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This page is in need of a format cleanup. It's very, very cluttered. -- khaosworks 02:41, Jun 16, 2005 (UTC)
{{spoiler}}
There's an extra column that is blank. Can someone who is in a more lucid state than I am at the moment figure out how to get rid of it? -- khaosworks 18:42, Jun 20, 2005 (UTC)
I remember there was an issue of SFX that focused foremost on the enduring legacy and franchise of Doctor Who. Therein, there was a segment that concerned actors who were the most considered for the role of the various regenerations of the Doctor.
Even though this list concerns those who have played him, wouldn't it be an interesting other segment for there to be a segment herein on actors who possibly would have played the role? Sources would be cited of course, though I s'pose some of which would end up being rumours as there was a time when people thought John Cleese was being considered or even David Hasselhoff in some proposed Americanised version in the 90s.. DrWho42 18:56, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
It's under 'The Nearly Doctors' in my SFX Doctor Who Special.. DrWho42 22:50, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Do we need to include the Christmas Invasion in the "Other appearances" column for the Tenth Doctor? I suppose it's a "special" episode, but it's part of Tennant's normal tenure as the Doctor. The "Other appearances" column should be for appearances beyond what's accounted for between "first appearance" and "last appearance". We (rightly) don't have The Five Doctors listed in "Other appearances" for Peter Davison. The CiN scene and "Attack of the Graske" are out of the ordinary, and so can be listed, but I think we don't need to list The Christmas Invasion. — Josiah Rowe ( talk • contribs) 16:34, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
Why are the Fatal Death Doctors listed here, if the article explicitly states that actors who only appeared as the Doctor in sendups are not used. smurrayinch ester( User), ( Talk) 19:51, 29 June 2006 (UTC)
Fatal Death actors should be mentioned because it is part of the official releases of the BBC.
This was released by the BBC, but it was intended to be a spoof. Wouldn't it then be most accurate to count them as "Spoof" as well? 2602:306:CD24:B340:CD9A:19E4:5D0C:C491 ( talk) 18:33, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
There was no need to stuff around with the table or change the Richard Hurndall picture. Thanks anyway. Nettyboo
He didn't actually play the Doctor, per se. He played a robot that looked like the Doctor and stood in for Hartnell. Not enough to be considered for this list, I think. We wouldn't include stunt doubles would we? Rhindle The Red 15:09, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
This is probably an exceedingly silly question, but I'm not quite sure what the criterion are for establishing the tenures of Doctors. The way I look at it, Pertwee was in Robot, part 1. And Baker is very definitely in Castrovalva, part 1 (speaking part and everything). Are we going by just what's in the credit roll, then? If so, why? And shouldn't it be noted somewhere? I'm not sure it's obvious (to the non-fan) why you would say that Davison is in Logopolis (where he has no lines), but Baker isn't in "'Castrovalva"' (where he does).
I think there's room for debate on whether the "credited appearance" criterion is better than the "viewer perception" criterion. How ever that discussion settles itself, the results of that debate should be noted on the table via a footnote on the column heading. CzechOut 01:50, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Along the same lines of the topic above, I'm not comfortable saying McCoy's "last appearance" was Survival Part 3. It wasn't. The TVM can't be an "other appearance" for the Seventh Doctor but the main tenure for the Eighth. It's gotta be treated equally for both Doctors. Not only doesn't it match the viewer perception of what was on screen, but it denies the production credits, where McCoy was a featured player. The table is internally inconsistent on its tenure criterion if McCoy is treated in this way. CzechOut 01:57, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Although didn't Pertwee play two versions of himself (or was that just in a novel?) and having thought about it further, didn't Hartnell play both himself and the Robot Doctor? DavidFarmbrough 13:31, 17 October 2007 (UTC)
I've added Peter Davison's return to the role in Time Crash. Since it's the cover feature of this week's BBC Radio Times, as well as the cover feature of this month's Doctor Who Magazine, I think those two are pretty irrefutable sources. 68.146.41.232 15:22, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
Is there a reason why stand-ins and stunt doubles from the TV Series should not be included in the list of actors who have portrayed the Doctor? This page is a logical place to list them (at least give them their own table under other actors), without having to create (or go to) another page. Ta! HolroydHistory 01:51, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
I tagged the statement "Alternative Tenth Doctor (partly regenerated half-human and half-Time Lord)." for a citation and got reverted twice, as it comes from "primary source", where exactly does this information come from. The episode makes no mention of this being the same incarnation, and confidential seemed to deliberately leave the issue of incarnation ambiguious Fasach Nua ( talk) 08:37, 11 July 2008 (UTC)
He say "I didn't need to change" - and that he stopped the regeneration going all the way. That can only mean that he is still the tenth. 86.154.185.86 ( talk) 19:16, 14 July 2008 (UTC)
In the article, Matt Smith is said to be the 11th doctor. Are there any sources yet? The BBC show announcing it ends in 10 mins, and it's likely to be another 5-7 mins before they say. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.24.102.145 ( talk) 17:58, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
Nevermind, they just showed him 92.24.102.145 ( talk) 18:00, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
Hi,
If we are including Jackson Lake, I have added Gideon Crane, played by Nicholas Briggs in "Minuet in Hell", as this character also called himself the Doctor, when the Eighth Doctor's mind merged with his.
I have also expanded Nicholas Briggs' footnote to include information on the DWM comic character of the future/"Ninth" Doctor, which was also based on Brigg's Audio Visuals Doctor.
Ta! —Preceding HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions/ 06:55, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
Hi again,
I noticed that in the "Other appearances" section for the main Doctors that there are "Archive footage" notes for both Earthshock (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Doctors) and The Next Doctor (1st -9th Doctors). In that case should the 1st-4th Doctors get an "Archive footage" credit for both Mawdryn Undead and Resurrection of the Daleks?
Then there are both Day to the Daleks and The Brain of Morbius where previous Doctor's appear as stills (on the Dalek's screen while probing the Third Doctor's mind during the former, and of course the infamous mind bending sequence in part 4 of the latter). Do these get included?
I also noticed that Christopher Eccleston gets a mention in "Other appearances" for the recap in the Children in Need Special, of the regeneration in Parting of the Ways. Should Jon Pertwee get mentioned in Robot, and Tom Baker in Castrovalva for appearing under similar circumstances?
Speaking of regeneratins, Jon Pertwee might need an "Other appearance" for the stage play Doctor Who and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. My understanding was that Jon appeared in a filmed sequence which formed part of the regeneration into Trevor Martin (mind you that is what I have read only).
