He's the man responsible for rekindling our love affair with the whacky programme and, with the help of a talented team, hurling it into the 21st Century. Doctor Who mania was re-born and a brand new wave of fans emerged in the process.

Also flung into different dimensions and galaxies was Billie Piper as his new companion Rose Tyler. However, the actor shocked fans when he decided to leave the show he had helped make a success, after only one series.

Fun fact: Christopher Eccleston first met his successor, David Tennant, while shooting the 1996 movie 'Jude'. Eccleston played the lead role and Tennant had a part as a drunk student who taunted him.