This is the 44 minutes of television that changed my life. Or more specifically, the moment Rose walked in, around, then back into the TARDIS is the moment that changed my life. It lodged in my brain and grew into an obsession which led me to the first 156 Doctor Who stories, then back to this one. It’s a game changer which everlastingly upped the stakes for our favourite show. It didn’t just bring new fans, but it solidified its place in history for more than just the likes of fans like Russell T Davies.

Christopher Eccleston is the perfect Doctor Who. Serious and silly and unknowable. Absent minded and alien but kind. He is backed up by robust writing and an exciting and incredibly unlikely series of events. What were the chances that a serious writer on a career high would want to touch this show, which was tainted in the eyes of the public. Then on top of that - that a serious, talented actor like Christopher Eccleston would have been excited by the prospect of taking it on and adding his weight to the production. Then on top of THAT - that teenage pop star Billie Piper would be earmarked as an appropriate talent for the show… then really would turn out to be the sensation that Russell and Andy Prior knew she would be. So much had to go right to end up with Rose.

It’s all about characters isn’t it? That’s the big change. It’s not about the Autons, or plastic Mickey or a burping bin. It’s about a girl who works in a shop, with a useless boyfriend and a funny, lonely mother who’s a chancer. And then, of course, a man who enters her life and is more interesting than anyone else she has ever met. Someone who is able to unlock opportunities and a new life that she never dreamed would be possible. With superb characters in place this show is now poised to go anywhere and do anything. Everything is possible.