It's 20 years since Doctor Who's best finale – but not for reasons you think
The modern reboot of Doctor Who wrapped up its first season a whole 20 years ago today, airing Christopher Eccleston's final episode and David Tennant's first to nearly 7 million viewers.
The Parting of the Ways was a bold way to cap off the first Who in decades, in part unintentionally so, since Eccleston had to be regenerated at pace amid a fallout with the senior team.
But seen in the rearview mirror, it's the best finale of modern Who to date. Not because it gave us David Tennant – arguably, the quintessential Doctor – but because, even with a convenient resolution, it was a rip-roaring finale that found the Doctor's magic.
Here's your quick refresher of the episode, since it did air 20 years ago now. Ecclestone's final episode as the Ninth Time Lord is an epic encounter with the Daleks, as they had never been seen before. A floating legion of chilling toilet plungers are rendered in a way that actually captures their menace on screen, with the Emperor Dalek sitting at the top of their troupe.
The Daleks are plotting. They've cracked up a sinister scheme to 'harvest humanity' (never a good combination of words) to repopulate their numbers. Half a million Daleks lie in wait in space, like the Greeks hiding their fleet out of Trojan view.
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Meanwhile, Rose Tyler is sent packing back to earth, but enlists her mum and Mickey to get back in on the action. This leads to a never-not-brilliant café scene, well worth a rewatch itself ('The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life,' says Rose. Sob).
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Yet maybe Rose should have stayed put after all, since she returns to the satellite, where the proverbial is hitting the fan thanks to the Daleks. Having absorbed all the time-vortex energy from the Tardis, Rose becomes the omnipotent Bad Wolf. The Daleks are laid waste to. Captain Jack is brought back from the dead. But it's all too much for her mortal being.
How would renowned softie showrunner Russell T Davies have the Doctor save Rose's life, while also capitalising on some season-long sexual tension, but to have them kiss? Better yet, make it a Romeo and Juliet fatal kiss that triggers his regeneration.
Yes, it was a deus ex machina ending – but this was back when we weren't so worn down by them. This was when Davies was still overspilling with ideas for his reimagining of the British sci-fi classic. It's a powerful, life-saving sacrifice in what is an exhilarating finale episode where Rose gets to save the day.
The Parting of the Ways was the most-watched programme the night it aired on BBC One in June 2005.
There were 6.2 million homes tuning in for Eccleston's exit, the Guardian reported at the time.
When the final consolidated ratings came in, accounting for those watching on catch-up or recordings, the figures rose to 6.91 million.
This was the first time the Time Lord's cheating death trick was broadcast to a whole new generation of viewers. He spread out his arms and burst into a blaze of golden energy, all the while smiling. Eccleston burned away and Tennant reappeared, with a winning grin.
It was a huge surprise to lose such a brilliant Doctor so quickly, even if it had been leaked before the episode aired. But it really can't be overstated how fantastic Eccleston was. Nobody at the time thought this reboot would work, but his performance – where he could snap from silly to sensitive to riled up on the hinge of a scene – gave the show gravitas.
Tennant's stellar run as the Converse-kicking Tenth Doctor might have knocked Eccleston into his shadow, but you have to wonder where Who would have gone if he had stayed on for two or three more years as he originally planned.
Instead we have this lightning in a bottle finale to an electrifying season, with hallmarks you can see the show try to recapture later down the line. More Trending
Perhaps labelling it the best finale could be chalked up to nostalgia. Peter Capaldi's nearly-last episode The Doctor Falls is another strong contender for the crown, with a heartbreaking ending and a face off with another of the Doctor's greatest foes, the Cybermen.
But this was where we first saw the tortured complexity of the Doctor, who had onboarded a legion of new fans, mixed with the playful Davies dialogue we weren't yet used to.
The parting words from the Ninth Doctor are a fitting farewell for Eccleston and commend his ability to turn a fledgling reboot into a ratings winner. Before he goes, he tells Rose: 'You were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I.' Too right.
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Doctor Who's The Parting of the Ways is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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