01 of 14 William Hartnell as the First Doctor Starting the role as the First Doctor was Hartnell, who opted to portray the Doctor as stubborn, yet warm, for four seasons between 1963 and 1966. Hartnell reflected on one of the more challenging aspects of playing the Doctor, acting alongside the characters known as the Daleks. “They were difficult to play to, because they’re not . you’re not looking into human eyes, you know what I mean? You’re looking at a metal object moving about, with a voiceover,” he told the BBC in 1967. According to The New York Times, Hartnell died in 1975 at the age of 67. 02 of 14 Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor While it may be difficult to get fans on board with a new actor stepping into a beloved role, writers of the hit BBC show molded the Second Doctor into someone who can regenerate as Hartnell’s health began to fail, per Entertainment Weekly. That first regeneration came in the form of Patrick Troughton, who took over from Hartnell in 1966. Unlike his predecessor, who played the Doctor as somewhat straight-laced, Troughton brought some flair to the Time Lord, with a scruffier appearance and more eccentric disposition. Troughton played the role for three seasons until 1969, but made several appearances as the franchise carried on. The New York Times reported the actor died in 1987 at the age of 67. 03 of 14 Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor Occupying the role for five seasons, Jon Pertwee played the Third Doctor from 1970 to 1974. In addition to his flamboyant and vibrant portrayal of the Doctor, Pertwee was also the first to be broadcast on color television. Pertwee died in 1996 at the age of 76, according to The Irish Times. 04 of 14 Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor Devoted fans of the franchise might list Tom Baker’s whimsical portrayal of the Fourth Doctor as their favorite. Putting a stamp on the character with a signature hat and scarf, Baker occupied the role for seven seasons between 1974 and 1981, a record he still holds today. Baker only showed up in the franchise once more after his tenure ended. That was in 2013’s “The Day of the Doctor” special episode, which marked the show’s 50th anniversary. In November 2023, Baker shared what it takes to play the Doctor, telling RadioTimes. com, “Knowing anything is a bit dangerous when you play Doctor Who. It’s better to know nothing. And to be good-natured.” He added, “The trick is to respond generously to other actors, which halves your task because you don’t have to be driving it all the time.” 05 of 14 Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor Peter Davison took over as the Fifth Doctor in 1981 and occupied the role for three seasons, exiting the show in 1984. Davison’s Doctor was a lot more benevolent and was never scared to offer a helping hand, even in life-threatening moments. Like his predecessor, Davison also adorned the character with a signature wardrobe, often donning a cricket-inspired look. Davison returned as the Fifth Doctor on the 2022 episode titled “The Power of the Doctor” a celebration of the show’s 300th episode. The actor has opened up about the enduring legacy of the show in interviews, telling the BBC in November 2013 he’s “sure it will” come to an end but “the great thing about Doctor Who is that it’s got into the position of almost regenerating itself.” He continued, “The fans that grew up watching the programme are now running the programme, they are writing the programme, they are in it. As long as the programme maintains those high standards and inspires actors and writers and directors to want to be in it, I don’t see any reason why it can’t carry on.” 06 of 14 Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker’s portrayal of the Doctor was unfortunately not as upbeat as his bright ensemble suggested. According to Entertainment Weekly, the Sixth Doctor was known to be “arrogant, moody, and melodramatic,” a drastic switch in personality that didn’t go over well with fans. In fact, this version of the Doctor led to a dip in viewership numbers, resulting in the BBC forcing the actor out of the role. He played the titular character for three seasons, from 1984 to 1986. Baker opened up about the enduring legacy of Doctor Who in July 2020. “The reason Doctor Who endures, it’s about an eternal theme, which is the angel who comes down from heaven and saves you, or the cowboy who rides into town,” he told Den of Geek. “What’s his name? We don’t know. And he rides out again, having solved all your problems. And that’s who the Doctor is.” Baker also returned for the 2022 episode “The Power of the Doctor.” 07 of 14 Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor Bringing the original series to a close, Sylvester McCoy helmed the lead role as the Seventh Doctor for three seasons from 1987 to 1989. While his performance brought the original light-heartedness of the thrifty doctor, per The Hollywood Reporter, the BBC quietly dropped it from the schedules as fans were simply not responding the same. McCoy told RadioTimes. com in August 2023 that he “had no idea really what role I had been handed” when he was cast as the Doctor. “And then discovered I’d been handed one of the great television acting roles where you could do anything with it,” he continued. “The canvas was enormous, and you could do all sorts of things. And so that was a blessing.” Like Davison and Baker, McCoy returned for the 2022 episode “The Power of the Doctor.” 