List of actors who have played the Doctor

Since the beginning of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who in 1963, many actors have played the title character of the Doctor on television and in various BBC-licensed spin-offs on television, stage, radio, film, audio plays and webcasts. The character's ability to periodically regenerate appearance and personality has facilitated the ability of new actors to take over the role – in official and unofficial productions – while in most cases maintaining continuity with the television series.
This list includes not only the thirteen official series leads, but also actors who have played the doctor in other media (radio, audiobooks, games, et cetera), appeared in flashbacks of other incarnations, semi-official parodies, and other instances both canon and non-canon. But it does not include Doctors who have appeared in fan films or amateur stage shows and audios, nor does it include rare occasions where a companion or other character has impersonated the Doctor (such as Mawdryn in the television serial Mawdryn Undead (1983) or Clara Oswald in the episode "Death in Heaven" (2014)).
The incumbent is Jodie Whittaker, who succeeded Peter Capaldi in the role at the conclusion of the 2017 Christmas special.
In May 2022, Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the next series lead to portray the Doctor.
==Television==
===Series leads===
Actor(role) 	Tenure 	First regular appearance 	Last regular appearance 	
William Hartnell(First Doctor) 	23 November 1963 – 29 October 1966 	An Unearthly Child"An Unearthly Child" 	The Tenth PlanetEpisode 4 	
 	William Hartnell also played the Doctor in an initial version of An Unearthly Child. This was the first attempt at the first episode of the original series, filmed in September 1963 and first released on The Hartnell Years VHS in 1990.	William Hartnell also played the Doctor in an initial version of An Unearthly Child. This was the first attempt at the first episode of the original series, filmed in September 1963 and first released on The Hartnell Years VHS in 1990.	William Hartnell also played the Doctor in an initial version of An Unearthly Child. This was the first attempt at the first episode of the original series, filmed in September 1963 and first released on The Hartnell Years VHS in 1990.	William Hartnell also played the Doctor in an initial version of An Unearthly Child. This was the first attempt at the first episode of the original series, filmed in September 1963 and first released on The Hartnell Years VHS in 1990.
Patrick Troughton(Second Doctor) 	29 October 1966 – 21 June 1969 	The Power of the DaleksEpisode One 	The War GamesEpisode Ten 	
 	 	 	 	
Jon Pertwee(Third Doctor) 	3 January 1970 – 8 June 1974() 	Spearhead from SpaceEpisode One 	Planet of the SpidersPart Six 	
 	 	 	 	
Tom Baker(Fourth Doctor) 	8 June 1974 – 21 March 1981 	RobotPart One 	LogopolisPart Four 	
 	
Tom Baker appeared as the Curator in "The Day of the Doctor" (2013). It was implied that he was a future incarnation of the Doctor revisiting "a few of the old favourites" of his past faces, and who had retired from adventuring and was now the curator of the National Gallery in London.	
Tom Baker appeared as the Curator in "The Day of the Doctor" (2013). It was implied that he was a future incarnation of the Doctor revisiting "a few of the old favourites" of his past faces, and who had retired from adventuring and was now the curator of the National Gallery in London.	
Tom Baker appeared as the Curator in "The Day of the Doctor" (2013). It was implied that he was a future incarnation of the Doctor revisiting "a few of the old favourites" of his past faces, and who had retired from adventuring and was now the curator of the National Gallery in London.	
Tom Baker appeared as the Curator in "The Day of the Doctor" (2013). It was implied that he was a future incarnation of the Doctor revisiting "a few of the old favourites" of his past faces, and who had retired from adventuring and was now the curator of the National Gallery in London.
Peter Davison(Fifth Doctor) 	21 March 1981 – 16 March 1984() 	CastrovalvaPart One 	The Caves of AndrozaniPart Four 	
 	 	 	 	
Colin Baker(Sixth Doctor) 	16 March 1984 – 6 December 1986 	The Twin DilemmaPart One 	The Ultimate FoePart Two 	
 	
Colin Baker previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Fifth Doctor's episode "Arc of Infinity" 	
Colin Baker previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Fifth Doctor's episode "Arc of Infinity" 	
Colin Baker previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Fifth Doctor's episode "Arc of Infinity" 	
Colin Baker previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Fifth Doctor's episode "Arc of Infinity"
Sylvester McCoy(Seventh Doctor) 	7 September 1987 – 6 December 1989 	Time and the RaniPart One 	Doctor Who 	
 	
