It is hard to believe now but there was a time when, if you were a 'Dr.Who' fan, you kept quiet about it. Mention its name in the pub on a Saturday night and you would be certain to attract laughter. All that changed in 2005. Thanks to Russell T.Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young, the long-dead show became a pop culture phenomenon all over again.<br /><br />Following the departure of the 'fantastic' Christopher Eccleston, a replacement had to be found. Luckily the producers did not have to look too far. Davies had just written the B.B.C. series 'Casanova', starring a charismatic young Scottish actor by the name of David Tennant. He made his debut as the Time Lord in the closing moments of 'The Parting Of The Ways', then appeared in a short sketch for 'Children In Need' in November, but his first full episode was this special, the first Christmas 'Who' since 1965's 'The Feast Of Steven' with William Hartnell.<br /><br />'The Christmas Invasion' begins with the Tardis executing a rough landing on the Powell housing estate in London. As Jackie ( Camille Coduri ) and Mickey ( Noel Clarke ) look on in bafflement, a stranger wearing the Doctor's clothes steps out, wishes them a Merry Christmas, and collapses. While the new Doctor lies in a coma in Rose's bed, out in space the British probe 'Guinevere' is taken aboard an alien craft that resembles a huge chunk of coal. The warlike Sycorax use the information aboard to locate Earth, with the intention of taking over.<br /><br />Rose and Mickey are out Christmas shopping when a brass band wearing Santa Claus suits suddenly goes berserk, attacking the crowd with weaponry disguised as musical instruments. Back at the Tyler flat, a Christmas tree comes to life, spinning madly like a carousel.<br /><br />Using mind control, the Sycorax have forced entire families onto rooftops the world over. Only the Doctor can put things right, but he is still out cold...<br /><br />Tennant spends most of the programme asleep, but as soon as he wakes up, assumes control of the situation. It is a masterful performance, switching from funny to angry and back again in the blink of an eye. Not only does he defeat the Sycorax leader in a well-staged sword fight, but also brings down a British Prime Minister ( Penelope Wilton ) who has had the aliens killed as they retreated from Earth ( an effective if none-too subtle dig at Margaret Thatcher's sinking of the Belgrano in the Falklands War ). The Doctor is furious, and undermines her authority with a mere six words - "Do you think she looks tired?". If only he had been here in the '80's when we needed him! At the end, when he selects his new clothes and sits down to turkey dinner with the Tylers, its as if he had always been there. No-one is in any doubt that this is the Doctor. <br /><br />With him incapacitated for most of the action, Billie Tyler's 'Rose' gets to dominate the proceedings, and does so splendidly. 'Torchwood', the mysterious organisation set up to conquer alien threats using alien technology, is mentioned here for the first time. The Sycorax, while hardly the most terrifying aliens to ever appear in the show, make for a suitable opponent, certainly more so than the Slitheen and the Adipose. <br /><br />Over the years, comedians have tried to guy the show, but come away looking rather foolish because they made the mistake of sending up what they think the show is. Witness Ricky Gervais' blinkered and astonishingly narrow-minded 'spoof' in 2007's 'Extras' Christmas special. "I do not want to appear in 'Dr.Who'!", he stormed. I do not want you in it, mate! Talking slugs out to rule the cosmos went out with Colin Baker. Not even the presence of Tennant could convince me I was watching even a vague approximation of the real thing. Russell T.Davies has attracted odium from some of the more obsessive fans, mainly of his penchant for subversive humour which seems to suggest he does not take 'Dr.Who' seriously as they would wish him to. It will be interesting to see in 2010 whether Steven Moffat, his successor, can come up with anything as remotely entertaining as this. It proved so popular that two more Christmas shows were made, and a new one - 'The Next Doctor' - is lined up for this year.<br /><br />The hilarious image of the Royal Family teetering on the brink of the roof of Buckingham Palace made Christmas Day 2005 a particularly joyous one for me!