Talk:List of actors who have played the Doctor

message: This page is in need of a format cleanup. It's very, very cluttered. --khaosworks 02:41, Jun 16, 2005 (UTC)
: I note that a June 18, 2005 date is given for the end of Eccleston's tenure as the Doctor. As we have yet to see Parting of the Ways here in Canada I can't confirm, but am assuming someone in the UK has seen the episode and posted this information. However if this was posted as speculation -- as far as I know there are still strong rumors the changeover will occur in the Christmas special -- then someone should check to make sure it is indeed accurate once Parting of the Ways airs in the UK. 23skidoo 16:02, 18 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Just seen the episode. He did regenerate. --bjwebb 19:24, 18 Jun 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Cleanup

message: Do we need to include the Christmas Invasion in the "Other appearances" column for the Tenth Doctor?  I suppose it's a "special" episode, but it's part of Tennant's normal tenure as the Doctor.  The "Other appearances" column should be for appearances beyond what's accounted for between "first appearance" and "last appearance".  We (rightly) don't have The Five Doctors listed in "Other appearances" for Peter Davison.  The CiN scene and "Attack of the Graske" are out of the ordinary, and so can be listed, but I think we don't need to list The Christmas Invasion. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 16:34, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Christmas Invasion? 

message: Why are the Fatal Death Doctors listed here, if the article explicitly states that actors who only appeared as the Doctor in sendups are not used. smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 19:51, 29 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: So, how about Mark Gatiss from "Web of Caves"? Rhindle The Red 20:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fatal Death 

message: He didn't actually play the Doctor, per se.  He played a robot that looked like the Doctor and stood in for Hartnell.  Not enough to be considered for this list, I think. We wouldn't include stunt doubles would we? Rhindle The Red 15:09, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Edmund Warwick

message: This is probably an exceedingly silly question, but I'm not quite sure what the criterion are for establishing the tenures of Doctors.  The way I look at it, Pertwee was in Robot, part 1.  And Baker is very definitely in Castrovalva, part 1 (speaking part and everything).  Are we going by just what's in the credit roll, then?  If so, why?  And shouldn't it be noted somewhere?  I'm not sure it's obvious (to the non-fan) why you would say that Davison is in Logopolis (where he has no lines), but Baker isn't in "'Castrovalva"' (where he does). 
I think there's room for debate on whether the "credited appearance" criterion is better than the "viewer perception" criterion.  How ever  that discussion settles itself, the results of that debate should be noted on the table via a footnote on the column heading.  CzechOut 01:50, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tenures:  defined by credits or what was actually broadcast? 

message: Along the same lines of the topic above, I'm not comfortable saying McCoy's "last appearance" was Survival Part 3.  It wasn't.  The TVM can't be an "other appearance" for the Seventh Doctor but the main tenure for the Eighth.  It's gotta be treated equally for both Doctors.  Not only doesn't it match the viewer perception of what was on screen, but it denies the production credits, where McCoy was a featured player.  The table is internally inconsistent on its tenure criterion if McCoy is treated in this way.  CzechOut 01:57, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  McCoy: TVM handling appropriate 

message: Although didn't Pertwee play two versions of himself (or was that just in a novel?) and having thought about it further, didn't Hartnell play both himself and the Robot Doctor?DavidFarmbrough 13:31, 17 October 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  McCoy is the first actor to officially play two Doctors.  

message: I've added Peter Davison's return to the role in Time Crash. Since it's the cover feature of this week's BBC Radio Times, as well as the cover feature of this month's Doctor Who Magazine, I think those two are pretty irrefutable sources. 68.146.41.232 15:22, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Added Davison appearance

message: Is there a reason why stand-ins and stunt doubles from the TV Series should not be included in the list of actors who have portrayed the Doctor?  This page is a logical place to list them (at least give them their own table under other actors), without having to create (or go to) another page. Ta!
HolroydHistory 01:51, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes there is a reason. It's not normal to consider stunt doubles as "actors" for these purposes. DJ Clayworth (talk) 20:51, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Stand-ins and Stunt Doubles

message: I tagged the statement "Alternative Tenth Doctor (partly regenerated half-human and half-Time Lord)."  for a citation and got reverted twice, as it comes from "primary source", where exactly does this information come from. The episode makes no mention of this being the same incarnation, and confidential seemed to deliberately leave the issue of incarnation ambiguious Fasach Nua (talk) 08:37, 11 July 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: After the other Doctor is formed, he specifically states "I'm part Time Lord, Part Human" (and isn't exactly pleased with the idea) - and it is also stated later on Bad Wolf Bay when The proper Doctor leaves him with Rose.  As for the 10th/11th bit, The Doctor stated that he "didn't need to change" suggesting that he is still the 10th.  You have already asked about that on WT:WHO. 86.154.185.86 (talk) 15:05, 11 July 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: In addition, Rose asks the (proper) Doctor if it is still him, to which he replies "it's still me" and Both Doctors state that they are the same person (eg on Bad Wolf Bay, and after The other Doctor destroys the Daleks) 86.154.185.86 (talk) 15:07, 11 July 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: There is nothing there to indicate that this is the 10th Doctor, all the Doctors are the same person regardless of incarnation Fasach Nua (talk) 12:46, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

