A Beginners

Guide to the
Twelve Doctors

leven actors have headlined

the series as the Doctor.
The transition from one actor
to another, and the differing
approach to the role that they
bring, is written into the plot of
the show as regeneration into a
new incarnation, a life process
of Time Lords through which the
character of the Doctor takes on
a new body and, to some extent,
new personality, which occurs
after sustaining injury which
would be fatal to most other species. While each actors portrayal
differs, they are all intended to
be aspects of the same character, and form part of the same
storyline.

The First Doctor

Appearing in 134 episodes of the show
in total, Hartnell co-starred with a number of other actors who all portrayed the
Doctors companions. His original companions were his granddaughter Susan and her
schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara
Wright. Hartnells version of the Doctor
was also the basis for the character played
by the actor Peter Cushing in the 1965 and
1966 Dr. Who films.
The Doctor is a mysterious character
and little is known about him except that
he has a granddaughter, Susan Foreman,
and that they come from another time and
place. He has a ship that travels through
time and space, the TARDIS, which is currently disguised as a police box and is
bigger on the inside. The Doctor describes
himself and Susan as exiles without specifying why or even whether their exile is
self-imposed. It would not be until the last
adventure of the Doctors second incarnation that the name of the Doctors people
(the Time Lords) would be revealed, and
the third incarnation before the name of his
home planet (Gallifrey) was first spoken.
In the original pilot, the Doctor wore
contemporary clothes (including a suit and
tie). When the pilot was reshot, however,
his costume changed to a more Edwardian
ensemble. The first incarnation of the
Doctor carried a wooden walking cane,
with a twisted handle. In one occasion, he
was seen smoking a large bent tobacco
pipe.

he First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of

the BBC science fiction television series
Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the
actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966.
Hartnell reprised the role only once, in the
tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors,
although due to his ailing health the story
was written so he would not have to appear
very extensively. After Hartnell's death in
1975, actor Richard Hurndall stood in for
him in the 20th anniversary story The Five
Doctors.

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The Second Doctor

he Second Doctor has been

nicknamed the Cosmic
Hobo, as the impish Second
Doctor appeared to be far more
scruffy and childlike than his
first incarnation.
Mercurial, clever, and always
a few steps ahead of his enemies, at times he could be a
calculating schemer who would
not only manipulate people for
the greater good but act like
a bumbling fool in order to
have others underestimate his
true abilities. Sometimes this
appears simply as a joke, but
at other times, it seems much
darker. Despite the bluster and
tendency to panic when events
got out of control, the Second
Doctor always acted heroically
and morally in his desire to help
the oppressed.
This Doctor is associated with the
catchphrases Oh my giddy aunt! and
When I say run, run!, and is noted for
playing the recorder. In early stories he
also demonstrates a fondness for hats and
other types of headgear, mainly sporting a
distinctive stovepipe hat when outdoors.
With the arrival of a younger Doctor
and changing tastes, the Second Doctors
tenure was characterised by a faster
pace and a preference toward monster
of the week-style horror stories. While
Troughtons Doctor would still visit the

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Earths past, he would always encounter

an alien, such as the Daleks or the Ice
Warriors. It was also during this era that
Doctor Who began to come under fire for
its purportedly violent and frightening
content.
As with his predecessor, all the Second
Doctors original episodes were in blackand-white. Later guest appearances were
in colour. However, Troughtons reign as
the Doctor was more notable for what
does not exist than for what does, as many
of the episodes featuring the Second
Doctor were junked by the BBC.

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The Third Doctor

cornered. This often took the form of
quick strikes, with the occasional joint
lock or throwusually enough to get
himself and anyone accompanying him
out of immediate danger, but usually not
to the extent of a brawl. He only used his
fighting skills if he had no alternative,
and even then generally disarmed his
opponents rather than knocking them
unconscious. Indeed, his martial prowess was such that a single, sudden strike
was usually enough to halt whatever
threatened him.
Perhaps due to his time spent on
Earth, or maybe just as a function of his
pacifistic and authoritative tendencies,
the Third Doctor was a skilled diplomat

