Doctor Who/Archive

## Episodes

ETV stated its satisfaction at the fact that after five seasons, the show had only decreased by .10 million viewers, stating that the show "would not even be considered" for cancellation until ratings would decrease under 2 million viewers; this allowing the show to go on for "over 30 years" should the ratings pattern stay the same; though it is not expected such will happen. Additionally, it should be considered that ratings always increase in the final season of a Doctor/first season of new Doctor and changes in different paces depending on the actor.

## Cast and characters

The Second Doctor (Ian Harding) holds the record for highest episode count.

The series' only original cast member, Dakota Fanning, left the series after season 4; however, she was replaced by original recurring actress Vanessa Morgan as a series regular.

The sixth season finale saw the return of the First Doctor and cameo appearance of the forthcoming Third Doctor; this marking the first time more than one Doctor were at the same place at the same time.

Season 6 saw the largest main cast of the series to date, with Chris Rankin (The Master), Robert Buckley (Jordan Sprague) added as series regulars in a main cast of 6 characters including the special main and 1 episode past Doctor. Harding later confirmed that he would "never" turn down a role to return to the series in the future, but now he would be focusing on new projects.

### **Seasons 1–6 era**

**^1** Worthy is credited as a series regular in one episode in Seasons 2 and 3.
**^2** Bilson is credited as a series regular in one episode in Season 4.
**^3** Rush is credited as a series regular in one episode in Season 5.
**^4** Anders is credited as a series regular in one episode in Season 6.
### **Seasons 7– era**

**Note:** Season 6 appearances are included with characters that appeared season 7 onward.
Vanessa Morgan continues her role as Debbie Lawrence for the seventh consecutive year, and as a main character after being promoted in the fifth season. Morgan announced her exit of the series after season 6, stating that she had spent 7 years on the series and 3 which she committed to and thought it was time to move on. Morgan later stated that she stayed on for season 7 to "get a taste of the new era and Doctor of the series," and wanting to give closure to the longest running character.

**^1** Espensen is credited as a series regular in one episode in Season 7.
## Doctors

### First Doctor

David Anders portrayed **The First Doctor**, making his first appearance in the series premiere and continuing his role in seasons 1 and 2. He is the only Doctor in the series to not be regenerated from a previous Doctor.

#### Casting

ETV reportedly approached several other actors before David Anders accepted the role, though not being the network's first choice. When asked by some people, ETV refused to reveal the actors who declined the role.

### Second Doctor

Ian Harding portrayed **The Second Doctor**, making his first appearance in the season 2 finale and continuing his role in seasons 3 to 6. The Second Doctor is often described as the best Doctor on the series, being why he received more onscreen time.

On 13 January 2022, Ian Harding stated in an exclusive interview that he was contracted to portray The Doctor until season 6, should the series still be going. Harding then clarified that he would not portray The Doctor further after season 6 due to wanting to pursue other roles as well; though stated that he would "definitely" sign on for potential guest appearances.

#### Casting

In a surprise, Ian Harding was revealed as the Second Doctor in a cameo appearance on the season 2 finale. ETV later stated that [Harding] was their first choice for The Doctor in season 1, but he declined due to "the lack of ratings in ETV series'". After season 1 aired, Harding contacted ETV and they "immediately" set up plans for him as the Second Doctor after season 2. The casting of the Second Doctor marks the first time when only one actor was considered for the role.

### Third Doctor

A to-be-determined actor will portray **The Third Doctor**, who will likely make his first appearance in the season 6 finale.

#### Casting

ETV continued with its format of not creating a public casting call, due to wanting "big names to portray The Doctor" and wanting to keep the time of the Second Doctor's death secret.

In May 2023, an insider source leaked news of actors who were supposedly in the running to portray The Third Doctor. These include: Blake Harrison, Danila Kozlovsky, Greg Finley, Chris Rankin, Bradley James, Kayla Ewell, Brittany Snow, Gal Gadot, Troian Bellisario and Krysten Ritter. An impressive amount of ten actors potentially in the running would not be a surprise, due to the positive reception from the Second Doctor.