Also (final also, I promise) hasn't the Ninth Doctor appeared in a number of flashbacks in the new series. Do these count as "Other appearances"? —Preceding Wikipedia:HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions/ 07:38, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
I do not think that David Morrissey qualifies as portraying the doctor, it would be more correct to say that he portrays a character who thinks he's the doctor. As it is completely resolved in the story, and a plot device I believe that he should be removed. This page lists canocial and non-canocal portrayals of the character called the Doctor, David Morrissey does not qualify. If you disagree, then I'll conceed only if we remove Paul McGann, since for a large part of the one episode he is in, he doesn't actually know who he is, and therefore does not think he is the Doctor. If Jackson Lake believing he is the Doctor for part of an episode qualifies him to be here, then the Eighth Doctor believing he isn't the Doctor should disqualify him. SJrX10 ( talk) 06:28, 9 January 2009 (UTC)
As this article is a "List of actors who have played the Doctor" then surely Sylvester McCoy & David Tennant should not be listed under the "other Doctors" section. They have played the Doctor and are credited as such in the main list. I dont see how it is relevant that one wore a wig for a regeneration and one played a part human version of the Doctor. Deckchair ( talk) 12:34, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
Richard Hurndall uniquely played the part of The First Doctor in 1983, long after the original actor (William Hartnell) had died; on this basis, he should be included in this grid:
Actors who have played an official Doctor in television series
Name Tenure First appearance Last appearance Other appearances
William Hartnell (The First Doctor) 23 November 1963 to 29 October 1966 An Unearthly Child Episode 1 The Tenth Planet Episode 4 Television: The Power of the Daleks - 5 November 1966 (appears briefly as an image in a mirror the newly regenerated Second Doctor looks into) Television: The Three Doctors - 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973 Television: Earthshock (archive footage) - 10 March 1982 Television: Mawdryn Undead (archive footage) - 2 February 1983 Television: The Five Doctors (archive footage) - 23 November 1983 Television: Resurrection of the Daleks (archive footage) - 15 February 1984 Television: "The Next Doctor" (archive footage) - 25 December 2008
Richard Hurndall (The First Doctor) 23 November 1983 Television: The Five Doctors - 23 November 1983
In my opinion, Richard Hurndall qualifies as an "Actor who has played an official Doctor in television series"; the description 'First Doctor' applies to the role, and not to the actor! Nitramrekcap ( talk) 15:30, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
A good argument - but did he play the Doctor more than Michael Jayston did? Is he not the Doctor also? As therefore is Geoffrey Hughes. It is an argument but then I think you need to add many more to this part of the list. I personally would remove. -- TheTrulyMadOne ( talk) 15:54, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Your arguments for including Hurndall along with the 'official' list of 11 Doctors has merit in so far as his appearance was canonical, not a spoof, not a dream, not a parallel reality, not a paradox, etc, etc, and not even a different medium. However, the BBC calls Matt Smith "The Eleventh Doctor" for a reason and sticks to that straight list of succession in all its calendars, swag, and promotions. Even waving all that aside, that table in this article is currently labeled "Series leads." If Hurndall is going to stay, at a minimum the title should change somewhat since he was never a series lead. [copied because this topic appears to be split into two areas now]. jg ( talk) 13:35, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
Matt Smith CANNOT be included under the above heading as he has not yet played The Doctor of course; ironically someone (Richard Hurndall) who did play The Doctor is not included, but he should be! Sorry to have inadvertently messed up the two tables, but historically both are wrong: Richard Hurndall played The First Doctor in 1983, Matt Smith has NOT yet played him.
Nitramrekcap ( talk) 15:46, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
The above heading is grammatically incorrect, if Matt Smith is included - as he has NOT played!
Until 2010 arrives (assuming that Matt Smith does play the role), I now suggest a change to:
'Actors who have played or will play an official Doctor in television series'
But it still begs the question: why exclude Richard Hurndall from the list as he did - in 1983?
Nitramrekcap ( talk) 21:01, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
In the future, I'd recommend a separate table "Actors confirmed to play the Doctor in future episodes" that can be easily edited into the original table. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:CD24:B340:CD9A:19E4:5D0C:C491 ( talk) 18:46, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
Should the Unbound doctors be split into a different table? The table is getting a bit large - so this would help to split it up into different areas - The header would be something like "Unbound Doctors". Eleventh Doctor ( talk) 11:40, 18 March 2009 (UTC)
I wouldn't split the Unbound Doctors from the Other Doctors list. I would be more inclind to create a new list for the so-called "Spoof" Doctors, Rowan Atkinson, et al from Curse of Fatal Death, and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who night sketch). But that might mean people would start adding "Doctors" from other comedy sketches, such as Ronnie Barker, Lenny Henry, Jim Broadbent, Steve Vizard (for Australians), etc.
I still think that there should be a seperate list on this page for stand-in actors and stunt doubles who "played" the Doctor in the series, such as Edmund Warwick, Terry Walsh, Sylvester McCoy's 6th Doctor stint, etc. This is the ideal page for this list.
Ta! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Special:Contributions/HolroydHistory ( talk) 01:53, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (November 2009) |
This article does not need citations at all, as almost every thing in it is a link to another article which tells you all the info you need to know. Nettyboo ( talk) 14:12, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
Does he count? -- Billpg ( talk) 20:28, 23 May 2010 (UTC)
Not being expert at this, I have two problems: 1) do we need to mention in the list the fact that McCoy was hidden under a blond wig before he appeared as the Doctor? This seems a superfluous and unnecessary burden to the list as it is. 2) Morrissey in "The Next Doctor" was a rotten tease, a Victorian-era human who had accidentally been infused with Tennant's memories and a tiny part of "personality". He does NOT belong on a list of people who played the Doctor. Can we get a concensus going here about the removal of these two facts from the info, and re-tool the Morrissey Problem? (I'll try and do it meself...please leave me alone about this, revert it if you don't care for it.) As I said, Morrisey was NEVER the Doctor, and as far as McCoy it doesn't matter that he was wearing a blond wig before he debuted. 75.21.98.232 ( talk) 09:55, 30 May 2010 (UTC)
Hello, If we are keeping the Special case "list", I suggest it be renamed Actors who have played characters who were thought to be the Doctor (I am open to suggestions on how to shorten this). At the moment this category has David Morrisey who played Jackson Lake. However, this is not the only circumstance of someone claiming to be the Doctor, or someone having the Doctor's memories. There are already two instances listed in the Other actors who played the Doctor list - Nicholas Briggs' entry for Gideon Crane (essentially the same reason as Jackson Lake); and Derek Jacobi's entry. Jacobi played the character Martin Bannister, a writer who thought he was the Doctor. Both these entries make more sense with Morrisey's entry. The following actors/characters would also fit into this list: Christopher Biggins' Banto Zame, from The One Doctor (a con-man claiming to be the Doctor); and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble/Doctor-Donna (who also had the Doctor's memories). —Preceding unsigned comment added by HolroydHistory ( talk • contribs) 00:57, 23 June 2010 (UTC)
If Spoof Doctors are not supposed to be listed, why are Lenny Henry (who isn't even in chronological order), Mark Gatiss and the Fatal Death Doctors included in the Other Actors list? There is now a link to the Doctor Who Spoofs page, where all these Spoof Doctors (and more) are listed. I do love Curse of Fatal Death and all the Doctors in that story, but they are Spoof Doctors. —Preceding unsigned comment added by HolroydHistory ( talk • contribs) 01:05, 23 June 2010 (UTC)
Per WP:BOLD I've moved Hurndall from the secondary section to the main section. Hurndall is different from the appearance of, say, the Valeyard of the Watcher, as he explicitly appeared as the First Doctor and was credited, along with all the others, as The Doctor in The Five Doctors credits. He's not appearing as some alternate form of the Doctor, a what-if character, or a duplicate, but merely one of the 5 Doctors appearing that episode. On that basis, and the criteria we've used the for the list, Hurndall should properly be included there. - Chrism would like to hear from you 23:49, 18 April 2011 (UTC)
I agree. Richard Hurndall replaced the late William Hartnell as the first incarnation. -- Keith 16:13, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Your arguments for including Hurndall along with the 'official' list of 11 Doctors has merit in so far as his appearance was canonical, not a spoof, not a dream, not a parallel reality, not a paradox, etc, etc, and not even a different medium. However, the BBC calls Matt Smith "The Eleventh Doctor" for a reason and sticks to that straight list of succession in all its calendars, swag, and promotions. Even waving all that aside, that table in this article is currently labeled "Series leads." If Hurndall is going to stay, at a minimum the title should change somewhat since he was never a series lead. jg ( talk) 02:58, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
The section is "Other actors who have played the Doctor", which means any version of the character such as movies, stage plays, etc. There is no debate in regards to Peter Cushing having played a character in movies that were directly based on the a couple of stories from the TV show. There may be a "debate" on whether the character in question is remotely similar to the TV version, but that is irrelevant to the list. Also, he's mentioned in documentaries such as Thirty Years in the TARDIS as having played a cinematic version, so there are sources that he played...a cinematic version of the character. Please don't change the list to something that the list was not meant to reflect. As for Donna Noble...please cite a reliable source. DonQuixote ( talk) 18:34, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Cannot agree with this. Firstly, as the text at the top of the page states clearly "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 BBC opposed the films. It is in no way, shape or form BBC licensed. So no, he does not play the Doctor according to what it says on the page. He was only called Doctor the same way that I call the dr at my local surgery "doctor" instead of "Dr McCarthy". Do you call your dr by the full name every time. Saying he is called "dr" in the films is a silly argument - so are thousands of characters on BBC TV. Also I own an old Doctor Who Quiz Book (that no, I do not have in front of me - it is at my parent's house.) explicitly stated that he didn't. If I find this and can quote the source, I assume you will not argue if it is replaced here as this is BBC endorsed? I also know that in DWAS organised quizzes he was not considered to be the Doctor. As for Donna - the episodes state clearly that she was "The Doctor Donna". I added her ages ago to a list of people who had played the Doctor as this is what is stated on the show that she did. Someone moved her out of this section. Why, when someone else has removed it contradicting what was clearly stated on the show am I the one who has to find the debate? Don't you think this a little unreasonable. How about if it is put back into the other people who played the Doctor? It would be objected to by some. There is no clear place for it to go. I really do find your arguments to be at least as silly as you find mine. I have changed back one final time until we can hear from other sources apart from you and me so we have a few more opinions. There have been no discussions on other changes I have seen on this list that there have clearly not been debate on. You just are self important enough to assume your opinion is correct. So as other changes have stayed until debate, I trust you agree this should to until others comment. Fair enough? The thing that I find most contemptable is not only reverting the page but going and removing the reference that there is a debate as it doesn't fit his worldview. How tragic. BTW, why didn't you start a debate before changing someone's comments back in the first place? Yes, I would like an answer to this. -- TheTrulyMadOne ( talk) 21:23, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
So the arguement is really about "where" his entry should be placed on this page, rather then "if" it should be placed. Obviously Cushing does not qualify for "Actors in the official television continuity" section. To me as a ten year old going to the cinema when it was FIRST released, he was another actor playing the Doctor only now for the cinema - no question back then in 1965. Fast Forward 30 years and The Nitpickers came along, I'd grown many years, and we all grew up knowing the back story, and therfore he then became an alternate timeline Doctor. Therefore he does rate an entry under what is titled here as "Other actors who played the Doctor" -- Keith 22:35, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Per the McGann entry, which includes the Big Finish audios that were broadcast on Radio 7, Peter Davison recently had some of his Big Finish plays broadcast on Radio 4 Extra (or was it still Radio 7?) recently, so ought to be included. I've forgotten which ones they were, otherwise I'd add them Stephenb (Talk) 06:41, 1 September 2011 (UTC)
Regarding the inappropriate revert by Stephenb, who wrote " ... So, err, he didn't actually *play the Doctor*, just pretended!":
The name of the table is Actors who played characters thought to be the Doctor
jg (
talk) 12:27, 17 July 2013 (UTC).
