I started watching Doctor Who back in the late 70’s when John Pertwee was the 3rd Doctor. After him, it was the 4th Doctor played by Tom Baker. I watched him up until 1981. After that, the show started going downhill with the 5th Doctor played by Peter Davinson, the 6th played by Colin Baker and the 7th played by Sylvester McCoy. I never watched that many with them in it and it got cancelled in 1989. None of the Doctor’s after Tom Baker entertained me.
I started watching it again when it came back for a TV Movie in 1996 with Paul McGann as 8th Doctor. It was OK, watchable. Then, in 2005, the series was back properly with Russel T. Davies as the showrunner and I enjoyed watching Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor but more so David Tennant as the 10th Doctor a year after him. In 2008 a new showrunner, Steven Moffat took over and Matt Smith became the 11th Doctor. He was was good, as was the 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi in 2013. The show under Moffat was good but often at times lacked decent writers and was far from as exciting as the Davies years. Then Moffat left and Chris Chibnall was replaced as the new showrunner bringing in Jodie Whittiker as the first female Doctor, Doctor number 13 and then the show started going tits up. I had no problems with it being a female Doctor, although my preference is with a male as the lead role, as long as the writing was good. It was clearly virtue-signalling from the BBC which the seeds were sown under Moffat. when the Master was changed to Missy. Little did we know it was the start of worse things to come. Under Chibnall the show became typical BBC woke shit and he has fucked up the show by retconning everything. Now the 1st Doctor is not the 1st one at all!
For almost 60 years Doctor Who has been a much-loved show for die-hard fans, like me, and we have every right to be upset over the fact that Chibnall and Whittaker have ruined it. Both are leaving in 2021 and good riddance to them.
Davies returns in 2022 as showrunner, which is good news, but I can’t see it ever being as good as it was in the past. I can’t see the BBC allowing anything to change from the woke bollocks we have to suffer now. Sadly I see it as the beginning of the end but we shall see in time.
About Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science-fiction television programme broadcast by BBC One since 1963. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-travelling spaceship called the TARDIS. The TARDIS exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. With various companions, the Doctor combats foes works to save civilisations and helps people in need.
Beginning with William Hartnell, thirteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor, and in 2017 Jodie Whittaker became the first woman to play the role. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation, a plot device in which a Time Lord “transforms” into a new body when the current one is too badly harmed to heal normally. Each actor’s portrayal is unique, but all represent stages in the life of the same character, and together, they form a single lifetime with a single narrative. The time-travelling feature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet.
Read more here.
The History Of Doctor Who
Doctor Who first appeared on BBC TV at 17:16:20 GMT on Saturday, 23 November 1963; this was eighty seconds later than the scheduled programme time, because of the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous day. It was to be a regular weekly programme, each episode 25 minutes of transmission length. Discussions and plans for the programme had been in progress for a year. The head of drama Sydney Newman was mainly responsible for developing the programme, with the first format document for the series being written by Newman along with the head of the script department (later head of serials) Donald Wilson and staff writer C. E. Webber. Writer Anthony Coburn, story editor David Whitaker and initial producer Verity Lambert also heavily contributed to the development of the series.
The programme was originally intended to appeal to a family audience as an educational programme using time travel as a means to explore scientific ideas and famous moments in history. On 31 July 1963, Whitaker commissioned Terry Nation to write a story under the title The Mutants. As originally written, the Daleks and Thals were the victims of an alien neutron bomb attack but Nation later dropped the aliens and made the Daleks the aggressors. When the script was presented to Newman and Wilson it was immediately rejected as the programme was not permitted to contain any “bug-eyed monsters”. According to Lambert, “We didn’t have a lot of choice—we only had the Dalek serial to go … We had a bit of a crisis of confidence because Donald [Wilson] was so adamant that we shouldn’t make it. Had we had anything else ready we would have made that.” Nation’s script became the second Doctor Who serial – The Daleks (also known as The Mutants). The serial introduced the eponymous aliens that would become the series’ most popular monsters and was responsible for the BBC’s first merchandising boom.