Sylvester McCoy also briefly played the Sixth Doctor in Time and the Rani, during the regeneration scene, wearing a curly blond wig. 	
Sylvester McCoy also briefly played the Sixth Doctor in Time and the Rani, during the regeneration scene, wearing a curly blond wig. 	
Sylvester McCoy also briefly played the Sixth Doctor in Time and the Rani, during the regeneration scene, wearing a curly blond wig. 	
Sylvester McCoy also briefly played the Sixth Doctor in Time and the Rani, during the regeneration scene, wearing a curly blond wig.
Paul McGann(Eighth Doctor) 	27 May 1996 	Doctor Who (TV-movie) 	Doctor Who (TV-movie) 	
 	 	 	 	
Christopher Eccleston(Ninth Doctor) 	26 March 2005 – 18 June 2005 	"Rose" 	"The Parting of the Ways" 	
 	 	 	 	
David Tennant(Tenth Doctor) 	18 June 2005 – 1 January 2010 	"The Christmas Invasion" 	"The End of Time"Part Two 	
 	
David Tennant also played the Doctor's half-human clone in "Journey's End" – 5 July 2008 	
David Tennant also played the Doctor's half-human clone in "Journey's End" – 5 July 2008 	
David Tennant also played the Doctor's half-human clone in "Journey's End" – 5 July 2008 	
David Tennant also played the Doctor's half-human clone in "Journey's End" – 5 July 2008
Matt Smith(Eleventh Doctor) 	1 January 2010 – 25 December 2013 	"The Eleventh Hour" 	"The Time of the Doctor" 	
 	 	 	 	
Peter Capaldi(Twelfth Doctor) 	25 December 2013 – 25 December 2017 	"Deep Breath" 	"Twice Upon a Time" 	
 	
Peter Capaldi previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Tenth Doctor's episode "The Fires of Pompeii" and in the spin-off Torchwood as John Frobisher. 	
Peter Capaldi previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Tenth Doctor's episode "The Fires of Pompeii" and in the spin-off Torchwood as John Frobisher. 	
Peter Capaldi previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Tenth Doctor's episode "The Fires of Pompeii" and in the spin-off Torchwood as John Frobisher. 	
Peter Capaldi previously appeared on Doctor Who playing a different character in the Tenth Doctor's episode "The Fires of Pompeii" and in the spin-off Torchwood as John Frobisher.
Jodie Whittaker(Thirteenth Doctor) 	25 December 2017 – 22 October 2022() 	"The Woman Who Fell to Earth" 	[["Centenary Special"]] 	
 	 	 	 	
Ncuti Gatwa(Fourteenth Doctor) 	22 October 2022 - 25 December 2026 	"The New Era" 	"Everything Ends" 	
 	 	 	 	
James Hersey(Fifteenth Doctor) 	25 December 2026 - 25 December 2030 	"Destiny Fulfilled" 	"Rise of the Doctor" 	
 	 	 	 	
John Morrison(Sixteenth Doctor) 	25 December 2030 - 7 January 2031 	"Starting Anew" 	"All Roads End Here" 	
 	 	 	 	
David Brown Jackson(Seventeenth Doctor)	7 January 2031 – 4 June 2045 	"New Face, No Trace" 	"Revenge of the Doctor" 	
 	 	 	 	
Joseph Yang(Eighteenth Doctor) 	June 4 2045 – 25 December 2050 	"Hope" 	"Dead End" 	
 	 	 	 	
Luke Bottletrotter(Nineteenth Doctor) 	25 December 2050 – 25 December 2060 	"Alert!" 	"Rome Burns" 	
 	 	 	 	
Mike Madigan(Twentieth Doctor) 	25 December 2060 – 25 December 2070 	"Blood Rain" 	"Reborn" 	
 	 	 	 	
Anthony McKay(Twenty-first Doctor) 	25 December 2070 – 25 December 2080 	"The Doctor is in" 	"No more." 	
 	 	 	 	
