10 Ways Doctor Who Is Now Completely Unrecognisable

In 2005, when Russell T Davies brought Doctor Who back to our TV screens, there were many nostalgic types who imagined that the show would remain relatively unchanged, albeit with perhaps more of a modern feel to the effects budget. But Davies was smart in his reinvention of the much-loved property, taking everything that made the classic version of the show so iconic and adapting the format for a new era in television storytelling. He extended the episode length, added in an established actor to play the lead role and started to subtly insert more adult subtexts into the breathless adventure that resulted. He reshaped and remade the classic sets and aliens so that they would appeal to a new generation. And yet he still ensured that the show acknowledged its past and played up to certain tropes that long time viewers would expect to see on screen. Over time, the new show has established its own identity. It will always be indebted to its past, but it has acknowledged its place in the here and now by breaking many of the apparently unbreakable rules of the classic series. Some fans feel that it has betrayed its roots, but many feel that those changes have helped give the show a depth and a more universal appeal. On NuWho's 10th anniversary, here are just 10 ways in which it has departed from the classic series in ways that would have been unthinkable back when the show was cancelled in 1989.