Editing Doctor Who (section)

==The Doctors==
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[[Image:Doctor_Who_alignments.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Not to be confused with [[Batman]]]]
Originally the Doctor could only regenerate 12 times (first he was just a dude, then there was no limit; this has since been forgotten), resulting in 13 different versions of him (12 because David Tennant once managed to regenerate into himself, don't ask) but during the 2013 Christmas special they managed to restart a new cycle for him (something that the Time Lords offered The Master in The Five Doctors all the way back in 1983.). He's currently in his Who-The-Fuck-Knows incarnation (We know of over '''100''' across every medium), of which at least 16 have taken up the mantle of 'The Doctor'.
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* '''William Hartnell:''' A mysterious grumpy old professor. He didn't like to have humans tag along with him, but changed his mind after a while. Extremely intelligent (like all Doctors, duh), but also short-tempered. Speak a bit in [[Star Wars|Yoda]] manner. And a pretty good fighter, despite being old: Once beat up a big man in fisticuffs, while laughing. The Daleks and Cybermen were introduced during his time. Some of these episodes are actually lost to the ages due to the then-common practice of not preserving film and tape after a certain point, due to a mix of retention costs and actors unions demanding absurd residuals for repeats after a certain point, assuming the ability to re-air old programs over and over would kill demand for new material. (This may sound silly to a generation raised on reboots, but given how often streaming services will cancel series after the first couple seasons it may be prophetic.) The BBC has since gathered whatever scraps and bootleg recordings they can find and funded animatic versions of these "lost episodes" so at least some record of them can be kept for posterity.
* '''Patrick Troughton:''' A cosmic hobo. He liked music and played the recorder. He was more of an anti-authority figure than his predecessor. Looked like a total idiot, made his enemies underestimate him, and ran away quite a lot. It was also during his time that his race, the Time Lords, was first introduced. At the end of Troughton's run, they banished him from Gallifrey for breaking the [[Star Trek|Prime Directive]], and forced him to regenerate as punishment. The Great Intelligence was introduced along with the robotic yeti during this time period, as was UNIT (more on those guys later). He is also distinguished by the fact that he may just be the most influential Doctor ever - not only would the show have failed if he didn't succeed, but over half of the later actors have claimed inspiration from his performances when they first took the lead role. The BBC was still wiping tapes at this point so most of Troughton's run has also been lost to time, at least until someone finds a TARDIS of our own.
* '''Jon Pertwee:''' A gentleman and a dandy. Spend a lot of time stuck on Earth, thanks to his stupid race putting him into exile (and not at all because the BBC decided to save money in the cash-strapped 70s by not set-building any more alien worlds, which cost more to look good on 625-line colour TV - ushered in by Pertwee - than they did on 405-line black & white). Could do Venusian Aikido, liked vintage cars, and at the end of the day was very much a less-womanizing, more science fiction-based James Bond. The Master, his arch-nemesis and a fellow Time Lord, was introduced here as the Blofeld to his James Bond. He tried to conquer the world with plastic chairs! We're not kidding.
* '''Tom Baker:''' The bohemian, a total weirdo, with a disarmingly devilish grin, [[Bag of Holding|bottomless pockets]] full of jelly babies and an extremely long, very colourful scarf. Very good in playing a fool: to quote Count Scarlioni: "No one could be as stupid as he seemed". Could switch from manic to serious in a single moment. The most iconic Doctor from the old series, probably due to his long tenure. Davros, the creator of the Daleks and a total maniac, was introduced here. Baker briefly married and then divorced Lalla Ward, who played his travelling companion; their marriage difficulties (On the question, which was the most terrible monster in Doctor Who, Ward quipped: "Tom Baker!"), alongside Baker's bad relationship with the incoming showrunner John Nathan-Turner, contributed to Baker's end in the role.