Elizabeth Silvono(Twenty-second Doctor)	25 December 2080 – 25 December 2090 	"The time is now" 	"Failed Expectations" 	
 	 	 	 	
===Other===
Actor 	Title 	Dates 	Role
Christopher Barry 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Robert Banks Stewart	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Christopher Baker 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Philip Hinchcliffe 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Douglas Camfield 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Graeme Harper 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Robert Holmes 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
George Gallaccio 	The Brain of Morbius 	24 January 1976 	Past Doctors seen during the Fourth Doctor's mind-bending battle against Morbius
Adrian Gibbs 	Logopolis 	28 February – 21 March 1981 	The WatcherNyssa comments, "He was the Doctor all the time."
Richard Hurndall 	The Five Doctors 	23 November 1983 	Hurndall replaced Hartnell, who had died in 1975, as the First Doctor for the programme's 20th anniversary special.
Michael Jayston 	The Trial of a Time Lord 	6 September – 6 December 1986	The Valeyard, an evil version of the Doctor, an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker sides from between his twelfth and final incarnations
Geoffrey Hughes 	The Ultimate Foe 	29 November – 6 December 1986	Mr Popplewick, a matrix projection of the Valeyard
Toby Jones 	"Amy's Choice" 	15 May 2010 	The Dream Lord, a darker, psychic manifestation of the Doctor
John Hurt 	"The Name of the Doctor" 	18 May 2013 	The Doctor's incarnation known as the War Doctor, whose actions in the Time War were so drastic that he deemed himself unworthy of the name "Doctor".
John Hurt 	"The Night of the Doctor" 	14 November 2013 	The Doctor's incarnation known as the War Doctor, whose actions in the Time War were so drastic that he deemed himself unworthy of the name "Doctor".
John Hurt 	"The Day of the Doctor" 	23 November 2013 	The Doctor's incarnation known as the War Doctor, whose actions in the Time War were so drastic that he deemed himself unworthy of the name "Doctor".
John Guilor 	Planet of Giants DVD 	20 August 2012 	Re-dubbed voice work in the reconstruction of the original third and fourth episodes
John Guilor 	"The Day of the Doctor" 	23 November 2013 	Vocal cameo
Michael Jones 	"Listen" 	13 September 2014 	The First Doctor as a child; uncredited
David Bradley 	"The Doctor Falls" 	1 July 2017 	Similarly to Hurndall, Bradley replaced Hartnell as the First Doctor, who had died 42 years previously. Bradley also portrayed Hartnell in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time (2013).
David Bradley 	"Twice Upon a Time" 	25 December 2017 	Similarly to Hurndall, Bradley replaced Hartnell as the First Doctor, who had died 42 years previously. Bradley also portrayed Hartnell in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time (2013).
Jo Martin 	"Fugitive of the Judoon" 	26 January 2020 	Previously unseen incarnation known as the Fugitive Doctor
Jo Martin 	"The Timeless Children" 	1 March 2020 	Previously unseen incarnation known as the Fugitive Doctor
Jo Martin 	"Once, Upon Time " 	14 November 2021 	Previously unseen incarnation known as the Fugitive Doctor
Evan McCabe 	"Ascension of the Cybermen" / "The Timeless Children"	23 February – 1 March 2020 	Brendan, a decoy Matrix construct used to conceal records of the Timeless Child. Brendan is also portrayed as a child and an old man by other, uncredited actors.
Grace Nettle 	"The Timeless Children" 	1 March 2020 	An incarnation of the Timeless Child
Leo Tang 	"The Timeless Children" 	1 March 2020 	An incarnation of the Timeless Child
Jesse Deyi 	"The Timeless Children" 	1 March 2020 	An incarnation of the Timeless Child, and the one who joined the Division
==Film==
Actor 	Title 	Dates 	Role
Peter Cushing	Dr. Who and the Daleks 	23 August 1965	Dr. Who
Peter Cushing	Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.	5 August 1966 	Dr. Who
==Webcast==
Actor 	Title 	Dates 	Role
Richard E. Grant 	Scream of the Shalka	13 November – 18 December 2003	A previously official Ninth Doctor prior to the programme's 2005 revival
David Bradley 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The First Doctor
Chris Walker-Thomson 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Second Doctor
