Utente:Chia.gio/Sandbox11

Dottore
Universo	Doctor Who
Autori	Sydney Newman C. E. Webber Donald Wilson
1ª app. in	La ragazza extraterrestre
Interpretato da	William Hartnell Patrick Troughton Jon Pertwee Tom Baker Peter Davison Colin Baker Sylvester McCoy Paul McGann Christopher Eccleston David Tennant Matt Smith
Caratteristiche immaginarie
Specie	aliena
Sesso	Maschio
Luogo di nascita	Gallifrey

Il Dottore (The Doctor) è il personaggio protagonista della fortunata serie televisiva fantascientifica Doctor Who, in onda su canale britannico BBC dal 1963. È inoltre apparso in due film cinematografici e diversi romanzi, fumetti, serie e audio-book connessi alla serie.

Data l'abilità del personaggio a rigenerarsi al momento della morte, il ruolo del Dottore è stato interpretato, ad oggi, da undici attori. L'undicesima reincarnazione è attualmente interpretata da Matt Smith, che ha preso il posto di David Tennant a partire dal 1° gennaio 2010.^[2][3]

La popolarità del personaggio ha portato il Daily Telegraph a nominarlo l'«alieno favorito del Regno Unito»,^[4] mentre il sito UGO Networks l'ha inserito nella lista dei migliori eroi di tutti i tempi.^[5]

Concezione e creazione

Il personaggio del Dottore venne concepito da Sydney Newman, all'epoca Head of Drama della rete britannica BBC.^[6] C. E. Webber, membro dello staff di sceneggiatori della BBC che venne ingaggiato per aiutare nel progetto, scrisse nel 1963 la prima copia di quella che sarebbe divenuta la serie televisiva Doctor Who – chiamata ancora col titolo provvisorio The Troubleshooters. Nel documento, Webber descrisse il personaggio come «un uomo maturo, tra i 35 e i 40 anni, che vivrà degli eventi imprevisti». Tuttavia, a Newman non piacque del tutto la sua idea e praticò diversi cambiamenti al personaggio, chiamandolo "Dr. Who": un irritabile anziano che pilota una macchina del tempo rubata ed è in fuga dal suo stesso mondo nel futuro.^[6]

Nel 1963 il ruolo venne affidato all'attore William Hartnell. Quando, dopo tre anni, Hartnell lasciò la serie per problemi di salute, il ruolo passò al collega Patrick Troughton. Ad oggi, il personaggio è stato interpretato da undici diversi attori; la più longeva reincarnazione fu la quarta, interpretata da Tom Baker.^[7] Attualmente, l'Undicesimo Dottore è impersonato da Matt Smith, che a ventisei anni è il più giovane interprete del personaggio.^[3]

Biografia del personaggio

Il Dottore è un Signore del Tempo (Time Lord), un extraterrestre proveniente dal pianeta Gallifrey, che viaggia nel tempo e nello spazio con una macchina del tempo chiamata TARDIS. Egli esplora lo spazio in modo casuale, usando la sua vasta conoscenza della scienza, delle tecnologie e della storia per affrontare i problemi che gli si presentano davanti. Non gli è permesso, tuttavia, intervenire nel caso si tratti di un «punto fisso nel tempo e nello spazio» che non può essere appunto mutato.

Il Dottore viaggia tradizionalmente con uno o più compagni di viaggio che lo affiancano nelle sue avventure.

Infanzia

L'infanzia del Dottore viene solo accennata. Così come il Maestro, egli apparteneva a una fazione dei Signori del Tempo chiamata Prydonian.