he Third Doctor, portrayed by Jon

Pertwee, was a suave, dapper, technologically oriented, and authoritative
man of action who practised Venusian
Aikido (or Karate). A keen scientist,
he maintained a laboratory at UNIT
where he enjoyed working on gadgets
in his TARDIS. In his spare time, he
was fond of motoring, handing all manner of vehicles. His favourite car was a
canary-yellow vintage roadster that he
nicknamed Bessie, a construct which
featured such modifications as a remote
control, dramatically increased speed
capabilities, and inertial dampeners. He
also maintained a hovercraft-like vessel
that fans nicknamed the Whomobile. The
First Doctor, upon meeting the Third,
described him indignantly as a dandy,
while the Second Doctor, with whom the
Third had something of an antagonistic relationship on the occasions they
encountered each other, referred to him
as Fancy Pants.
In general, this incarnation of the
Doctor was more physically daring
than the previous two and was the
first to confront an enemy physically if

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and linguist, as well as having an odd

knack for disguises; all of this, combined
with his formidable galactic experience,
often allowed the Third Doctor to play
a central role in the events in which he
found himself.
Always charismatic, this Doctor had
a personal manner of dress that is the
most ornate of his various incarnations,
favouring frilled shirts; velvet smoking
jackets in blue, green, burgundy, red, or
black; evening trousers in colours matching those of his smoking jackets; formal
boots, riding boots, dress shoes, and
Inverness cloaks for his regular outfit;
with variations and accessories including
bow ties, cravats, and leather gloves.
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The Fourth Doctor

and one of the most popular, especially in the United
States. In polls conducted
by Doctor Who Magazine,
Tom Baker has lost the Best
Doctor category only three
times: once to Sylvester
McCoy (the Seventh Doctor)
in 1990, and twice to David
Tennant (the Tenth Doctor) in
2006 and 2009. The Fourth
Doctors eccentric style of
dress and speech particularly his trademark long scarf
and fondness for jelly babies
made him an immediately
recognisable figure and he
quickly captivated the viewing publics
imagination. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe
has often stated that the Fourth Doctors
Bohemian appearance and anti-establishment views appealed to older, college-age
students. The Fourth Doctors time
enjoyed a significant boost in viewing
figures, averaging between 8 to 10 mil-

he Fourth Doctor appeared in 172

episodes (179, counting the regeneration in Planet of the Spiders and the
aborted Shada) over a seven-year period,
from 1974 to 1981. This makes him the
longest running on-screen Doctor of the
series. He also appeared in the specials
The Five Doctors (via footage from the

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incomplete Shada) and made

his final appearance as the Doctor in the
charity special Dimensions in Time (aside
from a series of television advertisements
in New Zealand in 1997). Tom Baker
reappeared in the 2013 50th Anniversary
special as a mysterious curator.
This incarnation is generally regarded
as the most recognisable of the Doctors

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lion viewers in just his first year (2025

percent of the entire viewing audience of
Britain). By 1979, the figures averaged
between 9 to 11 million, going as high as
16.1 million for the final episode of City
of Death (though this was during the ITV
technicians strike of 1979 which meant
the BBC was the sole broadcaster on the
air for several weeks).
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The Fifth Doctor

Fifth Doctors boyish appearance, nervous
energy, and charm all hid the fact that he
was a Time Lord of great age, compassion,
and experience. He could decipher the
ingredients of a drink by smell alone and
rosemary made him sneeze.
This Doctor greatly abhorred violence and often hesitated about taking
matters into his own hands. For the first
time, indecision weighed seriously on the
character, and it had its consequences
yet this Doctor was also one of the most
courageous of his incarnations. He was
willing to take chances with companions
like Turlough and Kamelion, who were
originally threats, even as he pretended to
be unaware of it at first in order to grant
his companion the opportunity to do the
right thing. He was also willing to make
enormous personal sacrifices simply to
keep his word and liberate others from
suffering. In an episode of Doctor Who
Confidential, Steven Moffat said that this
Doctor takes the emphasis off the eccentricities and turns it into a pained heroism
of a man who is so much better than the
universe he is trying to save but cannot
bear to let it stand.

