10 Doctor Who Changes That Were Completely Justified

When Doctor Who returned in 2005, it returned to a vastly different cultural landscape to the one it left.

The schlocky runabout vibe that most casual fans associated with the classic run was, unfairly or not, hard to shake. And so, one of the many smart decisions RTD made with the Ninth Doctor was to modernise the character and give him more of an 'edge' – more in line with the noughties trend towards grittier telly.

Gone were the question mark sweaters and technicolour dreamcoats. This new incarnation sported a buzz cut and a leather jacket, with a dash of crippling loneliness and a heavy serving of PTSD.

This was largely due to the Time War, possibly the single greatest source of character development the Doctor has had in 60 years. It went a long way to giving Nine (and especially Ten) mainstream appeal, and has been a well the revival has drawn from for almost 20 years.

Loneliness, grief, guilt, rage – hardly groundbreaking characteristics, but they kind of were for the Doctor. In 2005 everyone wanted their heroes to be a little angrier, a little darker. Had this not been the route RTD chose, the show probably wouldn't have taken off in the way it did.