Who said you're not important? Listen to me. I've travelled to all sorts of places. I've done things you can't imagine. But you... street corner, two in the morning, getting a taxi home - I've never had a life like that. You don't know how important that is. Yes, I'll try and save you. I'll try my best, okay?
Not one of the most bombastic moments of the series, but that's why it works so well. It's a wonderfully underplayed moment pitched to perfection by Eccleston. The Doctor is approached by the couple who's wedding has been interrupted by the Reapers, who nervously ask him to save them and their unborn child. Having heard their story, he launches into this speech, revelling in the idea of everyday life. It gives a great insight into the character and how he views humans - and why he thinks what he does of us. To him, everyone is important, precisely because the little things matter and everyone should get to experience a normal life. There's a note of tragedy that it's a life he can't live and he seems slightly wistful for it, which just adds depth to the character. Is he truly longing for a normal life, or is he just wanting to escape the guilt and pain that come with his own?Whichever, any hero that views everyone as a vitally important life - that's a hero to get behind.
