The Doctor
Updated: 12/11/2025, 12:16:42 PM Wikipedia source
The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called the TARDIS, often with companions. Since the show's inception in 1963, the character has been portrayed by fourteen lead actors. The transition to each succeeding actor is explained within the show's narrative through the plot device of regeneration, a biological function of Time Lords that allows a change of cellular structure and appearance with recovery following a mortal injury. A number of other actors have played the character in stage and audio plays, as well as in various film and television productions. The Doctor has also been featured in films and a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips. Ncuti Gatwa most recently portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor from "The Giggle" (2023) up to "The Reality War" (2025).
Infobox
Tables
| Actor | Incarnation | No. ofseries | No. ofepisodes | No. ofstories | Tenure start | Tenure end | ||
| Date | Age | Date | Age | |||||
| William Hartnell | First Doctor | 4 | 134 | 29 | 23 November 1963 | 55 | 29 October 1966 | 58 |
| Patrick Troughton | Second Doctor | 3 | 119 | 21 | 5 November 1966 | 46 | 21 June 1969 | 49 |
| Jon Pertwee | Third Doctor | 5 | 128 | 24 | 3 January 1970 | 50 | 8 June 1974 | 54 |
| Tom Baker | Fourth Doctor | 7 | 172 | 41 | 28 December 1974 | 40 | 21 March 1981 | 47 |
| Peter Davison | Fifth Doctor | 3 | 69 | 20 | 4 January 1982 | 30 | 16 March 1984 | 32 |
| Colin Baker | Sixth Doctor | 3 | 31 | 8 | 22 March 1984 | 40 | 6 December 1986 | 43 |
| Sylvester McCoy | Seventh Doctor | 3 | 42 | 12 | 7 September 1987 | 44 | 6 December 1989 | 46 |
| Paul McGann | Eighth Doctor | — | 1 | 1 | 27 May 1996 | 36 | 27 May 1996 | 36 |
| Christopher Eccleston | Ninth Doctor | 1 | 13 | 10 | 26 March 2005 | 41 | 18 June 2005 | 41 |
| David Tennant | Tenth Doctor | 3 | 47 | 36 | 25 December 2005 | 34 | 1 January 2010 | 38 |
| Matt Smith | Eleventh Doctor | 3 | 44 | 39 | 3 April 2010 | 27 | 25 December 2013 | 31 |
| Peter Capaldi | Twelfth Doctor | 3 | 40 | 35 | 23 August 2014 | 56 | 25 December 2017 | 59 |
| Jodie Whittaker | Thirteenth Doctor | 3 | 31 | 24 | 7 October 2018 | 36 | 23 October 2022 | 40 |
| David Tennant | Fourteenth Doctor | — | 3 | 3 | 25 November 2023 | 52 | 9 December 2023 | 52 |
| Ncuti Gatwa | Fifteenth Doctor | 2 | 18 | 16 | 25 December 2023 | 31 | 31 May 2025 | 32 |
References
- Such naming is often thought to be erroneous, since the character is exclusively referred to as "The Doctor" onscreen an
- In World Enough and Time, the Doctor states of the Master and himself "I think she was a man back then. I'm fairly sure
- Photos of the actors, not necessarily during the period they portrayed the character
- The Three Doctors. Doctor Who. 1972–1973. BBC One.
- "Time Crash". Doctor Who. 2007. BBC One.
- "The Day of the Doctor". Doctor Who. 2013. BBC One.
- "Deep Breath". Doctor Who. 2014. BBC One.
- The episode takes place during the Second World War
- Following Hartnell's death in 1975, actor Richard Hurndall substituted in his role as the First Doctor in 1983's 20th-an
- The War Doctor was introduced in "The Name of the Doctor" and follows Paul McGann's "Eighth Doctor" and precedes Christo
- The Eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith) revealed himself to be the final incarnation, owing to the existence of the W
- Stated by Wilkin who recognises the Fourth Doctor in Shada.
- McGann reprised the character for the mini-episode "The Night of the Doctor", which was made available on BBC's Red Butt
- See Regional accents of English.
- Various spinoff media, including the novel World Game (2005) and the audio series Beyond War Games (2022), suggest that
- The regeneration required "a little push" from fellow Time Lord K'anpo Rimpoche before it could proceed.
