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 his appearance and personality has facilitated the ability of new actors to take over the role – in both official and unofficial productions – while in most cases maintaining continuity with the television series.
This list 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 story arc Mawdryn Undead or Clara Oswald in the TV episode "Death in Heaven").
The incumbent is Jodie Whittaker, who succeeded Peter Capaldi in the role at the conclusion of the 2017 Christmas special.[1]
Television
Series leads
Actor (role) | Tenure | First regular appearance | Last regular appearance |
---|---|---|---|
William Hartnell (First Doctor) | 23 November 1963 – 29 October 1966 (2 years, 11 months and 6 days) | An Unearthly Child "An Unearthly Child" | The Tenth Planet Episode 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.
Other First Doctor appearances (click the "Show" tab on the right)
| |||
Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) | 29 October 1966 – 21 June 1969 (2 years, 7 months and 23 days) | The Power of the Daleks Episode One | The War Games Episode Ten |
Other Second Doctor appearances
| |||
Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor) | 3 January 1970 – 8 June 1974 (4 years, 6 months and 5 days) | Spearhead from Space Episode One | Planet of the Spiders Part Six |
Other Third Doctor appearances
| |||
Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) | 8 June 1974 – 21 March 1981 (6 years, 8 months and 13 days) | Robot Part One | Logopolis Part 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.[2] Other Fourth Doctor appearances
| |||
Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor) | 21 March 1981 – 16 March 1984 (2 years, 11 months and 24 days) | Castrovalva Part One | The Caves of Androzani Part Four |
Other Fifth Doctor appearances
| |||
Colin Baker (Sixth Doctor) | 16 March 1984 – 6 December 1986 (2 years, 8 months and 20 days) | The Twin Dilemma Part One | The Ultimate Foe Part Two |
Other Sixth Doctor appearances
| |||
Sylvester McCoy (Seventh Doctor) | 7 September 1987 – 6 December 1989 (2 years, 2 months and 29 days) | Time and the Rani Part 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. Other Seventh Doctor appearances
| |||
Paul McGann (Eighth Doctor) | 27 May 1996 | Doctor Who | |
Other Eighth Doctor appearances
| |||
Christopher Eccleston (Ninth Doctor) | 26 March 2005 – 18 June 2005 (2 months and 23 days) | "Rose" | "The Parting of the Ways" |
Other Ninth Doctor appearances
| |||
David Tennant (Tenth Doctor) | 18 June 2005 – 1 January 2010 (4 years, 6 months and 14 days) | "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 Other Tenth Doctor appearances
| |||
Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor) | 1 January 2010 – 25 December 2013 (3 years, 11 months and 24 days) | "The Eleventh Hour" | "The Time of the Doctor" |
Other Eleventh Doctor appearances
| |||
Peter Capaldi (Twelfth Doctor) | 25 December 2013 – 25 December 2017 (4 years) | "Deep Breath" | "Twice Upon a Time" |
Other Twelfth Doctor appearances
| |||
Jodie Whittaker (Thirteenth Doctor) | 25 December 2017 – present (9 months and 17 days) | "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" | N/A |
Other
Actor | Title | Dates | Role |
---|---|---|---|
Adrian Gibbs | Logopolis | 28 February – 21 March 1981 | The Watcher[Note 2] |
Richard Hurndall | The Five Doctors | 23 November 1983 | Hurndall replaced William Hartnell, who had died in 1975, as the First Doctor for the show'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, existing somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnations). |
Geoffrey Hughes | The Ultimate Foe | 29 November – 6 December 1986 | Mr Popplewick (a disguise used by The Valeyard) |
Toby Jones | "Amy's Choice" | 15 May 2010 | The Dream Lord |
John Guilor | Planet of Giants DVD | 20 August 2012 | The First Doctor's re-dubbed voice work in the reconstruction of the original 3rd and 4th episodes |
"The Day of the Doctor" | 23 November 2013 | The First Doctor's vocal cameo. | |
John Hurt | "The Name of the Doctor | 18 May 2013 | The Doctor's incarnation known as the War Doctor,[21] whose actions in the Time War were so drastic that he deemed himself unworthy of the name "Doctor". |
"The Night of the Doctor" | 14 November 2013 | ||
"The Day of the Doctor" | 23 November 2013 | ||
Michael Jones | "Listen" | 13 September 2014 | The First Doctor as a child; uncredited[22] |
David Bradley | "The Doctor Falls" | 1 July 2017 | The First Doctor. Bradley also portrayed William Hartnell – and consequently the First Doctor – in the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time (2013). |
"Twice Upon a Time" | 25 December 2017 |
Film
Actor | Title | Dates | Role |
---|---|---|---|
Peter Cushing | Dr. Who and the Daleks | 23 August 1965 | Dr. Who |
Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. | 5 August 1966 |
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 show's 2005 revival |
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)[Note 3] |
Michael Sagar | The Seven Keys to Doomsday | 24 November – 8 December 1984 | The Doctor (alternate version, possibly Fourth)[Note 4][23] |
