alternatehistory.com

The Tenth Doctor was portrayed by British actor Paul McGann. McGann was well known to British audiences for his role as Richard Sharpe in the ITV series Sharpe, a role he retained for the majority of his time on Doctor Who. To international audiences, however, he was more well known for his roles in Withnail and I, Alien 3 and more recently, as villain Alec Trevelyan in Goldeneye.

McGann was well received as the Doctor. His portrayal of a friendly, often comedic Doctor was mixed with a significant darker streak, in keeping with his two previous incarnations. The shift of the show’s tone to a more Gothic approach was largely praised, as many felt that it suited McGann’s acting style well. McGann is considered by many fans to be the “defining” Doctor of his era, with all following incarnations being clearly influenced by the Tenth.

McGann has, in interviews following his departure, stated that he greatly enjoyed his time on the show, which has resulted in the large volume of material involving his version of the Doctor in the Big Finish audios, second only to Avery Brooks’ Ninth Doctor. [1]


The Tenth Doctor would be a far more action-oriented Doctor than his immediate predecessor, as he moved away from his position at the University of Washington, and took Lucie and Kahn-Tineta aboard. In contrast to how the Ninth Doctor could blend in with humans as an “eccentric professor”, the Tenth Doctor enjoyed standing out, opting for a Victorian-inspired outfit, moving to a more rag-tag militaristic costume later on in his time, though occasionally wearing a tweed outfit. Though initially he had longer “puffy” hair, he soon “cut” it after McGann complained about the wig being uncomfortable. [2]

Much like his immediate predecessor, the Tenth Doctor was not secretive about his alien heritage. His more energetic portrayal did give this Doctor an unfortunate habit of speaking without thinking, a habit many fans dubbed his “foot-in-mouth disease”.

The Tenth Doctor’s TARDIS was similar to the Ninth’s, though he opted for a change in furniture, giving the TARDIS a “lived-in” feeling, as it has many comforts in the console roon, as opposed to Nine’s more study-like TARDIS. More of the inside of the TARDIS would be seen at this time, with Lucie and Kahn-Tineta being shown to have “moved aboard” the TARDIS, having their own rooms. [3]


The Tenth Doctor first appeared in “The Other”, though his first main appearance would be in the Season 30 opener “Confederacy”. This story introduced his first two companions, Lucie and Kahn-Tineta. While Kahn-Tineta was a Mohawk woman from the mid-1700s, Lucie was more of a mystery, especially as it was revealed that there seemed to be no record of her anywhere in history prior to her travels with the Doctor.


Two decades after his departure from the role, McGann is still considered to be one of the best Doctors by many fans. Comparisons to the Fourth Doctor are common, with both Doctors’ times being seen retrospectively as “Golden Ages”. [4]


[1] Both he and OTL's Nine will have "Eighth Doctor Adventures" style audios down the line.
[2] A little nod to OTL's Eight, and how he changed. I don't see the longer hair sticking around.
[3] Another nod to OTL's Eight. One of my favourite TARDIS designs. I really like the ones where you really get the feeling that the TARDIS is inhabited. Up there with OTL's Twelfth Doctor's TARDIS.
[4] Following from the TLIAW, I think I'm going to do a little more "teasing" for the future of the timeline from now on. Nothing too major, just a little something to pique your interest.