With Russell T. Davies at the helm, in 2005 Christopher Eccleston helped usher in a new era of Doctor Who and a whole new horde of Whovians to the cause. His importance cannot be underestimated, so it's unfortunate that Nine seems to have become the forgotten Doctor of New Who. After only one season as the Doctor, Eccleston bowed out, to be replaced by David Tennant as the brilliant Tenth Doctor, a man whose shadow has proved to be pretty much enormous. Of course, it's not helped Nine that his successor is due to make a return in the 50th anniversary episode "The Day of the Doctor." With reports of Eccleston declining to be in the 50th Anniversary Special now confirmed, I thought it only right to remember the Doctor who kick-started New Who. The Doctor who brought us back into a show that so many of us know and love, who grabbed our hands, shouted "Run!" and (re)started us on a trip of a lifetime is the 9th Doctor, who is completely and utterly fantastic.
The Catchphrase: "Fantastic!"
I don't know how many times Ten has said "Allons-y!" or Eleven "Geronimo!", but Nine gives them both a run for their money with at least fifteen "Fantastic!"s across the course of a single season. The Doctor uses "fantastic" on many occasions, whether he says it in wonder when he sees a giant blue alien in "The End of the World," or in triumph when the Dalek fails to kill him in "Dalek," or finally with glee, when he realizes the London Eye is a giant transmitter in "Rose." It's also his greatest compliment high praise he only awards to Rose and to himself. With this trademark expression, it's doubly reassuring in "The Christmas Invasion" when Ten tells Rose that their travels will be fantastic. In that moment, we can be assured that Nine is still with us, and, like all of the Doctor's regenerations, is never truly gone.