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) |
Nick Scovell | The Planet of Storms | October 1996 | The Doctor[24][Note 5] |
The Web of Fear | June 2000 | The Second Doctor[25] | |
Fury From the Deep | 27–30 March 2002 | ||
Evil of the Daleks | 25–28 October 2006 | ||
The Dalek Masterplan | 24–27 October 2007 | The First Doctor[26] | |
Nicholas Briggs | The Dalek Masterplan | 24–27 October 2007 | The Doctor (regenerated from Nick Scovell's Doctor) |
Audio
Actor | Title | Dates | Role |
---|---|---|---|
Steve Hill | The Nightmare Fair | May 2003 | Sixth Doctor |
Michael Jayston | He Jests at Scars... | September 2003 | The Valeyard (alternate reality version) |
Trial of the Valeyard | December 2013 | The Valeyard | |
The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure | August 2015 | ||
Geoffrey Bayldon | Auld Mortality | May 2003 | Alternative Doctor |
A Storm of Angels | January 2005 | ||
David Warner | Sympathy for the Devil | June 2003 | Alternative Doctor |
Masters of War | December 2008 | ||
The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. Volume Three: The Unbound Universe | 24 August 2016 | ||
The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield. Volume Four: Ruler of the Universe | 20 September 2017 | ||
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 Doctor |
Nicholas Briggs | Exile | September 2003 | The previous incarnation of Arabella Weir's Doctor.[Note 6] |
The Seven Keys to Doomsday | 23 October 2008 | The Third 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 Doctor[Note 7] |
Peter Purves | The Early Adventures | December 2014 - | The First Doctor |
Frazer Hines | The Jigsaw War | May 2012 | The Second Doctor The Second Doctor in Jamie's body (The Jigsaw War) |
The Lost Stories | December 2010 - November 2013 | ||
The Light at the End | 23 October 2013 | ||
The Early Adventures | September 2015 - | ||
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 |
The Light at the End | 23 October 2013 | ||
The Early Adventures | October 2014 - | ||
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 | The Third Doctor in Jo's body | ||
Tim Treloar | The Light at the End | 23 October 2013 | The Third Doctor |
The Third Doctor Adventures | September 2015 - | ||
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 - | The First Doctor |
Parodies outside the show
Actor | Title | Dates | Role |
---|---|---|---|
Clive Dunn | It's a Square World | 31 December 1963 | First Doctor ("Doctor Fuzin-gum") |
Bernie Winters | Big Night Out | 7 April 1964 | First Doctor |
Gerry Grant | Sky Ray ice lollies advert | 1967 | Second Doctor |
Don Maclean | Crackerjack's Ello My Dalek | 1974 | Fourth Doctor |
Tony Hughes | Mathshow | 21 October 1975 - 15 June 1976 | Doctor How |
Rod Hull | Emu's Broadcasting Company's Day of the Dustbins | 1977 | Doctor Emu |
Fred Harris | End of Part One | 1979 | Fourth Doctor ("Doctor Eyes") |
Ron Bain | A Kick Up the Eighties | 1981 | Fifth Doctor |
Ronnie Barker | The Two Ronnies | 25 December 1983 | Third Doctor |
Lenny Henry | The Lenny Henry Show | 1986 | The Doctor |
Ian Krankie | The Krankie's Elektronik Komik | 1986 | Seventh Doctor |
George Layton | French and Saunders deleted scene | 1987 | Fourth Doctor |
Jim Broadbent | Victoria Wood As Seen On TV | 18 December 1987 | The Doctor |
John Philpott | The Corridor Sketch | 1991 | First Doctor |
Rob Sitch | "The Late Show (Australian TV Series)" Sketch | 1992 | The Doctor |
Peter Russell-Clarke | "The Late Show (Australian TV Series)" Sketch | 1992 | The Next Doctor |
Paul Barber | U.F.O. | 10 December 1993 | The Doctor |
Jeremy Beadle | Beadle's Hotshots | 1996 | Doctor What |
Steve Vizard | Fast Forward | 1996 | Fourth Doctor/Doctor Hewson |
Paul O'Grady | The Lily Savage Show | 1996 | Female Doctor |
Bob Mortimer | Shooting Stars | 1996 | The First Doctor |
Matt Lucas | Shooting Stars | 1996 | The Second Doctor |
Vic Reeves | Shooting Stars | 1996 | The Third Doctor |
Mark Lamarr | Shooting Stars | 1996 | The Fourth Doctor |
Gary Bleasdale | Harry Enfield and Chums | 1996 | Scouse Doctor |
Pauline Quirke | BBC Choice Advert | 1998 | The Fourth Doctor |
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 Doctor[Note 8] |
Mark Gatiss | The Web of Caves | 13 November 1999 | Eighth Doctor |
Jon Culshaw | Dead Ringers | 2000–07 | Fourth Doctor, both radio and television |
Les Hubb | Hububb: "Dr Woo and the Kelads" | 22 February 2001 | Dr Woo |
John Field | Gene Genius | August 2004 | Third Doctor |
Ethan McKinley | The Charlotte Church Show | 2006 | Tenth Doctor |
Todd Carty | The Charlotte Church Show | 2006 | Eleventh Doctor |
Seth Green | Robot Chicken | 2006 | Fourth Doctor |
James Hurn | Gina's Laughing Gear | 2007 | Tenth Doctor |
Justin Lee Collins | Saturday Night Project | 2007 | Tenth Doctor |
Sylvester McCoy | Doctors | 2008 | Lollipop Man |
Catherine Tate | Sunday Night Project | 2009 | Tenth Doctor |
Mark Perry | Dead Ringers | December 2009 | Second Doctor |
Kevin Connelly | Dead Ringers | December 2009 | Seventh Doctor |
Phil Cornwell | Dead Ringers | December 2009 | Ninth Doctor |
Jon Culshaw | Dead Ringers | December 2009 | Tenth Doctor |
Harry Enfield | Harry and Paul | 2010 | Reg Varney Doctor |
