OOC: One more pop-culture related infobox!
IC: The Doctor is the main character and namesake of the long-running popular British television programme Doctor Who produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 1963. In the series, the Doctor (sometimes referred to as "Doctor" or, in early series, "Doctor Who" or "Dr. Who") is a centuries-old alien—a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey—who travels across both time and space in his TARDIS (an acronym for "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space"), which is disguised to look like a mid-20th century British police box, frequently with one or more companions.
Since the show's debut in 1963, thirteen different lead actors have portrayed the character. The transition to each actor is explained with the plot device of "regeneration", stated to be a biological function of the Time Lords that allows for a change in cellular structure and appearance with recovery, following a potentially fatal injury, illness or old age. Several other actors have portrayed the Doctor in various other media and all official versions of the character (the thirteen series leads plus the "War Doctor" incarnation portrayed by Brian Blessed that was created for the programme's 2013 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor") have appeared in spin-off novels, audio dramas, and comic books.
The most recent incarnation of the character, the Thirteenth Doctor (portrayed by Hayley Atwell), debuted on 25 December 2017 at the end of the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time". Atwell is the first woman to play an official version of the character.
IC: The Doctor is the main character and namesake of the long-running popular British television programme Doctor Who produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 1963. In the series, the Doctor (sometimes referred to as "Doctor" or, in early series, "Doctor Who" or "Dr. Who") is a centuries-old alien—a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey—who travels across both time and space in his TARDIS (an acronym for "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space"), which is disguised to look like a mid-20th century British police box, frequently with one or more companions.
Since the show's debut in 1963, thirteen different lead actors have portrayed the character. The transition to each actor is explained with the plot device of "regeneration", stated to be a biological function of the Time Lords that allows for a change in cellular structure and appearance with recovery, following a potentially fatal injury, illness or old age. Several other actors have portrayed the Doctor in various other media and all official versions of the character (the thirteen series leads plus the "War Doctor" incarnation portrayed by Brian Blessed that was created for the programme's 2013 50th anniversary special, "The Day of the Doctor") have appeared in spin-off novels, audio dramas, and comic books.
The most recent incarnation of the character, the Thirteenth Doctor (portrayed by Hayley Atwell), debuted on 25 December 2017 at the end of the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time". Atwell is the first woman to play an official version of the character.
- Shout out to Marky for selecting all fourteen of TTL's Doctors. The only one I asked him to change was the initial pick for the Seventh Doctor (Dave Fielder) because I couldn't find a decent picture for the collage.
- I'd imagine that revival series Doctor Who ITTL would be seen as more of a break with the classic program with the revival series' leads being someone known for starring in romantic comedies (Grant) followed by three openly LGBT actors (Cumming is bi while Tovey and Daniels are gay) and then a woman (Atwell). Also, Brian Blessed as the War Doctor might have been a bit more...let's say kinetic...in his appearances in battle during the 50th anniversary special.