The BBC drama department’s serials division produced the programme for 26 seasons, broadcast on BBC 1. Due to his increasingly poor health, the first actor to play the Doctor, William Hartnell, was replaced by the younger Patrick Troughton in 1966. In 1970 Jon Pertwee replaced Troughton and the series at that point moved from black and white to colour. In 1974 Tom Baker was cast as the Doctor. His eccentric style of dress and quirky personality became hugely popular, with viewing figures for the show returning to a level not seen since the height of “Dalekmania” a decade earlier. In 1981, after a record seven years in the role, Baker was replaced by Peter Davison, at 29 by far the youngest actor to be cast as the character in the series’ first run, and in 1984 Colin Baker replaced Davison. In 1985 the channel’s controller Michael Grade attempted to cancel the series, but this became an 18-month hiatus instead. He also had Colin Baker removed from the starring role in 1986. The role was recast with Sylvester McCoy, but falling viewing numbers, a decline in the public perception of the show and a less-prominent transmission slot saw production ended in 1989 by Peter Cregeen, the BBC’s new head of series. Although it was effectively cancelled with the decision not to commission a planned 27th season, which would have been broadcast in 1990, the BBC repeatedly affirmed, over several years, that the series would return.
Read more here.
The Doctors
The First Doctor (1963 -1966)
The First Doctor was played by William Hartnell and his portrayal of the character was initially a stubborn and abrasive old man who was distrustful of humans, but he mellowed out into a much friendlier, grandfatherly figure who adored his travels with his companions. The First Doctor’s original companions were his granddaughter Susan, played by Carole Ann Ford, and her schoolteachers Ian Chesterton, played by William Russell and Barbara Wright, played by Jacqueline Hill. In later episodes, he travelled alongside 25th-century orphan Vicki, played by Maureen O’Brien, space pilot Steven, played by Peter Purves, Trojan handmaiden Katarina played by Adrienne Hill, and sixties flower child Dodo Chaplet, played by Jackie Lane. His final on-screen companions were the sailor Ben, played by Michael Craze and the posh and sophisticated Polly played by Anneke Wills. Of the 134 episodes, Hartnell appeared in as a regular, 44 are missing. He reprised the role once, in the tenth-anniversary story The Three Doctors (1973). The character occasionally appeared in the series after Hartnell’s death, most prominently in 1983’s The Five Doctors where he was played by Richard Hurndall, and two episodes in 2017, in a cameo in “The Doctor Falls” and in the Christmas special, “Twice Upon a Time”, played by David Bradley.
Read more here.
The Second Doctor (1966 – 1969)
The Second Doctor was played by Patrick Troughton. While the P. T. era of Doctor Who is well-remembered by fans and in that era’s Doctor Who literature, it is difficult to appraise in full; of his 119 episodes, 53 remain missing. His Doctor was an outwardly scruffy, light-hearted and bumbling tramp nicknamed the Cosmic Hobo, who hid a more firm and slightly darker side he would often use to manipulate his enemies and allies alike for the greater good. His original “swinging sixties” companions were the sophisticated socialite Polly, played by Anneke Wills and working-class sailor Ben Jackson, played by Michael Craze, who travelled with his previous incarnation. They were later joined by 18th-century laird Jamie McCrimmon, played by Frazer Hines, who would become the Second Doctor’s most loyal and trusted companion. Following Ben and Polly’s departures, the Doctor and Jamie were joined by the Victorian orphan Victoria Waterfield, played by Deborah Watling and 21st-century astrophysicist Zoe Heriot, played by Wendy Padbury. Jamie and Zoe stayed with the Second Doctor until the Time Lords sent them back to their own times, with their memories of all but their first encounter with him wiped.
Read more here.
The Third Doctor (1970 – 1974)
The Third Doctor was played by Jon Pertwee and he portrays him as a dapper man of action in stark contrast to his wily but less action-orientated predecessors. While previous Doctors’ stories had all involved time and space travel, for production reasons Pertwee’s stories initially depicted the Doctor stranded on Earth in exile, where he worked as a scientific advisor to the international military group UNIT. Within the story, the Third Doctor came into existence as part of a punishment from his own race, the Time Lords, who forced him to regenerate and also disabled his TARDIS. Eventually, this restriction is lifted and the Third Doctor embarks on more traditional time travel and space exploration stories.
His initial companion is UNIT scientist Liz Shaw, played by Caroline John, who unceremoniously leaves the Doctor’s company between episodes to be replaced by the more wide-eyed Jo Grant, played by Katy Manning, who then continues to accompany the Doctor after he regains use of his TARDIS. His final companion is intrepid journalist Sarah Jane Smith played by Elisabeth Sladen.
Read more here.