The original edit had the table name in the entry description as well as in the article. After reverting your first revert I added this entry on the talk page and you STILL reverted it again. If you don't want to develop a reputation for vandalism you need to look at what you're doing before you mindlessly erase someone's contributions. Leave this article to people who are thoughtful and care about its content. Bullying is unbecoming and immature, so grow up.
jg (
talk) 13:54, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
Reverting something you never bothered to read first is what's uncalled for.
jg (
talk) 13:44, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
I've been improving/checking the references on the page and I'm confused by this reference <ref>17.14.59 T/R DR. WHO - EPISODE 2: 'GUEST OF MADAME GUILLOTINE' (23/1/4/3160), Television Service- BBC1: Saturday: 15.8.1964, p. 2, http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/isite-downloads/doctorwho/classic/pasb/reignofterror.pdf, page 4/12, retrieved 11 March 2013.</ref>
The main table is still labeled "Series Leads." This table includes Richard Hurndall. Richard Hurndall was never a lead, not on the tv series and not in any other Doctor Who vehicle either. I get that fans of his portrayal of the First Doctor don't want him pushed out to some category of fill-ins/stand-ins, but can't the title of the table at least be altered or have an asterisks added? It's just not accurate in this form. There is an official count of leads. Thus Peter Capaldi will be known as "The Twelfth Doctor" despite there being many more than twelve actors who've played the role. Hurndall was credited as the Doctor, had a speaking part on the tv series, and fit canonically into the plot, so I don't want to see him go either, but there's no way to call him a series lead.
About lists of doctors in general (just conceptually, for discussion purposes):
I list these categories as logical ways to think about the different portrayals, but only the most parsimonious of changes would likely suffice for now.
Thoughts?
jg (
talk) 20:01, 30 August 2013 (UTC)
One remedy would be to make the "Series Lead" table read instead "Series Leads / Episode Costars."
That would make the otherwise erroneous use of an actor who doesn't belong in the numbered list of leads a little less glaring.
Another remedy, simpler and more logical but sadder to fans of Richard Hurndall, would be to move him to the "Doubles" table - perhaps with a new title like "Doubles and Fill-Ins."
If we don't do anything (like even just an asterisk) we are stuck with a table that implies the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, is really the twelfth.
jg (
talk) 21:08, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
I believe the eight faces seen during the mind battle in The Brain of Morbius should be included here. I know these photographs can't exactly be said to constitute dramatic acting performances, but it seems to me this article should be a comprehensive look at the Doctor's incarnations, which (according to Philip Hinchcliffe) these eight faces were certainly intended to be. Someone coming to the "other actors" section of this article would expect a list of every alternative or unconventional portrayal and incarnation, however minor – "acting" is really not the operative word here. The BBC were forced to pay a sum to the British Actors' Equity Association in recompense for not using professional actors in this scene, so it seems these eight portrayals are taken seriously, at least by some. Granted, they're borderline, but I think they fall on the inclusive side of the border, especially considering that the current article lists performances as trivial as William Hartnell's one-time hand double, the still photograph of John Hurt displayed in Strax's field report, and still images of previous Doctors seen for fractions of a second in episodes like Nightmare in Silver – I would venture that the Morbius Doctors are much more notable than these. — Flax5 13:49, 15 September 2013 (UTC)
Although some of the producers said they did intend to convey the idea that there were more incarnations of the Doctor than had appeared in the series, there is still the problem of knowing which of the Morbius episode photos were "Doctors" as opposed to "Morbiuses." Presumably Morbius, as such a notable Time Lord, had earlier incarnations too. The Time Lord game they were playing was supposed to dredge through their past lives. Since Morbius lost, his past should have gotten dredged up too. jg ( talk) 09:13, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
The War Doctor needs to be moved into the main section (both here and in the Doctor (Doctor Who) article, now that The Night of the Doctor has officially confirmed him as the incarnation following the Eighth Doctor (up until this week there was still the possibility of him being an alternate universe/timeline or fake Doctor, but this doubt no longer exists as of this minisode). 68.146.70.124 ( talk) 14:56, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
I concur - he should be in the main table between McGann and Eccleston - listed as the War Doctor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.25.185.203 ( talk) 20:06, 26 November 2013 (UTC)
It's almost 2016 and I see that John Hurt is still off the main list. We have exhausted all the logical and complex reasons for why this does not add up, in more ways than one, so I simply ask: why on earth not? As someone above suggests, Wikipedia is looking stupid by dragging its feet on an issue that was resolved years ago. I would edit it myself but I understand some wikipedian guard thingymajigs with more authority than I would simply revert it for reasons known only to their mysterious selves. So, in the interest of debate, please tell us how you can justify not listing John Hurt along with the others? Even if your argument is that each incarnation is a different character you must still list him, for that same logic could be applied to anyone, say Matt Smith's incarnation and, well, the list would be empty save William Hartnell (And it was even implied once that he was not the first incarnation.). Thamescontrol ( talk) 14:35, 15 December 2015 (UTC)
Regardless of your intentions and standards, every common person will acknowledge John Hurt as that missing entry for "The Doctor". Though he was no longer considered "The Doctor" during his wartime incarnation, he did redeem himself during the "Day of the Doctor" and re-earned his "name". Real life is full of stories of people who redeem themselves, sometimes at the last second, and this story is found in many cultures (example: People in various religions who repent just before they die and are thus "redeemed"). I don't believe anyone should ever deny that these things happen and changes the situation. To say that this is not important is to devalue the act of redemption, be it in fiction or in reality, and does an injustice to every living person on this planet. Rapierman ( talk) 04:17, 26 April 2020 (UTC)
David Bradley and Reece Shearsmith both should be added to the list. They definitely qualify as "Other": they portrayed the actors, but they also portrayed the Doctor. 46.0.101.16 ( talk) 19:10, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
Also, at the end of An Adventure in Space and Time, a clip is shown of the "real" William Hartnell saying his farewell speech to Susan. Is this counted as an "appearance" by Hartnell in the roll or not (since it wasn't in the series itself)? 208.81.29.53 ( talk) 19:57, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
Now, following the Day of the Doctor, we know that Hurt is the Doctor, and is no longer timelocked or shunned (at least from Smith on).
