Eighth Doctor

The Doctor, as he appears in Destiny

### Aliases

John Smith, Merlin, Star Traveller, Snail, Wormhole, The Other, "Miracle Worker", Speccy, the Oncoming Storm, Time's Champion, Alfred Brown

### Companions

Raine CunninghamGuinevere Hoult

Bernice Summerfield

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart

Norman Manning

## Behind the Scenes

### Final Story

Mind Games

Cold and calculating, but still caring and kind, the **Eighth Doctor** came off as being much stricter than some of his immediate predecessors, but became more approachable as he progressed through life.

He was firm in his belief that evil needed to be fought, though he was less sure as to how to do so, starting off as a chess master like the Seventh Doctor, but eventually foregoing this method in favour of combatting evil head-on, or simply manipulating his foe, rather than those around him.

Although he did many good deeds while under the title of Time's Champion, his manipulative ways and amoral decisions cost him dearly, leaving him questioning his actions and himself. The aftermath left him tired and saddened, and after reuniting with many old friends and his previous incarnations, he eventually began a lonely retirement from plotting.

The Doctor initially travelled his his predecessor's final companion, Raine Cunningham. However, she soon left him after dying from an explosion in Arthur's World. Grief-stricken by her demise, he nonetheless agreed to help freighter pilot Guinevere Hoult get back to her home century. Their travels came to an end after their friendship crumbled during an encounter with the Hoothi. He then managed to get her back to her time, where she departed from his company. The Doctor then took to travelling with 26th Century archaeologist Bernice Summerfield, and later Norman Manning, a brave, if pessimistic, accountant from the 20th Century.

The Doctor ultimately met his end on Gallifrey, stopping the Master's plot to destroy his mind using Body-snatchers by electrocuting himself using wires in the Mind Wrest. His mind had been taken over by them frequently through the Master's actions in the hours leading up to his demise, leading the Doctor to believe prompting a regeneration to be the only way out, and forcing his next incarnation to come into being.

## Biography

### Post-Regeneration

Upon waking up from his regeneration, the Doctor accused Raine of being the Rani in disguise, with Raine clearing her name. The Doctor put it down to post-regenerative trauma, noting that he has had a complete physical and mental change after noticing his inability to play the spoons. When the TARDIS landed at Arkham, the Doctor was helped to largely recuperate from his regeneration, even buying himself some clothing after Raine gave him some money.

However, the newly resurrected Howard Philips manages to convince the townsfolk that the prophecy "When Merlin returns, the dead shall rise" had been fulfilled, causing the Doctor to remember the name of Merlin once again. The Doctor and Raine tried to clear their innocence, but proved unsuccessful, instead having to barricade themselves in the town museum. There, the Doctor found the fossils of a Silurian god in an "early man" exhibit, just as Howard managed to break down their defences and reveal his true identity as a vessel for the body-snatchers. The Doctor was forced to try and help the townsfolk defeat the body-snatchers, who had possessed the town's deceased, but decided to stop the bigger threat first, and went to distract the body-snatchers as they cloned the body of the Silurian god. After Raine sabotaged the machinery, the Doctor was possessed by the body-snatchers. Despite being still in somewhat of a post-regenerative haze, the Doctor was able to fight them off, locking them away at the back of his mind. (TV: *Avatar*)

### Travels with Raine & discovering his identity

Deciding to go on a "harmless" pleasure trip with Raine to find the fate of the Seven Planets of the Althosian System, the Doctor and Raine were accused of being shapeshifting criminals Butler and Swarf by damaged android Spike. Before the Doctor could attempt to clear his name again, he was sent through a hole in time to the Netherworld, where he was locked away by the Cun. He met William Blake and managed to break out, bargain for their freedom and get safely out of the Netherworld after finding out about the Cun's mining of Dream B to bring back the Great Vampires. Before he could destroy the gateway that would allow the vampires to return, he was spirited away back to the planet he had been on previously by Spike. The trio then managed to break into the cultist's chamber and disrupt the ritual, with Spike and the Doctor dismantling the bridgehead. Upon Spike announcing that he will self-destruct and destroy the system, the Doctor reminded Raine that the system was destroyed, and now they knew how, before escorting her back to the TARDIS. (TV: *Hostage*)

