Who wrote the first episode of the 2005 revival?

Russell T Davies wrote the first episode of the 2005 Doctor Who revival, "Rose." The episode introduced Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, reintroducing the programme after a 16-year television absence.

Davies was also the revival's head writer and executive producer from 2005 to 2010. His approach made the series accessible to new viewers while preserving familiar elements such as the TARDIS, regeneration and the Doctor's alien identity. "Rose" begins in contemporary London, where Rose investigates living plastic shop-window dummies and encounters the Doctor.

A common mix-up is confusing Davies with the writers who later shaped the revival. Paul Cornell wrote "Father's Day," Steven Moffat wrote "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances," and Chris Chibnall became showrunner much later. Davies also wrote the first episode of the 2023 Doctor Who specials, "The Star Beast," during his second tenure.