* '''Peter Davison:''' Created to be pretty much the complete opposite of his predecessor. Very much a human, very noble, liked cricket. Was also a complete sociopath. Davison was also the youngest actor in the role, until Matt Smith some 25 years later. Some people hated him just for replacing Tom Baker. People died a ''lot'' during his time: Sometimes there was literally no one left but him and his companions - or, in the case of his last story, only his companion. Davison the father-in-law of David Tennant (Tenth Doctor), which means that The Doctor's Daughter actually played The Doctor's Daughter.
* '''Colin Baker:''' An unstable maniac. More violent than the rest of his incarnations put together, shocking the audience by dumping executioners into acid baths, and having the genetic torture of his companion broadcast live on TV - and they both happened in the same episode! The whole show became bloodier during his time which gave the "down with this sort of thing" types fits. Thought he was awesome, despite always wearing that awful coat. Generally regarded as being the worst Doctor, at least in the TV shows; he's better in the Big Finish audio dramas. Had already played a minor character in the series before he was cast as the Doctor, making this the first instance of a casting choice of a Who veteran, as it were.
* '''Sylvester McCoy:''' Started like a goofy wacky fellow, but quickly became more serious later on. Seemed like a god walking among lesser people, quite literally destroyed a pantheon of gods, and could out-manipulate Tzeentch if they were unfortunate enough to share the same universe. Often beat the villain of the week before he even came onto the scene, because of some centuries-long plan concocted in a prior regeneration. During this time, they started to turn onto some big questions, like who the hell the Doctor actually ''is'', but then the show got cancelled due to shit ratings and a general weariness behind the camera. Bummer. He could also seem to be a dick to his companion (even if his motives were good), taking her to a circus despite being told about her fear of clowns, taking her to a house that she burned to the ground even when she requested not to, and manipulating her into a sense of hopelessness/depression so that he could slightly weaken a cosmic entity. Had the first CGI intro; all previous intros were generated using some combination of optics and analogue electronics.
* '''Paul McGann:''' A romantic. Told people to make the best use of their limited time in this world and embrace their lives instead of being all emo and crying in a corner. But he also stated that he was half-human, which is a lie. The books and Big Finish fleshed him out a bit. Too bad his movie didn't do well enough in America to spawn a new series. There's an animated version of Douglas Adams' ''Shada'' with the Eighth Doctor that practically everybody has forgotten about, but it's an official animated story nonetheless, so there. Also turned up unexpectedly, but to everyone's surprise, in a quick minisode in 2013 written by Steven Moffat, which, by a rare fan consensus, is considered superior to the movie in every fashion. It probably had something to do with the lack of that wig he had to wear in 1996…
* '''Christopher Eccleston:''' The only survivor of the horrible Time War (which is a rip-off of the War in Heaven, a war that happened in the Eighth Doctor books which had horrible consequences for everybody involved). All the other Time Lords died in it, or at least were trapped in a pocket timeline with an alliance of their enemies. (We later find out the Doctor did this ''to them'' lest the collateral damage destroy everywhere and everywhen.) Dark and moody, probably because of the survivor's guilt, tended to hide it behind a horribly manic and happy outward appearance. Was pretty dependent on his friends and companions when it came to moral issues. Often found himself in a kind of fix where he couldn't do shit without blowing the hell out of the area around him (the guy dropped missiles on his own head to kill a damn alien threat near him for fucks sake). The first Doctor not to wear (particularly) weird clothes.
* '''David Tennant:''' Probably the outwardly happiest of all Doctors... or maybe the most Machiavellian. A total crackpot. Talks a lot of [[Star Trek|technobabble]], at like 90mph, sometimes about something completely unrelated. If Time Lords could have ADHD, he probably does. Attracts a lot of women. For some reason, one of the last monsters featured was EAT. Yeah, that EAT. Oh and, when he'll offer you a chance of redemption and says that he can help you, you ''bloody well'' should take that offer! Because he doesn't believe in second chances, nor in letting someone walk away (Unless you're an arch-villain). Alternatively a child on Christmas morning and the '''MASTER''' of the resting bitch face whilst he destroys you, or ''he watches you destroy yourself''. His performance was so good that BBC actually considered ending the series after his tenure because they thought that the show would fail without him. Tennant himself was a hardcore Whovian growing up, and taking role was literally a dream come true for him.
