Russell T Davies talks Doctor Who's "defining difference" now to reboot

Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has pinpointed the main difference between now and the time he originally rebooted the show 18 years ago.

Whovians will recall the days of actor Christopher Eccleston's TARDIS reign, following the unsuccessful launch of Paul McGann's planned series in the mid-1990s.

Davies was in charge for five years in total - overseeing the fan-favourite regeneration into David Tennant - before returning in 2022 with Ncuti Gatwa cast as the Time Lord.

Related: Doctor Who's Russell T Davies addresses possible David Tennant return

Ahead of the Christmas Day special, 'The Church on Ruby Road', the Doctor Who boss was asked what's changed since his first time working on the show.

"Well, it's always different," replied Davies.

"We have a different cast working on a different show. It's listening to [Millie Gibson and Gatwa], watching these two. The energy on screen is very much what you bring to it. It's also a very busy team and I very much believe in it being a very noisy programme."

Related: Did Doctor Who just make a big mistake with that regeneration twist?

Davies, who's also noted for creating It's a Sin, Queer as Folk and Torchwood, went on to elaborate: "I think it's a busy world now - there's Stranger Things, there's the Marvel empire, there's Star Wars. It's a noisy, noisy fantasy world. That's the defining difference between now and 2005.

"We were kind of the only show in 2005, now it's a busy marketplace. So we've got to be noisy and actually the truth of it is that first episode, 'The Star Beast', the consolidated figures are already 8.7 million.

"So we're growing and growing and growing every single week. So it's working. It's delightful."

Doctor Who continues with 'The Church on Ruby Road', airing on Christmas Day (December 25). The show airs on BBC One in the UK and Disney+ elsewhere.

Classic episodes of Doctor Who are now made available via BBC iPlayer in the UK as well.

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