08 of 14 Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor Once the series went off air, producers made a film in an effort to regenerate interest with the 1996 TV film Doctor Who. At the helm was Paul McGann, who played the Eighth Doctor. Unfortunately, the franchise wouldn’t come back to screens for nearly a decade after failing to generate buzz. Despite it not directly leading to a revival of the series, McGann later said that “we did something right” with the TV film. “I’d like to think that . not that we needed vindicating, but we were part of the reason, perhaps, why it never quite disappeared,” he told Flicks and the City in October 2013. “We were perhaps partly responsible for its returning. I’d like to think so, anyway.” McGann reprised the Eighth Doctor on the 2022 episode “The Power of the Doctor.” 09 of 14 Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor Reintroducing Doctor Who to old fans and introducing him to the new generation was Christopher Eccleston, who took on the role as the Ninth Doctor when the series returned to the small screen in 2005. Modified for the new era, Eccleston’s leather-jacket-clad Doctor only lasted for one season. However, his portrayal is considered instrumental in audiences getting excited about the show again. Though Eccleston claimed in a March 2018 interview with The Guardian that he’d been put “on a blacklist” after his initial run as the Doctor, he brought back his version of the character for an audio drama in recent years. 10 of 14 David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Fourteenth Doctor Piggybacking off the success of Eccleston’s portrayal, David Tennant took over as the Tenth Doctor and catapulted the series into a global phenomenon. Playing the role for three seasons and several specials from 2005 to 2010, the Scottish actor was a fan long before he stepped into the TARDIS. “I spent a lot of time in the back garden, making up TV shows, often Doctor Who-based,” Tennant said during a June 2019 interview on The Off Camera Show. The Broadchurch star continued, “The iteration of The Doctor that was around when I was young was played by an actor called Tom Baker, and he had a long, multi-colored knitted scarf. My granny knitted me one, so I would put that on and run around the garden.” Tennant returned to the Whoniverse in 2023 when he regenerated into the short-lived Fourteenth Doctor during a trio of 60th anniversary specials. During an April 2025 episode of his podcast, David Tennant Does a Podcast with., Tennant revealed that his former agent advised against taking on the role, telling him, “Don’t touch it. It’s not going to work.” Tennant’s wife, Georgia, is the daughter of Doctor Who alum Davison. The pair married in 2011 and share five children. 11 of 14 Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor People now know him from having played Prince Philip on the first two seasons of The Crown and Daemon Targaryen on House of the Dragon. However, Matt Smith was a newcomer when he stepped into the role of the Eleventh Doctor in 2010. Not only was he still on the rise in his career, but he was also the youngest actor to step into the role at just 26 years old. “I was turning up to work going, ‘F I can’t do this,’ he recalled to Rolling Stone UK in 2022 about his fear of stepping into the high-profile show at such a young age. “I used to phone my dad, going ‘I can’t do this.’ And he’d be like, ‘Come on, get your head down, you can.’ The Emmy-nominated actor continued, “The show is such a jewel in the BBC crown, and has such global appeal . if it doesn’t work, and you’re at the centre of it, then there’s nowhere to hide,” adding, “I remember walking down the street around that time and someone shouting, ‘Don’t break Doctor Who!’ Smith’s relative anonymity and age turned out to be non-issues, as fans quickly fell in love with his witty and adventurous portrayal of the Doctor throughout his three seasons until his departure in 2013. 12 of 14 Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor Adding some pragmatism to the character was Peter Capaldi, who took over as the Twelfth Doctor from 2013 to 2017. During his three-season tenure, fans got to see a more reflective and introspective Doctor. Capaldi likened playing the Doctor to being “kind of” like being the queen, telling The Guardian in January 2024 that most people can’t relate to the small group of actors who have played the larger-than-life character. “You’re kind of the face of the brand, and the brand is very big. You can’t be the cynical melancholic I naturally am,” the Thick of It actor said. “You have to pretend to be a version of yourself that’s far more amenable.” Capaldi continued, “You embody, for a time, this folk hero, this icon. I was able to comfort people in a way that would be beyond the powers of Peter. You could walk into a room and people gasped with delight. It doesn’t happen anymore.” 13 of 14 Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor Making history as the first woman to play the Time Lord, Jodie Whittaker led the franchise as the Thirteenth Doctor for three seasons from 2017 to 2022. Donning a whimsical rainbow-trimmed coat, Whittaker was heralded for her ability to bring the playful, frantic energy fans have long loved about the Doctor. When announcing her departure from the series, the former Broadchurch star told Entertainment Weekly in July 2021, “My heart is so full of love for this show,” and that this was “the best job I have ever had. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever,” Whittaker continued. “I know change can be scary, and none of us know what’s out there. That’s why we keep looking. Travel hopefully. The Universe will surprise you. Constantly.” Whittaker shares two children with husband Christian Contreras, whom she married in 2008.
https://people.com/all-the-actors-who-played-the-doctor-on-doctor-who-11854813