Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies in 2008.
The Time Lords had a transformative effect on Doctor Who as soon as they were fully introduced. In The War Games (1969) they initiated the Second Doctor’s regeneration, paving the way for the series’ relaunch in colour the following year. In 1996, the opening moments of the Doctor Who TV movie took us back to Gallifrey as Time Lord intervention ushered in another, sadly short-lived, era.
The next chapter began in 2005, when Russell T Davies’ more accessible reboot appeared to consign the Time Lords to history. On-screen references to the apocalyptic Time War remained stubbornly cryptic, but Russell revealed a surprising amount of background detail in print.
The unlikely home of this chronicle was the Doctor Who Annual 2006, published by Panini in August the previous year. This revival of a once-cherished format was seminal for a number of reasons, not least of which is a brief article by Russell entitled Meet the Doctor. It’s a treasure trove of clues and references that are no less intriguing 11 years later.
Panini’s Doctor Who Annual 2006 was one of the notable items of merchandise in the series’ first year back on air.