In 2003,  the map of the Human  Genome 
    sequence  (DNA)  was completed. Giving us
    for the  first time,  the ability  to read
    nature's  complete  genetic blueprint for
     building a human being.

Finally, in September 2003,  it was announced  Doctor Who would be returning to BBC1
for transmission sometime in 2005. 

Fans immediately went bonkers and set sail for Fantasy Island.
Who would be the new Doctor? Would it be everybody’s favourite,
the man himself Tom Baker;  perhaps,  but then there was the
under-rated Peter Davison, and Paul McGann was brilliant in the
1996 film - then what about Sylvester McCoy he still has his fans. 
Oh please god not Colin Baker again...  Nooooo way.

Then there was the question of who would be the assistant.
It had to be Sarah Jane didn‘t it?  But what about Leela, or Jo
Grant, she was outstanding in the Green Death;  may be they would
bring back the delightful Nyssa?  Moreover, what of the old
enemies.  The Daleks and Cybermen  were a must; the Sontarans 
and Rutans had unfinished business,  and the Kraals and the 
Zygons were simply brilliant. Would the Master be regenerating?

The answers came quick and fast. Although the man Tom was now no longer prepared to travel in time and
space, the boffins at the BBC came up with an adequate replacement in the likeable Christopher Eccleston.
The early time-slot suggested from the outset programme makers were setting out to win over a completely
new fan base. After all, it was 16 years since Doctor Who had last been on television, so many people had
not even been born when Sylvester McCoy last played the Doctor; but this did not mean followers of the 
Classic series were being completely sidelined. The reappearance of some of the Doctor’s deadliest enemies
helped maintain that link with the past. The Daleks and Cybermen were updated and were as menacing as 
ever. Plus the new assistants were some of the best ever. Rose was red-hot and of course when Sarah Jane
and K9 appeared in series 2, all the old boys went wild. Sarah still has it!

Viewing figures for all three season seasons have been very impressive. And in David Tennent, the programme
has an accomplished actor, someone who will be remembered  by a generation of people as ‘their’ Doctor.
Therefore,  as we move towards a fourth series, with a great team of writers already in place and special
effects that would not look out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster, Doctor Who is destined to go from
strength to strength.