The Dr Who Actors Part 2

The Dr Who Actors

You have learnt about the stories behind the first four Doctors, and now it’s time to learn about the remaining ten.

Peter Davison became the next Doctor, wearing the mantle from 1981 to 1984. Going up against Tom Baker, Davison didn’t have much of a chance of becoming popular and so he didn’t stay long. This was really the beginning of the downfall of the Doctor.

A very jolly Doctor, Davison become known for dressing like a cricketer and having a piece of celery sticking out of his front jacket pocket. Exactly what the celery was for, no one knows, maybe it was a secret weapon, or maybe it was just a snack for when he got hungry.

It was in 1984 in the four episode story arc entitled The Caves of Androzani that Davison’s reign as the Doctor came to an end. In fine tradition, he lost his life saving another person, which is when Colin Baker stepped in to the role.

Playing the Doctor from 1984 to 1984, Colin Baker was an attempt to capture the magic that Tom Baker had. In an attempt to capture the Bohemian style of the earlier Baker the producers failed, resulting in a bright, loud and disorientating costume. Much more brash than earlier Doctor’s, he had the traditional terrible trouble with his regeneration.

And it was during Colin Baker’s tenure that Doctor Who’s ratings began to nose dive enough for the BBC to act. Unfortunately, he was let down by terrible scripting and the BBC messing around with the formula in an attempt to boost ratings. Effectively fired from the role, he refused to return to film the regeneration scene. Given a chance, and had he been supported by good script writing, Colin Baker could easily have been as popular as his predecessor Tom Baker.

So in 1987, Doctor Who returned, played this time by Sylvester McCoy, who stayed in the role for just two years until 1989. This was yet another attempt to emulate Tom Baker and recapture the earlier magic. The shows became increasingly more comical and wacky, and for many the magic had gone. It was in 1989 the axe was finally taken to the show and many thought the Doctor was gone forever.

The series immediately went underground and surfaced as radio plays and novels, and there were constant rumours of the television show’s revival.

And then in 1996, fans were in for a huge treat. Doctor Who was revived for a joint US / UK venture with Paul McGann playing the Doctor. After an excellent show, well received in the UK, reviving the series was stopped, much to the incredible disappointment of fans. Why? Because the US ratings were not high enough.

Again, the series went underground, the fans continuing to follow the Doctor’s adventures in other media.

Rumours began to surface in 2003 that the Doctor would be returning. Over the coming year more details were leaked and the main actor announced. Christopher Eccleston would be the new Doctor. Lasting for just a single season, he captured the original magic of Doctor Who perfectly. With excellent special effects, tight script writing and enough references back to earlier seasons to satisfy hard core fans, Eccelston captured the hearts of the nation as Doctor Who. With his catchphrase of “Fantastic”, his broad grin and happy go lucky attitude he proved to be the best Doctor for a long time.

Sadly, Eccleston feared being type cast and after the first season declared he would step down from playing the Doctor. Naturally, fans were up in arms, but the BBC quickly selected a new Doctor, an actor by the name of David Tennant.

Filming began and fans were left wondering, would Tennant be a good Doctor? Was the show going to spiral into decline again? With an excellent writing team and tight control on the scripts, the BBC seemed determined to keep the formula without straying into the danger areas that let down earlier seasons.

Tennant’s first outing as Doctor Who came during a five minute special for the BBC’s Children In Need show. In this, you see him after the regeneration in the TARDIS with his assistant Rose, with her struggling to get to grips with his regeneration. This proved enough to whet the appetite of fans who impatiently waiting for a full length episode.

On Christmas Day 2005, David Tennant made his full length debut as the Doctor. In a well received show he proved to the world that he had what it took to be a great Doctor, allowing fans to breathe a sigh of relief and curse the three month wait before the new series started.

How long Tennant will play the Doctor no one knows, but he is an ardent fan of the Doctor so will probably hang around for some time.

Having two more regenerations and three lives left, Doctor Who’s lifetime may be finite, but you can be assured the script writers will find a way around it to extend the Doctor’s lifetime.

The Dr Who Actors