Clarke, Casey Dyer
- Autons - Alan Ruscoe, Paul Kasey, David Sant, Elizabeth Fost, Helen Otway
- Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17 - Zoë Wanamaker
- Trinity Wells - Lachele Carl
- Harriet Jones - Penelope Wilton
- Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen - Annette Badland, Alan Ruscoe
- Adam Mitchell - Bruno Langley
- Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
- Daleks - operated by Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg, David Hankinson and voiced by Nicholas Briggs
- Doctor Who - David Tennant
Guest
- Clive Finch - Mark Benton
- Nestene Consciousness - Nicholas Briggs
- Jabe - Yasmin Bannerman
- Gwyneth - Eve Myles
- Charles Dickens - Simon Callow
- Gelth – Zoe Thorne
- Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen - David Verrey
- Toshiko Sato - Naoko Mori
- Henry van Statten - Corey Johnson
- Cathica Santini Khadeni - Christine Adams
- The Editor - Simon Pegg
- Peter Tyler - Shaun Dingwall
- Jamie - Albert Valentine
- Nancy - Florence Hoath
- Doctor Constantine - Richard Wilson
- Lynda Moss - Jo Joyner
- Rodrick - Paterson Joseph
- Controller - Martha Cope
Television stories
| Episode Number |
Title | Writer | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rose | Russell T Davies | Keith Boak | First appearances of the Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler and Mickey Smith. Reintroduction of the Autons and the Nestene Consciousness. First appearance of the blue diode sonic screwdriver model. |
| 2 | The End of the World | Russell T Davies | Euros Lyn | First appearance of the Face of Boe and Cassandra. Introduction of the Bad Wolf meme. First mention of the Last Great Time War. Debut of the psychic paper. |
| 3 | The Unquiet Dead | Mark Gatiss | Euros Lyn | Introduction of the Cardiff Rift. Eve Myles guest stars in a role other than Gwen Cooper. |
| 4 & 5 | Aliens of London / World War Three | Russell T Davies | Keith Boak | First appearance of Toshiko Sato, Harriet Jones and the Slitheen (Raxacoricofallapatorians). |
| 6 | Dalek | Robert Shearman | Joe Ahearne | Reintroduction of the Daleks and first appearance of Adam Mitchell. |
| 7 | The Long Game | Russell T Davies | Brian Grant | Final appearance of Adam Mitchell. First time a companion is kicked out of the TARDIS. First appearance of Satellite 5. |
| 8 | Father's Day | Paul Cornell | Joe Ahearne | Introduction of Pete Tyler (Rose's father) and subsequent account of his death. |
| 9 & 10 | The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances | Steven Moffat | James Hawes | First appearance of Jack Harkness. |
| 11 | Boom Town | Russell T Davies | Joe Ahearne | Reappearance of the Slitheen. |
| 12 & 13 | Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways | Russell T Davies | Joe Ahearne | Final appearance of the Ninth Doctor portrayed by Christopher Eccleston and introduction of the Tenth Doctor portrayed by David Tennant; last regular appearance of Jack Harkness until Utopia. First mention of Torchwood. Reappearance of the Daleks. Resolution of the Bad Wolf arc. |
Adaptations and merchandising
Home media
VHS
All episodes of series 1 were released on VHS by Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment in November 2005.
DVD
All episodes of series 1 were released in 2005 in both individual volumes and in boxset form by 2|Entertain and Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment for Region 2 and in 2006 by Warner Home Video for Region 1.
| name | Number and duration of episodes |
R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor Who: Volume 1 Rose The End of the World The Unquiet Dead |
3 × 45 min. | 16 May 2005 | 17 June 2005 | 7 November 2006 |
| Doctor Who: Volume 2 Aliens of London / World War Three Dalek |
3 × 45 min. | 13 June 2005 | 3 August 2005 | 7 November 2006 |
| Doctor Who: Volume 3 The Long Game Father's Day The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances |
4 × 45 min. | 1 August 2005 | 31 August 2005 | 7 November 2006 |
| Doctor Who: Volume 4 Boom Town Bad Wolf/ The Parting of the Ways |
3 × 45 min. | 5 September 2005 | 6 October 2005 | 7 November 2006 |
| Doctor Who: The Complete First Series
Disc 1: Episodes 1-3 Disc 2: Episodes 4-6 Disc 3: Episodes 7-10 Disc 4: Episodes 11-13 Disc 5: Confidentials |
13 × 45 min. | 21 November 2005 | 8 December 2005 | 14 February 2006 (Canada) 4 July 2006 (US) |
Bluray
Series 1 was included in the Doctor Who: Complete Series 1-7 Bluray boxset, released on November 5th, 2013 in the US and November 4th, 2013 in the UK.
In March 2017, an Amazon exclusive steelbook containing the thirteen episodes was announced.
Stories set during this season
Novels
- The Clockwise Man
- The Monster Inside
- Winner Takes All
- The Deviant Strain
- Only Human
- The Stealer of Dreams
Audio Stories
Comics
- Weapons of Past Destruction
- Hacked
- Doctormania
- The Transformed
- Official Secrets
- Slaver's Song
- Sin-Eaters
- Secret Agent Man
- The Bidding War
Short Stories
Promotional trailers
For the series, several promotional trailers were created, utilising specially shot footage of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper breaking the fourth wall and addressing viewers.
- The show's main trailer begins with an explosion rushing through a tunnel and the Doctor running. He enters the TARDIS and asks the viewer: "Do you want to come with me?" He walks around the console room, warning of the dangers that lie ahead, but promising "the trip of a lifetime." This promo uses an early arrangement of the Doctor Who theme that was replaced by a more upbeat arrangement for the series itself.
- Rose, in the console room, tells the viewer about the choice she had to make - working in a dull shop or chasing monsters. As the camera pulls back to show the Doctor standing behind her, she says, "What do you think?"
- Several short, wordless five-second "stings" were also produced. These showed close-ups of the Doctor, Rose, the two together, and the TARDIS. No series logo or title is shown, with only a snippet of the Doctor Who theme or the TARDIS sound effect to identify the programme.
Footnotes
- ↑ BBC investigates Doctor Who leak. BBC NEWS - Entertainment (Tuesday, 8 March, 2005). Retrieved on 2nd August 2011.