L'Ottavo Dottore accenna a un ricordo di suo padre^[8], mentre il Terzo racconta di essere cresciuto in una casa al fianco di una montagna.^[9]

All'età di otto anni venne iniziato all'Accademia dei Signori del Tempo. Durante la cerimonia i bambini venivano costretti a guardare all'interno del vortice temporale: secondo il racconto del Dottore, alcuni ne venivano ispirati, altri ne uscivano pazzi e altri ancora scappavano via alla sola vista. Egli sostiene di essere uno tra quelli che fuggirono via, e di non essersi ancora fermato.^[10]

In un episodio, il Dottore entra in contatto telepatico con Madame de Pompadour ed ella, vedendo il suo passato, lo definisce un uomo triste e solitario.^[11] Quando Martha Jones gli chiede invece se abbia un fratello, lui risponde di non averlo più e di essere rimasto solo.^[12] Viene invece fatto più volte riferimento alla sua amicizia con il Maestro, prima che questi diventasse un suo nemico.

Famiglia

 

Carole Ann Ford interpretò Susan Foreman, la nipote del Dottore

Nella prime due stagioni della serie televisiva, il Dottore viaggia accompagnato da sua nipote, una bambina di nome Susan Foreman.

Durante la seconda reincarnazione, il Dottore sostiene di avere vividi ricordi della sua famiglia.^[13] Quando gli viene chiesto se avesse una famiglia, il Settimo Dottore risponde di non saperlo, facendo intendere di non sapere se i suoi famigliari siano sopravvissuti a un destino non specificato.^[14]

Il Decimo Dottore dice a Rose Tyler di «essere stato un padre, una volta», per poi cambiare velocemente discorso;^[15] ammette la stessa cosa con Donna quando lei sostiene che l'uomo abbia avuto problemi con la figura paterna.^[16] In un'altra occasione un personaggio gli racconta di essere stato un padre e un nonno un tempo, ma di non esserlo più; il Dottore risponde dicendogli di capire la sua situazione.^[17]

Nel film per la televisione del 1996 il Dottore accenna per la prima volta a un ricordo di suo padre, mentre parlando con Martha Jones ammette di avere avuto un fratello.^[12]

Nell'episodio La figlia del Dottore al Dottore viene prelevato del DNA con il quale viene creata una ragazza soldato a cui viene dato il nome Jenny. La ragazza (interpretata da Georgia Moffett) si riferisce all'uomo chiamandolo padre.

Da una mano amputatagli durante una rigenerazione nasce inoltre un Dottore per metà umano, identico fisicamente al Decimo Dottore, che possiede gli stessi ricordi dell'originale.^[18]

In un'occasione il Decimo Dottore sostiene di non essere mai stato bravo nei matrimoni, specialmente nei suoi.^[19] Si è inoltre accennato al fatto che il Dottore possa aver sposato la regina Elisabetta I, mentre in uno speciale di Natale si fidanza per errore con Marilyn Monroe.^[20]

Quando il Dottore incontra River Song per la seconda volta, Amy chiede loro se siano sposati:^[21] il Dottore spiega che saranno sposati nel futuro, River Song non lo contraddice ma non specifica altro. Più avanti, il Dottore e River Song hanno uno scambio di battute enigmatico, che lascia il Dottore confuso sulla loro relazione e incapace di capire se involontariamente abbia appena chiesto alla donna di sposarlo.^[22]

Eventi recenti

 

Il TARDIS utilizzato nella nuova serie (2005-2010)

Il personaggio è inizialmente avvolto nel più totale mistero, tanto che di lui non si conosce né il nome né da dove provenga. Nel primo serial, due insegnanti londinesi, Barbara Wright e Ian Chesterton, si incuriosiscono di una loro alunna, Susan Foreman, che dimostra un'inusuale intelligenza e sapienza per la sua età. I due seguono la bambina fino a trovarsi davanti a una police box (una cabina telefonica della polizia britannica), dalla quale sentono arrivare la sua voce. Spingendosi al suo interno, Barbara ed Ian scoprono che l'aspetto esterno è in realtà un camuffamento che nasconde una macchina del tempo chiamata TARDIS. Questa è pilotata da un uomo, chiamato «nonno» dalla bambina, che rapisce i due insegnanti affinché non possano rivelare ciò che hanno visto, portandoli con sè nella sue avventure spazio-temporali.

