I have I said before I am a big Doctor who fan. I have seen all the Canonical Doctors. I have yet to see the Peter Cushing
Films. They are outside of the show’s
canon. I thought I would run down my
thoughts about each Doctor and share it here.
The First Doctor (William Hartnell)
I have not seen a lot of his era’s episodes. Hartnell is the original. His Doctor was like an Oxford Don. If you did not listen or do something stupid
he chastised you and it was for your own good. He was gruff, but also kind. He definitely did not suffer fools. He was a man of Intellect and cleverness. He let his companions deal with the physical
stuff. I enjoy the shows, but I am not a
big fan of Hartnell. His portrayal is
wonderful, it just is not what I enjoy about the show.
The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
Another Doctor whose entire adventures I have not seen. Like the First Doctor, part of the reason is
there are missing episodes and serials.
Nicknamed the Cosmic Hobo, this Doctor tricks his enemies into thinking
he is not a threat. He uses subterfuge
and guile to defeat them. This was the
first Doctor to introduce whimsy to his character. It would inform other portrayals of the
character. I love this Doctor. His style and absurd manner are fun to watch.
The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)
Now we are getting to the Doctors in which I have seen all
or almost all of the episodes. The Third
was a man of action in a velvet coat, filly shirts and a cape. He was exiled to stay on earth. Most of his exploit are there. He took a head on approach to problems, even
engaging in hand to hand. Previous
incarnations were not this physical. I
enjoyed this Doctor. Like the first he
was easily irritated when dealing with intellectual inferiors at times. He never shirked at challenge. In Many ways this was the James Bond
Doctor. He worked as a scientific
advisor to a government agency UNIT.
The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)
My First Doctor is Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. His Doctor was mad as a hatter; he would
react sometime inappropriately to situations.
Everything seems lost or there is battle he would offer a Jelly
Baby. He was the Mad Genius of Doctor. Always twenty steps ahead of everyone. He was never fazed by anything. He had some of the Whimsy that The Third had
introduced before. His signature Manic
grin was also seen everywhere. Whovians
who grew up in the 1970’s and 1980’s tend to have this as their first
Doctor. He has a huge following and was
the number one favorite ttill the 2005 reboot.
The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)
When this Doctor appeared at 29 he was the youngest to
portray the Doctor. This was the kinder,
gentler and more sensitive Doctor. He
also had a boyish charm to him. This was
my second Doctor. He abhorred violence
and tried to avoid any direct conflict. I
liked this Doctor, he was energetic. He
came off as a tortured hero.
The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)
Probably the most Maligned Doctor ever. This Doctor was a petulant, volatile, and arrogant
egoist. The Sixth Doctor found himself
in the middle of a behind the scenes battle with the BBC. His tenure was cut short, but thanks to his
work with the Audio Dramas he has been able to develop the character more. I was not a fan of this Doctor, but that was
my own opinion. I do agree that the BBC
executives at the time shorted him and did not give him a chance.
The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)
Like the previous incarnation the Seventh was sadly
mistreated by the BBC. Head of the
network decided to cancel the show leading to the infamous long hiatuses. This Doctor was outwardly the bumbling fool,
but also the dark gamemaster. The Actor
himself was knowledgeable about clowning and brought it to his role. This was a shrewd almost manipulative
Doctor. At the same time he seemed light
hearted and foolish. I wish we had seen
more of what this character could have been.
The Heads of BBC canceled the show.
We did not see this Doctor again until after seven years. I loved this Doctor and until the reboot he
was my second favorite Doctor.
The Eight Doctor (Paul McGann)
Of all the Doctors, the Eighth had on of the the shortest
tenures. On Screen he appeared in one TV
Movie produced by Fox for American Audiences.
This was not a good attempt. The
Eighth went on to prove himself by appearing and quite a few audio drams other
the years. This was a wild eyed
enthusiastic and debonair Doctor clad in Victorian/ Edwardian garb. He was the first to be involved in a romantic
relationship with a companion. Recently he made his second on screen appearance
in a short prequel to the Fiftieth Anniversary Special. There is a following asking for a spin off
series starring the Eighth Doctor.
The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)
After Nine years Doctor Who returned. This time there was a new Doctor with
shocking revelation. The Ninth had
survived the Time Wars between the Time Lords and the Daleks. Both sides were gone and he was the sole
survivor. The Ninth was eccentric, but
also had a darkness and sadness to him.
He only lasted one season. I
enjoyed the glee and chaos that this incarnation spread out in the
universe. He was a stripped down Doctor
that was manic but not foppish.
The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)
The Tenth Doctor has been one the most beloved since the
reboot. The ball of excitement, energy
and Child like glee was also able to show pronounced rage and fury. The Darkness hinted at with the Seventh and
the Ninth incarnations was clear in the one.
This Doctor meted out furious justice to the worst the universe
offered. Towards the end he began
thinking the rules did not apply too him, only to be reminded they do. I like this Doctor he was fun, but also had
his scary moments.
The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith)
Matt Smith was the youngest Actor to ever portray the
wandering Time Lord. He was silly and
eccentric, as well as tortured and fiercely protective of those he loved. During his tenure the idea that his legend
was becoming as the feared destroyer was explored. Even though that did not fit the character,
he actions when provoked from the outside warranted this view. This was a hold over from the previous
incarnation. I liked this Doctor. He has told various media sources that he
studied the Second Doctor for inspiration.
His silliness and exuberance juxtaposed
with his fierceness made this exciting to watch.
The War Doctor (John Hurt)
During the Eleventh’s tenure we learn there was an
incarnation between the Eighth and Ninth.
The one that actually fought in the gruesome Time War. This incarnation was the one that did not go
by the name the Doctor. It is never
clear what moniker he used. He only
appeared in the Fiftieth Anniversary Special.
He had the shortest tenure in just one special. So far there has been no other appearance in
any other media. I enjoyed this
portrayal of the war weary and exhausted Doctor who fought the Time Wars for
centuries. Overall it was good stuff.
The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)
Peter Capaldi was a return to the curmudgeonly Doctor that
we saw with the First and somewhat with the Third Doctors. After two youthful Doctors it was nice to see
an older Doctor again. At the time of this writing only the first series with
Capaldi has aired. He is still finding his groove so to speak. I like a Doctor that does not mind being
rude. He knows what the Doctor is meant
to be, but he still has not grown into the role quite yet.
Update 1/3/2019
The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi)
Capaldi turned out to be the Punk Rock Doctor. He continued with
the curmudgeon facet of the Doctor’s personality, but he was a herd rocking guitar
playing Doctor. He also did not do well with authority figures. He had a
fatherly relationship with his companions.
The Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker)
Finally, we have a female iteration of the Doctor. This is
only after a single season. They returned to having a group of companions
format instead of a single companion. This was last done with the Fifth Doctor on
a regular basis. This Doctor was a exuberant version of the Gallifreyan. She
was presented as kindly and trying hard to always reason with sentients.
