12 Moments That Have Defined The Last Decade Of Doctor Who

11. Gallifrey Named (The Runaway Bride)

It's hard to imagine a time where the Doctor wasn't harping on about Gallifrey at any given opportunity so it's strange to think that he initially didn't actually mention it for two whole years. Surely that's a record? He alluded to it, of course, since its destruction in the Time War was a huge part of the Ninth Doctor's guilt ridden story arc, but it wasn't until the 2006 Christmas Special, The Runaway Bride, that the titular Time Lord felt comfortable enough in his own skin to utter the iconic word on screen for the first time since the show's 21st century revival. And oh, what a moment it was! It was enough to shut the Empress of the Racnoss up, anyway, who had been busily preparing to take over the world until she discovered who this "martian" really was. He's a Time Lord, thank you very much, and nobody destroys the Earth whilst he's around, especially at Christmas. That's just plain cruel. A seminal scene because Gallifrey's such a huge part of the show's mythology and there's a reason they waited until the opportune moment to introduce its name to a new generation of viewers. It was a turning point for the character, too, who hadn't yet been able to bring himself to say having spent most of the last two years being haunted by the ghosts of his war torn past. In this moment, the Doctor arrived. Little did he know, there was another Time Lord waiting for him at the end of the universe...