The question therefore is what numbers should they have? I'm not proposing that we decide/discuss that, because that would be POV, but I think it might be helpful if we decide on what reliable source(s) we ought to use to decide this.
My own suggestion would be Doctor Who magazine, as the 'official' magazine, but whether that's independent enough is up for debate. Ged UK 12:22, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
So, currently Tom is listed as archive footage only in DotD. However there was, of course, a glorious new scene. But was he playing 4? Obviously he was listed in the credits as playing the Doctor, but they all were. Should we list him as playing 4 in non-archive footage in DotD? Ged UK 17:59, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
As of the showing of "The Day of the Doctor" the only thing we've seen of Capaldi's Doctor on-screen was a non-speaking role as a non-lead referred obliquely to by another character as possibly the 12th Doctor ("All 13 of them"). I realize the production has already announced he's taking on the role, but is this enough to list him in the main list of lead actors now, or should we wait until we actually see him listed as the lead in an episode first, and for the moment leave him in the "other actors who played the doctor" list? Esprix ( talk) 00:12, 26 November 2013 (UTC)
People's opinions do dismiss the facts that Peter Capaldi is the 13th Doctor. This isn't a forum, it's already been established that he is the 13th regeneration. Every Doctor has been known and mentioned as 'The Doctor' including the 'War Doctor' which was later mentioned as 'The Doctor', which was confirmed by both David, Matt's versions of the Doctor in 'Day of the Doctor' -- Ronnie42 ( talk) 16:37, 4 August 2014 (UTC)
Since the listings for Tennant and Smith include the Day of the Doctor cinema intro, there should also be a listing for this under John Hurt's name as he appears in it as well. 68.146.70.124 ( talk) 21:54, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
This most recent addition is a step too far in my opinion. Actors playing actors playing the Doctor have not played the Doctor, and adding them here is a mistake. Mezigue and I have both removed it, and the originator, Nettyboo has restored it both times. We need to get a consensus here before this develops into an edit war. Ged UK 13:39, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
This is a list of 'actors who have played the doctor' - this is not a list of 'actors who a bunch of random people consider worthy of putting on a list of actors playing the doctor'. These people played the doctor and therefore they must be concluded - regardless of your opinion on the matter - they did play the doctor. Explain to me in great detail how they didn't play the doctor and then I'll consider not having them on the list. Nettyboo ( talk) 23:33, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
Should he be included? We only saw his legs I think, but he was definitely playing a younger version of The (First) Doctor. You could maybe argue he hadn't taken the name "Doctor" at that stage in his life but its still the same character, in the same way Clark Kent is the same character as Superman! I couldn't find his name on IMDB so maybe he should just be listed as "anonymous child actor" until someone can find a link to his name? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Villafancd ( talk • contribs) 23:07, 9 October 2014 (UTC)
1- William Hartnell 2- Patrick Troughton 3- Jon Pertwee 4- Tom Baker 5- Peter Davison 6- Colin Baker 7- Sylvester McCoy 8- Paul McGann 9- Christopher Eccleston 10- David Tennant 11- Matt Smith 12- Peter Capaldi — Preceding unsigned comment added by The10thDoctorIsADeathEater ( talk • contribs) 12:41, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
War- John Hurt, Replacement for William Hartnell because he was dead during the 20th anniversary- Richard Hurndall, The Dream Lord in "Amy's Choice" (Season 5, Episode 7)- Toby Jones, Dr.Who- Peter Cushing, I Probably forgot some, so anyone who knows others please post them, this list can count Audio, people who have filled in for the doctor, and feet if you want to count them! — Preceding unsigned comment added by The10thDoctorIsADeathEater ( talk • contribs) 12:53, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
He did play Hartnell playing the Doctor, so you could argue he played the Doctor. Serendi pod ous 23:56, 17 June 2015 (UTC)
The section in the table covering the war Doctor seems very messy comperd to all others entry's in this table the problem seems to be that he's listed outside of the series leds but is a distinct incarnation in univers resulting in him having as many apprances as the other past doctors in place like big finish adios and images shown in episodes where as other non series leeds have one or two apprances standing in fo the min actors or as non canon incarnations 2.28.220.166 ( talk) 17:33, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
Just reading the list and noticed that the audio section is a little out of date as it does not include the 6th Doctor the last adventure for the valiard or the early adventures series wich fetters story's for the 1st and 2nd Doctor but mixing narration and full cas audio 2.28.220.166 ( talk) 20:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
At a glance, it seems that less than half of this article has anything at all to do with its subject. Why include an exhaustive list of every body or stunt performer who has ever been half-glimpsed as the Doctor? And why do we need comprehensive details on every single time old archive footage of an already-mentioned actor was reused in a flashback or still image? This is all routine television production trivia, and just clutters the information on the character's portrayal, which is what readers actually come here for. I propose removing "Doubles for the Doctor" and "Stunt Doubles for the Doctor", and reducing "Series leads" to an actual list of series leads. — Flax5 20:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
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According to the article on the subject, it aired on BBC television. If it aired on BBC television, then it's cannon an since it's listed as one of John Hurt's episodes, it should be liste where it can be seen as one of McGann's two TV episodes. So please don't remove it next time, okay? Arglebargle79 ( talk) 21:01, 14 July 2017 (UTC)
just a question but whoud it be a good idea to change William Russell, peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Tim Treloar to just big finish audio and date or just the series they appear in like the early adventures and the 3rd doctor adventures rather than listing every story as we do now as unlike other doctors in this section they are playing the role in a entire series rather than just standing in for a singal story like the others 2.30.191.51 ( talk) 09:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
just wondering how it is decided winch actors from the companion chronicles get listed as playing the doctor given that they are only credited as the companion on the big finish website i get why idea fisher is listed given the doctor is speaking true Charley yet most are simply companions remembering past events at the moment it seems that the actors who played the doctor in other series are listed as playing the doctor in the companion chronicles while ones that have not played the doctor in other series are not listed except for cases like idea fisher 95.145.155.227 ( talk) 10:19, 11 November 2017 (UTC)
Prior to his death John Hurt was in a number of Big Finish productions as the war doctor [2]. Do these merit inclusion in a similar manner to how the other doctors have 'other appearances as the doctor' section? => Spudgfsh ( Text Me!) 18:32, 10 January 2018 (UTC)
See heading. Isn’t Troughton’s first appearance technically The Tenth Planet Episode 4, and Baker’s Planet of the Spiders Part Six, and Davison’s technically Logopolis Part Four, and so on and so on? -- StrexcorpEmployee ( talk) 21:43, 28 November 2019 (UTC)
Is there a reason why he is listed twice for playing the same incarnation (in both the ‘other’ and ‘audio’ sections)? -- StrexcorpEmployee ( talk) 21:45, 28 November 2019 (UTC)
The image for Bill Hartnell is not fit for purpose, whilst Troughton and Pertwee are barely serviceable. Why are there not the pictures of them in character? This would be better because A: the pics are higher quality and B: more relevant. 00jelwes ( talk) 00:10, 14 February 2023 (UTC)
Additionally, not to be pedantic but Ncuti Gatwa has yet to play the doctor, and neither John Hurt nor Jo Martin are included. It makes more sense to include pictures as the doctor than or else high quality actor pics 00jelwes ( talk) 00:24, 14 February 2023 (UTC)
It's only true that 13 actors have played the Dr in a leading role if this statement is confined to the television show. Peter Cushing played him in the films. I've edited the caption to make it accurate. Richard75 ( talk) 16:46, 26 November 2023 (UTC)
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This page is in need of a format cleanup. It's very, very cluttered. -- khaosworks 02:41, Jun 16, 2005 (UTC)
{{spoiler}}
There's an extra column that is blank. Can someone who is in a more lucid state than I am at the moment figure out how to get rid of it? -- khaosworks 18:42, Jun 20, 2005 (UTC)
I remember there was an issue of SFX that focused foremost on the enduring legacy and franchise of Doctor Who. Therein, there was a segment that concerned actors who were the most considered for the role of the various regenerations of the Doctor.
