Doctor (Doctor Who)

The **Doctor** is the central character in the long-running BBC science fiction television series _Doctor Who_.

They are an alien, a _Time Lord_ from the planet Gallifrey. The Doctor travels in their space-time-ship, the TARDIS, (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) with which they can go anywhere in time and space. Because the TARDIS's _chameleon circuit_ is broken, it looks like an old British police-call box permanently. The Doctor often takes other people with them, who are usually called "companions" or "assistants". The companions are always 21st century humans in the modern series, however the classic series often had human-looking aliens or people from the past or future. The most recent companion is Ruby Sunday.

## Biography

The Doctor did not want to stay on Gallifrey any longer, so he "borrowed" an old Type 40 TARDIS. In the TARDIS he and his granddaughter Susan Foreman left their home planet Gallifrey. They stayed for a time on Earth in the 1960s, where Susan also went to school. Her teachers, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, discovered the TARDIS. They traveled for a while with the Doctor, and returned to Earth two years later. After them the Doctor often took other people with him on his travels.

## Anatomy and regeneration

As a Gallifreyan the Doctor looks like a human on the surface, but there are differences. One well-known difference is that The doctor has two hearts. As a Time Lord the Doctor can also _regenerate_, if doctor whos body is badly hurt and the doctor dies. During the _regeneration_, the body is healed and renewed, which includes a different appearance and personality. The regenerated person is the same person, with the same memories and basic personality traits; but the person also looks different and a changed personality. Because of this the Doctor could be played by different actors. This made it possible for the series to be filmed over a time of nearly fifty years without having to actually "change" the character.

## Incarnations and actors of the Doctor

Up until now, the Doctor has regenerated Fifteen times, Regeneration can be controlled, but is usually decided without the doctor knowing his or her next face.
1. First Doctor – William Hartnell (1963–1966)
1. Second Doctor – Patrick Troughton (1966–1969)
1. Third Doctor – Jon Pertwee (1970–1974)
1. Fourth Doctor – Tom Baker (1974–1981)
1. Fifth Doctor – Peter Davison (1981–1984)
1. Sixth Doctor – Colin Baker (1984–1986)
1. Seventh Doctor – Sylvester McCoy (1987–1989, 1996)
1. Eighth Doctor – Paul McGann (1996)
1. War Doctor – John Hurt (2013)
1. Ninth Doctor – Christopher Eccleston (2005)
1. Tenth Doctor – David Tennant (2005–2010)
1. Eleventh Doctor – Matt Smith (2010–2013)
1. Twelfth Doctor – Peter Capaldi (2013–2017)
1. Thirteenth Doctor – Jodie Whittaker (2017–2022)
1. Fourteenth Doctor - David Tennant (2022–2023)
1. Fifteenth Doctor - Ncuti Gatwa (announced 2023–)

The Doctor has been played by other actors in other media, in theatre plays, parodies, etc. But these are not officially part of the _Doctor Who_ storyline. Notable among them are:
- _Dr. Who and the Daleks_ and _Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD_ – Peter Cushing (1965/1966)
- _Scream of the Shalka_ and _The Feast of the Stone_ – Richard E. Grant (2003)

## Other websites

- The Doctor on the TARDIS Index File