After the TARDIS console short-circuited, the Doctor landed the TARDIS in King Arthur's court. Upon being questioned on his sudden arrival, the Doctor used the moniker of Merlin to bluff his way out, later helping Merlin to claim Excalibur. He then set about preparing everything for his previous incarnation to deal with at Carbury, getting stuck in a wall of ice briefly thanks to Morgaine and helping to banish the Destroyer. He then proposed that Guinevere continue ruling in Arthur's stead. (TV: *The Herald*)

The Doctor returned to his ancestral home; the House of Lungbarrow. There, he was accused of murder, and was forced to uncovered dark secrets from his own past in a bid to clear his name. (TV: *Lungbarrow*)

The Doctor was arrested at Blaire House on suspicion of being a German spy alongside Raine. He was sent to the front lines by Field Marshal Bentley to try and help the wounded, where he gained a reputation as a miracle worker. Unknowingly witnessing the effects of an alien disease, the Doctor attempted to find a cure without knowing the problem. He soon learned that the disease was caused by the parasitic Uvuri from Raine. He was then attacked by Ailix, who had been using the Uvuri in tandem with the Master, the true identity of Field Marshal Bentley, but stopped him in order to take a phone call. He then relayed to Ailix his compatriot's defeat, and told him to leave Earth or face the consequences, with Ailix opting to take the former option. (TV: *A School for Glory*)

Receiving a distress call from Guinevere, the Doctor and Raine landed in Carbury and managed to alert UNIT to the call. He headed into Arthur's World with Raine, Brigadier Bambera and her own troops, and went in an ornithopter with Raine and Guinevere to negotiate with the Green Knight, who revealed his allegiance with the Sontarans. Learning of the Green Knight's intended use of the Grail, the Doctor remembered how the Green Knight of legend tested people's deceit, and soon learned of the three deceits: that Guinevere was a freighter pilot from the future, and that both the Sontarans and the Green Knight intended to use the Grail themselves for their own purposes. He helped form an attack strategy with Guinevere and Bambera's troops, and intended to construct an EMP to destroy the Grail when he learned of its status as a superweapon. However, before he could complete this task, Raine made the Green Knight stab the controls, blowing them up and killing her in the process. (TV: *The Green Knight*)

The Doctor was grief-stricken over Raine's death, and spent several months in Arthur's World recovering from the loss. (PROSE: *The Green Knight*) Guinevere helped him come to terms with losing Raine, and as a result, he invited her to be his new companion, which she accepted. (TV: *The Green Knight*)

### Travels with Guinevere

Arriving in the Blitz, the Doctor and Guinevere helped detective Cody McBride uncover the identity of the "Limehouse Lurker". He then destroyed a cyber-factory built on Jersey that Guinevere had been taken to by a Nazi general. (TV: *Illegal Alien*)

Contemplating a solitary retirement, the Doctor travelled to Crook Marsham, where he and Guinevere were forced to prevent the reawakening of an ancient sentience which fed on nostalgia that had been trapped within the Earth since its formation. The Doctor tricked it into feeding off a supernova, trapping it in the resulting black hole. (TV: *Nightshade*)

The Doctor went undercover to help UNIT and Brigadier Bambera defeat the Rani, creating an antivirus to destroy her biological computer Network, whilst salvaging some to destroy her TARDIS with. (TV: *Network*)

Arriving on the planet Tethrak in the closing days of the Dalek Civil War, the Doctor and Guinevere learned of the Imperial Daleks' plans to create a missile to destroy the Renegades, though the missile will destroy Tethrak in the process. The Doctor found out through using his data banks that the destruction of Tethrak was a fixed point in time that he could not change, and that the Imperial Daleks were the only survivors. Guinevere, against the Doctor's will, went to warn the people of Tethrak, and, even more worryingly, the Renegades. The Doctor attempted to see if he could find a loophole, and save at least some of the natives, but to no avail, as he found himself forced to dematerialise with the Renegades' return missile in order to keep history on the right path. This opened up a rift between the Doctor and Guinevere that would continue throughout the remainder of their time together. (TV: *Destruction of the Daleks*)

### Renouncing of old ways & encountering Bernice

The Doctor brought the TARDIS to 2570 Heaven to try and make it up to Guinevere, where the pair became friends with a group called the Travellers. The Doctor then helped Professor Bernice Summerfield open the way to a Heavenite observatory, and deciphered writing they found to discover a plot by the Hoothi to use Heaven to create an army of the dead. Entering Puterspace, the Doctor was attacked by the Vacuum Church, working in league with the Hoothi, and forced to relive the slow death of his third incarnation, until he was freed by Christopher, a psychic Traveller.