Even though this list concerns those who have played him, wouldn't it be an interesting other segment for there to be a segment herein on actors who possibly would have played the role? Sources would be cited of course, though I s'pose some of which would end up being rumours as there was a time when people thought John Cleese was being considered or even David Hasselhoff in some proposed Americanised version in the 90s.. DrWho42 18:56, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
It's under 'The Nearly Doctors' in my SFX Doctor Who Special.. DrWho42 22:50, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Do we need to include the Christmas Invasion in the "Other appearances" column for the Tenth Doctor? I suppose it's a "special" episode, but it's part of Tennant's normal tenure as the Doctor. The "Other appearances" column should be for appearances beyond what's accounted for between "first appearance" and "last appearance". We (rightly) don't have The Five Doctors listed in "Other appearances" for Peter Davison. The CiN scene and "Attack of the Graske" are out of the ordinary, and so can be listed, but I think we don't need to list The Christmas Invasion. — Josiah Rowe ( talk • contribs) 16:34, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
Why are the Fatal Death Doctors listed here, if the article explicitly states that actors who only appeared as the Doctor in sendups are not used. smurrayinch ester( User), ( Talk) 19:51, 29 June 2006 (UTC)
Fatal Death actors should be mentioned because it is part of the official releases of the BBC.
This was released by the BBC, but it was intended to be a spoof. Wouldn't it then be most accurate to count them as "Spoof" as well? 2602:306:CD24:B340:CD9A:19E4:5D0C:C491 ( talk) 18:33, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
There was no need to stuff around with the table or change the Richard Hurndall picture. Thanks anyway. Nettyboo
He didn't actually play the Doctor, per se. He played a robot that looked like the Doctor and stood in for Hartnell. Not enough to be considered for this list, I think. We wouldn't include stunt doubles would we? Rhindle The Red 15:09, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
This is probably an exceedingly silly question, but I'm not quite sure what the criterion are for establishing the tenures of Doctors. The way I look at it, Pertwee was in Robot, part 1. And Baker is very definitely in Castrovalva, part 1 (speaking part and everything). Are we going by just what's in the credit roll, then? If so, why? And shouldn't it be noted somewhere? I'm not sure it's obvious (to the non-fan) why you would say that Davison is in Logopolis (where he has no lines), but Baker isn't in "'Castrovalva"' (where he does).
I think there's room for debate on whether the "credited appearance" criterion is better than the "viewer perception" criterion. How ever that discussion settles itself, the results of that debate should be noted on the table via a footnote on the column heading. CzechOut 01:50, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Along the same lines of the topic above, I'm not comfortable saying McCoy's "last appearance" was Survival Part 3. It wasn't. The TVM can't be an "other appearance" for the Seventh Doctor but the main tenure for the Eighth. It's gotta be treated equally for both Doctors. Not only doesn't it match the viewer perception of what was on screen, but it denies the production credits, where McCoy was a featured player. The table is internally inconsistent on its tenure criterion if McCoy is treated in this way. CzechOut 01:57, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
Although didn't Pertwee play two versions of himself (or was that just in a novel?) and having thought about it further, didn't Hartnell play both himself and the Robot Doctor? DavidFarmbrough 13:31, 17 October 2007 (UTC)
I've added Peter Davison's return to the role in Time Crash. Since it's the cover feature of this week's BBC Radio Times, as well as the cover feature of this month's Doctor Who Magazine, I think those two are pretty irrefutable sources. 68.146.41.232 15:22, 13 November 2007 (UTC)
Is there a reason why stand-ins and stunt doubles from the TV Series should not be included in the list of actors who have portrayed the Doctor? This page is a logical place to list them (at least give them their own table under other actors), without having to create (or go to) another page. Ta! HolroydHistory 01:51, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
I tagged the statement "Alternative Tenth Doctor (partly regenerated half-human and half-Time Lord)." for a citation and got reverted twice, as it comes from "primary source", where exactly does this information come from. The episode makes no mention of this being the same incarnation, and confidential seemed to deliberately leave the issue of incarnation ambiguious Fasach Nua ( talk) 08:37, 11 July 2008 (UTC)
He say "I didn't need to change" - and that he stopped the regeneration going all the way. That can only mean that he is still the tenth. 86.154.185.86 ( talk) 19:16, 14 July 2008 (UTC)
In the article, Matt Smith is said to be the 11th doctor. Are there any sources yet? The BBC show announcing it ends in 10 mins, and it's likely to be another 5-7 mins before they say. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.24.102.145 ( talk) 17:58, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
Nevermind, they just showed him 92.24.102.145 ( talk) 18:00, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
Hi,
If we are including Jackson Lake, I have added Gideon Crane, played by Nicholas Briggs in "Minuet in Hell", as this character also called himself the Doctor, when the Eighth Doctor's mind merged with his.
I have also expanded Nicholas Briggs' footnote to include information on the DWM comic character of the future/"Ninth" Doctor, which was also based on Brigg's Audio Visuals Doctor.
Ta! —Preceding HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions/ 06:55, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
Hi again,
I noticed that in the "Other appearances" section for the main Doctors that there are "Archive footage" notes for both Earthshock (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Doctors) and The Next Doctor (1st -9th Doctors). In that case should the 1st-4th Doctors get an "Archive footage" credit for both Mawdryn Undead and Resurrection of the Daleks?
Then there are both Day to the Daleks and The Brain of Morbius where previous Doctor's appear as stills (on the Dalek's screen while probing the Third Doctor's mind during the former, and of course the infamous mind bending sequence in part 4 of the latter). Do these get included?
I also noticed that Christopher Eccleston gets a mention in "Other appearances" for the recap in the Children in Need Special, of the regeneration in Parting of the Ways. Should Jon Pertwee get mentioned in Robot, and Tom Baker in Castrovalva for appearing under similar circumstances?
Speaking of regeneratins, Jon Pertwee might need an "Other appearance" for the stage play Doctor Who and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. My understanding was that Jon appeared in a filmed sequence which formed part of the regeneration into Trevor Martin (mind you that is what I have read only).
Also (final also, I promise) hasn't the Ninth Doctor appeared in a number of flashbacks in the new series. Do these count as "Other appearances"? —Preceding Wikipedia:HolroydHistory comment added by Special:Contributions/ 07:38, 6 January 2009 (UTC)
I do not think that David Morrissey qualifies as portraying the doctor, it would be more correct to say that he portrays a character who thinks he's the doctor. As it is completely resolved in the story, and a plot device I believe that he should be removed. This page lists canocial and non-canocal portrayals of the character called the Doctor, David Morrissey does not qualify. If you disagree, then I'll conceed only if we remove Paul McGann, since for a large part of the one episode he is in, he doesn't actually know who he is, and therefore does not think he is the Doctor. If Jackson Lake believing he is the Doctor for part of an episode qualifies him to be here, then the Eighth Doctor believing he isn't the Doctor should disqualify him. SJrX10 ( talk) 06:28, 9 January 2009 (UTC)
As this article is a "List of actors who have played the Doctor" then surely Sylvester McCoy & David Tennant should not be listed under the "other Doctors" section. They have played the Doctor and are credited as such in the main list. I dont see how it is relevant that one wore a wig for a regeneration and one played a part human version of the Doctor. Deckchair ( talk) 12:34, 20 February 2009 (UTC)
Richard Hurndall uniquely played the part of The First Doctor in 1983, long after the original actor (William Hartnell) had died; on this basis, he should be included in this grid:
Actors who have played an official Doctor in television series
Name Tenure First appearance Last appearance Other appearances
William Hartnell (The First Doctor) 23 November 1963 to 29 October 1966 An Unearthly Child Episode 1 The Tenth Planet Episode 4 Television: The Power of the Daleks - 5 November 1966 (appears briefly as an image in a mirror the newly regenerated Second Doctor looks into) Television: The Three Doctors - 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973 Television: Earthshock (archive footage) - 10 March 1982 Television: Mawdryn Undead (archive footage) - 2 February 1983 Television: The Five Doctors (archive footage) - 23 November 1983 Television: Resurrection of the Daleks (archive footage) - 15 February 1984 Television: "The Next Doctor" (archive footage) - 25 December 2008
Richard Hurndall (The First Doctor) 23 November 1983 Television: The Five Doctors - 23 November 1983
In my opinion, Richard Hurndall qualifies as an "Actor who has played an official Doctor in television series"; the description 'First Doctor' applies to the role, and not to the actor! Nitramrekcap ( talk) 15:30, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
A good argument - but did he play the Doctor more than Michael Jayston did? Is he not the Doctor also? As therefore is Geoffrey Hughes. It is an argument but then I think you need to add many more to this part of the list. I personally would remove. -- TheTrulyMadOne ( talk) 15:54, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Your arguments for including Hurndall along with the 'official' list of 11 Doctors has merit in so far as his appearance was canonical, not a spoof, not a dream, not a parallel reality, not a paradox, etc, etc, and not even a different medium. However, the BBC calls Matt Smith "The Eleventh Doctor" for a reason and sticks to that straight list of succession in all its calendars, swag, and promotions. Even waving all that aside, that table in this article is currently labeled "Series leads." If Hurndall is going to stay, at a minimum the title should change somewhat since he was never a series lead. [copied because this topic appears to be split into two areas now]. jg ( talk) 13:35, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
Matt Smith CANNOT be included under the above heading as he has not yet played The Doctor of course; ironically someone (Richard Hurndall) who did play The Doctor is not included, but he should be! Sorry to have inadvertently messed up the two tables, but historically both are wrong: Richard Hurndall played The First Doctor in 1983, Matt Smith has NOT yet played him.