Jon Culshaw 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Doctors
Angus Villiers-Stuart	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Sixth and Eighth Doctors
Wink Taylor 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Seventh Doctor
Jonathon Carley 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The War and Twelfth Doctors
Pete Walsh 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Ninth Doctor
Elliott Crossley 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Tenth Doctor
Jacob Dudman 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Eleventh Doctor
Debra Stephenson 	Doctors Assemble! 	23 May 2020 	The Thirteenth Doctor
==Theatre==
Actor 	Title 	Dates 	Role
Trevor Martin	The Seven Keys to Doomsday 	16 December 1974 – 7 January 1975	Alternative Fourth Doctor (shown on stage to be regenerated from the Third Doctor)At the beginning of the play Martin acted as Jon Pertwee with his face covered and then regenerated.
Michael Sagar	The Seven Keys to Doomsday 	24 November – 8 December 1984 	The DoctorPorirua Little Theatre production, directed by Brian Hudson. This New Zealand production had approval from writer Terrance Dicks, the BBC (for the use of the Doctor), and Terry Nation (for the use of the Daleks) and did not include a regeneration sequence
David Banks 	Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure	29 April 1989 	The Doctor (understudy for Jon Pertwee; performed as the Doctor for two performances when Pertwee fell ill)
==Audio==
Actor 	Title 	Dates 	Role
Michael Jayston 	He Jests at Scars... 	September 2003 	The Valeyard (alternate reality version)
Michael Jayston 	Trial of the Valeyard 	17 December 2013 	The Valeyard
Michael Jayston 	The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure 	17 August 2015 	The Valeyard
Michael Jayston 	Bernice Summerfield: The Story So Far: Volume Two 	25 September 2018 	The Valeyard
Michael Jayston 	The Eighth Doctor: The Time War: Volume Three 	13 August 2019 	The Valeyard
Geoffrey Bayldon 	Auld Mortality 	May 2003 	Alternative First Doctor
Geoffrey Bayldon 	A Storm of Angels 	January 2005 	Alternative First Doctor
David Warner 	Sympathy for the Devil 	June 2003 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Warner 	Masters of War 	December 2008 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Warner 	The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. Volume Three: The Unbound Universe	24 August 2016 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Warner 	The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. Volume Four: Ruler of the Universe	20 September 2017 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Warner 	Bernice Summerfield: The Story So Far: Volume Two 	25 September 2018 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Warner 	The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. Volume Five: Buried Memories 	10 September 2019 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Warner 	The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. Volume Six: Lost in Translation 	9 September 2020 	Alternative Third Doctor
David Collings 	Full Fathom Five 	August 2003 	Alternative Doctor
Ian Brooker 	Full Fathom Five 	August 2003 	Alternative Doctor (uncredited)
Arabella Weir 	Exile 	September 2003 	Alternative Third Doctor
Nicholas Briggs 	Exile 	September 2003 	The previous incarnation of Arabella Weir's Doctor.Briggs had previously played the Doctor in a series of fan-made audio stories for Audio Visuals, including the original version of Minuet in Hell. He appeared in all but the pilot, in which the Doctor was voiced by Stephen Payne. Brigg's Audio Visuals Doctor was the inspiration for a future incarnation of the Doctor that appeared with the Seventh Doctor and Ace, in the Doctor Who Magazine comic adventure "Party Animals" in issue 173. Brigg’s future Doctor made a reappearance in the fourth part of the DWM comic "The Final Chapter" (issue 265), when the Eighth Doctor regenerates into him. This "Ninth Doctor" was revealed to be Shayde acting undercover for the Eighth Doctor in the next story "Wormwood" (DWM issues 266–271).
Nicholas Briggs 	The Seven Keys to Doomsday 	23 October 2008 	The Third Doctor
Nicholas Briggs 	The Ninth Doctor Chronicles 	May 2017 	The Ninth Doctor