The Fourth Doctor (1974 – 1981)
The Fourth Doctor is played by Tom Baker and he portrays him as a whimsical and sometimes brooding individual whose enormous personal warmth is at times tempered by his capacity for righteous anger. His initial companions were intrepid journalist Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen, who had travelled alongside his previous incarnation, and Surgeon-Lieutenant Harry Sullivan, played by Ian Marter of UNIT. His later companions were savage warrior Leela, played by Louise Jameson, robotic dog K9, Time Lady Romana played by Mary Tamm and Lalla Ward, teen genius Adric, played by Matthew Waterhouse, alien teenage aristocrat Nyssa, played by Sarah Sutton, and Australian flight attendant Tegan played by Janet Fielding.
Baker portrayed the character for seven consecutive seasons, which remains the longest tenure of any actor to portray the lead, counting both the classic and modern series. He is considered to be one of the most recognisable and iconic incarnations of the Doctor both in the United Kingdom and internationally.
Read more here.
The Fifth Doctor (1982 – 1984)
The Fifth Doctor is played by Peter Davison and he portrays the Fifth Doctor as having a vulnerable side and a tendency towards indecisiveness, dressed as a boyish Edwardian cricketer. He travelled with a host of companions, including boy genius Adric, played by Matthew Waterhouse, alien aristocrat Nyssa, played by Sarah Sutton and Australian flight attendant Tegan Jovanka, played by Janet Fielding, whom he had travelled alongside in his previous incarnation. He also shared later adventures alongside devious schoolboy Vislor Turlough, played by Mark Strickson and American college student Peri Brown, played by Nicola Bryant.
Read more here.
The Sixth Doctor (1984 – 1986)
The Sixth Doctor is played by Colin Baker and he portrays him as an arrogant, flamboyant character in brightly coloured, mismatched clothes whose brash, often patronising personality set him apart from all his previous incarnations.
Baker’s era was marked by the decision of the BBC controller Michael Grade to put the series on an 18-month “hiatus” between seasons 22 and 23, with only one new Doctor Who story, Slipback, made on the radio during the hiatus, broadcast as 6 parts (at 10 minutes each) on BBC Radio 4 from 25 July to 8 August 1985, as part of a children’s magazine show called Pirate Radio Four. Baker had been signed up for four years as the previous actor Peter Davison had left after only three years. Due to his decidedly short screen time, he appeared with only two companions, most notably the American college student Peri Brown, played by Nicola Bryant, before being briefly joined by Mel Bush, played by Bonnie Langford, a computer technician from his future he had yet to actually meet during his trial.
Prior to its postponement, season 23 was well advanced with episodes already drafted and in at least one case distributed to cast and production. Alongside “The Nightmare Fair”, “The Ultimate Evil”, “Mission to Magnus”, “Yellow Fever and How to Cure It”, the remaining stories were still under development in a 25-minute episode format after the season was postponed. These were all dropped with the reconception of the season in mid-1985 in favour of the 14-episode story arc The Trial of a Time Lord. The Sixth Doctor also appeared in the special Dimensions in Time. There are also novels and audio plays featuring the Sixth Doctor, and the character has been visually referenced several times in the revived 2000s production of the show.
Read more here.
The Seventh Doctor (1987 – 1989)
The Seventh Doctor is played by Sylvester McCoy and he portrays him as a whimsical, thoughtful character who quickly becomes more layered, secretive, and manipulative. His first companion was Melanie Bush, played by Bonnie Langford, a computer programmer who travelled with his previous incarnation, and who is soon succeeded by troubled teenager and explosives expert Ace, played by Sophie Aldred, who becomes his protégée.
McCoy first appeared on TV in 1987. After the programme was cancelled at the end of 1989, the Seventh Doctor’s adventures continued in novels until the late 1990s. He made an appearance at the start of the 1996 movie before the character was replaced by the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann.
Read more here.
The Eighth Doctor (1996)
The Eighth Doctor is played by Paul McGann and he portrays him as a passionate, enthusiastic, and eccentric character. The character was introduced in the 1996 TV film Doctor Who, a back-door pilot produced in an unsuccessful attempt to relaunch the series following its 1989 cancellation. In 2013, the actor reprised the role in the mini-episode “The Night of the Doctor”, which depicts the Eighth Doctor’s final adventure and his regeneration into the War Doctor, played by John Hurt. His only companion in the television film is Grace Holloway, played by Daphne Ashbrook, a medical doctor whose surgery is partly responsible for triggering his regeneration. In the continued adventures of the character depicted in audio dramas, novels and comic books he travels alongside numerous other companions, including self-styled “Edwardian Adventuress” Charley, the alien Destrii and present-day humans Lucie and Sam.