Durante la prima incarnazione, il Dottore incontra per la prima volta i Dalek e i Cyberman, che sono in seguito anche la causa della sua morte. Polly e Ben Jackson sono testimoni della sua rigenerazione nel Secondo Dottore.

Jamie McCrimmon accompagna il nuovo Dottore fino alla sua morte; insieme si scontrano nuovamente con i Dalek e i Cyberman, ma incontrano anche nuovi nemici (la Grande Intelligenza e i Guerrieri di ghiaccio). Il Secondo Dottore fa inoltre la conoscenza del brigadiere Lethbridge-Stewart, che diventa uno dei fondatori dell'organizzazione militare nota come UNIT, e viene esiliato sulla Terra dai Signori del Tempo.

Il Terzo Dottore (il primo ad apparire a colori) collabora con UNIT e si scontra con avversari mai visti in precedenza, come gli Autons, il Maestro, Omega, i Sontaran e i Silurian. È inoltre il primo ad utilizzare il cacciavite sonico (sonic screwdriver), attrezzo dagli infiniti usi che lo accompagnerà in tutte le incarnazioni successive.

 

Il cacciavite sonico (modello del 2010)

Il Quarto Dottore ha la possibilità di lasciare la Terra ma è costretto a compiere alcune missioni per conto dei Signori del Tempo; viene accompagnato dalla giornalista Sarah Jane Smith (che aveva incontrato durante la sua precedente incarnazione) e si scontra per la prima volta con Davros, uno scienziato pazzo che diventa suo mortale nemico. Quando viene accusato dell'omicidio del Presidente dell'Alto Concilio dei Signori del Tempo e condannato a morte, riesce a far ritardare l'esecuzione e ad ottenere un processo, scontrandosi infine con il Maestro, artefice della falsa accusa. In seguito viene affiancato dal robot K-9 e da Romana, anch'ella proveniente da Gallifrey, e viene mandato alla ricerca dei sei segmenti delle Chiavi del Tempo.

Il Quinto Dottore si scontra nuovamente con il Maestro, i Sontaran e i Silurian. In un'occasione incontra le sue quattro precedenti reincarnazioni,^[23] e a causa di un paradosso temporale anche il Decimo Dottore.^[24]

Il Sesto Dottore subisce un secondo processo da parte dei Signori del Tempo; la Rani, una scienziata proveniente da Gallifrey sua antagonista, ne provoca la morte e la rigenerazione.

Il Settimo Dottore viene accompagnato da una ragazza di nome Dorothy, soprannominata Ace, per la quale il Dottore diviene una sorta di mentore. Insieme riescono a distruggere il pianeta nativo dei Dalek, Skaro; il Maestro tuttavia provoca un dirottamento del TARDIS, che si schianta a San Francisco. Il Dottore viene ferito da un colpo di pistola e portato all'ospedale, ma muore poco dopo.

L'Ottavo Dottore soffre temporaneamente di amnesia a causa dei medicinali umani somministrategli durante la reincarnazione; il Maestro tenta di rubargli le vite rimastegli, ma viene infine sconfitto e creduto morto.

Il Nono Dottore, salvando la città di Londra da un'invasione di Auton, conosce e invita Rose Tyler a seguirlo nei suoi viaggi. Insieme si ritrovano alla mercé della corporazione Bad Wolf, che scoprono essere presidiata dai Dalek che sono riusciti a sopravvivere alla Guerra del Tempo. Rose assorbe l'energia contenuta nel TARDIS e la utilizza per distruggere i Dalek; il Dottore, per salvarla, è costretto ad assorbire lui stesso la fatale quantità di energia e ne rimane ucciso.