Nitramrekcap ( talk) 15:46, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
The above heading is grammatically incorrect, if Matt Smith is included - as he has NOT played!
Until 2010 arrives (assuming that Matt Smith does play the role), I now suggest a change to:
'Actors who have played or will play an official Doctor in television series'
But it still begs the question: why exclude Richard Hurndall from the list as he did - in 1983?
Nitramrekcap ( talk) 21:01, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
In the future, I'd recommend a separate table "Actors confirmed to play the Doctor in future episodes" that can be easily edited into the original table. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:CD24:B340:CD9A:19E4:5D0C:C491 ( talk) 18:46, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
Should the Unbound doctors be split into a different table? The table is getting a bit large - so this would help to split it up into different areas - The header would be something like "Unbound Doctors". Eleventh Doctor ( talk) 11:40, 18 March 2009 (UTC)
I wouldn't split the Unbound Doctors from the Other Doctors list. I would be more inclind to create a new list for the so-called "Spoof" Doctors, Rowan Atkinson, et al from Curse of Fatal Death, and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who night sketch). But that might mean people would start adding "Doctors" from other comedy sketches, such as Ronnie Barker, Lenny Henry, Jim Broadbent, Steve Vizard (for Australians), etc.
I still think that there should be a seperate list on this page for stand-in actors and stunt doubles who "played" the Doctor in the series, such as Edmund Warwick, Terry Walsh, Sylvester McCoy's 6th Doctor stint, etc. This is the ideal page for this list.
Ta! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Special:Contributions/HolroydHistory ( talk) 01:53, 26 March 2009 (UTC)
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (November 2009) |
This article does not need citations at all, as almost every thing in it is a link to another article which tells you all the info you need to know. Nettyboo ( talk) 14:12, 5 November 2009 (UTC)
Does he count? -- Billpg ( talk) 20:28, 23 May 2010 (UTC)
Not being expert at this, I have two problems: 1) do we need to mention in the list the fact that McCoy was hidden under a blond wig before he appeared as the Doctor? This seems a superfluous and unnecessary burden to the list as it is. 2) Morrissey in "The Next Doctor" was a rotten tease, a Victorian-era human who had accidentally been infused with Tennant's memories and a tiny part of "personality". He does NOT belong on a list of people who played the Doctor. Can we get a concensus going here about the removal of these two facts from the info, and re-tool the Morrissey Problem? (I'll try and do it meself...please leave me alone about this, revert it if you don't care for it.) As I said, Morrisey was NEVER the Doctor, and as far as McCoy it doesn't matter that he was wearing a blond wig before he debuted. 75.21.98.232 ( talk) 09:55, 30 May 2010 (UTC)
Hello, If we are keeping the Special case "list", I suggest it be renamed Actors who have played characters who were thought to be the Doctor (I am open to suggestions on how to shorten this). At the moment this category has David Morrisey who played Jackson Lake. However, this is not the only circumstance of someone claiming to be the Doctor, or someone having the Doctor's memories. There are already two instances listed in the Other actors who played the Doctor list - Nicholas Briggs' entry for Gideon Crane (essentially the same reason as Jackson Lake); and Derek Jacobi's entry. Jacobi played the character Martin Bannister, a writer who thought he was the Doctor. Both these entries make more sense with Morrisey's entry. The following actors/characters would also fit into this list: Christopher Biggins' Banto Zame, from The One Doctor (a con-man claiming to be the Doctor); and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble/Doctor-Donna (who also had the Doctor's memories). —Preceding unsigned comment added by HolroydHistory ( talk • contribs) 00:57, 23 June 2010 (UTC)
If Spoof Doctors are not supposed to be listed, why are Lenny Henry (who isn't even in chronological order), Mark Gatiss and the Fatal Death Doctors included in the Other Actors list? There is now a link to the Doctor Who Spoofs page, where all these Spoof Doctors (and more) are listed. I do love Curse of Fatal Death and all the Doctors in that story, but they are Spoof Doctors. —Preceding unsigned comment added by HolroydHistory ( talk • contribs) 01:05, 23 June 2010 (UTC)
Per WP:BOLD I've moved Hurndall from the secondary section to the main section. Hurndall is different from the appearance of, say, the Valeyard of the Watcher, as he explicitly appeared as the First Doctor and was credited, along with all the others, as The Doctor in The Five Doctors credits. He's not appearing as some alternate form of the Doctor, a what-if character, or a duplicate, but merely one of the 5 Doctors appearing that episode. On that basis, and the criteria we've used the for the list, Hurndall should properly be included there. - Chrism would like to hear from you 23:49, 18 April 2011 (UTC)
I agree. Richard Hurndall replaced the late William Hartnell as the first incarnation. -- Keith 16:13, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Your arguments for including Hurndall along with the 'official' list of 11 Doctors has merit in so far as his appearance was canonical, not a spoof, not a dream, not a parallel reality, not a paradox, etc, etc, and not even a different medium. However, the BBC calls Matt Smith "The Eleventh Doctor" for a reason and sticks to that straight list of succession in all its calendars, swag, and promotions. Even waving all that aside, that table in this article is currently labeled "Series leads." If Hurndall is going to stay, at a minimum the title should change somewhat since he was never a series lead. jg ( talk) 02:58, 18 July 2013 (UTC)
The section is "Other actors who have played the Doctor", which means any version of the character such as movies, stage plays, etc. There is no debate in regards to Peter Cushing having played a character in movies that were directly based on the a couple of stories from the TV show. There may be a "debate" on whether the character in question is remotely similar to the TV version, but that is irrelevant to the list. Also, he's mentioned in documentaries such as Thirty Years in the TARDIS as having played a cinematic version, so there are sources that he played...a cinematic version of the character. Please don't change the list to something that the list was not meant to reflect. As for Donna Noble...please cite a reliable source. DonQuixote ( talk) 18:34, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Cannot agree with this. Firstly, as the text at the top of the page states clearly "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 BBC opposed the films. It is in no way, shape or form BBC licensed. So no, he does not play the Doctor according to what it says on the page. He was only called Doctor the same way that I call the dr at my local surgery "doctor" instead of "Dr McCarthy". Do you call your dr by the full name every time. Saying he is called "dr" in the films is a silly argument - so are thousands of characters on BBC TV. Also I own an old Doctor Who Quiz Book (that no, I do not have in front of me - it is at my parent's house.) explicitly stated that he didn't. If I find this and can quote the source, I assume you will not argue if it is replaced here as this is BBC endorsed? I also know that in DWAS organised quizzes he was not considered to be the Doctor. As for Donna - the episodes state clearly that she was "The Doctor Donna". I added her ages ago to a list of people who had played the Doctor as this is what is stated on the show that she did. Someone moved her out of this section. Why, when someone else has removed it contradicting what was clearly stated on the show am I the one who has to find the debate? Don't you think this a little unreasonable. How about if it is put back into the other people who played the Doctor? It would be objected to by some. There is no clear place for it to go. I really do find your arguments to be at least as silly as you find mine. I have changed back one final time until we can hear from other sources apart from you and me so we have a few more opinions. There have been no discussions on other changes I have seen on this list that there have clearly not been debate on. You just are self important enough to assume your opinion is correct. So as other changes have stayed until debate, I trust you agree this should to until others comment. Fair enough? The thing that I find most contemptable is not only reverting the page but going and removing the reference that there is a debate as it doesn't fit his worldview. How tragic. BTW, why didn't you start a debate before changing someone's comments back in the first place? Yes, I would like an answer to this. -- TheTrulyMadOne ( talk) 21:23, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
So the arguement is really about "where" his entry should be placed on this page, rather then "if" it should be placed. Obviously Cushing does not qualify for "Actors in the official television continuity" section. To me as a ten year old going to the cinema when it was FIRST released, he was another actor playing the Doctor only now for the cinema - no question back then in 1965. Fast Forward 30 years and The Nitpickers came along, I'd grown many years, and we all grew up knowing the back story, and therfore he then became an alternate timeline Doctor. Therefore he does rate an entry under what is titled here as "Other actors who played the Doctor" -- Keith 22:35, 31 August 2011 (UTC)
Per the McGann entry, which includes the Big Finish audios that were broadcast on Radio 7, Peter Davison recently had some of his Big Finish plays broadcast on Radio 4 Extra (or was it still Radio 7?) recently, so ought to be included. I've forgotten which ones they were, otherwise I'd add them Stephenb (Talk) 06:41, 1 September 2011 (UTC)
Regarding the inappropriate revert by Stephenb, who wrote " ... So, err, he didn't actually *play the Doctor*, just pretended!":
The name of the table is Actors who played characters thought to be the Doctor
jg (
talk) 12:27, 17 July 2013 (UTC).
