Russell T Davies looks back at an incredible year for Doctor Who.

Very well.

That’s what I’ve noticed, now we can scroll through the whole Whoniverse at ease, with a click of the iPlayer. The line “Very well”. It’s a real science-fiction line, that. Has anyone ever actually said “Very well” out loud? I was watching the last episode of Underworld; a guard is given an instruction and replies, “Very well”. And then, in The Daleks in Colour, a Dalek says it too, “Very well”. What a great line. Very well! I wonder how often someone’s said “very well” in Doctor Who.

That’s the kind of random thought I’m having today. Cos now we’re here, at the start of a new year, I feel a bit January, a bit wrung-out, a bit hungover, a bit stunned by the whole launch, last year. Maybe this article should be a rallying cry into the future, but… we’ve got plenty of rallying cries to come, there’s a whole new season on its way in spring. Let’s build up to that, give us time. But now, hungover, and musing, I wonder, how did it go, back there in ye olde 2023? The launch of new Doctor Who? And then the launch of newer Doctor Who? Now we’re in the post-Fourteenth-and-Fifteenth regenerative glow, this page is just some random thoughts, exactly like a hangover on a Sunday morning, eating cold takeaway and wondering about last night. Did I really do that? Were they kissing? Who was that man who whistled?

First thought. The One Show. I went on with David Tennant, and they were delightful, and then we went to meet the director, down in the depths of the building. (The gallery is about 16 miles away from the studio, they have motorway services along the route.) And there, the director, a lovely man called Stephen, said “My very first job was on Doctor Who. Silver Nemesis!” I said, oh, doing what? He said, “I was the computer calling the Cybermen down to Earth.” Very well! That’s what I love about the BBC, there’s not a corner untouched by Doctor Who, it’s written deep into the foundations.

Thought number two. My random scrolling through the Whoniverse allows me to find corners of Doctor Who I haven’t watched in very long while. And one day, I found myself watching The Hand of Fear, which contains a very interesting piece of dialogue I’d never noticed before. I always think of the Time Lords in their classic definition, given by the Second Doctor in The War Games, “They don’t interfere in the affairs of other planets.” A strict policy of non-intervention, it was always said. But look! Hold on! What’s this? The Hand of Fear, Part Three, Eldrad (who changes from female to male without the blink of an eye - those were the days) says that the Doctor, as a Time Lord, is “…pledged to prevent alien aggression”. And the Doctor nods and completes the line, “…only when such aggression is deemed to threaten the indigenous population.” Really?! But that’s a completely different mythology. And it’s fascinating, the way the Fourth Doctor says it. He’s a bit vague and grumpy, like he’s remembering some old rote. Almost like…

…okay, bear with me, almost like he’s remembering some old, half-forgotten Warrior Gallifrey, the like of which would have a certain Fugitive Doctor going into battle. Blimey. Was it always there? Did Eldrad know before we did? I love it!

Thought number three. The panic we had! On the morning of December 2, Wild Blue Yonder day. Yes, we’d kept that episode secret. (Not because it contained any secrets, as such, but because the plot was actually so simple. The Doctor and Donna meet evil doubles. Do they defeat them? Yes. D’you see? There’s not really anywhere else to go on that one.) Anyway, the strategy had worked, and all was calm and peaceful… until 7.40am on that Saturday, 11 hours before transmission, when a BBC Facebook page accidentally posted behind-the-scenes footage from Unleashed, with David Tennant hooting as he tried on his giant prosthetic arms!

Scream! Panic! SPOILERS!!

It was taken down within 15 minutes. Turns out, guess who’s reading Facebook pages at 7.40am? No one! Nothing spoilt. Phew. Upon investigation, it turned out that 7.40pm had been mistaken for 7.40am. Maybe say 1940 from now on, yeah?

So, yes, there you go, random thoughts and blizzard of memories from a very mad time, something we’ll probably never have again - a double launch of two Doctors incorporating Christmas itself, marshalled so brilliantly by the BBC publicity and photography teams. How d’you think it went?

Very well.