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The Doctor
- New Series
- The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant, 2006-present) is boisterous, kinetic, and passionate, switching easily between glib repartee and fierce denunciation. His ready smile encourages friends and disarms strangers, but his preference for being a loner expresses itself in discomfort and self-consciousness in social situations, especially those involving his companion's family. His boyish enthusiasm often propels him straight to the heart of any crisis he finds himself in.
- The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston, 2005), though impatient with folly, is generally exuberant, but his cheery demeanor often slips to reveal a grimness born of his involvement the Time War, the deadly confrontation between the Time Lords and the Daleks that destroyed both races (which took place before the events shown in the new series). This bitterness is in large part assuaged by the presence of Rose Tyler, and in the end he dies to save her from destruction.
- Classic Series
- The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann, 1996) appeared in the television movie made by Philip Segal in a failed attempt to revive the series with a U.S. broadcaster. A serious and committed crusader, the Eighth Doctor was later fleshed out in a series of books that provided the inspiration for the Time War alluded to in the new series.
- The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy, 1987-1990). To all appearances a mere elfin blunderer, the Seventh Doctor was actually a master manipulator of events, discounted and unsuspected by all. Even his companions, toward whom he tended to act as an avuncular mentor, might realize only belatedly that "it was your game all along."
- The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker, 1984-1986). Gruff and abrasive, prone to self-inflation and the belittling of lesser intellects, the Sixth Doctor reserved his harshest contempt for the unjust. Though his apparently callous demeanor obscured a deep fondness for his friends and stemmed from an intolerance of immoral behavior, the Sixth Doctor was controversial with fans and with the BBC, which took the even more controversial step of sacking Colin Baker from the program. The Sixth Doctor's reputation has, however, improved markedly over time.
- The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison, 1981-1984). Earnest and good-hearted, with a winning smile (and a stalk of celery stuck to his lapel), the Fifth Doctor was a vibrant and passionate protector of weak and the victimized. His inclination to trust could be misperceived as naivete by those who failed to realize that he often knew more than he might let on.
- The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker, 1974-1981) is the Doctor most familiar to those Americans with only a casual acquaintance with Doctor Who: a tall, curly-haired bloke with a fourteen-foot-long scarf and a huge toothy grin. The longest-serving Doctor, the Fourth Doctor was immensely popular and helped propel Doctor Who to the classic series's highest level of visibility. His demeanor was simultaneously warmly genial and decidedly alien, and he was expert at using clowning and unpredictable behavior to mask his plans until the right moment -- though often he seemed to act on the arbitrarily with no plan in hand at all.
- The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee, 1970-1974) was patriarchal and decisive -- a real man of action in the James Bond mold. In some ways the most Establishment of the Doctors, a friend to kings and emperors, he could be patronizing even to those in defense of whom he was risking his life. The Third Doctor finally understood his own hubris in his last moments.
- The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton, 1966-1969). Sly and anarchic, able to lapse into glee at the simplest turn of events yet a fierce fighter for freedom and self-determination, the Second Doctor inspired love and trust in all who met him. Though many of his stories do not survive, even today many fans cite the Second Doctor as one of their favorites.
- The First Doctor (William Hartnell, 1963-1966; Richard Hurndall, 1983) was complex and hard to pin down. A gentleman, but repelled by power and authority; brittle and caustic, yet capable of expressing great affection; an old man who could tire from a long walk, yet in a pinch capable of inhuman perseverance and endurance. An arresting presence from the very moment of his appearance in the first story, the First Doctor was the archetype of an alien who seemed so very human, and yet was not.
The Companions
- New Series
- Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) (Tenth)
- Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) (Tenth)
- Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) (Ninth, Tenth)
- "Captain" Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) (Ninth, Tenth)
- Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley) (Ninth)
- Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) (Ninth, Tenth)
- Classic Series
- Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) (Eighth)
- Ace (Sophie Aldred) (Seventh)
- Melanie "Mel" Bush (Bonnie Langford) (Sixth, Seventh)
- Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) (Fifth, Sixth)
- Kamelion (voice of Gerald Flood) (Fifth)
- Vislor Turlough (Mark Strickson) (Fifth)
- Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) (Fourth, Fifth)
- Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) (Fourth, Fifth)
- Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) (Fourth, Fifth)
- Romana (Mary Tamm [Season 16]; Lalla Ward [Seasons 17–18]) (Fourth)
- Leela (Louise Jameson) (Fourth)
- K-9 (voice of John Leeson [Seasons 16 and 18]), voice of David Brierley [Season 17]) (Fourth)
- Harry Sullivan (Ian Marter) (Fourth)
- Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) (Third, Fourth)
- Jo Grant (Katy Manning) (Third)
- Liz Shaw (Caroline John) (Third)
- Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) (Third, Fourth as a regular; recurring Second through Seventh)
- Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) (Second)
- Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) (Second)
- Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) (Second)
- Ben Jackson (First, Second)
- Polly (First, Second)
- Dodo Chaplet (Jackie Lane) (First)
- Katarina (Adrienne Hill) (First)
- Sara Kingdom (Jean Marsh) (First)
- Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) (First)
- Vicki (Maureen O'Brien) (First)
- Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) (First)
- Ian Chesterton (William Russell) (First)
- Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) (First)
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