Il Decimo Dottore reincontra in un'occasione Sarah Jane Smith e il robot K-9. Risulta essere la causa della nascita dell'Istituto Torchwood, creato dalla regina Elizabetta I per contrastare la minaccia aliena sul territorio inglese. In seguito a uno scontro con dei Dalek e dei Cyberman proveniente da un universo parallelo, è costretto ad abbandonare Rose, il suo fidanzato Mickey e la madre Jackie, rimasti bloccati nell'altra dimensione.
Martha Jones si unisce al Dottore e insieme a lui è testimone della profezia della Faccia di Boe secondo cui non è l'unico sopravvissuto tra i Signori del Tempo; fa il suo ritorno infatti il Maestro, che una volta eletto Primo Ministro inglese tiene l'intera popolazione umana sotto uno stato di polizia e cattura e schiavizza il Dottore per oltre un anno. Grazie a Martha, il Maestro viene infine sconfitto e muore tra le braccia del Dottore, rifiutandosi di rigenerare.
Nuovamente solo il Dottore ritrova Donna Noble, incontrata in uno dei suoi viaggi. Parte del suo DNA viene utilizzato per la creazione di una sua progenie, una ragazza di nome Jenny; quest'ultima, creduta morta dal Dottore, al momento della morte in realtà si rigenera e parte alla sua ricerca. Presso la libreria più grande dell'Universo, incontra per la prima volta River Song, un'archeologa che «continua a incontrarlo nel momento sbagliato» e che secondo quanto da lei raccontato farà parte del suo futuro.
La razza aliena degli Ood, che lui salva dalla schiavitù, gli rivela che il tempo della sua morte è vicina: salva ancora una volta il pianeta Terra dai piani del Maestro per poi morire in seguito all'esposizione a radiazioni.

La rigenerazione dell'Undicesimo Dottore distrugge parzialmente il TARDIS, che si schianta nel giardino di Amelia Pond, una bambina impaurita da una crepa sul muro della sua cameretta. Il Dottore le promette di tornare in pochi minuti, ma il TARDIS lo fa arrivare in ritardo di dodici anni, quando la bambina è ormai ventenne. Amy Pond e il suo promesso sposo Rory Williams decidono di unirsi a lui, partendo la notte prima delle loro nozze. Il Dottore ritrova River Song e la razza aliena degli Angeli piangenti; scopre inoltre che crepe nella fabbrica dell'Universo simili a quella trovata nella camera di Amy hanno il potere di cancellare l'esistenza di una persona dall'Universo: questo destino viene subito dal Dottore stesso, che però viene ricordato e salvato dai suoi compagni.
Amy e Rory si sposano, e il Dottore viaggia da solo per un paio di mesi, per poi invitare i Pond e River Song a incontrarlo nello Utah, negli Stati Uniti. In quel luogo i tre assistono impotenti alla morte del Dottore quando un misterioso individuo in tuta spaziale gli spara un colpo di pistola senza lasciargli la possibilità di rigenerarsi. Quello deceduto è tuttavia una versione futura dell'Undicesimo Dottore, che è ancora vivo e viene inizialmente tenuto all'oscuro della sua morte.

Fisiologia e abilità

Nonostante la specie dei Signori del Tempo sia fisicamente molto simile a quella umana, la loro fisiologia differisce in alcune caratteristiche cruciali. Il Dottore ha infatti due cuori^[4] (e quindi un apparato circolatorio binario), un sistema respiratorio che gli permette di restare senz'aria e una temperatura del corpo interna di 15-16 gradi Celsius.^[25] Ha inoltre esibito il potere di assorbire, trattenere e rilasciare grandi quantità di elettricità e di alcuni tipi di radiazioni.

Il Dottore ha dimostrato di avere poteri telepatici: può infatti connettersi mentalmente ad altre sue incarnazioni,^[23] accedere ai ricordi di altri individui^[11] e comunicare telepaticamente con altri Signori del Tempo. Allo stesso modo, altre persone possono, se connesse a lui telepaticamente, entrare in contatto con la sua memoria.^[11]

É inoltre in grado di ipnotizzare una persona e di leggere un libro intero sfogliandone velocemente le pagine.^[26][27][21]

Nell'episodio Le fiamme di Pompei, il Dottore spiega a Donna di essere in grado di percepire il «tessuto di cui è costituito l'universo» e di poter distinguere tra «punti fissi» (fixed points) e «punti in movimento» (points in flux), ovvero i punti nel tempo e nello spazio che non è possibile o che è possibile modificare.