text: That says nothing about the other Doctor, is he 10th or 11th? Fasach Nua (talk) 07:47, 16 July 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It seems the 11th doctor has been chosen to be someone else from this http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4760926.ece . shadzar-talk 04:52, 16 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Not really.  If you read the actual source, it's just Russell T. Davies saying that he would cast Russell Tovey as the 11th Doctor if he had the chance — which he very likely won't, since David Tennant is staying through the 2009 specials at least.  The exact quote is "Russell Tovey as Midshipman Frame, which is my favourite casting of the lot, because he's going to be huge, that man. He's amazing. I think I'd make him the Eleventh Doctor."  He said the same thing about Harry Lloyd in a commentary.  The 11th Doctor probably hasn't been cast, and when he or she is, it won't be announced like that. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 06:05, 16 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  10th/11th 

message: In the article, Matt Smith is said to be the 11th doctor. Are there any sources yet? The BBC show announcing it ends in 10 mins, and it's likely to be another 5-7 mins before they say.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.24.102.145 (talk) 17:58, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  11th Doctor 

message: Hi,
If we are including Jackson Lake, I have added Gideon Crane, played by Nicholas Briggs in "Minuet in Hell", as this character also called himself the Doctor, when the Eighth Doctor's mind merged with his.
I have also expanded Nicholas Briggs' footnote to include information on the DWM comic character of the future/"Ninth" Doctor, which was also based on Brigg's Audio Visuals Doctor.
Ta!  —Preceding HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions/ 06:55, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Nicholas Briggs 

message: Hi again,
I noticed that in the "Other appearances" section for the main Doctors that there are "Archive footage" notes for both Earthshock (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Doctors) and The Next Doctor (1st -9th Doctors).  In that case should the 1st-4th Doctors get an "Archive footage" credit for both Mawdryn Undead and Resurrection of the Daleks?  
Then there are both Day to the Daleks and The Brain of Morbius where previous Doctor's appear as stills (on the Dalek's screen while probing the Third Doctor's mind during the former, and of course the infamous mind bending sequence in part 4 of the latter).  Do these get included?
I also noticed that Christopher Eccleston gets a mention in "Other appearances" for the recap in the Children in Need Special, of the regeneration in Parting of the Ways.  Should Jon Pertwee get mentioned in Robot, and Tom Baker in Castrovalva for appearing under similar circumstances?
Speaking of regeneratins, Jon Pertwee might need an "Other appearance" for the stage play Doctor Who and the Seven Keys to Doomsday.  My understanding was that Jon appeared in a filmed sequence which formed part of the regeneration into Trevor Martin (mind you that is what I have read only).
Also (final also, I promise) hasn't the Ninth Doctor appeared in a number of flashbacks in the new series.  Do these count as "Other appearances"?  —Preceding Wikipedia:HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions/ 07:38, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Archive footage, Flashbacks & Regeneration recaps 

message: I do not think that David Morrissey qualifies as portraying the doctor, it would be more correct to say that he portrays a character who thinks he's the doctor. As it is completely resolved in the story, and a plot device I believe that he should be removed. This page lists canocial and non-canocal portrayals of the character called the Doctor, David Morrissey does not qualify.  If you disagree, then I'll conceed only if we remove Paul McGann, since for a large part of the one episode he is in, he doesn't actually know who he is, and therefore does not think he is the Doctor. If Jackson Lake believing he is the Doctor for part of an episode qualifies him to be here, then the Eighth Doctor believing he isn't the Doctor should disqualify him.
SJrX10 (talk) 06:28, 9 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: David Morrissey did not portray the Doctor. He portrayed a character that portrayed the Doctor. We can't start listing everyone who ever impersonated or mimicked the Doctor. Dr.Who (talk) 06:31, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