The original edit had the table name in the entry description as well as in the article. After reverting your first revert I added this entry on the talk page and you STILL reverted it again. If you don't want to develop a reputation for vandalism you need to look at what you're doing before you mindlessly erase someone's contributions. Leave this article to people who are thoughtful and care about its content. Bullying is unbecoming and immature, so grow up.
jg (
talk) 13:54, 17 July 2013 (UTC)
Reverting something you never bothered to read first is what's uncalled for.
jg (
talk) 13:44, 4 August 2013 (UTC)
I've been improving/checking the references on the page and I'm confused by this reference <ref>17.14.59 T/R DR. WHO - EPISODE 2: 'GUEST OF MADAME GUILLOTINE' (23/1/4/3160), Television Service- BBC1: Saturday: 15.8.1964, p. 2, http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/isite-downloads/doctorwho/classic/pasb/reignofterror.pdf, page 4/12, retrieved 11 March 2013.</ref>
The main table is still labeled "Series Leads." This table includes Richard Hurndall. Richard Hurndall was never a lead, not on the tv series and not in any other Doctor Who vehicle either. I get that fans of his portrayal of the First Doctor don't want him pushed out to some category of fill-ins/stand-ins, but can't the title of the table at least be altered or have an asterisks added? It's just not accurate in this form. There is an official count of leads. Thus Peter Capaldi will be known as "The Twelfth Doctor" despite there being many more than twelve actors who've played the role. Hurndall was credited as the Doctor, had a speaking part on the tv series, and fit canonically into the plot, so I don't want to see him go either, but there's no way to call him a series lead.
About lists of doctors in general (just conceptually, for discussion purposes):
I list these categories as logical ways to think about the different portrayals, but only the most parsimonious of changes would likely suffice for now.
Thoughts?
jg (
talk) 20:01, 30 August 2013 (UTC)
One remedy would be to make the "Series Lead" table read instead "Series Leads / Episode Costars."
That would make the otherwise erroneous use of an actor who doesn't belong in the numbered list of leads a little less glaring.
Another remedy, simpler and more logical but sadder to fans of Richard Hurndall, would be to move him to the "Doubles" table - perhaps with a new title like "Doubles and Fill-Ins."
If we don't do anything (like even just an asterisk) we are stuck with a table that implies the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, is really the twelfth.
jg (
talk) 21:08, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
I believe the eight faces seen during the mind battle in The Brain of Morbius should be included here. I know these photographs can't exactly be said to constitute dramatic acting performances, but it seems to me this article should be a comprehensive look at the Doctor's incarnations, which (according to Philip Hinchcliffe) these eight faces were certainly intended to be. Someone coming to the "other actors" section of this article would expect a list of every alternative or unconventional portrayal and incarnation, however minor – "acting" is really not the operative word here. The BBC were forced to pay a sum to the British Actors' Equity Association in recompense for not using professional actors in this scene, so it seems these eight portrayals are taken seriously, at least by some. Granted, they're borderline, but I think they fall on the inclusive side of the border, especially considering that the current article lists performances as trivial as William Hartnell's one-time hand double, the still photograph of John Hurt displayed in Strax's field report, and still images of previous Doctors seen for fractions of a second in episodes like Nightmare in Silver – I would venture that the Morbius Doctors are much more notable than these. — Flax5 13:49, 15 September 2013 (UTC)
Although some of the producers said they did intend to convey the idea that there were more incarnations of the Doctor than had appeared in the series, there is still the problem of knowing which of the Morbius episode photos were "Doctors" as opposed to "Morbiuses." Presumably Morbius, as such a notable Time Lord, had earlier incarnations too. The Time Lord game they were playing was supposed to dredge through their past lives. Since Morbius lost, his past should have gotten dredged up too. jg ( talk) 09:13, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
The War Doctor needs to be moved into the main section (both here and in the Doctor (Doctor Who) article, now that The Night of the Doctor has officially confirmed him as the incarnation following the Eighth Doctor (up until this week there was still the possibility of him being an alternate universe/timeline or fake Doctor, but this doubt no longer exists as of this minisode). 68.146.70.124 ( talk) 14:56, 15 November 2013 (UTC)
I concur - he should be in the main table between McGann and Eccleston - listed as the War Doctor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.25.185.203 ( talk) 20:06, 26 November 2013 (UTC)
It's almost 2016 and I see that John Hurt is still off the main list. We have exhausted all the logical and complex reasons for why this does not add up, in more ways than one, so I simply ask: why on earth not? As someone above suggests, Wikipedia is looking stupid by dragging its feet on an issue that was resolved years ago. I would edit it myself but I understand some wikipedian guard thingymajigs with more authority than I would simply revert it for reasons known only to their mysterious selves. So, in the interest of debate, please tell us how you can justify not listing John Hurt along with the others? Even if your argument is that each incarnation is a different character you must still list him, for that same logic could be applied to anyone, say Matt Smith's incarnation and, well, the list would be empty save William Hartnell (And it was even implied once that he was not the first incarnation.). Thamescontrol ( talk) 14:35, 15 December 2015 (UTC)
Regardless of your intentions and standards, every common person will acknowledge John Hurt as that missing entry for "The Doctor". Though he was no longer considered "The Doctor" during his wartime incarnation, he did redeem himself during the "Day of the Doctor" and re-earned his "name". Real life is full of stories of people who redeem themselves, sometimes at the last second, and this story is found in many cultures (example: People in various religions who repent just before they die and are thus "redeemed"). I don't believe anyone should ever deny that these things happen and changes the situation. To say that this is not important is to devalue the act of redemption, be it in fiction or in reality, and does an injustice to every living person on this planet. Rapierman ( talk) 04:17, 26 April 2020 (UTC)
David Bradley and Reece Shearsmith both should be added to the list. They definitely qualify as "Other": they portrayed the actors, but they also portrayed the Doctor. 46.0.101.16 ( talk) 19:10, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
Also, at the end of An Adventure in Space and Time, a clip is shown of the "real" William Hartnell saying his farewell speech to Susan. Is this counted as an "appearance" by Hartnell in the roll or not (since it wasn't in the series itself)? 208.81.29.53 ( talk) 19:57, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
Now, following the Day of the Doctor, we know that Hurt is the Doctor, and is no longer timelocked or shunned (at least from Smith on).