Il Dottore è un ottimo giocatore di cricket^[28] e in un'occasione si dimostra prodigiosamente abile nel gioco del calcio, pur non conoscendone le regole base.^[29]

Nella sua ultima apparizione, il Secondo Dottore dichiara che un Signore del Tempo può vivere eternamente, se «evita di incappare in incidenti». Al momento della morte i Signori del Tempo sono comunque in grado di rigenerarsi in un nuovo corpo.

Rigenerazione

Nel serial The Deadly Assassin (1976) viene dichiarato che un Signore del Tempo ha a disposizione un totale di dodici rigenerazioni (e quindi tredici incarnazioni); nel film per la televisione del 1996 l'Ottavo Dottore parla esplicitamente di «tredici vite».

Facendo un'apparizione nello spin-off Le avventure di Sarah Jane l'Undicesimo Dottore scherza dicendo di potersi reincarnare 507 volte;^[30] l'autore Russell T. Davies ha poi confermato che si trattasse solo di una battuta.^[31]

Il Primo Dottore muore di vecchiaia, rigenerandosi nel Secondo Dottore. Successivamente, le rigenerazioni avvengono sempre in conseguenza a ferite mortali, esposizione a grandi quantità di radiazioni o per volontà dei Signori del Tempo.

Il ciclo rigenerativo produce una grande quantità di energia che cosparge il corpo del Dottore. Il Decimo Dottore è in grado di farsi ricrescere una mano perduta durante le prime quindici ore dall'inizio della rigenerazione.^[32] Nella serie classica, il Quarto Dottore è in grado di spezzare a metà un mattone a mani nude^[33] mentre nel film per la televisione del 1996 l'Ottavo Dottore riesce a buttar giù una pesante porta l'acciaio.

Con la rigenerazione il Dottore affronta un periodo di instabilità fisica e parziale amnesia. Il Sesto Dottore diventa temporaneamente paranoico e rischia di uccidere la sua compagna per la collera;^[34] l'Ottavo Dottore riporta una momentanea amnesia; il Decimo Dottore si rigenera riuscendo a stare in piedi,^[35] ma poco dopo cade a terra incosciente.^[32]

Il Decimo Dottore riesce a invertire il processo di rigenerazione, usando solo parte dell'energia prodotta dal suo corpo per curare le ferite riportate, senza cambiar aspetto o personalità.^[18] Quando Donna Noble tocca la mano precedentemente perduta dal Dottore e tenuta conservata in un contenitore l'energia restante crea un nuovo Dottore per metà umano che possiede l'aspetto fisico del Dottore ma alcuni tratti e caratteristiche umane di Donna: invecchia, non può rigenerarsi e possiede un solo cuore.^[18]

Il processo che porta alla nascita dell'Undicesimo Dottore è particolarmente violento e causa gravi danni al TARDIS, che si auto-ripara tornando funzionante in poche ore.^[2]

I viaggi

Il Dottore viaggia sul TARDIS, astronave e al contempo macchina del tempo, che lo porta «non dove vuole andare, ma dove è necessario che lui vada.»^[36] È tradizionalmente accompagnato da uno o più compagni di viaggio che lo affiancano nelle sue avventure.

In quanto viaggiatore del tempo, il Dottore è stato testimone ed è rimasto direttamente coinvolto in numerosi eventi storici sia del pianeta Terra sia dell'Universo in generale; ha infatti incontrato Leonardo da Vinci,^[37] William Shakespeare,^[38] H. G. Wells,^[39] Albert Einstein,^[40] Mao Tse-tung,^[41] Riccardo Cuor di Leone,^[42] Wyatt Earp,^[43] Marco Polo,^[44], Charles Dickens,^[45], Benjamin Franklin,^[12] Agatha Christie,^[46] la regina Victoria,^[47] Elisabetta I,^[38] Madame de Pompadour^[11] Winston Churchill,^[48] Adolf Hitler^[49] e Vincent van Gogh.^[50] Una fotografia mostra che il Nono Dottore fu testimone dell'assassinio di John F. Kennedy.^[27] Il Quarto Dottore spiega che la sciarpa gli fu donata da Madame Nostradamus^[51], mentre il Decimo Dottore sostiene che Janis Joplin gli abbia dato il suo cappotto lungo.^[52] L'Undicesimo Dottore menziona il fatto di aver fatto parte della «squadra di bowling» di Virginia Woolf.^[21]