However, this list eventually became small as Kozlovsky denied that he was running, followed by Bellisario and Ewell, leaving the list with 7 potentials. Snow later stated that she was "not called back" for an audition, and Harrison stated he did not get the part; this news also verified that the list was in fact true. A week later, Finley stated that "the list is probably fake" and that he was not interested in the part, leaving Rankin, James, Gadot and Ritter as potentials.

On September 2024, ETV published a clip on their channel revealing Bradley James as the actor portraying the Third Doctor. In an press release, ETV also stated that both male and female actors were considered for the role but that James was considered the best candidate.

### Fourth Doctor

Following Bradley James' decision to leave the show after season 9 (one less season than Harding), it was speculated that either Chris Rankin, Gal Gadot or Krysten Ritter would be the Doctor given their potential candidacy role for the Third Doctor. ETV announced of a Summer Special episode revealing the Fourth Doctor, which would consist of a live televoting system. ETV went on, saying that, "We considered many options for the Fourth Doctor, but we then decided that choosing James' successor would be too much a difficult task for us, which is why we decided to allow you, the viewers to help us choose." ETV filmed the Fourth Doctor's regenerations into the four candidates, consisting of two male and female. One month before the broadcast, ETV finally announced that Chris Rankin, Gal Gadot, Mark Pellegrino and Krysten Ritter would be the Doctor candidates.

#### Results

ETV spoke on the results, stating, "When you look at the first two rounds, it's obvious that there is no clear Doctor. Pellegrino and Ritter, both talented actors, were unfortunately overshadowed by Gadot and Rankin who overshadowed them. But, that was obviously expected as the people were not ready for change, but by the final round people had somewhat got used to the idea of a female Doctor. We are also honoured to announce that The Fourth Doctor will be accompanied by.. Chris Rankin!

Weekly results per contestant
 Chris Rankin | **1st** 39.06%
 Krysten Ritter | **3rd** 15.24%
 Mark Pellegrino | **4th** 12.03%

## Spin-offs

### Fighting Evil

Main article: Fighting Evil
In 2021, ETV announced following Dakota Fanning and Lucas Till's departures that they had commissioned on a spin-off based on Scott Wolf's character Nathan Thorpe. The show premiered in 2022. The show ended its run in 2025 with a total of five seasons totaling 27 episodes. In 2026, the *Doctor Who: Halloween Special* focuses on *Fighting Evil*, with some character additions, which was watched more than any of the spin-off's episode and led to some characters' return to *Doctor Who*.

### Chasing Aliens

Main article: Chasing Aliens
On June 2, 2022, ETV announced that they had commissioned a younger version of *Doctor Who* aiming to connect with younger fans. On July 4, 2022, it was reported that the third annual Halloween-themed *Doctor Who* special would feature "a crossover between the series and *Degrassi: The Other Generation*". ETV finally confirmed this on July 21, 2022, before a trailer was released for the crossover. It was later stated that 2021 graduating cast would feature to "not mess with the continuity of [Degrassi]."

Following the success from the Christmas special, ETV announced that they had ordered a full season of 8 episodes. Reprising their roles in the main cast were Sonja Hernandez, Chris Stewart and Tim Hughes; other cast members were of no relevance to the [Degrassi]. It was later announced that the spin-off would be titled *Chasing Aliens*.

### Abandoned adult version

On June 2, 2022, ETV announced that they had also commissioned a older version of *Doctor Who* aiming to connect with older fans. However, ETV later stated that they had not put it in priority, as they had been "focusing on making Doctor Who more suitable for older audiences." On August 23, 2022, ETV confirmed that they had abandoned plans on the project stating that having two spin-offs for a series that is ongoing as well was more than enough.

## Alien Warfare

In 2028, after *Doctor Who* had not done any special for *Fighting Evil* for the first time ever since the series premiered, ETV stated that "The producers at [Doctor Who] had something very interesting planned, but once we realized the depth of the storylines, we knew it would be something that would be good for ETV." Continuing, the network then stated, "Originally planned as a one hour special, we have decided to order a full season of 7 episodes for [Fighting Evil] spin-off *Alien Warfare*."

The television ratings led ETV to offer more episodes, though the production team declined the offer due to "focusing rather on quality, than quantity."

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