Seemingly dead in the water after Sylvester McCoy had bravely soldiered on through weak scripts and even weaker special effects until the format give up the ghost in 1989.
Paul McGann then give the audience a new Doctor in 1995 with a mediocre US/Canadian backed Tele-movie which did nothing to enhance the Doctors reputation.Finally the Resurrection was complete in 2005 when a bunch of writers/producers spearheaded by Russell T Davies brought the time lord back to the small screen in the guise of a more edgier and down to earth Doctor as played by the brilliant Christopher Eccleston.
The first few episodes were a little tentative as the Doctor found himself with a new sidekick Rose Tyler ably played by ex pop singer Billie Piper (who was destined to become a revelation in the role) and introduced the audience to Roses extended family.
The first series had a few mis-fires, The Long Game and Boomtown were hardly classics but as in the later series's the Doctor really came into his own when he travelled into Earths past. The Unquiet Dead introduced Charles Dickens in a delightfully Victorian ghost Story. The backdrop of the Second World War though was the crux of the best two episodes of the 1st series, The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances were instant classics and the kid with the gas mask is possibly one of the scariest Doctor Who Monsters ever (even though he was no monster). 
Fathers Day also was a very strong emotional episode introducing us to Roses long deceased father.
Fathers Day also was a very strong emotional episode introducing us to Roses long deceased father.Eccleston decided (rightly or wrongly) to leave after the first series but the man who replaced him, David Tennant took the Doctor to even greater heights.
Dr Who now took the coveted Christmas late teatime slot and Tennant was introduced in a very good episode "The Christmas Invasion" which upped the ante in the special effects department and was fun, scary and action packed.
The second series was definitely stronger than the first although to a small extent, it missed the edginess of Eccleston. Tennant though fitted in right away and his chemistry with Piper was prevalent through out all 13 episodes.
Standouts definitely included Steven Moffats "Girl in the Fireplace", the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 in "School Reunion" and the possible highlight of the series which pitted the Doctor against Satan himself "the Impossible Planet/the Satan Pit".
The finale was also a standout as the Doctor and Rose were parted forever, although the writing in these episodes was not quite as strong as some of the others, the emotional content carried it through and the ending was truly phenomenal.
Doctor Who had now become big business and easily the TV highlight of the week for many. Billie Piper left the series at this point and the search for a new assistant begun.
The Christmas episode introduced us to Donna as the "Runaway Bride", an adequate episode which started brightly but tailed away towards the end.
The third series opened with a bang as Freema Aygeman become the Doctors new assistant "Martha Jones" in the imaginatively titled "Smith and Jones" Series 3 was the best yet but took a little time to find its feet, the Daleks appeared in the 2 weakest episodes of the series although the writer Helen Raynor should be commended for throwing in everything but the kitchen sink into a cluttered but enjoyable 2 parter.
"The family of Blood" and "Human Nature" were quite possibly the finest Doctor Who episodes of all time and were followed by "Blink" which most critics raved about.
The seasons finale featuring Derek Jacobi and John Simm as the Master was quite simply brilliant and took Doctor Who to completely new levels.
Finally we come to last years Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned" which will probably need a few more repeat viewings before I can make a judgement on it but certainly it was lively, fun and action packed.
The fourth series will have to be extra special to follow the current pattern and I guess there is always the chance that Doctor Who will burn itself out, its impossible to keep up the high standards forever (not even the Simpson's has managed that) but for now hats off to the writing team, all the actors and guest stars, heres to the Doctor, Rose, Martha, Donna, Jackie, Pete. Mickey, Captain Jack, the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Ood and not forgetting the Master.
Long may this new incarnation of the Doctor continue.