Il Dottore ha più volte infranto la legge dei Signori del Tempo riguardo il loro coinvolgimento negli eventi storici; spesso ha infatti deciso di combattere in prima persona contro il male nell'Universo, quando invece le regole lo vietano espressamente. Ciò lo ha portato ad essere considerato un rinnegato e un ricercato dalla sua stessa razza; per lo stesso motivo viene anche processato dall'Alto Concilio, per poi essere prosciolto grazie alle sue buone azioni.

Nella nuova serie del 2005 è stato affrontato il tema del coinvolgimento temporale, lasciando il dubbio se sia possibile o meno cambiare gli eventi passati: in un episodio l'Undicesimo Dottore ed Amy Pond incontrano ad esempio il pittore Vincent van Gogh circa un anno prima del suo suicidio; i due viaggiatori del tempo lo portano nel 21esimo secolo e gli mostrano un galleria d'arte dedicata alle sue opere, dandogli fiducia in se stesso e speranza per il suo futuro. Tornando nel presente, però, scoprono che l'artista sia è suicidato comunque e che le sue opere non sono mutate.^[50]

TARDIS

  Lo stesso argomento in dettaglio: TARDIS.

Il TARDIS ([/ˈtɑːdɪs/]; Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) è una macchina del tempo prodotta grazie all'alta tecnologia dei Signori del Tempo del pianeta Gallifrey. Ha la proprietà di trasportare i propri passeggeri in qualunque punto dei tempo e dello spazio, purché all'interno dello stesso Universo, ed è notoriamente «più grande all'interno che all'esterno».

Il «circuito camaleonte» del TARDIS del Dottore, che dovrebbe poter mimetizzare l'astronave ad ogni occasione, si ruppe durante una visita presso la Londra degli anni '60, lasciandolo con la forma esteriore di una cabina telefonica della polizia britannica.^[53]

Durante la serie è stato accennato al fatto che il Dottore avesse rubato il TARDIS . L'imprecisione dei suoi viaggi è inizialmente attribuita all'età e all'inaffidabile sistema di navigazione del TARDIS; successivamente venne specificato che il Dottore lo ha in realtà rubato dal suo pianeta nativo, dove la macchina del tempo era abbandonata in un museo poiché vecchia e dismessa,^[54] e che probabilmente per questo motivo non è in grado di farlo funzionare correttamente. Nell'episodio The Doctor's Wife, il TARDIS prende forma umana e spiega al personaggio di averlo sempre portato «non dove volesse andare, ma piuttosto dove era necessario che lui andasse».

Nonostante il "TARDIS" sia un tipo di mezzo di trasporto, viene spesso chiamato «il TARDIS» («the TARDIS») o anche solo «l'astronave» («the ship»), «la scatola blu» («the blue box»), «la capsula» («the capsule») o «police box».

Il TARDIS è entrato a far parte della cultura popolare inglese tanto che la forma della police box viene associata più alla serie Doctor Who che all'oggetto reale da cui ha preso aspirazione.^[55] Il nome "TARDIS" è inoltre un marchio registrato presso la British Broadcasting Corporation.^[56]

I Compagni del Dottore

Tradizionalmente, il Dottore viaggia e condivide le sue avventure con uno o più compagni di viaggio. Nella serie classica, tali comprimari prendevano generalmente il nome di amici o assistenti; a partire dal 2005 viene invece utilizzata la dicitura «compagni» («companions» in originale) anche nei dialoghi.

