Time Team (2023)
- Publication: TV & Satellite Week
- Date: 2023-11-25
- Author: Steven Perkins
- Page: 6
- Language: English
Our guide to the Doctor's many faces over the past 60 years...
William Hartnell First Doctor (1963-1966)
Hartnell described his Doctor as 'a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas'. Following Hartnell's death in 1975, Richard Hurndall took over for 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors in 1983, while David Bradley played the role three times between 2017 and 2022.
Patrick Troughton Second Doctor (1966-1969)
Despite his scruffy outward appearance, the Second Doctor possessed a well-hidden strategic streak. Although Troughton played the Doctor in 119 episodes, only 66 of them have survived in the BBC's archives.
Jon Pertwee Third Doctor (1970-1974)
After Ron Moody turned down the role, Pertwee was cast as the Third Doctor, whose arrival coincided with the first series of Doctor Who in colour. This Doctor was originally exiled to Earth without the use of his TARDIS-reportedly because of a BBC cost-cutting measure to reduce the number of alien sets.
Tom Baker Fourth Doctor (1974-1981)
Baker was the longest-serving actor in the role, and his version was characterised by a huge warmth. Legend has it that his iconic scarf was created by accident when the costume maker misunderstood her instructions and knitted all the wool she had been given.
Peter Davison Fifth Doctor (1981-1984)
This more youthful incarnation of the Doctor was often plagued by indecision in his drive to always do the morally correct thing. As evidenced by his outfit, he was also particularly skilled at cricket! Davison's actor daughter, Georgia Tennant, is married to Tenth Doctor David Tennant in real life.
Colin Baker Sixth Doctor (1984-1986)
The Sixth Doctor began with an arrogant personality that gradually became more personable. One of his companions was computer technician Mel Bush, played by Bonnie Langford, who's returning to the show for the upcoming new series starring Ncuti Gatwa.
Sylvester McCoy Seventh Doctor (1987-1996)
Originally something of a buffoon, the Seventh Doctor grew more cunning during his time in the TARDIS. McCoy initially played the role for three years before the BBC dropped the show in 1989 because of dwindling viewing figures. He reprised his role for the character's regeneration in the 1996 special.
Paul McGann Eighth Doctor (1996)
McGann featured in a 1996 feature-length special, set in San Francisco and partly aimed at making the character popular in the US. He later reprised his role as the eccentric Eighth Doctor in a 2013 mini-episode and the 2022 season finale.
Christopher Eccleston Ninth Doctor (2005)
Excitable on the surface, the Ninth Doctor harboured major guilt from surviving the war that killed the rest of the Time Lords. Eccleston chose a low-key costume as he wanted the flamboyance to come from his own performance. He bowed out after just 13 episodes and hasn't returned to the role.
David Tennant Tenth Doctor (2005-2010)
Tennant helped make Doctor Who a big hit with US audiences. A very gung-ho incarnation of the character, the Tenth Doctor approached his adventures with a liveliness that occasionally bordered on recklessness. But he was also capable of exhibiting a steely fury when someone he loved was endangered.
Matt Smith Eleventh Doctor (2010-2013)
At 26, Smith was the youngest actor in the role, but his thrill-seeking Eleventh Doctor carried the weariness of a man much older than his outward appearance. After Smith debuted with his iconic bow-tie-and-tweed-jacket costume, in one high-street store bow-tie sales shot up by more than 90% within a month!
Peter Capaldi Twelfth Doctor (2013-2017)
The Twelfth Doctor dealt with the enormity of the decisions he often had to make by adopting a spikier attitude, but as time went on he began to mellow. As a child, Capaldi was a huge fan of the show and regularly sent letters into the Doctor Who production office.
John Hurt War Doctor (2013)
Hurt's incarnation of the Time Lord appeared with David Tennant and Matt Smith in the show's 50th-anniversary special. The War Doctor fought in the legendary Time War that led to the extermination of both the Daleks and the Time Lords.
Jodie Whittaker Thirteenth Doctor (2017-2022)
Way back in 1981, when Tom Baker stepped down from the role, he suggested his successor should be a woman - but it took another 36 years before the first female incarnation was seen. The cheerful and energetic Thirteenth Doctor strove for non-violent resolution to conflict whenever possible - but was still formidable when angered.
Jo Martin Fugitive Doctor (2020-2022)
A mysterious, uncompromising figure who lived many years on Earth as tour guide Ruth Clayton, she was eventually revealed to be a past incarnation from an unspecified period that had been erased from the Doctor's memory.
David Tennant Fourteenth Doctor (2022-23)
Although he has the same face as the Tenth Doctor, this new incarnation is seemingly a separate regeneration - but why has he taken on an old appearance?
All will be revealed over the course of the show's new trilogy of episodes...
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Perkins, Steven (2023-11-25). Time Team (2023). TV & Satellite Week p. 6.
- MLA 7th ed.: Perkins, Steven. "Time Team (2023)." TV & Satellite Week [add city] 2023-11-25, 6. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Perkins, Steven. "Time Team (2023)." TV & Satellite Week, edition, sec., 2023-11-25
- Turabian: Perkins, Steven. "Time Team (2023)." TV & Satellite Week, 2023-11-25, section, 6 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Time Team (2023) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Time_Team_(2023) | work=TV & Satellite Week | pages=6 | date=2023-11-25 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Time Team (2023) | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Time_Team_(2023) | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=26 May 2025}}</ref>