text: You are both correct that David Morrissey "portrays a character who think's he's the doctor", for part of the episode David Morrissey plays "The Doctor", which is why he was under the Other Doctor listing.  Under your criteria, this means that both the Gideon Crane character under Nicholas Briggs entry (similar to Catherine Tate's DoctorDonna in that he actually had the Doctor's memories, albeit temporarily for most of the story he appeared in) and the Sir Derek Jacobi entry (who played a delusional writer who thought he was the Doctor) should also be removed from the Other Doctor list.  I notice that Catherine Tate's entry for DoctorDonna has also been removed (I assume for similar reasons), though I would point out that in Donna's case she didn't just think she was the Doctor, she actually became part Doctor, but had her Doctor memories repressed (which should qualify her as a Doctor, just like the other 10th Doctor played by David Tennant in the same story).  While I think that Catherine Tate should deffinately be reinstated under the Other Doctors listing (for reasons outlined above).  I'll concede the other three, but personally think the Briggs, Jacobi and Morrissey characters should also be included in the list because these actors have played for all intents and purposes other Doctors in the TV series or audios.  SJrX10, it is ludicrous to even suggest that Paul McGann should not be listed as the Doctor.  If we applied your criteria then Peter Davison isn't a Doctor, because the Fifth Doctor didn't know who he was for a large part of Castrovalva.  Hmmmm.  —Preceding HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions (talk) 17:45, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  David Morrissey 

message: As this article is a "List of actors who have played the Doctor" then surely Sylvester McCoy & David Tennant should not be listed under the "other Doctors" section. They have played the Doctor and are credited as such in the main list. I dont see how it is relevant that one wore a wig for a regeneration and one played a part human version of the Doctor. Deckchair (talk) 12:34, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Actor Duplication 

message: Richard Hurndall uniquely played the part of The First Doctor in 1983, long after the original actor (William Hartnell) had died; on this basis, he should be included in this grid:
  
Actors who have played an official Doctor in television series
Name Tenure First appearance Last appearance Other appearances
 
William Hartnell
(The First Doctor) 23 November 1963 to
29 October 1966 An Unearthly Child
Episode 1 The Tenth Planet
Episode 4 Television: The Power of the Daleks - 5 November 1966 (appears briefly as an image in a mirror the newly regenerated Second Doctor looks into) 
Television: The Three Doctors - 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973 
Television: Earthshock (archive footage) - 10 March 1982 
Television: Mawdryn Undead (archive footage) - 2 February 1983 
Television: The Five Doctors (archive footage) - 23 November 1983 
Television: Resurrection of the Daleks (archive footage) - 15 February 1984 
Television: "The Next Doctor" (archive footage) - 25 December 2008
Richard Hurndall
(The First Doctor) 23 November 1983
Television: The Five Doctors - 23 November 1983
In my opinion, Richard Hurndall qualifies as an "Actor who has played an official Doctor in television series"; the description 'First Doctor' applies to the role, and not to the actor!
Nitramrekcap (talk) 15:30, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Include Richard Hurndall's performance as The First Doctor in 1983

message: Matt Smith CANNOT be included under the above heading as he has not yet played The Doctor of course; ironically someone (Richard Hurndall) who did play The Doctor is not included, but he should be! Sorry to have inadvertently messed up the two tables, but historically both are wrong: Richard Hurndall played The First Doctor in 1983, Matt Smith has NOT yet played him.
Nitramrekcap (talk) 15:46, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: It's 2010 now and Matt Smith has played him.  Doesn't your post look just silly now.129.139.1.68 (talk) 18:40, 5 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Actors who have played an official Doctor in television series

message: Should the Unbound doctors be split into a different table?  The table is getting a bit large - so this would help to split it up into different areas - The header would be something like "Unbound Doctors".  Eleventh Doctor (talk) 11:40, 18 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Split Unbound Doctors to a different table? 

message: This article does not need citations at all, as almost every thing in it is a link to another article which tells you all the info you need to know.
Nettyboo (talk) 14:12, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Every article needs citations, it's a core wiki policy.  If you know where to get them, feel free to add them. magnius (talk) 14:44, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citations 

message: Does he count? --Billpg (talk) 20:28, 23 May 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Toby Jones? (Amy's Choice) 

message: Not being expert at this, I have two problems: 1) do we need to mention in the list the fact that McCoy was hidden under a blond wig before he appeared as the Doctor? This seems a superfluous and unnecessary burden to the list as it is. 2) Morrissey in "The Next Doctor" was a rotten tease, a Victorian-era human who had accidentally been infused with Tennant's memories and a tiny part of "personality". He does NOT belong on a list of people who played the Doctor. Can we get a concensus going here about the removal of these two facts from the info, and re-tool the Morrissey Problem? (I'll try and do it meself...please leave me alone about this, revert it if you don't care for it.) As I said, Morrisey was NEVER the Doctor, and as far as McCoy it doesn't matter that he was wearing a blond wig before he debuted.75.21.98.232 (talk) 09:55, 30 May 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: I can agree with the edit re. Morrissey but I wouldn't change the McCoy part. McCoy did play the 6th Doctor during that scene, so it's correct to list him as a actor who played the 6th Doctor other than C. Baker. It's irrelevant why he did so or how long, just that he did so. Regards SoWhy 10:54, 30 May 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  McCoy, Morrissey? 