La maggior parte dei compagni del Dottore sono di specie umana; nella serie classica, tuttavia, il personaggio venne affiancato anche da alcuni personaggi alieni (Kamelion, Nyssa, Adric, Turlough e Astrid), altri della sua stessa specie (sua nipote Susan e Romana) e dal robot canino K-9.

La giornalista Sarah Jane Smith (interpretata da Elisabeth Sladen) è una dei più prominenti compagni del Dottore, in quanto protagonista dello spin-off Le avventure di Sarah Jane.

Nell'episodio pilota della nuova serie, il Nono Dottore prende con sé una commessa londinese di nome Rose; Marth Jones è invece la prima compagna di colore (escludendo comprimari minori come Mickey Smith). Nella quarta stagione, il Decimo Dottore è invece accompagnato da Donna Noble, apparsa precedentemente in uno speciale di Natale. Il capitano Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) appare in alcuni episodi della prima e terza stagione, per poi diventare personaggio protagonista dello spin-off a lui dedicato, Torchwood.

A partire dalla quinta stagione, l'Undicesimo Dottore viaggia insieme a Amy Pond, il suo fidanzato Rory Williams e saltuariamente anche con l'enigmatica River Song.

Il nome

Nel primo episodio Barbara Wright deduce erroneamente che il cognome del Dottore sia "Foreman", in quanto il cognome della nipote Susan; nell'episodio successivo Ian Chesterton lo chiama "Dottor Foreman" e il Dottore risponde, confuso: «Eh? Dottor chi? Di cosa sta parlando?» (nell'originale: «Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about?»), spiegando che il suo nome è proprio «il Dottore».

Nella nuova serie è stato più volte suggerito che il nome sia tenuto segreto perché di estrema importanza. Quando Madame de Pompadour legge nella mente del Dottore, la donna commenta «Doctor who? È più di un segreto, vero?».^[11] In seguito è stato ricordato che "Dottore" è un nome falso e che quello vero è tenuto nascosto;^[57] in un dialogo tra il Maestro e il Decimo Dottore viene inoltre rivelato che i due personaggi hanno precedentemente scelto i rispettivi soprannomi.^[10]

L'Undicesimo Dottore riassume la questione dicendo: «Sono il Dottore. Beh, tutti mi chiamano "il Dottore", non so perché; anch'io mi chiamo "il Dottore", e non so perché.»^[28]

Ne Frammenti di memoria il personaggio di River Song, che ha conosciuto il Dottore nel suo passato, gli dice di sapere il suo vero nome. Il Dottore è incapace di capire per quale motivo possa averglielo rivelato, e ne rimane particolarmente colpito. Più avanti viene suggerito che la donna conosca il gallifreyano e che grazie a questa abilità abbia letto il nome del Dottore.^[58]

"Doctor who?"

In una gag ricorrente, il termine "Doctor Who" (ovvero "Dottor chi") è utilizzato da tutti coloro che incontrando il personaggio per la prima volta chiedono, inevitabilmente, quale sia il suo vero nome. Nel serial The Gunfighters il personaggio assume ad esempio l'alias di "Dottor Caligari" e alla domanda «Dottor chi?» lui risponde: «Sì, esattamente.»

Sebbene utilizzato nei titoli di coda, il personaggio non viene mai chiamato col nome "Who", escludendo rare eccezioni in cui il pronome è comunque usato umoristicamente. Nel serial The War Machines ad esempio viene «richiesta la presenza di Doctor Who»; la macchina del Terzo Dottore, "Bessie", ha sulla targa la scritta "WHO 1"; in The Dæmons il Dottore adotta l'alias "Great Wizard Qui Quae Quod" (corrispondente latino del pronome chi); nell'episodio pilota della nuova serie Rose Tyle scopre una sito internet dedicato alla ricerca del Dottore che riporta sulla home page la scritta «Doctor Who?».

Il nome "Doctor Who" appare inoltre nel titolo del serial Doctor Who and the Silurians e in quello dell'episodio The Death of Doctor Who.

