Russell T. Davies and his contributions to "Doctor Who"

The New York Times has a new article about Russell T. Davies and how his revival of Doctor Who has improved television in Britain in terms of the quality and range of issues that can be covered: Who Altered British TV? ‘Who’ Indeed. Another New York Times article from 2006 discusses the first series of Doctor Who and how Davies, the executive producer and lead writer, brought the show into the 21st century.

Outpost Gallifrey also reports that Davies will receive the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) honor from Queen Elizabeth II for his work in writing and producing drama on television. This honor is well-deserved, since Davies brought Doctor Who back when it seemed like no one else could and made it as good as any dramatic series. After the last original series episode in 1989, and a television film in 1996, the show lived on in novels and audio plays, as well as in Doctor Who Magazine. Many of the writers on the TV show today, such as Davies, Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, previously wrote for the tie-in media.

The new series brought Doctor Who back to popularity among general audiences in Britain, and gained it many new fans around the world. Davies' episodes are fun to watch and include spectacular events as well as character moments. The show today honors the past 45 years of stories as well as being original and unexpected. Since 2005 it has also won many prestigious awards, including BAFTAs and Hugos for best television drama. The spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures take the world of Doctor Who in new directions as they explore the impact of alien invasions on Earth. The current fourth series of Doctor Who is the best and most consistent set of episodes ever in the show's history, with David Tennant and Catherine Tate doing excellent work every episode and all the cast and crew making it one of the greatest shows on television.