message: Hello,
If we are keeping the Special case "list", I suggest it be renamed Actors who have played characters who were thought to be the Doctor (I am open to suggestions on how to shorten this).
At the moment this category has David Morrisey who played Jackson Lake.  However, this is not the only circumstance of someone claiming to be the Doctor, or someone having the Doctor's memories.  
There are already two instances listed in the Other actors who played the Doctor list - Nicholas Briggs' entry for Gideon Crane (essentially the same reason as Jackson Lake); and Derek Jacobi's entry.  Jacobi played the character Martin Bannister, a writer who thought he was the Doctor.  Both these entries make more sense with Morrisey's entry.
The following actors/characters would also fit into this list:
Christopher Biggins' Banto Zame, from The One Doctor (a con-man claiming to be the Doctor); and
Catherine Tate as Donna Noble/Doctor-Donna (who also had the Doctor's memories).  —Preceding unsigned comment added by HolroydHistory (talk • contribs) 00:57, 23 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Special case 

message: If Spoof Doctors are not supposed to be listed, why are Lenny Henry (who isn't even in chronological order), Mark Gatiss and the Fatal Death Doctors included in the Other Actors list?
There is now a link to the Doctor Who Spoofs page, where all these Spoof Doctors (and more) are listed.
I do love Curse of Fatal Death and all the Doctors in that story, but they are Spoof Doctors.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by HolroydHistory (talk • contribs) 01:05, 23 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Spoof Doctors 

message: Per WP:BOLD I've moved Hurndall from the secondary section to the main section. Hurndall is different from the appearance of, say, the Valeyard of the Watcher, as he explicitly appeared as the First Doctor and was credited, along with all the others, as The Doctor in The Five Doctors credits. He's not appearing as some alternate form of the Doctor, a what-if character, or a duplicate, but merely one of the 5 Doctors appearing that episode. On that basis, and the criteria we've used the for the list, Hurndall should properly be included there. - Chrism would like to hear from you 23:49, 18 April 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hurndall 

message: The section is "Other actors who have played the Doctor", which means any version of the character such as movies, stage plays, etc. There is no debate in regards to Peter Cushing having played a character in  movies that were directly based on the a couple of stories from the TV show. There may be a "debate" on whether the character in question is remotely similar to the TV version, but that is irrelevant to the list. Also, he's mentioned in documentaries such as Thirty Years in the TARDIS as having played a cinematic version, so there are sources that he played...a cinematic version of the character. Please don't change the list to something that the list was not meant to reflect. As for Donna Noble...please cite a reliable source. DonQuixote (talk) 18:34, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Er...no you didn't provide a reference. Please see WP:CITE. And your statement about the films being unlicensed contradicts reliable sources such as Thirty Years in the TARDIS. Peter Cushing's character is well-documented to be based on the TV series' character, and that's why he's on the list (BBC-licensed film). As for Donna, please provide a reliable source that mentions whatever debate you're talking about. DonQuixote (talk) 22:02, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Forgot to mention...yes, we can debate whether Peter Cushing's character is "The Doctor" or not, but that's irrelevant to the goal of the list, which is to list actors in film, stage, etc. who have played a character based on the original character ("The Doctor" from the original medium, television). DonQuixote (talk) 22:12, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Peter Cushing and Other actors who have played the Doctor 

message: Per the McGann entry, which includes the Big Finish audios that were broadcast on Radio 7, Peter Davison recently had some of his Big Finish plays broadcast on Radio 4 Extra (or was it still Radio 7?) recently, so ought to be included.  I've forgotten which ones they were, otherwise I'd add them Stephenb (Talk) 06:41, 1 September 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: Peter Davison radio plays

message: Regarding the inappropriate revert by Stephenb, who wrote " ... So, err, he didn't actually *play the Doctor*, just pretended!":
The name of the table is   Actors who played characters thought to be the Doctor
jg (talk) 12:27, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Good point, I've re-reverted myself. Sorry.  Although it's an odd table to have in a page which says it is about actors who *have* played the Doctor! Stephenb (Talk) 13:41, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

text: Uncalled for Stephenb (Talk) 14:40, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

text: And I apologised for that, both in my second edit and above.  Please assume some good faith.  Thanks, Stephenb (Talk) 15:49, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Actors who played characters thought to be the Doctor 

message: I've been improving/checking the references on the page and I'm confused by this reference 17.14.59 T/R DR. WHO - EPISODE 2: 'GUEST OF MADAME GUILLOTINE' (23/1/4/3160), Television Service- BBC1: Saturday: 15.8.1964, p. 2, http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/isite-downloads/doctorwho/classic/pasb/reignofterror.pdf, page 4/12, retrieved 11 March 2013.
#Is the lack of the name of Brian Proudfoot on the link is being used as a reference to his playing the part? (really?)
#Is it one or two references? => Spudgfsh (Text Me!) 20:00, 31 July 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm not going to comment on that reference, but it was mentioned in the making of documentary that was released on the DVD, which is a perfectly good reference. GedUK  20:39, 11 August 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I missed the bit in the reference further down (page 2) where he is mentioned.  I misunderstood when I read it first time => Spudgfsh (Text Me!) 11:35, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Brian Proudfoot 

