Doctor Who (series 1) months of speculation. In the April 2004 issue of "Doctor Who Magazine", Davies announced that Eccleston's Doctor would indeed be the Ninth Doctor, relegating Richard E. Grant's Shalka Doctor to non-official status. Russell T Davies revealed that Eccleston asked for the role in an e-mail. After the announcement that the show would be returning, Davies revealed that the new companion would "probably" be called Rose Tyler in an edition of "Doctor Who Magazine" published in November 2003. This name was confirmed in March 2004, and it was announced at the same time that former pop star Billie Piper was being
Rose (Doctor Who episode) (Christopher Eccleston) plot to prevent an invasion of the Earth by the Nestene Consciousness (voice of Nicholas Briggs) and the Autons after the Doctor destroys Rose's workplace. The episode marked Eccleston's first appearance as the Doctor, succeeding several other actors who played the role, and Piper's debut as the Doctor's travelling companion Rose. Being the first episode of the revived series, several recurring characters were introduced: Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler, and Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith. Viewers did not see the Doctor character regenerate from a previous incarnation, regeneration being a plot device in which the character of the