fter Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor,

and the BBC had announced that he
was leaving the role, the shows producers decided that the next Doctor was to
be played by someone who presented
something of a physical contrast to Baker
and by an actor who was already firmly
established in the British publics mind.
Peter Davison was chosen due to his critically acclaimed role as Tristan Farnon in
the BBC series All Creatures Great and
Small. The Fifth Doctor was far more
vulnerable, sensitive, and reserved
than his previous incarnations and
often reacted to situations rather than
initiating them. Frequently, he made decisions by flipping a coin. Unlike his more
authoritative predecessors, he treated his
young companions as parts of a team, and
often willingly participated in situations
under the leadership of someone else
who had the strong command presence
that he apparently lacked. However, the

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The Sixth Doctor

do what was right that was far more visible
than ever before. Despite his often unstable demeanour, he was always ready to act
when necessary, and very littleeven his
companionscould hope to stand in his way.
His condescension towards the universe
around him also extended to his companions, especially Peri. While his use of
violence against his foes and his abrasive
relationship with Peri were both often criticised by fans, the violence was largely in
self-defence, and his relationship with Peri
had mellowed significantly when the programme returned from hiatus for Season
23s The Trial of a Time Lord.
He was well known for his love of cats,
and always wore one of a number of catshaped pins or brooches on the lapel of his
patchwork coat, itself said to be the height
of fashion on a distant planet.
His condescension towards the universe
around him also extended to his companions, especially Peri. While his use of
violence against his foes and his abrasive
relationship with Peri were both often criticised by fans, the violence was largely in
self-defence, and his relationship with Peri
had mellowed significantly when the programme returned from hiatus for Season
23s The Trial of a Time Lord.
He was well known for his love of cats,
and always wore one of a number of catshaped pins or brooches on the lapel of his
patchwork coat, itself said to be the height
of fashion on a distant planet.

he Sixth Doctor was an unpredictable

and somewhat petulant egoist, whose
garish, multicoloured attire reflected his
volatile personality. He was both portentous
and eloquent, even for the Doctor - of
whom he saw himself as the finest incarnation yetand his unpredictability was made
even wilder by his mood swings, manic
behaviour, bombastic outbursts and glib,
unflappable wit. His personality also displayed occasionally fatalistic overtones.
The Sixth Doctor was almost supremely
confident in his abilities and did not suffer
fools gladly, and his superiority complex
applied to almost everyone he encountered. His intellect could support his ego;
for instance, the Sixth Doctor was the only
one who was able to repair and operate
the Chameleon Circuit within the TARDIS.
However, not only did his melodramatic arrogance and caustic wit
eventually subside, it actually hid the
fact that this incarnation retained the
Doctors strong moral sense and empathy. Underneath his blustering exterior,
he was more determined than ever in his
universal battles against evil, possessed of a tenacity and a thirst to
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The Seventh Doctor

impression that there was more to him
than met the eye).
As something of a showman, the
Doctor would sometimes act like a
buffoon, usually preferring to manipulate events from behind the scenes;
much like his second incarnation, he
was prepared to play the fool in order
to trick his foes into underestimating
him, inevitably leading to their defeat
at his hands. He was an adept physical
performer and deployed a repertoire of
magic tricks, illusions and escape artistry to this effect as part of his plans.
Although his more obvious whimsical tendencies disappeared over time
(particularly his spoons-playing), he
maintained a fondness for idiosyncratic
speeches that occasionally referred to
literature, ordinary places and even food
and drink amidst the weightier concerns
on his mind. He was empathetic to his
friends (and even his enemies, such as
Helen A) and somewhat melancholic at
times (such as during Mels departure
and before his decision to eradicate the
Daleks) but now placed greater burdens
upon himself in the name of protecting
the universe. This may have led him to
shroud his true intentions in mystery
and the use of sleight of hand as befit his
fondness for performance, in effect, subverting his more lighthearted qualities to
complement and enhance his heroic and
darker ones.

he Seventh Doctor has the most profound change in attitude of any of

the Doctors incarnations, beginning
as someone bumbling (to the extent of
putting himself in danger but not at the
cost of his overall great intelligence and
benevolent intentions) and progressing
into a driven, dark gamemaster whose
plans to defeat his adversaries, both old
and new, would play out across space
and time. He generally displayed an affable, curious, knowledgeable, easygoing,
excitable, and charming air. However,
as he began to choose his battles and
keep a tighter grip on his secrets - from
his plans to his very identity - he also
presented more serious, contemplative,
secretive, wistful, and manipulative
sides with undercurrents of mischief
and authority (constantly giving the