- Colin Baker did not appear in the regeneration scene from Time and the Rani, as he declined to participate. Instead, Syl
- ScreenRanthttps://screenrant.com/doctor-who-name-change-controversy/
- doctorwho.tvhttps://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/happy-whoday-54-things-you-need-to-know-about-doctor-who
- The War Games
- An Unearthly Child
- Doctor Who: Companions
- The Deadly Assassin
- Parkin, Lance & Pearson, Lars (2012). A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe (3rd Edition), p. 70
- Parkin, Lance & Pearson, Lars (2012). A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe (3rd Edition), p. 71
- Parkin, Lance & Pearson, Lars (2012). A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe (3rd Edition), p. 71
- Parkin, Lance & Pearson, Lars (2012). A History: An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe (3rd Edition), p. 71
- Script Doctor: The Inside Story of
- Lungbarrow
- Digital Spyhttp://www.digitalspy.com/tv/doctor-who/feature/a871650/doctor-who-series-11-episode-9-questions-theories-spoilers/
- "SFX | GamesRadar+"https://web.archive.org/web/20100113182114/http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=20_things_we_learnt_from
- Doctor Who: The Inside Story
- Doctor Who Annual 2006
- The Handbook: The First Doctor – The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966
- Head of Drama: The Memoir of Sydney Newman
- Green 2010, p. 7
- "Doctor Who: The Classic Series – Episode Guide"https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/index_fourth.shtml
- Planet of the Spiders
- The Daily Telegraphhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080705044029/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/2241353/Dr-Who-profile-Britain%27s-favourite-alien.html
- "the eponymous Time Lord, with a blood temperature 20 degrees below that of humans" in Lewis, J.E. and Stempel, P. The U
- BBChttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0
- SFX magazinehttp://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/10/26/interview-russell-t-davies-talks-about-that-sarah-jane-adventures-line/
- doctorwhonews.nethttp://www.doctorwhonews.net/2013/05/unearthly-series-10-040513171617.html
- "Dr. Who's real name"https://web.archive.org/web/20120121033458/https://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.drwho/browse_thread/thread/7cd734f99a62ae98/c845f05e9b213df9?pli=1
- The War Games
- Trial of a Time Lord
- "BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Gunfighters – Details"https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0
- "Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi has a beautiful theory about the Doctor's real name"http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-12-26/doctor-who-star-peter-capaldi-has-a-beautiful-theory-about-the-doctors-real-name/
- BBChttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0
- www.wright.eduhttps://web.archive.org/web/20180219090420/http://www.wright.edu/~mcgillvary.5/doctor_Who_Site/the_doctor.html
- IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt4652846/characters/nm2028298
- www.planetclaire.tvhttps://www.planetclaire.tv/quotes/doctorwho/series-nine/the-zygon-inversion/
- www.forbes.comhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/reehines/2015/11/07/doctor-who-recap-season-9-episode-8-the-zygon-inversion-dr-basil-puntastic-saves-the-world
- Doctor Who – Battles in Time
- The Aztecs
- The Agehttp://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/06/1065292512520.html?from=storyrhs
- "Pan and Scan"https://web.archive.org/web/20060513023431/http://www.panandscan.com/product/show/907
- www.internationalhero.co.ukhttp://www.internationalhero.co.uk/a/aliasdrw.htm
- Doctor Who Magazine
- "The Night of the Doctor: A Mini Episode – Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor"https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/-U3jrS-uhuo
- Digital Spyhttp://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s7/doctorwho/tubetalk/a184561/steven-moffat-talks-doctor-who-future.html
- Telegraphhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/10065201/Doctor-Who-The-Name-of-the-Doctor-BBC-One-review.html
- Digital Spyhttp://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a533505/doctor-who-steven-moffat-on-regeneration-limit.html?rss
- Doctor Who
- Doctor Who
- Radio Timeshttps://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-03-01/doctor-who-more-doctors-morbius/
- How Stammers Walker (1992) p198
- "The Brain of Morbius"https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0
- Lance Parkin, A History of the Universe pg. 255
- BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyvzy82l4no
- Independent.co.ukhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-billie-piper-credits-b2761491.html
- Doctor Who
- Doctor Who
- Doctor Who Confidential; 8 May 2008
- Radio Timeshttp://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-08-23/five-times-peter-capaldi-was-really-scottish-in-doctor-who-debut-deep-breath
- BBC Wales news websitehttps://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4858010.stm
- Daily Mirrorhttps://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-peter-capaldi-keep-2971910
- BBChttps://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/news/briefhistory/mccoy.shtml
- Parkinson
- "The Eleventh Doctor's costume unveiled!"http://news.whoviannet.co.uk/2009/07/the-eleventh-doctors-costume-unveiled/
- "Time Heist". Doctor Who. BBC One.