message: : Would it be okay to add to Sylvester McCoy's Entry his appearance as the 7th Doctor in the Paul McGann Doctor Who Movie? If no one responds I will " Attempt" (I am not that good at adding things to columned list) to add Doctor Who Movie to the Sylvester McCoy lists. I hope someone else does this, I am not good at working with scripted columned list... Thanks Magnum Serpentine (talk) 20:57, 5 August 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: His last regular episode is listed as the TV movie so it does not need to be in the list => Spudgfsh (Text Me!) 21:01, 5 August 2013 (UTC)
replies: text:  Yep I just saw that... Was trying to with-draw my request but being a slow typer you got in ahead of me :) Thanks for helping Magnum Serpentine (talk) 21:03, 5 August 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Sylvester McCoy in the 1996 Doctor Who Movie. 

message: The main table is still labeled "Series Leads." This table includes Richard Hurndall. Richard Hurndall was never a lead, not on the tv series and not in any other Doctor Who vehicle either.  I get that fans of his portrayal of the First Doctor don't want him pushed out to some category of fill-ins/stand-ins, but can't the title of the table at least be altered or have an asterisks added?  It's just not accurate in this form.  There is an official count of leads. Thus Peter Capaldi will be known as "The Twelfth Doctor" despite there being many more than twelve actors who've played the role. Hurndall was credited as the Doctor, had a speaking part on the tv series, and fit canonically into the plot, so I don't want to see him go either, but there's no way to call him a series lead. 
About lists of doctors in general (just conceptually, for discussion purposes): 
* There is the list from first to twelfth of series leads. These are the ones the BBC uses on all their posters, calendars, etc with a consistent naming and ordering system.
* There are people who've served as fill-ins, stand-ins, stunt doubles, etc - but some of these aren't credited as actors so are beyond what this article seeks to document it seems.
* There are several "timey-wimey" doctors.  These are "Doctors" of some sort who were the result of the many strange things that can happened when traveling through time, space, and dimension. The Dreamlord comes to mind.  He was created by the Doctor's subconscious. Unless such an entity were seen as the Doctor and was played by a new actor (thus David Tennant portraying a half-human copy of himself doesn't need a new actor entry) these performers are largely missing here.
* There are the Doctors of other media.  Most followed non-canonical plot lines and so are relegated to a separate list.
* There are many actors who have done spoofs or homages to the Doctor, but outside of officially BBC sanctioned specials they have been left out here - I suppose because there are just too many examples and no reliable way of determining one worthy of note versus another.
* Finally there are faux doctors.  Characters that, at least for a time, convinced others they were the Doctor. Jackson Lake even managed to convince the Doctor himself. These actors are noted not for actually playing the Doctor, but rather having played a character who played the Doctor.
I list these categories as logical ways to think about the different portrayals, but only the most parsimonious of changes would likely suffice for now.
Thoughts?
jg (talk) 20:01, 30 August 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Just a comment, but it could be argued that Hurndall was one of the stars (or leads) of the 20th anniversary special. DonQuixote (talk) 20:04, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

text: I agree he was more or less a co-star in that episode but not a "series lead" which is still what the table is labeled. jg (talk) 04:15, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

text: I've boldly moved him to Others. I'll also try to get around to trimming all the photos and archive footage stuff (as mentioned below)...eventually. DonQuixote (talk) 15:11, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Table Headings 

message: I believe the eight faces seen during the mind battle in The Brain of Morbius should be included here. I know these photographs can't exactly be said to constitute dramatic acting performances, but it seems to me this article should be a comprehensive look at the Doctor's incarnations, which (according to Philip Hinchcliffe) these eight faces were certainly intended to be. Someone coming to the "other actors" section of this article would expect a list of every alternative or unconventional portrayal and incarnation, however minor – "acting" is really not the operative word here. The BBC were forced to pay a sum to the British Actors' Equity Association in recompense for not using professional actors in this scene, so it seems these eight portrayals are taken seriously, at least by some. Granted, they're borderline, but I think they fall on the inclusive side of the border, especially considering that the current article lists performances as trivial as William Hartnell's one-time hand double, the still photograph of John Hurt displayed in Strax's field report, and still images of previous Doctors seen for fractions of a second in episodes like Nightmare in Silver – I would venture that the Morbius Doctors are much more notable than these. —Flax5 13:49, 15 September 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: One thing we have to remember is that Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information. More importantly, whenever we write/edit something we should keep in mind the context of the surround text, section or article. The Morbius photos don't fit the context of this article (better context is probably Doctor (Doctor Who)#Continuity curiosities and The Brain of Morbius). And you're right in pointing out how body doubles, other still photos and such don't fit either; those should probably be trimmed out. For the leads, we should probably rein in the list to actual productions that they were involved in and trim out archive footage and such. DonQuixote (talk) 16:08, 15 September 2013 (UTC)

