Writer/Executive Producer - Russell T Davies

The man with a monumental mission: reinventing Doctor Who.

Russell T Davies faces a daunting task - rethink Doctor Who so that it will appeal to a 21st Century audience, without alienating the series' diehard fans.

Russell began his TV career at the BBC, producing summertime kids creativity-fest Why Don't You?, before deciding his future lay in writing.

In the late 1980's Russell penned two of the BBC's most revered children's dramas - Century Falls and Dark Season. The latter featured memorable performances from both a young Kate Winslet and the fabulously camp Jacqueline (Servalan) Pearce.

Russell's big break into the world of adult TV came with Queer as Folk, a controversial but groundbreaking gay drama which featured several Who references - including an appearance by K9. A big success in the UK, Queer as Folk was remade for a US audience and is currently a huge hit there too.

The Grand, Bob and Rose, starring Alan Davies followed, as did the Second Coming, with which Russell actually managed to get science fiction drama onto primetime ITV.

Although the upcoming Doctor Who series will feature Russell's first TV scripts for the Time Lord, he did write Damaged Goods - a Seventh Doctor New Adventure - for Virgin Books back in 1996. It featured council estates, illicit substances and an ancient Gallifreyan weapon.

Russell has so far said little about new Doctor Who, mainly because he won't actually start writing scripts until January 2004. Below, however, are a few snippets that SFX Magazine managed to prize out of him:

"I don't want to do a send-up. A real, full-blooded drama, that's what I want to do."

"I doubt it's going to be a Year Zero [reboot of the concept]. No one's even mentioned that. I don't see the need for a complete reboot, it's a bit like chucking the baby out with the bathwater. Which I did actually do once; his mother was livid!"

"Although the BBC are saying, 'do what you want with it', I know that even if they think they haven't got a notion of what they want, they have got notions of what they want because they are designing a schedule..."

"I'll bring back the Nimon and the Garm!"

We think he's joking about the last bit. Well, we hope he is.

For a longer interview with Russell, check out the latest issue (337) of Doctor Who Magazine.

Thanks to Clayton Hickman for providing the photograph of Russell T Davies.