Joe Bassett 	Master 	October 2003 	Child version of the First Doctor heard briefly in a flashback; credited only as "Child".
Jon Culshaw 	The Kingmaker 	April 2006 	The Fourth DoctorCulshaw also impersonated the Fourth Doctor, and currently does Tenth Doctor impressions, in the radio and television series Dead Ringers.
Peter Purves 	The Early Adventures 	December 2014 - 	The First Doctor
Frazer Hines 	The Jigsaw War 	May 2012 	The Second DoctorThe Second Doctor in Jamie's body (The Jigsaw War)
Frazer Hines 	The Lost Stories 	December 2010 - November 2013 	The Second DoctorThe Second Doctor in Jamie's body (The Jigsaw War)
Frazer Hines 	The Light at the End 	23 October 2013 	The Second DoctorThe Second Doctor in Jamie's body (The Jigsaw War)
Frazer Hines 	The Early Adventures 	September 2015 - 	The Second DoctorThe Second Doctor in Jamie's body (The Jigsaw War)
Trevor Martin 	The Seven Keys to Doomsday 	23 October 2008 	Alternative Fourth Doctor
William Russell 	The Lost Stories 	November 2010 - September 2013	The First Doctor
William Russell 	The Light at the End 	23 October 2013 	The First Doctor
William Russell 	The Early Adventures 	October 2014 - October 2016 	The First Doctor
India Fisher 	Solitaire 	June 2010 	The Eighth Doctor speaking through Charley Pollard
David Troughton 	Serpent Crest: The Hexford Invasion/Survivors in Space 	December 2011 	Clone of the Second Doctor
Terry Molloy 	The Curse of Davros 	January 2012 	The Sixth Doctor in the body of Davros
Melvyn Hayes 	The Scorchies 	7 March 2013 	The Third Doctor in Professor Baffle's body
Damian Lynch 	Ghost in the Machine 	October 2013 	The Third Doctor in Benjamin Chikoto's voice
Katy Manning 	Ghost in the Machine 	October 2013 	The Third Doctor in Jo's body
Tim Treloar 	The Light at the End 	23 October 2013 	The Third Doctor
Tim Treloar 	The Third Doctor Adventures 	September 2015 - 	The Third Doctor
Tim Treloar 	The Legacy of Time 	17 July 2019 	The Third Doctor
Tim Treloar 	The Diary of River Song: Series 6 	27 August 2019 	The Third Doctor (cameo)
John Banks 	Trial of the Valeyard 	December 2013 	The Hermit / The Thirteenth Doctor (a disguise used by the Valeyard)
Nicola Bryant 	The Widow's Assassin 	30 October 2014 	The Sixth Doctor in Peri's body
Anthony Howell 	The End of the Line 	August 2015 	Tim Hope (a disguise used by the Valeyard)
Liz White 	The Brink of Death 	August 2015 	Genesta (a disguise used by the Valeyard)
John Hurt 	The War Doctor series 	December 2015 - February 2017 	The War Doctor
David Bradley 	The First Doctor Adventures 	December 2017 - April 2021 	The First Doctor
David Bradley 	The Legacy of Time 	17 July 2019 	The First Doctor (cameo)
David Bradley 	The Diary of River Song: Series 6 	27 August 2019 	The First Doctor (cameo)
Jacob Dudman 	The Tenth Doctor Chronicles 	April 2018 	The Tenth Doctor
Jacob Dudman 	The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 	August 2018 	The Eleventh Doctor
Jacob Dudman 	The Twelfth Doctor Chronicles 	February 2020 	The Twelfth Doctor
Jacob Dudman 	Short Trips: Regeneration Impossible 	May 2020 	The Twelfth/Eleventh Doctor
Derek Jacobi 	Deadline 	September 2003 	The First Doctor (as imagined by Martin Bannister)
Derek Jacobi 	The War Master: Hearts of Darkness 	October 2020 	The Eighth Doctor in The Master's body
Jonathon Carley 	The War Doctor Begins 	Jun 2021 - 	The War Doctor
Michael Troughton	The Third Doctor Adventures: The Annihilators 	February 2022 	The Second Doctor
Michael Troughton	The Second Doctor Adventures 	July 2022- 	The Second Doctor
Stephen Noonan 	The First Doctor Adventures 	Apr 2022 - 	The First Doctor
==Official parodies==
Actor 	Title 	Dates 	Role
Rowan Atkinson 	The Curse of Fatal Death	12 March 1999 	The Doctor
Richard E. Grant	The Curse of Fatal Death	12 March 1999 	The Quite Handsome Doctor
Jim Broadbent 	The Curse of Fatal Death	12 March 1999 	The Shy Doctor
Hugh Grant 	The Curse of Fatal Death	12 March 1999 	The Handsome Doctor
Joanna Lumley 	The Curse of Fatal Death	12 March 1999 	The Female DoctorLumley is the first woman to play the Doctor in an officially licensed production.
Mark Gatiss 	The Web of Caves 	13 November 1999	The Doctor
==See also==
*List of actors considered for the part of the Doctor
*Doctor Who spoofs
*The "Morbius Doctors"
==Notes==
==References==
Doctor, The
*
Actors who have played the Doctor