text: We don't know what those faces were. That showrunner's intent was rejected by subsequent showrunners, and they never cared to establish any meaning for those faces. Dr.Who (talk) 07:15, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Doctors in The Brain of Morbius 

message: The War Doctor needs to be moved into the main section (both here and in the Doctor (Doctor Who) article, now that The Night of the Doctor has officially confirmed him as the incarnation following the Eighth Doctor (up until this week there was still the possibility of him being an alternate universe/timeline or fake Doctor, but this doubt no longer exists as of this minisode). 68.146.70.124 (talk) 14:56, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Hurt is not the star of the programme. The main list is for the leads. See Rascals (Star Trek: The Next Generation) for a similar situation. Also see WP:real world and WP:INUNIVERSE. DonQuixote (talk) 15:13, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: As of the 50th Special he is now officially canonized as the 9th Doctor, and Capaldi is referred to as the 13th. While in general what you said above is true (and certainly was prior to today) the article does need to be updated - at the very least the numbers given to the old 9-11 should be updated to 10-12.68.111.79.67 (talk) 06:24, 24 November 2013 (UTC)

text: Hurt is most definitely a Doctor in the canon of the TV show. He is a seperate Doctor, not played by any other actor, and has starred in an episode (The Day of the Doctor) as the Doctor, alongside two others. The Eccleston, Tennant and Smith doctors might not have considered him worthy of the name "Doctor" but from "The Day of the Doctor" onwards the Smith Doctor will, as will all future regenerations. Hurt is now the Ninth Doctor, and Eccleston the tenth, and so on. This page and a million others need to be edited to reflect that. Even if the numbers aren't changed, Hurt deserves to be on the list as an official doctor.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Grollum (talk • contribs) 15:38, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, but we don't have to modify the articles to reflect a retcon, we just have to describe it in the text of the articles. DonQuixote (talk) 16:06, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I do think he ought to be moved into the main table; his Doctor is not like any of the others in that section. Sure he's not had a series, but then neither did McGann. Numbering is a different issue, see section below. GedUK  17:51, 25 November 2013 (UTC)

text: Hurt is credited in the opening credits of a feature-length episode released as a de facto movie in 94 countries. To not include him in the main list makes Wikipedia look stupid. 68.146.70.124 (talk) 22:03, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

text: The main list is to prominently diplay series leads as they are the most important actors in the history of the programme. Hurt was a guest star and is already listed with other notable guest stars Richard Hurndall and Michael Jayston. DonQuixote (talk) 15:23, 15 December 2015 (UTC)

text: He's not missing. He's listed amongst the guest stars. DonQuixote (talk) 06:35, 26 April 2020 (UTC)
thread_title: John Hurt

message: David Bradley and Reece Shearsmith both should be added to the list. They definitely qualify as "Other": they portrayed the actors, but they also portrayed the Doctor. 46.0.101.16 (talk) 19:10, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Not really.  Mezigue (talk) 20:33, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text:  They have recreated full scenes from various episodes for the documentary, so at least Bradley is without question playing The Doctor as much as he's playing Hartnell. He deserves to be on the list as much as the actor who briefly played the Doctor on stage, if not more. 46.0.101.16 (talk) 21:06, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: No, he's playing the actor playing the Doctor. There is no attempt by the programme to pretend it's in-universe; it's a completely out of universe drama. GedUK  12:15, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I suppose if you were really looking to push the envelope here... consider the moments in the story where the production team is looking at footage to be edited.  THERE, at least, we see The Doctor, not the actor. jg (talk) 19:41, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

text: You might want to put them in List of actors who played characters that portrayed Doctor Who either by creating a second table or broadening the title of the existing table. jg (talk) 20:34, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  An Adventure in Space and Time 

message: Now, following the Day of the Doctor, we know that Hurt is the Doctor, and is no longer timelocked or shunned (at least from Smith on). 
The question therefore is what numbers should they have? I'm not proposing that we decide/discuss that, because that would be POV, but I think it might be helpful if we decide on what reliable source(s) we ought to use to decide this. 
My own suggestion would be Doctor Who magazine, as the 'official' magazine, but whether that's independent enough is up for debate. GedUK  12:22, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Moffat has stated that the numbering won't change. If we consider the version of the character that's been leading the programme, he's right of course. It's when we consider in-universe that things get all timey-wimey. DonQuixote (talk) 14:11, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Has he, I've missed that. Do you have a source, because we ought to include it somewhere. GedUK  17:50, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text:  See . DonQuixote (talk) 19:47, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, that really doesn't clear it up. However, it seems that the christmas special might be a lot about this, so perhaps we'd be as well of waiting till then? GedUK  12:52, 26 November 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  So, the numbering... 

