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Sixteen years - nothing to a Time Lord but, for fans waiting on the return of Doctor Who to the small screen, it may have seemed like an eternity. On 25 March 2005, the wait for Whovians ended as The Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, returned to British television.

Even though the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ stopped producing Doctor Who in 1989, there were still people within the organisation who believed the show had enduring appeal and could be revived for a modern audience. ​

Two of those people were Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One, and Jane Tranter, Head of Drama. Here they explain the processes they went through to kickstart the Doctor Who revival in 2005.

Like producer Verity Lambert in 1963, it was a woman who was tasked with making the vision of Doctor Who a reality on television. This time it fell to Julie Gardner, who had just been appointed Head of Drama at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales.

In this interview with Mark Lawson, Russell T Davies explains why his name kept coming up when people spoke about reviving Doctor Who.

In this previously unseen interview with Verity Lambert from 2003, the original Doctor Who showrunner gives her seal of approval to the appointment of Russell T Davies.

The news of Doctor Who returning was announced to the press on 26 September 2003. ​

As the series was going to be made in Wales, this was a big story for their news team. Here, Wales Today presenter Jason Mohammad announces Doctor Who’s return.

Audiences had to wait almost a year before they got to see Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor. His first appearance was in this trailer where The Doctor invites viewers to join him on his adventures.

Ahead of the relaunch, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Culture Show was invited to the premiere of the first episode in Wales.

Only days after the broadcast of the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ News reported that lead actor Christopher Eccleston would not be returning for a second series.​

When Christopher Ecclestone announced his departure after just one series, it looked as though the revived ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sci-fi classic might be in trouble, but they rapidly lined up another charismatic young actor, who was known for his intense but cheeky look – David Tennant.

Here he is in 2005 telling Mark Lawson on Front Row about the excitement and trepidation he felt taking on the role of The Doctor.

Finally, here is Russell T Davies in 2008 discussing how thrilled he is with the monumental success of the revival.