Companions

Mel

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The Eighth Doctor

spanned the nine years between 1996 and
the new television series in 2005.
The Eighth Doctor encouraged those
around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy
giving people hints of their own futures,
probably to prod them into making
the right decisions. It is unclear if this
Doctors knowledge of peoples futures
comes from historical expertise, psychic
power, or precognitive ability.
As with the Fifth and Eleventh Doctor,
the debonair Eighth Doctors youthful,
wide-eyed enthusiasm actually hid a very
old soul with perhaps a darker side. In
fact, whereas the Eighth Doctor of the
audio plays and the comic strip hew
closely to the television film Doctor, the
Eighth Doctor of the novels exhibited what
was a much darker personality, perhaps
due to the rather traumatic adventures
he underwent (including being trapped
in an inescapable prison for three years;
the apparent destruction of his TARDIS;
the discovery of a Future War that would
all-but-dehumanise his people; and the
temporary loss of his second heart).
In all his iterations, the Eighth Doctor
has proven extremely prone to bouts of
amnesia, a tendency apparently inspired
by the plot of his first television appearance. He also demonstrates, in his first
televised appearance, a penchant for
sleight of hand. He manages to lift or
pickpocket various items from certain people he meets during his first adventure.
The Eighth Doctor encouraged those
around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy
giving people hints of their own futures,
probably to prod them into making
the right decisions. It is unclear if this
Doctors knowledge of peoples futures
comes from historical expertise, psychic
power, or precognitive ability.

he Eighth Doctor made his first television appearance in the 1996 Doctor
Who television film , the first time the
Doctor had returned to television screens
since the end of the original series in
1989.
Although the film failed to spark a
new television series, the Eighth Doctors
adventures continued in various spin-off
media, notably BBC Books Eighth Doctor
Adventures novels, audio plays from Big
Finish Productions, and the Doctor Who
Magazine comic strip. These stories

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The Ninth Doctor

he production teams
approach to the character and Ecclestons
portrayal were highlighted
as being intentionally
different from his predecessors, with Eccleston stating
that his character would
be less eccentric. To fit in
with a 21st-century audience, the Doctor was given
a primary companion who
was designed to be as independent and courageous as
himself in the form of Rose
Tyler. He also briefly travels with Jack Harkness, a
reformed con man from the
51st century. The Doctor,
Rose and Jack form a close
team but are separated in
the series finale.
To prepare for his
role as the Ninth Doctor,
Christopher Eccleston
watched the Fourth Doctor
serial, The Talons of WengChiang. Eccleston stated
in April 2004 that he did
not believe his Doctor
would be as eccentric
and as foppish as he was
in some of his incarnations. In contrast with
previous Doctors, the Ninth
Doctor speaks with a distinct Northern accent.
Remarking on this aspect
of his characterisation
Eccleston states that the
character is a scientist and an intellectual,
and a lot of people seem
to think you can only be
those things if you speak
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with received pronunciation which, of course, is

rubbish. In regards to
the Doctors costume, consisting of a black leather
jacket and jeans, the actor
states, I wanted any flamboyance and colour to
come out of my acting.
Eccleston thought that
as the Doctor he should
show a slight dark side
but also bring out a lighter
side. Executive producer
Julie Gardner observed
that the Ninth Doctor gave
Eccleston the chance to be
very intense but also frivolous as well.

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The Tenth Doctor

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his most irredeemable foes,

offering Davros the chance
to escape the destruction
of the Dalek mothership
and insisting on giving
a Sontaran general the
chance to escape with his
life even though he knows
a Sontaran would never
retreat. The Tenth Doctor
declaration that he is so
sorry for what he must do
is a leitmotif throughout
the series. In The Doctors
Daughter he explains to
his daughter Jenny how
killing...infects [you] and
once it does youll never
get rid of it.