Realising the danger the falling Hoothi fibres would cause, the Doctor ordered Bernice to quickly unearth the observatory, which could detect otherwise invisible Hoothi spheres, and, knowing that the pyrokinetic Traveller Jan Rydd, whom Guinevere had fallen in love with, had been infected by a fibre, the Doctor ordered him to travel to the sphere. After using Brother Phaedrus of the Vacuum Church to summon the sphere to Puterspace, the Doctor used Christopher to send a message to Jan to ignite the sphere, killing himself in the process. Returning to Heaven for Guinevere, the Doctor found that Guinevere was disgusted with him for sacrificing Jan, and, refusing to forgive him, demanded he take her home, neither of them realising Bernice had snuck on board. (TV: *Love and War*)

The Doctor, Guinevere and Bernice met Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart in the 22nd century whilst combatting an entity the Doctor nicknamed Fred which was attempting to enter their universe using the Sol Transit System. After Fred's defeat, Guinevere left the Doctor without saying a word, refusing to acknowledge his presence. Bernice, though with some reluctance, agreed to travel with the Doctor in Guinevere's place, under the condition that he didn't treat her the way he did Guinevere, and also told him to call her "Benny". (TV: *Transit*)

### Exploits with Benny

The Doctor and Benny landed in England in 1086 after the Doctor accidentally threw the TARDIS into a time eddy. There, they were accused of being in league with Satan after creatures emerged out of the survey's results, but were cleared when the creatures began attacking the Doctor and Benny, too, rather than attacking the castle, which the villagers revealed was owned by Michael of Sarte. When confronted, Michael revealed himself as the Master, and told the Doctor of his intentions to lead a revolt against William the Conqueror. The Doctor managed to get Benny to cause an uprising amongst the villagers, who charged the Master's castle, whilst he reverse-engineered the Master's technology to turn the Domesday Book into a prison for the Shahar race. (TV: *The Domesday Book*)

Deciding to go and see how his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was getting on, the Doctor took Benny to Earth in 1993 to introduce her to him. However, the trio came under attack by Cybermen, who had been ordered to attack every part of the Doctor's timeline. After they took shelter in a church, the Doctor began to buckle in pain, telling Bernice to head back to the TARDIS whilst he and the Brigadier held off the Cybermen to stop his timeline from falling apart. After his third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations rendezvoused with him in the church, he helped to turn two Cyberman time machines into bombs, and evacuated with all his previous incarnations and their companions just before they exploded, with the Doctors then bidding each other farewell after he dropped his third incarnation and Liz Shaw off, before taking the Brigadier back home, too. (TV: *Destiny*)

In search of a Fortean Flicker somehow related to the legends of Sakkrat and the Highest Science, the Doctor and Benny arrived on the planet Hogsumm and, encountering a group of humans who had been transported to the planet by the Flicker, were separated. Whilst Benny discovered a ruined citadel, the Doctor realised that a troop of Chelonians had also been drawn to the planet by the Flicker and witnessed the arrival of Sheldukher, an infamous criminal in search of the Highest Science, alongside a genetically engineered super-intellect nicknamed "the Cell". After Benny was taken hostage, the Doctor was forced to reveal his own knowledge of the Science, leading Sheldukher to the citadel. Managing to enter the building's inner sanctum, the group discovered that the entire planet had been a trap for Sheldukher, who had stolen the Cell from its creators, who were desperate to regain it. Giving the Cell the death it desired, the Doctor and Benny managed to escape in time to save the humans from being slaughtered by the Chelonians. (TV: *The Highest Science*)

Upon touching down on Ione 7, the Doctor and Bernice encountered Bi'Oli, a woman with the strange ability to tell who was next to die. The Doctor initially believed her to be a fraud, but she proved otherwise after the Doctor was convinced by Benny to give her a second chance. When he learned that Bernice was next to die, the Doctor did everything in his power to prevent her death, looking into Bi'Oli's mind to find that she was being used as a vessel by the serial killer Trasicio, who used a 'killing curse' to kill his victims. With this information, the Doctor created an antidote, which he then got doctors in the area to mass-produce, saving Bernice's life and cutting off Trasicio's link to Bi'Oli at the unfortunate expense of her life. (TV: *Death's Oracle*)

