Doctor Who: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Day Of The Doctor

7. It Changed The Direction Of The Show

Back when Doctor Who premiered in 1963, the Doctor outright stated that he and Susan were outcasts from their home planet, so from the very beginning, the Doctor has been running. He did return to Gallifrey a few times during the course of the classic series, but he never stayed for long. In general, he had a low opinion of his fellow Time Lords and found fault with their strict policy of non-interference. After the Time War, of course, his feelings about Gallifrey changed. He may not have always gotten along with the people or agreed with the culture but it was still home, and infrequently he paid it a visit. But now he didn't have that anchor. He really was a wanderer in time and space. The 50th anniversary drastically altered this. After 50 years of running from Gallifrey, the Doctor is now running towards it, trying to find where his home planet is and trying to figure out how to break it out of its pocket universe. But now his goals are different. Although he realises that Gallifrey was never perfect, he recognises that it was also home...