20 years ago, I watched with joy as Doctor Who returned to the small screen - and it brought my childhood back with it. Doctor Who is technically the world's longest-running science-fiction TV show, launched all the way back in 1963. Change is baked into the show's format, because the Doctor can regenerate, allowing new actors to take over and the entire series to be reinvigorated.

Look a little closer, though, and there's another story to be told. Doctor Who was canceled in the 1980s, with Sylvester McCoy's story "Survival" quickly rewritten to end on a powerful closing monologue. There was an attempted revival in the 1990s, with an ill-fated made-for-TV movie starring Paul McGann; when that failed, it really did look as though Doctor Who was dead. Until, that is, one fateful day in 2005. I'll never forget that day, and I'll always owe showrunner Russell T. Davies so much for bringing my childhood back.

How I'd Fallen In Love With Doctor Who

I can barely the tail-end of the Sylvester McCoy years. To be fair, I was only six years old when Doctor Who was abruptly canceled by the BBC; it wasn't until BBC2 began reshowing past episodes in the early '90s that I really started to fall in love with it. My dad had grown up with Doctor Who, and he wanted to share the experience with his son. I was immediately captivated by the sheer wonder of it all; the infinite possibilities of a dimensionally-transcendental craft that traveled time and space. I was hooked.

Doctor Who was a massive part of my childhood. We used to holiday in Wales, where we'd visit the Doctor Who exhibition at Llangollen. There, I'd pick up cheap Target novelizations that allowed me to enjoy stories I didn't expect to ever see, especially not after the BBC stopped showing old episodes. We eventually got Sky for a while just for Doctor Who, because UK Gold took to showing an entire story every Sunday afternoon, and we videod it to watch when we got back from church. (Yes, videos were still a thing.)

I've always been a reader, and Doctor Who fueled that - through the Target novelizations, the Virgin New and Missing Adventures, and ultimately the BBC's new range of novels that came after the McGann movie. For me, Doctor Who was my gateway into so many other sci-fi and fantasy franchises; I began collecting comics, and I was quickly hooked to Star Wars. None of these things were considered "cool" back in the '90s, of course; I was bullied a lot at school, and I still accidentally "outing" one friend for liking Doctor Who. His reputation never recovered.

He's Back - And It's About Time

Modern Doctor Who viewers can't imagine what it was like in the '90s, the so-called "Wilderness Years." The TV show seemed to be dead and gone, especially after the failure of the Paul McGann movie. Doctor Who only really continued in print - and audiobooks eventually, but I couldn't afford those. By the time I went to university, it seemed as though my interests would always be niche. At least, it did... until 2005.

I'd been hearing rumblings about Doctor Who's return for some time, but I'd found it hard to believe. On that fateful Saturday night, though, I had an experience I'd given up on ever having; I got to watch New Who. Was it the same? No, but I understood that was why it worked. "Rose" was faster-paced, and every scene had a sense of momentum; there's a moment where the Doctor delivers a monologue, but the camera keeps moving to give it pace. Christopher Eccleston was perfect, and I had tears in my eyes by the end.

I was hooked. Again.

Doctor Who's first season wasn't perfect, of course; I couldn't stand the Slitheen, and I guessed the entire Dalek arc as soon as the Doctor told Rose about Gallifrey's destruction in "The End of the World." Still, I was on the Doctor Who website immediately after every episode, collecting all the images, visiting spinoff sites and playing Dalek games. I dressed as Eccleston's Ninth Doctor to a fancy dress birthday party. My friends and housemates were amused at my excitement.

I gradually began to realize something had changed, though. I was used to the idea that Doctor Who was niche, that my interests were terminally uncool. Now, though, the show was popular, and everybody wanted to talk about it. When I dressed up as the Ninth Doctor, nobody blinked (although my offering friends a jelly baby did get a double-take). "My childhood's back," I saying, "and this time it's cool."

Doctor Who Was A Forerunner For Massive Cultural Change

Looking back, I'm convinced Doctor Who's return was a forerunner - a sign of things that were about to change, on such a massive scale. Three years later, I went to the cinema with friends to watch Iron Man, and I was buzzing with excitement because I knew an entire shared universe was about to be born. Later that year, I walked out from The Incredible Hulk with other friends - ones who hadn't watched Iron Man, and who had no idea why Robert Downey, Jr. appeared in the end-credits. I excitedly explaining.

The years have ed, and those very "uncool" things I loved are now mainstream. I still an old schoolfriend actually getting in touch to apologize for bullying me over my love of Doctor Who and my interest in comics; he now knew what he'd been missing out on. Now, I do this for a job - I write about superheroes and Star Wars, and I have the privilege of talking about Doctor Who too. One wonderful Christmas, I even got screeners, meaning I was one of the first to see a new TARDIS interior. My wife rolled her eyes at my tears.

Looking back, I can't help feeling as though the path of my life was set on that wonderful day in 2005. I'll always owe Russell T. Davies a debt, because he brought my childhood back and made it cool. Twenty years later, fifteen seasons later, Doctor Who is still going; not perfect, with many stumbles and the occasional pratfall (sorry, not a fan of the Timeless Child), but still so very full of wonder and joy as this man (or woman!) in a box wanders the galaxy. Long may they travel.

Tonight, I'll have a glass of wine in RTD's honor, and wish him the best for season 15; but for now, if you'll excuse me, there's something in my eye again. I think it's time for me to turn on the TV. Doctor Who beckons.