David Tennant may be two doctors ago now, but it seems his farewell to Rose in Doctor Who's 'Doomsday' can still raise a tear - and be voted the greatest-ever Sci-Fi moment.
SFX, the world’s number one sci-fi and fantasy magazine, today unveils its definitive list of the 250 Greatest Moments in Sci-Fi, Horror and Fantasy to celebrate the magazine’s 250th issue! - and nearly 100,000 enthusiasts have made their feelings known.
The Doctor and Rose say goodbye
On hearing the news, David Tennant tells SFX: “I remember worrying on the day we shot this scene that, as I was actually a projection from inside the Tardis, my hair shouldn't be blowing in the wind. That seemed terribly important at the time and although we didn't find a solution to it, it bothered me for weeks. Then I saw the finished scene and of course all that matters is the end of the Doctor and Rose's story.
"Russell had weaved some glorious magic for two seasons and it all came together so perfectly in this scene that people still talk to me about it with misty eyes all these years later (and I suspect they always will.) Murray Gold created some heart stopping music that accentuates the misery and Billie (Piper) is just breathtakingly good.
"I feel very lucky to be standing on that beach, with my hair flying around, in amongst all these brilliant elements. Whatever else I do and wherever else I end up, this will be a moment I will be forever proud to look back on. Thanks for having us at number one.”
SFX says: “Revisionists would have you believe that Who was always a show with emotional impact, but barring a couple of companion departures that didn’t really become true until the advent of Russell T Davies. His most heart-destroyingly tragic contribution was this scene, in which a holographic projection of the Doctor talks to a tearful Rose on a Norwegian beach, with the signal cutting out just before the slow-coach can declare, “I love you”.
"It’s a moment everyone can identify with because, as Davies put it, 'There’s an echo of every loss you’ve ever had.'
"We’ve all had to bid farewell to someone we care about - even if it wasn’t forced upon us by the threat of universal destruction - and this eye-moistening moment perfectly encapsulates the agony of break-up.”
See who else triumphed in SFX's Top Ten...
The full list is printed in issue 250 of SFX, on-sale now.