- "Blogs – Doctor Who – Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who Costume Revealed in First Look Picture"https://web.archive.org/web/20140128020238/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Peter-Capaldi-Doctor-Who-Costume-Revealed
- The Deadly Assassin
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/12/doctor-who-immortal-reveals-bbc
- Pixley, Andrew, "The DWM Archive: The Day of the Daleks", Doctor Who Magazine, No. 501, 7 March 2001, p.31 (sidebar: "Ed
- Daily Mirrorhttps://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16926209&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=writer-russell-won-t-be-asking-old-docs-back--name_page.html
- Digital Spyhttp://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a44303/tennant-talks-about-multiple-doctor-story.html
- "Matt Smith and David Tennant Interviewed Behind the Scenes of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special"https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01972h5
- The Tom Baker Years
- Radio Timeshttp://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-08-23/doctor-who-surprise-cameo-felt-utterly-right-says-steven-moffat
- BBChttps://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/61470283
- "David Tennant is the Doctor! | Doctor Who"https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/david-tennant-is-the-fourteenth-doctor
- SFX
- "BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – The Doctor's age"https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/doctorsage.shtml
- BBC Newshttps://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4330000/newsid_4331800/4331803.stm
- Doctor Who: "Voyage of the Damned", BBC TV, 25 December 2007
- "Doctor Who: Final days of Matt Smith's Doctor revealed in new eBook"http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a544810/doctor-who-final-days-of-matt-smiths-doctor-revealed-in-new-ebook.html
- SFX
- "'Doctor Who': 10 Things You May Not Know About 'The Girl Who Died' – BBC America"http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/10/doctor-who-10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-girl-who-died
- Doctor Who Magazine
- "Doctor Who in Advertising: The Pr1me Computer Commercials By Jon Preddle"http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/archive/tsv26/primecomputers.html
- RadioTimeshttp://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-03-15/david-tennant-on-doctor-who-rose-was-a-girlfriend-even-if-they-didnt-say-it
- Doctor Whohttps://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/sounds/index2006.shtml
- Doctor Who Confidentialhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0
- "Doctor Who "Deep Breath" Review: No More Waiting (to Exhale)"https://web.archive.org/web/20140824184538/http://www.tv.com/shows/doctor-who-2005/community/post/doctor-who-season-8-premiere-deep-breath-review-140865777781/
- Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/peter-capaldi-promises-no-flirting-with-sidekick-clara-in-new-doctor-who-series-9632347.html
- "Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Steven Moffat on Doctor Who - BFI"https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/YWbZtUQw1ng
- "Steven Moffat: It's funny watching Peter Capaldi's Doctor pretend he doesn't fancy Clara"http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-05-19/steven-moffat-its-funny-watching-peter-capaldis-doctor-pretend-he-doesnt-fancy-clara/
- "SDCC: Peter Capaldi Tells Us What To Expect Of 'Doctor Who's Season Nine"https://web.archive.org/web/20151225070428/http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2015/07/20/sdcc-peter-capaldi-tells-us-what-to-expect-of-doctor-whos-season-nine/
- "64 Thousand Questions"https://web.archive.org/web/20050301093713/http://www.planeteleven.co.uk/features/lmia/64thousand.php
- "100 Greatest TV Characters"https://web.archive.org/web/20090531160558/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html
- "100 Greatest ... (100 Greatest TV Characters (Part 1))"https://web.archive.org/web/20150221233837/http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITVProgs/2001/05/05/Y22090001/
- UGO Networkshttps://web.archive.org/web/20110616030305/http://www.ugo.com/games/best-heroes-of-all-time?page=6