 Billie and Chris: bring on the Daleks |
Even though the doctor is a timelord, moving back and forth through the universe, he's yet to make an appearance in the 21st Century - at least not on our television screens.
Fans of BBC One's Doctor Who have waited patiently for the Tardis to return.
Christopher Eccleston makes his debut as the ninth doctor when the new series starts on Easter Saturday - March 26th.
No doctor would be able to function without an assistant.
And Eccleston, who nominated himself for the part, will appear with Billie Piper, former pop singer turned actress.
Wednesday's Breakfst talked to the the stars of the new series - Christopher Eccleston and Billie PiperChristopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston spoke to our Arts Correspondent, David Sillito.
He said that he hoped it would be programme that the family would watch together and that he was particularly aiming to capture the attention of 8 - 12 year olds.
He said that the sexism had been jettisoned and revealed that the cybermen are also not making a comeback. But he promised a new array of villains to add to those we already know.
 |  The central message of Dr Who is to love life..you have a short life, make sure it's a happy one, seize every moment |
What has been kept is the central message of Dr Who, which according to Eccleston is to love life.
He's promising high production values - and an end to wobbly sets.
Billie Piper
Billie feels that the new Doctor Who is contemporary - both in terms of special effects, sets, storylines and the relationship between her character and the doctor.
| I think the dynamic between the doctor and his assistant has changed - they're on a par with each other and they educate each other |
Billie said their relationship has a very interesting dynamic and that sometimes he was a father figure to her character, who doesn't have a father.
She also feels that one of the biggest differences in the series is that its a lot more domestic: it touches on relationships and families in a way that previous series have not.
Author Russell T Davies
Friday's Breakfast spoke to author Russell T Davies, who's written the latest series of Doctor Who. The author - whose credits include Queer As Folk for Channel Four - has also written the series Casanova, which starts this week on BBC Two.
Christopher Eccleston becomes the ninth doctor since Dr Who was first seen in 1963.
He follows Paul McGann - the eighth doctor - in the television only movie in 1996.
The last doctor to be seen on BBC One before the programme was axed in 1989 was Sylvester McCoy who occupied space, time and the Tardis from 1986.
Fans will have to wait until the end of this month to see the new series - we're awaiting confirmation of the date of the first episode.
Despite the BBC's efforts to keep tight-lipped over details of the new series, the first episode found its way on to the internet.
Fans of the doctor were able to download clips of the programme which was then automatically assembled into a complete programme - see the separate story on this to the right of this page.
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Watch Breakfast's report on the advance screening of the new Dr Who 