* '''Matt Smith:''' The biggest nutjob since Tom Baker's Doctor. Acts like an awkward, hyperactive child most of the time, with a weird taste in clothes and an even weirder taste in food, but is also an old man, weary and reserved. Will deceive people for their own good, but this later backfires and makes him more cautious. Great with kids. Has one hell of a nasty streak: piss him off enough, and he ''will'' destroy you without so much as an offer of mercy. His stories tend to feature fuck-terrifying monsters and situations, including an army of quantum abominations who only move when you're not looking at them and ''eat time'', being trapped in a false awakening loop, a crack in the wall that ''eats reality,'' and an entire fucking race of Slendermen (whom you completely forget even exist when you aren't looking at one). Two of his assistants are insanely hot and another spends most of his time getting killed (and the rest of the time being awesome). Suffers a lot over the course of his tenure, but eventually achieves something of a happy ending before his regeneration into the Twelfth Doctor.
* '''John Hurt (''secret bonus Doctor)'':''' The Doctor as he was fighting in the Time War, known by some as the "War Doctor". In setting chronology, this incarnation fits between McGann's and Eccleston's, but due to committing some horrible war crimes in order to end the Time War, he denied himself the title of "the Doctor" and later regenerations refused to acknowledge his existence; so much so that Matt Smith's version is still referred to in-universe as the Eleventh Doctor, even in mysterious prophecies, despite technically being the twelfth incarnation. He was a rather grim and serious character and quite put off by the perceived silliness and light-heartedness of his successors. He was seen only briefly in the finale of season 7, played a major role in the 50th anniversary special, and had a set of audio adventures, but probably won't be seen again (RIP, John).
* '''Peter Capaldi:''' Something in between the Ninth and Fourth Doctors, making him an all-out sinister badass. Went from a prickly old man to a communist punk-rocker grandad in the span of three seasons. The actor has appeared twice in Doctor Who (well, once in Torchwood) in other roles before becoming the Doctor, which was explained as the Doctor trying to tell himself something. When he was announced as the Doctor, fans imagined him in the role as the Doctor in the same style Peter Capaldi has appeared on the show The Thick of It, where he was exceptionally foul-mouthed. It turned out he's pretty damn hilarious. And Scottish. Quite eccentric, though. Apparently, a lot of the female fans were [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzWOlMif-Fw outraged] that an older guy got the role. It says a lot that the closest thing he had to a catchphrase was "Shut up!" Despite that charming catchphrase, his character eventually got his head out of his arse, and then decided to try and make everyone see that we should all be kind to each other. Probably also the most stubborn and loyal Doctor ever, spending roughly 7000 years in a sort of prison to save the life of his companion. He was also the absolute GOD of speeches, with arguably his best episode being a 45-minute long monologue over the idea of grief. On top of that, he is the only Doctor thus far to bring the Master round to the side of good, has stopped Zygon terrorists with nothing but words, and he became the Lord-President of Gallifrey... again. His tenure as The Doctor had ginormous levels of character development, for both him, his companions, and his own rogues gallery. Did we mention that the actor is a massive Whovian too?
* '''Jodi Whittaker:''' Nurse Who. Brought in from ''Broadchurch'' by the producer of that series, Douglas <s>Chibnall</s> Chinballs. As overly hyperactive as Four and Eleven, while also being utterly incapable of expressing her feelings to anyone. While Time Lords sex-shifting through regeneration was established as early as Tom Baker's tenure and had been referenced or shown multiple times in the reboot era, the rather crap writing of her first season led fans to suspect [[SJW|ulterior motives]] and tune out in droves, something Capaldi predicted on his way out. Failed so hard that the BBC kicked Chinballs out and brought Russel T. Davies back as showrunner after three seasons.
* '''David Tennant (again):''' BBC's attempt to regenerate the golden goose, Tennant returned in 2023 for three 60th anniversary specials. This is Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor, who immediately links up with his old companion Donna Noble for reasons that have nothing to do with the episodes when they were together being the most popular of the reboot era. He also gains a transgender companion for a bit, just in case you thought you find an escape from "the Message" here. After the third special (guest starring Neil Patrick Harris of all people) he [[What|"bi-generates"]], meaning there's two Doctors running around now, one played by David Tennant and running around with Donna, the other being...
