alternatehistory.com

The Eighth Doctor was portrayed by British actor Siddig El-Fadil (later known as Alexander Siddig). With only two on-screen roles prior to his casting, one of them on the Season 23 story Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the casting of Siddig was controversial to many fans of the show.

Critical response to the Eighth Doctor was, at the time, mixed, in part due to Siddig’s darker take on the character of the Doctor. More modern reviews have, however, been much more favourable, citing the outward darkness of the Eighth Doctor as a cornerstone of the character from that point onward. The stark contrast from the Seventh Doctor was jarring to many audience members at the time, though the Eighth Doctor has become more popular among fans in the years since Siddig’s departure from the role.

The Eighth Doctor’s first season would see a large drop in ratings that would begin to recover over his later seasons. This was, in large part, due to the lack of chemistry between Siddig and Teri Hatcher, who portrayed his companion Isabella. Despite this rocky start, his later seasons were much better received. [2]


The Eighth Doctor’s attire was much more simple than his predecessors. The majority of the time, he opted for a grey suit with a blue and black tie. Despite his forgoing of the question mark motif of previous incarnations, the Eighth Doctor was, in many ways, a more mysterious character.

His attire would earn him the nickname “the businessman of time and space” from his companion Isabella. Despite the occasional mockery, the attire of the Eighth Doctor would set a trend for many future Doctors, who also opted for similar suits.


Despite his eventual success in the role, his experience on Doctor Who would lead to Siddig avoiding roles where he would be the main character, instead opting for more supporting roles. In part due to the initial backlash against his portrayal, Siddig would not appear at many conventions, though this would change later in his career. [3]


The Eighth Doctor would first appear in the final part of Season 24 story The Valeyard, though his first major outing was in Action at a Distance the following season.

The Eighth Doctor would have two main companions in his time on-screen: Isabella and Rachel, portrayed by Teri Hatcher and Gillian Anderson respectively. Expanded Whoniverse material gives additional companions, but many exist in a state of grey-canonicity. While Isabella would leave after the first season, Rachel would remain for the remainder of Siddig’s tenure as the Eighth Doctor.


The Eighth Doctor, due to the length of the seasons, would end up quickly becoming a Doctor with higher screen-time. Due to his somewhat divisive portrayal, his position in rankings of the Doctors varies greatly, though devoted fans tend to rank him higher. [4]


[1] Unsurprisingly, this still is actually taken from Our Man Bashir, because there's so few images of Siddig in a suit.
[2] While the Seventh Doctor of TTL is much more of an original character, I'm trying to make each of these Doctors distinct from any OTL Doctor (with two or three exceptions). Despite this, Eight of TTL is quite clearly inspired by Seven of OTL.
[3] This is a little hint for the future.
[4] I'm not sure that "more devoted fans" is exactly the right phrase, but I'm sure that you can all see what I'm getting at. Casual fans tend not to like his episodes so much, in much the same way that Capaldi is for some.