Read more here.
The War Doctor (2013)
The War Doctor was portrayed by John Hurt. Although he precedes Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor in the show’s fictional chronology, his first onscreen appearance came eight years after Eccleston’s; the War Doctor was retroactively created by showrunner Steven Moffat for productions celebrating the show’s 50th anniversary.
The War Doctor, not so named within the episodes in which he appears, is introduced as the incarnation of the Doctor who fought in the Time War of the show’s modern-day backstory. He was created as a result of a conscious decision of the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann, to take up arms and become a warrior; in accepting this duty, the War Doctor disowned the title of “Doctor”, and after the war’s end is viewed with disdain by his subsequent incarnations, who reclaim the title that the character is known by. In the 50th anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor”, however, the Eleventh Doctor played by Matt Smith revises his opinion of this incarnation after revisiting the final moments of the war.
In his original conception of the show’s anniversary special, Moffat had written the Ninth Doctor as having ended the Time War. However, he was “pretty certain” that Christopher Eccleston would decline to return to the role, which he did. As he also had reservations about making Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor the incarnation who had ended the war, he created a never-before-seen past incarnation of the Doctor, which allowed him “a freer hand” in writing the story, acknowledging that the success of doing this would be predicated on being able to cast an actor with a significant enough profile.
Read more here.
The Ninth Doctor (2005)
The Ninth Doctor is played by Christopher Eccleston during the first series of the show’s revival in 2005. His Doctor was portrayed as a war-torn loner who disguises his trauma brought on by the Time War using a sense of humour and determination to protect the innocent. He was intentionally different from his predecessors, with Eccleston playing the character as being less eccentric.
To fit in with a 21st-century audience, the Doctor was given a primary companion, Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, who was designed to be as independent and courageous as himself. He also briefly travels with Adam Mitchell, played by Bruno Langley, a self-serving boy genius who acts as a foil to the companions but ultimately proves unworthy, and Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman) a reformed con man from the 51st century. The Doctor, Rose and Jack form a close team but are separated in the series finale in which each character has to make difficult choices and face sacrifice.
In 2006, readers of Doctor Who Magazine voted Eccleston’s Doctor the third most popular Doctor. Both mainstream press and science fiction reviewers generally credit Eccleston and his incarnation of the character as helping to re-establish the show following its hiatus between 1996 and 2005. The character’s interactions with his arch-enemies, the Daleks, were particularly praised. Eccleston won several awards for his single series including the 2005 National Television Award for Best Actor.
Read more here.
The Tenth Doctor (2005 – 2010)
The Tenth Doctor is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of the Doctor, the character has also appeared in other Doctor Who spin-offs. Tennant’s time as the Tenth Doctor is still very popular among fans of the show and is generally regarded as one of the most iconic incarnations of the character often ranked alongside Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor.
Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor is of an outwardly charismatic and charming adventurer whose likeable and easygoing attitude can quickly turn to righteous fury when provoked.
This incarnation’s companions include working class shop assistant Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, medical student Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman, and fiery temporary worker Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. He eventually parts ways with them all by the end of the 2008 series finale, “Journey’s End”, after which he attempts to travel alone for the duration of the 2008–2010 specials before being accompanied by Donna’s grandfather Wilfred Mott, played by Bernard Cribbins on his final adventure in “The End of Time”.
Read more here.
The Eleventh Doctor (2010 – 2013)
The Eleventh Doctor is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as five specials. As with previous incarnations of the Doctor, the character has also appeared in other Doctor Who spin-offs. The Eleventh Doctor has been very well received by fans of the show and critics often credit Smith’s portrayal of the character with achieving the “near-impossible” task of replacing David Tennant in the role.
Smith’s portrayal is a quick-tempered but compassionate character whose youthful appearance is at odds with his more discerning and world-weary temperament.
This incarnation’s main companions included feisty Scot Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan, her husband Rory Williams, played by Arthur Darvill and the mysterious Clara Oswald, played b, Jenna-Louise Coleman. He also frequently appeared alongside River Song, played by Alex Kingston, a fellow time traveller with whom he shared a romantic storyline, and he was the last Doctor to appear alongside the long-serving companion Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen prior to the actress’ death, featuring in two episodes of the spin-off programme The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Read more here.