### Meeting Norman Manning

The Doctor and Benny got called to Earth by Brigadier Bambera and UNIT, who seized control of a building containing a man, Norman Manning, and *It*. The Doctor talked to Norman and came up with a plan to defeat *It* by creating a bomb infused with Norman's DNA. As expected, *It* was lured away, though the explosion did not harm *It* particularly. Bambera, the Doctor and Norman then came up with a plan B, using the remnants of the bomb to lure the creature into the TARDIS, where the Doctor then caught *It* in the time rotor and dispersed *It* completely. He then offered Norman a place in the TARDIS, which he accepted. (TV: *Nothing*)

Shortly after defeating *It*, the Doctor travelled to Venus to attend the funeral of Dharkhig, an old friend of his. There, the Doctor, Benny and Norman became embroiled in the Venusians' conflict with their would-be saviours, the Sou(ou)shi. (TV: *Venusian Lullaby*)

Now roaming the universe amicably, the three friends visited many planets, including Peladon, whilst tracking the Diadem. (TV: *Legacy*)

In York, the Doctor was attacked by a baby vampire sent by his old Time Lord friend, Ruath, who wanted his blood to resurrect the powerful vampire Yarven, but Benny was bitten and became a vampire in his place. The Doctor found Ruath, who was also a vampire, building a machine to freeze time in eternal night to allow vampires to feed forever. The Doctor allowed Benny to convert him, and then destroyed the machine and Yarven, changing himself, Benny and Ruath back to normal. He wanted to take Ruath to Gallifrey to stand trial, but she was pushed into the time vortex by Norman when she tried to kill him. (TV: *Goth Opera*)

The Doctor helped to defeat Montague and the Brotherhood of the Immanent Flesh in 19th Century Paris. After commanding the Quoth to return creatures under the Brotherhood's control back into regular humans, he arranged to find the Quoth a new home. (TV: *The Death of Art*)

When the TARDIS materialised on the Rock of Judgement, an asteroid prison used by the natives of the Uva Beta Uva system, the Doctor, Romana and K9 became involved in a complex scheme that would allow the telepathic mutant Xais to resurrect herself after her execution, her mind imprinted on a uniquely fashioned "death mask" that would allow her to possess those who wore it once the helicon that made it had been imprinted with her mental pattern. Learning that High Archon Pyerpoint had been attempting to use Xais to set himself up as ruler of the system, the Doctor eventually trapped them both on Planet Five, Pyerpoint dying as he tried to make Xais share the secret of immortality with him and Xais left trapped as her mask was lost and the helicon on the planet left raw and unrefined. (TV: *The Romance of Crime*)

Arriving on Skaro millennia before the creation of the Daleks, the Doctor reacted with confusion when a Dalek appeared in the main city and massacred Thals in the streets. Upon being taken before the Grandmaster of the Kaleds, Davros, the Doctor derided Davros and the Monk's plans to purify Skaro and purge the Thals from existence. He and his companions were imprisoned, though the Doctor managed to buy Benny and Norman enough time to escape. After they instigated a Thal rebellion against the Daleks, the Doctor was once again taken before Davros and the Monk, and reluctantly gave the names of his colleagues on public broadcast, though not before he had bought them enough time to properly quell the Dalek attacks. The uprising eventually turned against the Kaleds, prompting Benny and Norman to fly the TARDIS into the Grandmaster's quarters, which distracted the Monk long enough for the Doctor to lower the reach of the Monk's TARDIS, fully crushing Davros' plans. When travelling away from Skaro again, the Doctor explained to Benny and Norman that Davros had accidentally started the war between the Kaleds and the Thals by going back in time to prevent the war from occurring in the first place. (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*)

In 1995, the Doctor worked with UNIT again during yet another attempt by the Great Intelligence to conquer Earth, through possession of the New World University and its headmistress Isabella. He met the Brigadier's estranged daughter, Kate, and convinced her to help him. Ultimately, he defeated the Great Intelligence after shutting down the University's main servers. (TV: *Downtime*)

After being arrested by the Knights of Kuabris, the Doctor led an expedition to the Menagerie of Ukkazaal, stumbling upon the Mecrim in the process. He later helped to ward the Mecrim away from the planet's population in order to limit casualties. (TV: *The Menagerie*)

