The Moment I Fell in Love With Doctor Who

“Rose,” the very first episode of Doctor Who‘s revival—broadcast 20 years ago today—remains one of the show’s finest examples of what it wanted to do and be in the modern era. Its introduction to the domestic life of its latest companion, Billie Piper’s titular Rose Tyler, put her story at the forefront, setting a template the next 20 years of TARDIS travelers. Its framing of the Doctor, so mysterious and utterly alien, gave Christopher Eccleston a canvas to deliver what would be a career-defining performance. But above all, in its most enchanting moment, it reminded us that deep down beneath all the newness and modernity of it all, it knew what Doctor Who had always been about from the very beginning. Doctor Who is about running. Eccleston’s very first scene in “Rose” comes after an opening act that introduces us to Rose’s life. We see her day-to-day, we see how she interacts with her mother Jackie and her boyfriend Mickey, we see the hustle and bustle and banality of a perfectly or ... Read full article.