10. The First Hint Rose
Mr Davies clearly had the long game in mind when he relaunched Doctor Who in 2005. The first mention of the Time War is in the very first reboot episode, 'Rose.' The Doctor tries to negotiate with the Auton-creating Nestene Consciousness but fails. The Consciousness explains that their havoc across London is a direct result of their food planet having been destroyed by the Time War. We know now that the Doctor played an integral part in this war, but back in 2005 this was a sly introduction for what would go on to become an eight year background story arc and the basis for the 50th anniversary special. It's interesting to consider that, although we know that the Daleks and the Time Lords fell at the Doctor's hand, and that 'all of creation' was at stake, but little screen time has been given to the fact that full-scale apocalyptic destruction occurred for other planets and civilisations. Will we overtly see this destruction in the special? If budgets can stretch to include a disaster movie-esque opening, where the innocent public of an uninvolved planet run for their lives, it could help set the scene for the episode by showing the wide ranging effect the Time War had on civilisation.