Series 1 (Doctor Who)

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.

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 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. 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

 * Doctor Who - Christopher Eccleston
 * Doctor Who - David Tennant
 * Rose Tyler - Billie Piper

Recurring

 * Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Jackie Tyler - Camille Coduri
 * Mickey Smith - Noel Clarke
 * Adam Mitchell - Bruno Langley
 * Lady Cassandra - Zoë Wanamaker
 * Charles Dickens - Simon Callow
 * Harriet Jones - Penelope Wilton
 * Margaret Blaine - Annette Badland
 * Voice of Daleks - Nicholas Briggs

Guest

 * Clive Finch - Mark Benton
 * Jabe - Yasmin Bannerman
 * Gwyneth - Eve Myles
 * Joseph Green - David Verrey
 * Henry van Statten - Corey Johnson
 * The Editor - Simon Pegg
 * Pete Tyler - Shaun Dingwall
 * Jamie - Albert Valentine
 * Nancy - Florence Hoath
 * Doctor Constantine - Richard Wilson
 * Lynda Moss - Jo Joyner
 * Rodrick - Paterson Joseph

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.

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.

Novels

 * The Clockwise Man
 * The Monster Inside
 * Winner Takes All
 * The Deviant Strain
 * Only Human
 * The Stealer of Dreams

Stories set during this season

 * PROSE: The Beast of Babylon (Before and between TV: Rose)
 * COMIC: Weapons of Past Destruction (Between The Doctor Dances and Boom Town)
 * COMIC: Hacked (After Weapons of Past Destruction)
 * COMIC: Doctormania (After Hacked)
 * COMIC: The Transformed (After Doctormania)
 * COMIC: Official Secrets (After The Transformed)

Promotional trailers
For the series, several promotional trailers were created, utilising specially shot footage of the cast 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 closeups 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.