Brian Drummond | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | 2011 | Doctor Whooves |
Ian Hislop | Have I Got News for You Promo | 2013 | Fourth Doctor |
Paul Merton | Have I Got News for You Promo | 2013 | Fourth Doctor |
Lewis Macleod | Toast of London | 2013 | Fourth Doctor |
Will Friedle | Mad | 2 September 2013 | Tenth Doctor |
Nolan North | Mad | 2 September 2013 | Eleventh Doctor |
Tim Roth | Robot Chicken's Doctor Who Meets the Nerd | 2014 | Twelfth Doctor |
Phil Vischer | VeggieTales' Veggies in Space: The Fennel Frontier | 2014 | Doctor Who |
Lewis Macleod | Newzoids | 2015 | Twelfth Doctor |
Peter New | My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic | 2015 | Doctor Whooves |
Tim Dann | OOglies | 2015 | Doctor Rhubarb |
Richard McCourt | Diddy TV | 2016 | Twelfth Doctor |
See also
Notes
- ↑ This trailer was shown at the end of The Enemy of the World Episode 6, with the Doctor advising younger viewers that the Yeti would be appearing in the next adventure, and would be a little more frightening than their last encounter (The Abominable Snowmen), and if their mummy and daddy were scared to "just get them to hold your hand".
- ↑ Nyssa comments, "He was the Doctor all the time."
- ↑ At the beginning of the play Martin acted as Jon Pertwee with his face covered and then regenerated.
- ↑ Porirua 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
- ↑ Scovell also played the Doctor in the Bedlam Theatre fan video production, The Millennium Trap in 1997.
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ Culshaw also impersonated the Fourth Doctor, and currently does Tenth Doctor impressions, in the radio and television series Dead Ringers.
- ↑ Lumley is the first woman to play the Doctor in an officially licensed production.
References
- ↑ "Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker is to replace Peter Capaldi in the Time Lord regeneration game". The Telegraph. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
- ↑ "Doctor Who: Tom Baker Returns in 50th Special". 23 December 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- ↑ “” (19 December 2008). "Tom Baker Doctor Who 1979 New season advert". YouTube. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ↑ Howe's Transcendental Toybox: The Unauthorised Guide to "Doctor Who" Collectibles by David J. Howe, Telos Publishing, 2003
- 1 2 Allen, Ben (4 July 2018). "Doctor Who stars David Tennant and Peter Davison set to join The Muppets live on stage". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ↑ "Doctor Who: The Night Of The Doctor Schedule Released For BBC Red Button". Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Doctor Who News Page: First "Proper" Trailer Airs, plus Screen Grabs". Gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com. 15 March 2005. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ↑ Methven, Nicola (6 February 2015). "Christopher Eccleston plays Doctor Who to help a young couple get engaged". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (14 December 2015). "Christopher Eccleston plays the ninth Doctor again in a touching video for sick Doctor Who fan". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ "Christopher Eccleston is back as Doctor Who for fans' wedding video". Radio Times. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ↑ "The Doctor Who News Page: New Trailer Debuts". Gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.com. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- ↑ British Broadcasting Corporation (11 December 2012). "'It's Showtime!' with Rob Brydon - Episode Two - BBC One Christmas 2012 Trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ↑ "BAFTA Celebrates 50 Years of Doctor Who". BBC. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
- ↑ "Doctor Who Trailer to Celebrate the Last 50 Years". BBC. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ "#SaveTheDay". Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Day of the Doctor: The Clock's ticking". Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Day of the Doctor: It's All Been Leading..." Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Science of Doctor Who". Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ↑ "Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide". Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ↑ British Broadcasting Corporation (1 December 2012). "Sprout Boy meets a galaxy of stars: Trailer - BBC One Christmas 2015". YouTube. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ↑ "The Night of the Doctor: A Mini Episode – Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor". BBC. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ Cook, Benjamin (16 November 2017). "Double Bill". Doctor Who Magazine (519): 16.
- ↑ "The Dalek Invasion of Porirua: 1984". tetrap.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ↑ "The Evil of the Daleks Stage Show: The Plays before Evil". www.evilofthedaleks.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ↑ "Dalek Links: Evil of the Daleks". dalek links. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ↑ "Dalek Links: The Dalek Masterplan". dalek links. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.