What you have to bear in mind is that change is the essence of the programme. From the First Doctor’s regeneration in 1966 to the series’ revival in 2005, Doctor Who has never clung to a particular lead actor, tone, or production team for too long.

In 1970, Doctor Who was given a radical overhaul. It was in colour, the producers and script editors had changed, and the Doctor was stuck on Earth helping UNIT. From then on, the series went from strength to strength.

Doctor Who‘s success is rooted in how freely it can change. One of the things that did Doctor Who serious harm in its 1980s’ decline was producer John Nathan Turner’s decision to stay on for as long as possible.

One of the best things about Doctor Who is that it changes before it becomes stale. And in my opinion, Russell T Davies had certainly begun to wear out his time a little by the time he left.