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Have you noticed how the centrepiece of Christmas Day has shifted over the last few years? Debatably, there used to be a viewing window around 3pm where folks would gather around their televisions and watch the Queen's Speech although I say this tentatively as I can't recall ever watching one all the way through myself. Then again, maybe I never did recover from the Anus Horriblus or whatever the phrase was that old Queenie managed to coin one year. Then everything switched to the cockle-eating minions of Albert Square as those Eastenders managed to remind us all that Christmas Day really could be just as depressing as any other day of the year. And now, thankfully, Doctor Who has taken over the mandatory family-gathering-around-the-se t part of the day with its Christmas special at 7pm. Having done this for the last two years, the Doctor Who franchise has become as all-conquering as the X-Factor Christmas single has of racing away with the festive Number One slot. Is this a good thing, I wonder?

What is beyond doubt is Russell T Davies' single handed rescue of a dying dynasty. Before he took charge of things, Doctor Who had been reduced to a laughing stock with, for me, the final straw being Sylvester McCoy's bizarre ascent into the lead role. With McCoy following on from the equally awful Peter Davison and Colin Baker, credibility for a very British series that had been running since 1963 (finishing in 1989) had plummeted to an all-time low. Doctor Who did have its good times, though. My first Doctor was Jon Pertwee and when he wasn't starring as Worsel Gummidge, he was teaming up with the Brigadier to fight the myriad of aliens that were running around the Universe. I don't remember ever cowering behind the settee like so many have claimed too but I was a wee bit spooked by characters like The Master and those aliens that looked just like little stone devils that appeared indestructible for a while. My favourite Doctor was the equally British but completely loony Tom Baker complete with long scarf and goofy grin. I'm sure TB simply played himself in the role and brought an over-the-top comedic aspect that had always lurked just below the surface but never quite managed to clip the tongue to the inside of the cheek until he came along.

Surprisingly, Doctor Who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running science fiction television series in the world. Renowned for its low budget, special effects and iconic theme music (originally produced

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