The question therefore is what numbers should they have? I'm not proposing that we decide/discuss that, because that would be POV, but I think it might be helpful if we decide on what reliable source(s) we ought to use to decide this.
My own suggestion would be Doctor Who magazine, as the 'official' magazine, but whether that's independent enough is up for debate. Ged UK 12:22, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
So, currently Tom is listed as archive footage only in DotD. However there was, of course, a glorious new scene. But was he playing 4? Obviously he was listed in the credits as playing the Doctor, but they all were. Should we list him as playing 4 in non-archive footage in DotD? Ged UK 17:59, 25 November 2013 (UTC)
As of the showing of "The Day of the Doctor" the only thing we've seen of Capaldi's Doctor on-screen was a non-speaking role as a non-lead referred obliquely to by another character as possibly the 12th Doctor ("All 13 of them"). I realize the production has already announced he's taking on the role, but is this enough to list him in the main list of lead actors now, or should we wait until we actually see him listed as the lead in an episode first, and for the moment leave him in the "other actors who played the doctor" list? Esprix ( talk) 00:12, 26 November 2013 (UTC)
People's opinions do dismiss the facts that Peter Capaldi is the 13th Doctor. This isn't a forum, it's already been established that he is the 13th regeneration. Every Doctor has been known and mentioned as 'The Doctor' including the 'War Doctor' which was later mentioned as 'The Doctor', which was confirmed by both David, Matt's versions of the Doctor in 'Day of the Doctor' -- Ronnie42 ( talk) 16:37, 4 August 2014 (UTC)
Since the listings for Tennant and Smith include the Day of the Doctor cinema intro, there should also be a listing for this under John Hurt's name as he appears in it as well. 68.146.70.124 ( talk) 21:54, 8 January 2014 (UTC)
This most recent addition is a step too far in my opinion. Actors playing actors playing the Doctor have not played the Doctor, and adding them here is a mistake. Mezigue and I have both removed it, and the originator, Nettyboo has restored it both times. We need to get a consensus here before this develops into an edit war. Ged UK 13:39, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
This is a list of 'actors who have played the doctor' - this is not a list of 'actors who a bunch of random people consider worthy of putting on a list of actors playing the doctor'. These people played the doctor and therefore they must be concluded - regardless of your opinion on the matter - they did play the doctor. Explain to me in great detail how they didn't play the doctor and then I'll consider not having them on the list. Nettyboo ( talk) 23:33, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
Should he be included? We only saw his legs I think, but he was definitely playing a younger version of The (First) Doctor. You could maybe argue he hadn't taken the name "Doctor" at that stage in his life but its still the same character, in the same way Clark Kent is the same character as Superman! I couldn't find his name on IMDB so maybe he should just be listed as "anonymous child actor" until someone can find a link to his name? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Villafancd ( talk • contribs) 23:07, 9 October 2014 (UTC)
1- William Hartnell 2- Patrick Troughton 3- Jon Pertwee 4- Tom Baker 5- Peter Davison 6- Colin Baker 7- Sylvester McCoy 8- Paul McGann 9- Christopher Eccleston 10- David Tennant 11- Matt Smith 12- Peter Capaldi — Preceding unsigned comment added by The10thDoctorIsADeathEater ( talk • contribs) 12:41, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
War- John Hurt, Replacement for William Hartnell because he was dead during the 20th anniversary- Richard Hurndall, The Dream Lord in "Amy's Choice" (Season 5, Episode 7)- Toby Jones, Dr.Who- Peter Cushing, I Probably forgot some, so anyone who knows others please post them, this list can count Audio, people who have filled in for the doctor, and feet if you want to count them! — Preceding unsigned comment added by The10thDoctorIsADeathEater ( talk • contribs) 12:53, 28 December 2014 (UTC)
He did play Hartnell playing the Doctor, so you could argue he played the Doctor. Serendi pod ous 23:56, 17 June 2015 (UTC)
The section in the table covering the war Doctor seems very messy comperd to all others entry's in this table the problem seems to be that he's listed outside of the series leds but is a distinct incarnation in univers resulting in him having as many apprances as the other past doctors in place like big finish adios and images shown in episodes where as other non series leeds have one or two apprances standing in fo the min actors or as non canon incarnations 2.28.220.166 ( talk) 17:33, 10 April 2016 (UTC)
Just reading the list and noticed that the audio section is a little out of date as it does not include the 6th Doctor the last adventure for the valiard or the early adventures series wich fetters story's for the 1st and 2nd Doctor but mixing narration and full cas audio 2.28.220.166 ( talk) 20:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
At a glance, it seems that less than half of this article has anything at all to do with its subject. Why include an exhaustive list of every body or stunt performer who has ever been half-glimpsed as the Doctor? And why do we need comprehensive details on every single time old archive footage of an already-mentioned actor was reused in a flashback or still image? This is all routine television production trivia, and just clutters the information on the character's portrayal, which is what readers actually come here for. I propose removing "Doubles for the Doctor" and "Stunt Doubles for the Doctor", and reducing "Series leads" to an actual list of series leads. — Flax5 20:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
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According to the article on the subject, it aired on BBC television. If it aired on BBC television, then it's cannon an since it's listed as one of John Hurt's episodes, it should be liste where it can be seen as one of McGann's two TV episodes. So please don't remove it next time, okay? Arglebargle79 ( talk) 21:01, 14 July 2017 (UTC)
just a question but whoud it be a good idea to change William Russell, peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Tim Treloar to just big finish audio and date or just the series they appear in like the early adventures and the 3rd doctor adventures rather than listing every story as we do now as unlike other doctors in this section they are playing the role in a entire series rather than just standing in for a singal story like the others 2.30.191.51 ( talk) 09:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
just wondering how it is decided winch actors from the companion chronicles get listed as playing the doctor given that they are only credited as the companion on the big finish website i get why idea fisher is listed given the doctor is speaking true Charley yet most are simply companions remembering past events at the moment it seems that the actors who played the doctor in other series are listed as playing the doctor in the companion chronicles while ones that have not played the doctor in other series are not listed except for cases like idea fisher 95.145.155.227 ( talk) 10:19, 11 November 2017 (UTC)
Prior to his death John Hurt was in a number of Big Finish productions as the war doctor [2]. Do these merit inclusion in a similar manner to how the other doctors have 'other appearances as the doctor' section? => Spudgfsh ( Text Me!) 18:32, 10 January 2018 (UTC)
See heading. Isn’t Troughton’s first appearance technically The Tenth Planet Episode 4, and Baker’s Planet of the Spiders Part Six, and Davison’s technically Logopolis Part Four, and so on and so on? -- StrexcorpEmployee ( talk) 21:43, 28 November 2019 (UTC)
Is there a reason why he is listed twice for playing the same incarnation (in both the ‘other’ and ‘audio’ sections)? -- StrexcorpEmployee ( talk) 21:45, 28 November 2019 (UTC)
The image for Bill Hartnell is not fit for purpose, whilst Troughton and Pertwee are barely serviceable. Why are there not the pictures of them in character? This would be better because A: the pics are higher quality and B: more relevant. 00jelwes ( talk) 00:10, 14 February 2023 (UTC)
Additionally, not to be pedantic but Ncuti Gatwa has yet to play the doctor, and neither John Hurt nor Jo Martin are included. It makes more sense to include pictures as the doctor than or else high quality actor pics 00jelwes ( talk) 00:24, 14 February 2023 (UTC)
It's only true that 13 actors have played the Dr in a leading role if this statement is confined to the television show. Peter Cushing played him in the films. I've edited the caption to make it accurate. Richard75 ( talk) 16:46, 26 November 2023 (UTC)