### Death

Attempting to fix the TARDIS console alongside Bernice and Norman, the Doctor was suddenly overcome by the Body-snatchers that he had previously locked in his mind at Arkham. In this possessed stupor, he set the co-ordinates for Gallifrey and attacked his companions, though he eventually came to, apologising profusely and explaining what had happened at Arkham and who the Body-snatchers were. Upon arriving at Gallifrey, the Doctor received a transmission through the scanner from the Master and Ruath, revealing that they had gained control of the Mind Wrest, and intended to use it to dispatch of him and his companions so they could take over Gallifrey unopposed. Feeling he had to deal with the Master personally, the Doctor told his companions to alert the High Council, whilst he set off in the TARDIS to confront the Master. He let the High Council have access to his TARDIS' co-ordinates upon landing and, whilst trying to fight off the Body-snatchers, attempted to convince the Master to back down. The Master refused, instead turning up the power the Body-snatchers had on the Doctor using the Mind Wrest.

When Benny, Norman and Ruath, now on the Doctor's side, confronted the Master, the possessed Doctor attacked their minds using the Mind Wrest, though Bernice was able to break through to the Doctor and prompt him to use the machine on the Master, (TV: *Mind Games*) causing Tremas' mind to reawaken and slowly destroy the Master's body. (PROSE: *Mind Games*) The Body-snatchers managed to re-assert some control and caused the Doctor to nearly kill both Bernice and Norman. Shocked at his actions and wanting the cycle to end, the Doctor opened up a fuse box in the Mind Wrest, broke a wire and applied it to his temples, fatally electrocuting himself and forcing the Body-snatchers from his mind. Norman checked on the Doctor, and pulled him clear from the exploding Mind Wrest, just as Romana and the Chancellery Guard arrived. Awaking just long enough to explain to Romana what had happened and to his companions how regeneration worked, the Doctor gave his friends some kindly last words, and began the regeneration into his next incarnation. (TV: *Mind Games*)

## Personality

The Eighth Doctor started out life as a continuation of his predecessor, content with manipulating people if it meant that good would triumph over evil, and not considering the effects that it would have on the mentality of those around him. (TV: *Avatar*, *The Herald*, *Illegal Alien, Destruction of the Daleks*, *Love and War*) He even went so far as to see himself as a "chess master", (TV: *Illegal Alien*) though he was not particularly keen on the notion of using others for his own gain. (TV: *The Domesday Book*) He later attempted to abandon the niche of manipulation all together after being forced to by Bernice Summerfield, (TV: *Transit*), though he did still occasionally slip back into the role if it was entirely necessary. (TV: *The Highest Science*)

He also started out as being incredibly grouchy and outwardly seemed cold and unapproachable to many of the people he happened upon. (TV: *Avatar*) He even distrusted the Ice Warriors, even after they renounced conflict. (TV: *Legacy*) However, he knew when he should act courteous and when not to during this period, acting cordial with King Arthur (TV: *The Herald*) and with his old friends Romana, Leela and Andred. (TV: *Lungbarrow*) After getting arrested and briefly imprisoned for his rudeness, (TV: *A School for Glory*) the Doctor made a point of being genuinely polite towards people, becoming noticeably less grumpy (TV: *Network*) and more amiable as time progressed. (TV: *Love and War*, *Transit*, *Destiny*, *Nothing*, *Downtime*) Whether this was due to his anger at himself over Guinevere leaving, (TV: *Transit*), learning from past mistakes (TV: *A School for Glory*) or whether it was simply due to him wanting to be friendly towards people (TV: *Nightshade*) is up for debate. Despite this, even in his later years, the Doctor was capable of losing his temper towards those who threatened others, mocking both the Master (TV: *The Domesday Book*, *Mind Games*) and Davros. (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*)

The Doctor had a fondness for baseball (TV: *Illegal Alien*), *Monty Python's Flying Circus* (TV: *Nothing*), pastries, legends, (TV: *The Green Knight*) apricots, (TV: *Death's Oracle*) and Cluedo. (TV: *The Menagerie*) He maintained a strict vegetarian diet. (TV: *Lungbarrow*) He also told Bernice Summerfield that he loved "chaos, big explosions, and rebellions". (TV: *Love and War*) Fakrid believed the Doctor had "the mind of a genius", but he also "prattle[d] like any other parasite". (TV: *The Highest Science*)

The Doctor was a firm believer that fixed points in time should not be broken, and reacted with confusion or sternness in response to attempts to change the timeline, (TV: *Destruction of the Daleks*, *Paradox of the Daleks*) though he understood if a person did so to prevent loss of life. (TV: *Destruction of the Daleks*)