message: So, currently Tom is listed as archive footage only in DotD. However there was, of course, a glorious new scene. But was he playing 4? Obviously he was listed in the credits as playing the Doctor, but they all were. Should we list him as playing 4 in non-archive footage in DotD? GedUK  17:59, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Have added a footnote to indicate his appearance, and the fact the episode leaves it vague as to whether he's playing the Doctor or not. 68.146.70.124 (talk) 22:02, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
replies: text:  There is a bit of an edit war at the moment to add/remove him to the "other" list.  Obviously he shouldn't be there as he is already listed in the series leads.  Just because a list is broken into sub-sections is no reason to list an item twice.  However, I think it is perfectly reasonable to describe the Curator as being likely to be a future Doctor revisiting old faces (which is in the current version).  He says so explicitely, and dialogue from the show is primary source. Mezigue (talk) 11:21, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

text: I think that the mention of his appearance under his entry on the main list is sufficient.  It sums it up without adding unreliable/unsourced material. G S Palmer (talk) 20:53, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tom Baker / 4th Doctor / The Curator 

message: As of the showing of "The Day of the Doctor" the only thing we've seen of Capaldi's Doctor on-screen was a non-speaking role as a non-lead referred obliquely to by another character as possibly the 12th Doctor ("All 13 of them").  I realize the production has already announced he's taking on the role, but is this enough to list him in the main list of lead actors now, or should we wait until we actually see him listed as the lead in an episode first, and for the moment leave him in the "other actors who played the doctor" list? Esprix (talk) 00:12, 26 November 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Peter Capaldi 

message: Since the listings for Tennant and Smith include the Day of the Doctor cinema intro, there should also be a listing for this under John Hurt's name as he appears in it as well. 68.146.70.124 (talk) 21:54, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hurt needs one addition 

message: Should he be included? We only saw his legs I think, but he was definitely playing a younger version of The (First) Doctor. You could maybe argue he hadn't taken the name "Doctor" at that stage in his life but its still the same character, in the same way Clark Kent is the same character as Superman! I couldn't find his name on IMDB so maybe he should just be listed as "anonymous child actor" until someone can find a link to his name?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Villafancd (talk • contribs) 23:07, 9 October 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Without a name, it would be pointless. DonQuixote (talk) 04:08, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

text: I am not sure extending and then retracting a leg counts as "playing" the Doctor either. Mezigue (talk) 21:53, 10 October 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: Little boy in "Listen"

message: 1- William Hartnell
2- Patrick Troughton
3- Jon Pertwee
4- Tom Baker
5- Peter Davison
6- Colin Baker
7- Sylvester McCoy
8- Paul McGann
9- Christopher Eccleston
10- David Tennant
11- Matt Smith
12- Peter Capaldi  — Preceding unsigned comment added by The10thDoctorIsADeathEater (talk • contribs) 12:41, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Actors that have portrayed The Doctor that are recognized with a number. 

message: War- John Hurt,
Replacement for William Hartnell because he was dead during the 20th anniversary- Richard Hurndall,
The Dream Lord in "Amy's Choice" (Season 5, Episode 7)- Toby Jones,
Dr.Who- Peter Cushing,
I Probably forgot some, so anyone who knows others please post them, this list can count Audio, people who have filled in for the doctor, and feet if you want to count them!  — Preceding unsigned comment added by The10thDoctorIsADeathEater (talk • contribs) 12:53, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: They're all already in the list. GedUK  12:53, 31 December 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Others who have portrayed The Doctor 

message: He did play Hartnell playing the Doctor, so you could argue he played the Doctor. Serendipodous 23:56, 17 June 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Does David Bradley count? 

message: The section in the table covering the war Doctor seems very messy comperd to all others entry's in this table the problem seems to be that he's listed outside of the series leds but is a distinct incarnation in univers resulting in him having as many apprances as the other past doctors in place like big finish adios and images shown in episodes where as other non series leeds have one or two apprances standing in fo the min actors or as non canon incarnations2.28.220.166 (talk) 17:33, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: The Valeyard faces a similar situation since he's appeared in about four Big Finish dramas portrayed by Michael Jayston (needs to be updated if we're going to list the audio dramas too). The table probably needs a little bit of restructuring. DonQuixote (talk) 18:05, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Reviewing the page, Jayston is already listed in the audio drama table further below, and there's also a webcast table. Hurt's entry can also be split up accordingly. DonQuixote (talk) 18:22, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: looking at the howl list and how it's strucerd one thing seems odd that is the fact that the tables have a medium column but there are different lists for things like webcasts adios and films leving most of the tables with just one medium also do things like silvester macoys doctors apprenc relay count 2.28.220.166 (talk) 19:36, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  War Doctor issues  

