"Doctor Who" originally ran from 1963 to 1989, when it was cancelled after its twenty-sixth season. Television producer Russell T Davies had been lobbying the BBC in an attempt to revive the show from the late 1990s, and reached the discussion phase in 2002. It was announced in September 2003 that Doctor Who was returning and would be produced by BBC Wales via a BBC press release. The format of the programme was changed to 45-minute episodes, lightening the pace. Davies was inspired by American series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Smallville", in particular by using "Buffy" structure of season-long story arcs around a "Big Bad" villain.