* '''Ncuti Gatwa:''' A [[Pretty Marines|fashionista]]. The first Doctor to consistently have more than one outfit and the first black Doctor. Also cries a lot. The writers having seemingly run out of ideas involving the usual baddies, this Doctor deals with a whole gaggle of fantasy tropes, ranging from fairies to baby-eating goblins to a pantheon of rogue gods who all seem to have it out for him. Unfortunately he seems to get out of these troubles through plot armor rather than the quick thinking we've come to expect. Ncuti "quit" (definitely wasn't fired due to garbage ratings only somewhat buoyed by a partnership with Disney+) after two seasons and the series is now effectively in limbo.
===Other Doctors===
There have been a number of Doctors who were either the Doctor in strange circumstances, were later retconned or were never intended to be canon in the first place.

* Peter Cushing (1965-66): Yes, THAT Peter Cushing, the guy that played Grand Moff Tarkin in [[Star Wars]] and was so oldschool he once played alongside Laurel and Hardy. He played a human scientist called Dr. Who (yes, his last name is Who) in two movie-length remakes of early episodes featuring the Daleks. The movies were not very good, as the director had [[Extra Heresy|never actually watched Doctor Who]] and did almost no research, giving us [[What|blaring jazz instead of electronic incidental music]] and a set of groovy-coloured Daleks (who had decorated their base with lava lamps!) that didn't even have their lamp "ears" flash in time with their speech; rumor has it that Cushing was taking any work he could to keep his mind off the recent loss of his wife. He is easily the best thing about the movies, mind, and his sweet, grandfatherly Doctor is a flavour almost worth seeing if you don't mind wading through all the crap. This particular Doctor has the dubious honour of having successfully defeated the Daleks' latest world-domination plan by quite literally pointing at nothing and yelling "Look!"
* Rowan Atkinson, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley (1999): The BBC has a tradition of making silly parodies of their shows for charity. Dr. Who got one called Doctor Who and the Curse of the Fatal Death, where the aforementioned actors played the Ninth through Twelfth Doctors in quick succession. Rowan Atkinson played the role magnificently as the Time Lord Blackadder. He announces to the Master that he is going to marry the only companion he ever ''had'', but the Master enlists the help of the Daleks to kill his archenemy once and for all. Belayed explanations, Zektronic energy, [[Nurgle|communication based on breaking wind]], a couple of [[Wat|Dalek chairs]], and LOTS of hijinks later, the Doctor burns through the rest of his regenerations in the span of two minutes. It is a very funny short and should be watched, if only for the magnificent snark that only Rowan Atkinson can produce.
* Richard E. Grant (2003): Just a few years after playing the Tenth Doctor in Curse of the Fatal Death, Grant returned as the Ninth Doctor for the "webisode" Scream of the Shalka. This incarnation was angry, moody, looked like a [[vampire]], and compared to Sherlock Holmes by the actor himself (which is funny when you consider that Benedict Cumberbatch, of ''Sherlock'' fame, was in the running to be the Eleventh Doctor), but he was still a good man who left no monster rampaging (or at least unstudied) and no woman unsaved. He fought the exeptionally creepy Shalka, whom he defeated with... no, no spoilers, you wouldn't believe it anyway. He also traveled alongside none other than the Master, who was confined to an android body stuck in the TARDIS. They share homoerotic subtext to the level it becomes homoerotic SUPERtext; the author commented that this was intentional.
**As a side note, while they were making the special, some kid pretty much kicked down the door, ranted about how much he loved Doctor Who, and begged for a role in the short. The producers gave him one, causing the kid to all but explode. The kid's name? David Tennant.
* Tom Baker (2013): Appears in "The Day of The Doctor" as The Curator, a retired Doctor working as curator of the Under Gallery. A blatant excuse to get Baker in front of the camera again for nostalgia points.