Despite the Doctor being "by all accounts, a pacifist", (TV: *The Herald*) the Doctor was not averse to manipulating events that resulted in the loss of life, (TV: *Love and War*) or indirectly causing genocide in the name of keeping time in order. (TV: *Hostage*, *Destruction of the Daleks*) He once questioned if saving an entire planet of people was more important than saving an individual life. (TV: *Venusian Lullaby*) However, he did everything in his power to prevent others, especially those he cared about, from dying (TV: *Avatar*, *The Herald*, *A School for Glory*, *Death's Oracle*, *Paradox of the Daleks*, *Mind Games*) and was deeply moved when he could not save a life. (TV: *The Green Knight*, *Death's Oracle*), taking months to recover from Raine's death. (PROSE: *The Green Knight*) He also hated himself for being unable to save the lives of people his friends cared for, such as the natives of Tethrak (TV: *Destruction of the Daleks*) and Jan Rydd. (TV: *Love and War*)

After having his mind taking over thanks to the Mind Wrest, the Doctor became increasingly horrified at the actions that he found himself doing. He told his companions to contact the High Council to keep them safe, and went to face the Master himself, deeming it his responsibility. He claimed it was a necessity for him to electrocute himself and remove the Body-snatchers from his mind, and expressed relief at the Mind Wrest being destroyed, telling his companions that "At least it's all over now..." as his final words. (TV: *Mind Games*)

### Habits and Quirks

The Doctor usually opened the doors of the TARDIS in a grandiose fashion when arriving on an alien planet, which Bernice described to Norman as being his way of "asking for approval". (TV: *Hostage*, *Lungbarrow*, *Destruction of the Daleks*, *Transit*, *The Highest Science*, *Death's Oracle*, *Venusian Lullaby*, *Legacy*) However, in occasions where he wanted to simply do something nice for his companions (TV: *Love and War*) or when he did not want to make such a grandiose entrance (TV: *The Green Knight*, *Nightshade*), he opened the TARDIS doors in a more regular manner.

When talking, the Doctor often adopted an estuary English accent. He could, when necessary, adopt other accents, though. (TV: *The Highest Science*)

The Doctor would routinely answer any query as to his health with a biffed back claim to be "fine", and often told others that "monsters" feared him in their "nightmares". (TV: *Avatar*, *Love and War*)

Like with his predecessor, he showed affection by pressing his forehead against his compatriot's (TV: *Avatar*, *The Herald*, *Network*, *Nothing*) or, unlike his predecessor, by violently shaking their hand. (TV: *The Green Knight*, *Nightshade*) He rarely smiled, and often stopped speaking to contemplate things. (TV: *Avatar*, *Hostage*, *Lungbarrow*, *A School for Glory*, *Illegal Alien*, *Network*, *Love and War*, *The Highest Science*, *Death's Oracle*, *Venusian Lullaby*, *Goth Opera*, *The Death of Art*, *The Romance of Crime*, *Downtime*, *The Menagerie*) However, he did smile sometimes, usually to reassure people (TV: *A School for Glory*, *Nothing*, *The Death of Art*, *The Menagerie*, *Mind Games*), or when in the presence of old friends. (TV: *The Herald*, *The Green Knight*, *Destiny*)

### Skills

The Eighth Doctor was proficient with sign language, using it when he wanted to talk to his companions without his foes recognising what he was saying. (TV: *Avatar*, *The Herald*, *The Green Knight*, *Network*, *Transit*, *Destiny*, *The Highest Science*, *Goth Opera*, *The Romance of Crime*, *Paradox of the Daleks*) He also made a point of trying to teach some to his companions, who could understand what he was signing, but not necessarily replicate it. (TV: *Nothing*) Alongside sign language, the Doctor claimed to be "fluent in most tongues". (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*) The Doctor could speak the ancient dialect of the Japanese royal family, (TV: *Transit*) read the writing of the Silurians, (TV: *Avatar*) and ancient Betelgeusian. (TV: *The Death of Art*)

When he was still a keen manipulator, he had a tendency to play the long game in his schemes, preferring to keep his plans subtle and "behind the scenes". (TV: *The Highest Science*)

The Doctor could read minds, (TV: *Love and War*) and calm a person. (TV: *Nothing, Legacy*) He often tried to find common ground when talking to someone, so that he had a subject to return to if he needed to calm them down, for example exploiting Norman Manning's love of comedy. (TV: *Nothing*) He was also capable of engaging in conversation to act as a distraction, doing so to allow Benny and Norman to escape from a hole in their cell whilst he kept their guard preoccupied. (TV: *Paradox of the Daleks*)