he Tenth Doctor generally displays a

light-hearted, talkative,
easy-going, witty, and
cheeky manner, but nurses
profound anger, regret,
and vulnerability beneath
his more glib exterior.
In School Reunion, he
acknowledges that he is
less merciful than he used
to be and has stuck to his
one warning code, always
giving quarter punishing
his enemies if they persist
in their hostilities. He is
quick to anger at the perception of injustice. When
Prime Minister Harriet
Jones destroys the retreating Sycorax ship against his
wishes, he ruins her political career in retribution.
In The Waters of Mars,
he goes so far as to declare
himself above the laws of
time, although there are
catastrophic consequences
as a result.
In his more level-headed
moments, though, the
Doctor feels profound
regret for the many deaths
hes had a hand in. (The
Moment even describes him
as the man who regrets
in The Day of the Doctor.)
In Journeys End, he
has a flashback of those
who have died instead of/
for him, including Astrid
Peth, Jenny, Luke Rattigan,
Lynda Moss, and the hostess from Midnight. He
often shows mercy even to

The Eleventh Doctor

he eleventh incarnation is an energetic and

eccentric figure who is culturally awkward and is very
resourceful while having a
soft spot for children. But
he appears to be susceptible to negative changes in
personality, such as a use
of deception, especially
while traveling on his own
without a companion as
his moral compass. This
appeared to stem from a
self-loathing towards his
past actions, using a facade
of arrogance to hide the
guilt for companions that
he wronged, and showing
mercy to his enemies even
after they took many lives.
But despite his ruthlessness and arrogance, the
Eleventh Doctor would only
resort to violence if needed
to protect those dear to
him even it meant sacrificing himself. The Eleventh
Doctor was described by
River as the type who did
not like endings when it
came to things like the mortality of his companions or
even himself. But near the
end, the eleventh Doctor

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came to accept his death

as an essential change.
Matt Smiths Doctor has
been described as an old
man trapped in a young
mans body by Moffat.
Smith views the Doctor
as someone with a lot
of blood on their hands,
hence his need for constant
travelling, in addition to
being a thrill seeker.
The Eleventh Doctor
spends most of his first
full episode, The Eleventh
Hour, in the tattered
remains of the Tenth
Doctors clothing, leading
young Amelia Pond to nickname him The Raggedy
Doctor.
The Doctors initial
outfit, chosen within the
narrative of The Eleventh
Hour from an array of
clothes found in a hospital,
is a brown tweed jacket
with elbow patches, bow
tie, braces, black trousers
and black, ankle-high boots.
He has a profound affection for bow ties,
proclaiming
Bow ties
are cool.

The Twelfth Docter

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universe with the same

appearance; his predecessor Russell T Davies had
once explained to him a
theory for the first two,
and upon Capaldis casting assured Moffat that
the explanation would still
work. Capaldis casting
marks the second time
an actor has previously
appeared in the series and
then been cast as an incarnation of the Doctor, the
first being Colin Baker.
Capaldi briefly appears
in the 50th anniversary
special. Moffat stated that
it was his plan from the
start that all the Doctors
would fly in to save
Gallifrey, and he knew
there would be a new one
at that time. He wrote it
before knowing who would
be cast. Capaldi filmed his

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he Twelfth Doctor
makes his first uncredited appearance in the
programmes fiftieth anniversary special, The Day
of the Doctor, when thirteen incarnations of the
Doctor unite to save his
home planet of Gallifrey
from destruction during
the Time War. At first,
Time Lords in Gallifreys
war room spot twelve blue
TARDISes approaching
and encircling the planet.
This count is then corrected to thirteen, and
Capaldis hands, eyes,
and forehead are fleetingly shown. The Twelfth
Doctor then makes his full
debut at the end of the
next episode, The Time
of the Doctor, after the
Doctor, about to die from
old age, is remotely given
a new regeneration cycle
from the Time Lords, who
remain hidden in a pocket
universe.
Capaldi has previously
appeared playing other
roles in the Doctor Who
franchise. He portrayed
Lucius Caecilius Iucundus
in the 2008 episode The
Fires of Pompeii and John
Frobisher in Children of
Earth, the 2009 serial of
the Doctor Who spin-off
Torchwood. Moffat has
stated that he plans on
explaining over time why
there are three characters in the Doctor Who

appearance on 3 October
2013, long after principal
photography for the special had ended, and the
same day he filmed his
debut scene for Time of
the Doctor.