1. We never got the chance to take Ecclestone for granted
   Playing it tough on the outside, bruised on the inside, the first to do away with received pronunciation, frock coats and unruly manes – and he left at his peak

2. Billie
   Those huge eyes, teeth and erm… nostrils, you made the whole world shut up and pay attention.  We’ll always love you, and miss you as much as he does.

3. Effects that really are Special
   One of the most excruciating things about being a ‘Who’ fan; effects sequences where every cent not spent was up there on the screen, has been banished forever.

4.   “Fantastic!”
   As catchphrases go, shorter than “Reverse the polarity” and “Brave heart, Tegan” – and in one word sums up the ninth Doctor’s guileless delight in encountering something new.

5. Bad Wolf
   Whether you thought it made sense or not, the Goddess Rose was the only way we were ever going to get out of that one!

6.  “D’you wanna come with me?”
   The first ever trailer, complete with the Doctor running away from the fireball that never happened is probably still the best series opener of them all (and we bet it was the most downloaded, too)

7. Best regeneration. Ever
   No passive locked-off shot/lying on the floor for Chris, instead we get the equivalent of a volcanic eruption – and his hands regenerate too!

8. How many million?
   Probably never to be equalled again – as far as opening nights go, over 10 million bums on seats was a triumphant return which still has some people pinching themselves and ensured that we still have new Who to watch years later.

9. Scary Daleks!
   The masterstroke of reintroducing a lone specimen as an unstoppable killing machine, forcing viewers to imagine what hordes of ‘new’ Daleks might be capable of.  A perfect application of the ‘what you don’t see is far scarier…’ principle.

10. The Slow Reveal
    Simply the best way to reintroduce a 16-year-absent Time Lord to a new generation. Episode one is through the companion’s eyes, we learn that the Doctor is alone in episode three, meet our first Dalek of the series (just one!) in episode six – and all done very subtly and very stylishly. And we didn’t hear the word Gallifrey for two years! Compared to this, the McGann movie’s infodump really was a hiding to nothing.

 AH, PA

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