The Twelfth Doctor (2014 – 2017)
The Twelfth Doctor is played by Peter Capaldi. As with previous incarnations of the Doctor, the character has also appeared in other Doctor Who spin-offs.
Capaldi’s portrayal of the Doctor is a spiky, brusque, contemplative, and pragmatic character who conceals his emotions in the course of making tough and sometimes ruthless decisions.
This incarnation’s companions include school teacher Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman), canteen assistant and student Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie and alien Nardole, plyed by Matt Lucas. He also made a guest appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off series Class, appearing in the show’s first episode.
Read more here.
The Thirteenth Doctor (2018 – Present day)
The Thirteenth Doctor is played by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the character in the series. First appearing in the show’s eleventh series and continuing with the twelfth series, Whittaker is expected to leave the series as the Doctor following the thirteenth series and its associated specials.
Whittaker’s portayal is a light-hearted adventurer with a passion for building things, placing a high value on friendships and striving for non-violent solutions.
This incarnation’s companions include part-time warehouse worker Ryan Sinclair, played by Tosin Cole, retired bus driver and Ryan’s stepgrandfather Graham O’Brien, played by Bradley Walsh and probationary police officer Yasmin Khan, played by Mandip Gill, all of whom she met shortly after her regeneration. She later crosses paths with former companion, Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, and is subsequently joined by cheerful Scouser and food bank volunteer Dan Lewis, played by John Bishop.
Read more here.
Doctor Who Universe Creatures And Aliens
Click here for a comprehensive list of fictional creatures and aliens from the Doctor Who universe, and spin-offs: Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, K-9 and K-9 and Company. Note that this list only covers alien races and other fictional creatures and not specific characters.
Doctor Who Villains
Click here for an extensive list of Doctor Who villains.
Doctor Who Henchmen
Click here for an extensive list of henchmen, fictional characters serving villains and/or monsters and aliens in Doctor Who.
Doctor Who Robots
Click here for an extensive list of many robots featured in Doctor Who. The Daleks and Cybermen are not listed as they are depicted as organic beings that become cyborgs as opposed to true robots.
Doctor Who Films (1965 – 1966: Non Canon)
The character, portrayed by the actor Peter Cushing, appeared in two films produced by AARU Productions; Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966). Plans for a third film were abandoned following the poor box office reception of the second film.
Cushing made no mention of the films in his autobiography although he kept a collection of newspaper clippings about them in a scrapbook.
The Doctor’s Personality
Whereas the contemporary television incarnation of the character was depicted as an abrasive, patronising and cantankerous extraterrestrial, as portrayed by Cushing Doctor Who is an eccentric inventor who claims to have created a time machine, named Tardis, in his back garden. He is a gentle, grandfatherly figure, naturally curious, sometimes absent-minded but not afraid to fight for justice. He is shown to have a keen and somewhat juvenile sense of humour, a strong sense of adventure, a will of iron and very strong morals.
Unlike his TV counterpart, for whom the character’s name is ambiguous, his surname is clearly stated to be “Who” in both films.
The Doctor’s Companions
In the first film, Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), the Doctor travels with his two granddaughters: Susan, played by Roberta Tovey, who is portrayed as a younger character than the Susan depicted in the TV series, and Barbara, played by Jennie Linden. They are joined by Ian Chesterton, played by Roy Castle, Barbara’s “new boyfriend”, who is depicted as a generally clumsy and comical figure (whereas the TV version of the character is more heroic, and his relationship with Barbara is amicable and professional rather than romantic.
In the sequel, Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966), Susan is joined by Doctor Who’s niece Louise, played by Jill Curzon and police constable Tom Campbell, played by Bernard Cribbins.
The Tardis
The exterior of Dr. Who’s Tardis (not “the TARDIS”, as referred to in the television series) resembles a British police box, although the films, unlike the TV series, offer no explanation as to why the machine has this appearance. Other than using the contrivance of the craft’s interior being larger than its exterior, the interior set bears no relation to the clean, high-tech TV version of the time. In the first film, it is filled with a chaotic jumble of wiring and electronic equipment, replaced in the second film by a number of simple consoles adorned with buttons, gauges and lights.
Read more here.
Doctor Who Word Searches
There are word searches here that relate more to the series’ return after its cancellation in 1989.
The above articles and Doctor’s images were sourced from Wikipedia and are subject to change. The Doctor’s images are the copyright of the BBC except for the image of Peter Cushing which is the copyright of StudioCanal.
Blog Posts
Links