Russell T. Davies in the the TARDIS

by Nur Hussein, contributing writer

Today, two beloved Doctor Who crew celebrate their birthdays: Russell T. Davies and Jenna Coleman. Happy birthday to the both of you!

Russell T. Davies is the former producer of the revived Doctor Who series which started in 2005, and he was the person credited with pushing for its revival, and breathing new life into the series which long languished after its cancellation in 1989 save the single TV movie in 1996. A lifelong Whovian, Davies lobbied hard for Doctor Who to return to television, updated for modern audiences. It was Davies’ success at producing and writing the new series that led Doctor Who to experience a fresh revival in popular culture that’s gaining more and more fans around the world today. Davies stepped away from Doctor Who in 2010, but he leaves an important legacy for us Whovians: he was the man who brought Doctor Who back to our screens.

Apart from Doctor Who and its related spinoffs, Russell T. Davies has produced a number of other shows for the BBC such as Queer As Folk and Bob & Rose. His latest children’s show is a self-explanatory series called Wizards versus Aliens. So, happy birthday to you sir, hats off to you for bringing Doctor Who back to us, and may you have your very own action figure someday even though you’ve stated on the record that it’d be a bad idea.

Jenna Coleman checks the time.

Next up is Jenna Coleman, who also celebrates her birthday today. Born in Blackpool, she currently plays companion Clara Oswald on Doctor Who, and has graced our screens opposite Matt Smith for his final series, and will continue to have adventures with the Doctor when he’s played by Peter Capaldi this fall. She’s the only companion to have appeared on the show with every other Doctor (in cameo roles brought to us with the magic of digital editing). Before her role as the Doctor’s companion, Jenna Coleman had a brief role in genre as Bucky Barnes’ date in the first Captain America movie. However as Clara Oswald, she has cemented herself as a Doctor Who star in the nerdy halls of fame.

Outside of genre, Jenna Coleman has played dramatic roles in Waterloo Road and Death Comes To Pemberley. A gifted actress, we hope we’ll see more of her in roles to come. Happy birthday Jenna Coleman! You already have your own action figure!

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Nur Hussein
Nur Hussein

Nur is a tinkerer of programmable things, an apprentice in an ancient order of technomages. He enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, comic books, and Lego in his spare time. His favourite authors are Asimov and Tolkien. He also loves Celtic and American folk music. You can follow him on twitter: @nurhussein