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She was followed during DaviesвЂ™s tenure by the middling Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and the much better Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). Initially he created Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), the most beloved sidekick of the вЂњNuWhoвЂќ era. Only one companion but a good oneДavies should be fine with this point, since he favoured a single companion during his first stint in charge. We probably donвЂ™t need any more episodes about civil rights or climate change, cheers. He should make the moral themes allegorical again, rather than ham-fistedly overt. Recent episodes have been so preachy, watching them is akin to doing GCSE history homework while being thwacked over the head with a rolled-up copy of The Guardian.ДЄ writer of Russell T DaviesвЂ™s undoubted talents is easily capable of reigning in such clumsiness. WhatвЂ™s changed is that this subtext has moved from subtly metaphorical to the more literal level.

Created by and for misfits, Doctor Who is quirky outsider art in a shiny mainstream package. There has always been a political dimension to the venerable old show's storytelling, from anti-war sentiments to the race-based bigotry of the Daleks. ItвЂ™s naive for naysayers to pretend that Doctor Who has only become politically correct in recent years, angrily accusing it of вЂњwoke-washingвЂќ or a вЂњliberal agendaвЂќ. TheyвЂ™ve got to be capable of doing anything.вЂќ Too true. As he said recently: вЂњTheyвЂ™ve got to be limitless. DaviesвЂ™s job is to block out all the external noise and simply hire the best candidate. Like the eternal вЂњnext James BondвЂќ debate, the role has become a lightning rod in the culture wars. ThereвЂ™s even an argument to say that the next Doctor should be an old, straight white man вЂ“ surely thatвЂ™s now the most radical casting of all. WeвЂ™ve now had a female Doctor so, moving with the times, we might well get a black, Asian, gay or non-binary Time Lord next. ItвЂ™s anyoneвЂ™s guess which way heвЂ™ll go with the 14th Doctor but unpredictability is a good thing. He followed this craggy-faced, leather-jacketed enigma with the more crowd-pleasing David Tennant, the best Doctor since Tom Baker.ДaviesвЂ™s casting has also been head-turningly terrific in his other creations: see Hugh Grant in A Very English Scandal or Emma Thompson in Years & Years.

He added credibility and dramatic heft to Doctor WhoвЂ™s risky 2005 revival by luring Christopher Ecclestone into the lead role. Cast the best Doctor, not the most diverse DoctorД¬asting has always been a strength of DaviesвЂ™s, both in the Whoniverse and elsewhere.

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So ahead of star Jodie Whittaker and incumbent boss Chris ChibnallвЂ™s final full series starting this Sunday (6.25pm on BBC One), weвЂ™ve drawn up DaviesвЂ™s 10-point to-do listвЂ¦ 1. With ratings down and critics carping, Davies has something of a salvage mission on his hands. And as the Tardis keys get handed over, heвЂ™ll be bringing a new Time Lord with him, too. To the relief of Whovians, award-laden screenwriter Russell T Davies has been announced as the next showrunner, returning to the BBC's sci-fi institution to oversee its 60th anniversary in 2023. After a divisive few years, the winds of change are blowing through Doctor WhoвЂ™s time-space continuum.