it be hard to believe now but there be a time when and if you be a dr. who fan and you keep quiet about it . mention it name in the pub on a saturday night and you would be certain to attract laughter . all that change in 2005. thanks to russell t. davy and julie gardner and mal young and the long dead show become a pop culture phenomenon all over again . follow the departure of the fantastic christopher eccleston and a replacement have to be find . luckily the producer do not have to look too far . davy have just write the b. b. c. series casanova and star a charismatic young scottish actor by the name of david tennant . he make his debut a the time lord in the closing moment of the parting of the way and then appear in a short sketch for child in need in november and but his first full episode be this special and the first christmas who since 1965 the feast of steven with william hartnell . the christmas invasion begin with the tardis execute a rough landing on the powell housing estate in london . a jackie ( camille coduri ) and mickey ( noel clarke ) look on in bafflement and a stranger wear the doctor clothes step out and wish them a merry christmas and and collapse . while the new doctor lie in a coma in rise bed and out in space the british probe guinevere be take aboard an alien craft that resemble a huge chunk of coal . the warlike sycorax use the information aboard to locate earth and with the intention of take over . rise and mickey be out christmas shop when a brass band wear santa claus suit suddenly go berserk and attack the crowd with weaponry disguise a musical instrument . back at the tyler flat and a christmas tree come to life and spin madly like a carousel . use mind control and the sycorax have force entire family onto rooftop the world over . only the doctor can put thing right and but he be still out cold . tennant spend most of the programme asleep and but as soon a he wake up and assumes control of the situation . it be a masterful performance and switch from funny to angry and back again in the blink of an eye . not only do he defeat the sycorax leader in a well stag sword fight and but also bring down a british prime minister ( penelope wilton ) who have have the alien kill a they retreat from earth ( an effective if none too subtle dig at margaret thatcher sinking of the belgrano in the falklands war ) . the doctor be furious and and undermine her authority with a mere six word do you think she look tired . if only he have be here in the 80 when we need him . at the end and when he select his new clothes and sit down to turkey dinner with the tyler and it a if he have always be there . no one be in any doubt that this be the doctor . with him incapacitate for most of the action and billie tyler rise get to dominate the proceeding and and do so splendidly . torchwood and the mysterious organisation set up to conquer alien threat use alien technology and be mention here for the first time . the sycorax and while hardly the most terrifying alien to ever appear in the show and make for a suitable opponent and certainly more so than the slitheen and the adipose . over the year and comedian have try to guy the show and but come away look rather foolish because they make the mistake of send up what they think the show be . witness ricky gervais blinker and astonishingly narrow mind poof in 2007 extra christmas special . i do not want to appear in dr. who . and he storm . i do not want you in it and mate . talk slug out to rule the cosmos go out with colin baker . not even the presence of tennant could convince me i be watch even a vague approximation of the real thing . russell t. davy have attract odium from some of the more obsessive fan and mainly of his penchant for subversive humour which seem to suggest he do not take dr. who seriously a they would wish him to . it will be interesting to see in 2010 whether steven moffat and his successor and can come up with anything a remotely entertain a this . it prove so popular that two more christmas show be make and and a new one the next doctor be line up for this year . the hilarious image of the royal family teeter on the brink of the roof of buckingham palace make christmas day 2005 a particularly joyous one for me .