10 Ways Modern Doctor Who Changed The Show Forever

The classic series was always quite cagey around the Doctor's backstory, largely settling for teases and innuendo about why he left Gallifrey. Russell T Davies, on the other hand, conceived a tangible, sizeable backstory for his Doctor in the 2005 revival, and it's one that continues to influence the show.

RTD's frankly genius idea was to reveal that, in the interim period between the TV Movie and Rose, the Doctor had been engaged in a devastating war between the Time Lords and the Daleks. Not only that, but on one bleak, bleak day, he was forced to destroy his own people to save the rest of the universe.

This was the inciting incident for the Last of the Time Lords mythos that RTD references in his original pitch document. It's got a heftier dramatic hook than the mystery of why the First Doctor and Susan fled Gallifrey, and it had the additional benefit of reshaping the Doctor's relationship with the Daleks and the Master.

It was also a brilliant way to break down the Doctor's character at the start of the series, before building him back up again through his friendship with Rose. It was such a great innovation for the show that it's hard to believe that Russell, as mentioned in his original pitch, was essentially "making it up on the spot"!

However he did it, it worked beautifully. Two decades on, and still going strong! Happy birthday, modern Doctor Who. Here's to the next 20 years.