The Doctor Who Universe: 2005-2010
2005 Series 5 On January 1st 2005, Part Two of ‘The End of Time’ aired on BBC One. It was the end of an era for Doctor Who as Showrunner Russell T Davies and the Tenth Doctor actor Michael French left at the end of a climatic two parter which drew in 13.30 million viewers with an appreciation index of 90, but a question was on the minds of the fans: Could the show survive under new leadership? When Steven Moffat agreed to become Doctor Who showrunner, his thoughts quickly shifted to shaping his first season of the show. After Sarah Parish left in Journey’s End and Michael French decided not to stay on for Series 5, it became clear Moffat’s new era would be with an entirely new cast. Every season of Doctor Who had a loose story arc, however this time it was decided to have the arc be less subtle than recent years. With Michael French deciding not to return, Moffat eventually began searching for his Doctor. He settled on Richard Coyle who’d worked with Moffat previously on his sit...