Despite not being as physical as some of his previous selves, the Doctor was capable of withstanding levels of pain that would normally kill a human. (TV: *The Romance of Crime*)

He could also play the harmonica, (TV: *Hostage*) and the lute, (TV: *The Herald*) though he noted his utter inability to play the spoons. (TV: *Avatar*)

He was also capable of picking a lock with a hairpin, (TV: *The Death of Art*) and performing the Heimlich manoeuvre. (TV: *The Herald*)

## Appearance

Standing at 5'10, (TV: *The Romance of Crime*) the Eighth Doctor was a man of average height with an obese build, who looked to be in his early forties. He had a round face, a flat nose and a set of short, neatly cut, white hair. (TV: *Avatar*) At some point during his travels with Guinevere Hoult, he grew a beard. (TV: *Network*)

### Clothing

The Eighth Doctor, when given money by Raine Cunningham to buy himself a new suit, bought himself a black suit jacket with a traditional-looking bright red waistcoat adorned with golden buttons, along with a blue shirt (though this would change intermittently to white) and a tie, whose pattern shifted with each appearance. (TV: *Avatar*) He also wore a variety of different badges, each of which related to various ancient civilisations on Earth. His preferred badge was that of an Egyptian Scarab, which he wore shortly after regeneration, (TV: *Avatar*), on Gallifrey, (TV: *Lungbarrow*), during the Blitz, (TV: *Illegal Alien*) and from his excursion on Tethrak onwards. (TV: *Destruction of the Daleks*) On other occasions, he wore a badge of the head of Ra, (TV: *Hostage*, *Nightshade*), a badge depicting a Spartan warrior (TV: *The Herald, A School for Glory, The Green Knight*) or simply forewent the badge all together. (TV: *Network*)

On his bottom half, he wore grey formal trousers with a belt running through them. This belt's buckle changed from being a golden rectangular shape (TV: *Avatar*) to being a silver oval shape (TV: *Network*) sometime during his travels with Guinevere Hoult. He also wore a pair of tan brown Oxford shoes. (TV: *Avatar*)

In one adventure, the Doctor swapped out his usual suit jacket and waistcoat for variations of said attire in brown and maroon colours, respectively. (TV: *Network*). Whenever he was caught in the rain, he wore a larger version of the Seventh Doctor's tan brown duffle coat. (TV: *The Highest Science*) He also briefly wore a schoolteacher's uniform, complete with gown and mortar board when trying to go undercover at a university. (TV: *Network*)

Due to the effects of the Time Beetles on Alixion, the Doctor's eyes were not fully healed during regeneration. This prompted the use of glasses, with the Doctor favouring designs common in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (TV: *Avatar*)

## Behind the Scenes

### Casting

Richard Griffiths had been heavily considered, and was the first choice of the production team. Had he not agreed to play the role, other actors, such as Peter Cook, Ian Richardson and David McCallum were all considered. Marc Platt put forwards Colin Jeavons as a suggestion, whilst outgoing producer John Nathan-Turner suggested Derek Fowlds and Billy Connolly as contingency plans.

### Sign Language?

Griffiths asked whether amendments could be made to the scripts of certain stories in order to include the Doctor using sign language. Whilst not a staple feature of many of Griffiths' prior performances, he asked for it to be added to his incarnation of the Doctor as he believed it would add a new layer of "craftiness" to the character, whilst also raising awareness about sign language, as he believed that if the Doctor was a beloved children's character, he could act as an incentive to learn it.

## Appearances

### Season 28

* *Avatar*
* *Hostage*
* *The Herald*
* *Lungbarrow*

### Season 29

* *A School for Glory*
* *The Green Knight*
* *Illegal Alien*
* *Nightshade*

### Season 30

* *Network*
* *Destruction of the Daleks*
* *Love and War*
* *Transit*
* *The Domesday Book*
* *Destiny*

### Season 31

* *The Highest Science*
* *Death's Oracle*
* *Nothing*
* *Venusian Lullaby*
* *Legacy*
* *Goth Opera*

### Season 32

* *The Death of Art*
* *The Romance of Crime*
* *Paradox of the Daleks*
* *Downtime*
* *The Menagerie*
* *Mind Games*