message: Just reading the list and noticed that the audio section is a little out of date as it does not include the 6th Doctor the last adventure for the valiard or the early adventures series wich fetters story's for the 1st and 2nd Doctor but mixing narration and full cas audio 2.28.220.166 (talk) 20:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Audio update  

message: At a glance, it seems that less than half of this article has anything at all to do with its subject. Why include an exhaustive list of every body or stunt performer who has ever been half-glimpsed as the Doctor? And why do we need comprehensive details on every single time old archive footage of an already-mentioned actor was reused in a flashback or still image? This is all routine television production trivia, and just clutters the information on the character's portrayal, which is what readers actually come here for. I propose removing "Doubles for the Doctor" and "Stunt Doubles for the Doctor", and reducing "Series leads" to an actual list of series leads. —Flax5 20:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Sounds like an excellent idea.  Mezigue (talk) 20:37, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: sounds good but it is worth including actors reprising the role outside their TVs era 2.28.220.166 (talk) 21:42, 21 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks, , for trimming the tables. A lot of these indiscriminate lists require pruning from time to time. DonQuixote (talk) 17:25, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

text: Well, it's "List of actors who have played the Doctor", not "List of appearances by actors as the Doctor". I suppose some readers might come here looking for that, but when something secondary to the topic takes up more space than the topic itself, it's a big readability problem. Is there a way to make the wide columns under "Series leads" collapsible? I think that would be a good compromise. —Flax5 20:32, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: I made Other appearances into collapsible tables. DonQuixote (talk) 22:26, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cleanup 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: According to the article on the subject, it aired on BBC television. If it aired on BBC television, then it's cannon an since it's listed as one of John Hurt's episodes, it should be liste where it can be seen as one of McGann's two TV episodes. So please don't remove it next time, okay?Arglebargle79 (talk) 21:01, 14 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: It's already listed in Other appearances because it counts as an "Other appearance"--like Hartnell and Troughton in The Three Doctors, etc. DonQuixote (talk) 21:52, 14 July 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Pauil McGann and "[[The Night of the Doctor]]."

message: just a question but whoud it be a good idea to change William Russell, peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Tim Treloar to just big finish audio and date or just the series they appear in like the early adventures and the 3rd doctor adventures rather than listing every story as we do now as unlike other doctors in this section they are playing the role in a entire series rather than just standing in for a singal story like the others 2.30.191.51 (talk) 09:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks. We can, as you say, just list the series they appear in if they're going to continue to play the character in a lot more episodes. DonQuixote (talk) 11:12, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  recasts for ongoing sirises   

message: just wondering how it is decided winch actors from the companion chronicles get listed as playing the doctor given that they are only credited as the companion on the big finish website i get why idea fisher is listed given the doctor is speaking true Charley yet most are simply companions remembering past events at the moment it seems that the actors who played the doctor in other series are listed as playing the doctor in the companion chronicles while ones that have not played the doctor in other series are not listed except for cases like idea fisher 95.145.155.227 (talk) 10:19, 11 November 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: If you think there's an inconsistency, then feel free to make the necessary corrections. Truth be told, I don't think too many editors have kept up with the audio adventures (myself included). DonQuixote (talk) 13:37, 11 November 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  companion chronicles 

message: Prior to his death John Hurt was in a number of Big Finish productions as the war doctor .  Do these merit inclusion in a similar manner to how the other doctors have 'other appearances as the doctor' section? => Spudgfsh (Text Me!) 18:32, 10 January 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: john hurt and David Bradly in big finis is covered in the audio section as they where not series leads 109.181.21.200 (talk) 17:47, 23 January 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  The War Doctor at Big Finish 

message: See heading. Isn’t Troughton’s first appearance technically The Tenth Planet Episode 4, and Baker’s Planet of the Spiders Part Six, and Davison’s technically Logopolis Part Four, and so on and so on? --StrexcorpEmployee (talk) 21:43, 28 November 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Characters appearances in their predecessors regeneration stories 

message: Is there a reason why he is listed twice for playing the same incarnation (in both the ‘other’ and ‘audio’ sections)? --StrexcorpEmployee (talk) 21:45, 28 November 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  John Hurt 

message: The image for Bill Hartnell is not fit for purpose, whilst Troughton and Pertwee are barely serviceable. Why are there not the pictures of them in character? This would be better because A: the pics are higher quality and B: more relevant. 00jelwes (talk) 00:10, 14 February 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: Those are the best free images we have of Hartnell and Troughton (and Pertwee is in his outfit, which is why it was chosen over the alternatives). There are currently no free images of the actors in character. Neither Hurt nor Martin have portrayed the character in a leading role, and Gatwa's forthcoming appearance is explained in the caption. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 00:55, 14 February 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Images