Il titolo di "Dottore"

Il Dottore ha spesso specificato di non essere un medico e si è invece fatto chiamare più volte scienziato o ingegnere. Ha comunque dimostrato di avere una certa conoscenza medica e ha dichiarato di aver studiato medicina insieme a personaggi storici come Joseph Lister e Joseph Bell. Il Secondo Dottore dice di aver preso una laurea in medicina a Glasgow durante il 19esimo secolo.^[59]; il Quarto Dottore viene onorato con una laurea presso il St. Cedd's College di Cambridge nel 1960.^[60]

Un ufficiale chiede al Terzo Dottore se fosse effettivamente un dottore e questi gli risponde positivamente, specificando di essere un «dottore in tutto» («doctor of everything»).^[61] Lo stesso viene dichiarato dal Quarto^[62], Quinto^[63] e Decimo Dottore.^[64] Nel serial Robot il personaggio, parlando con un medico, commenta: «Tu sarai anche un dottore, ma io solo il Dottore. Un articolo determinante, possiamo dire.»

In un'occasione River Song spiega che, dal momento che il Dottore ha viaggiato nel tempo e nello spazio aiutando e salvando popoli e razze dalla distruzione, le varie culture dell'Universo hanno adottato nei secoli il nome "Dottore" per indicare un «guaritore e un uomo saggio»;^[65] presso le Foreste Gamma, "Dottore" significa diversamente «grande guerriero», proprio per il fatto che il Dottore vi è andato in guerra.^[65]

Alias ed epiteti

Per praticità, il Dottore spesso utilizza diversi alias e soprannomi.

Il Primo Dottore usa ad esempio lo pseudonimo di Dr. Caligari,^[43] mentre il secondo si fa chiamare "Doctor von Wer" (un'approssimazione del tedesco "Doctor who") e si firma "Dr. W".^[66] Nel serial The Wheel in Space il compagno Jamie McCrimmon suggerisce al Dottore di farsi chiamare John Smith; questo soprannome venne usato da tutte le reincarnazioni successive ed è tuttora l'alias più utilizzato dal personaggio. Il Quarto Dottore viene chiamato "Thete" da un suo ex compagno di università;^[67] più tardi, viene rivelato che è solo un soprannome che sta per "Theta Sigma".^[68]

In una profezia della Faccia di Boe, il Dottore viene chiamato «il Dio solitario» (The Lonely God).^[69] Incontrando la regina Vittoria, si presenta con l'alias di Dr. James McCrimmon; successivamente, la regina gli dà invece il soprannome di «Ser Lord of TARDIS».^[47]

Presso i Dalek, i suoi più grandi nemici, il Dottore è conosciuto come «Ka Faraq Gatri», ovvero «Colui che porta l'oscurità» o «Il distruttore dei mondi»; quest'ultimo epiteto è utilizzato anche da Davros con il Decimo Dottore.^[18] I Dalek lo chiamano inoltre «La tempesta che avanza» («The Oncoming Storm»)^[35] e questo nome è utilizzato dal Dottore stesso, nella sua undicesima reincarnazione.^[28]

Gli autori hanno più volte inserito battute o leggeri riferimenti al nome, senza mai rivelarlo. Negli anni '80 venne spesso utilizzato il punto interrogativo come simbolo del nome del Dottore, sia nella serie che nel merchandise: in un serial del 1978, ad esempio, al Quarto Dottore viene chiesto di firmare un documento ed egli lo fa scrivendo un punto di domanda.^[70]

In un'intervista del 2003, Tom Baker dichiarò che il personaggio è chiamato "Dottore" poiché è un «dottore del tempo e relativa dimensione nello spazio.»^[71]

Nei titoli di coda

Per quasi vent'anni il personaggio venne indicato nei titoli di coda col nome "Doctor Who" o "Dr. Who", sebbene non sia mai stato chiamato in questo modo all'interno della serie. A partire dal 1982, nei titoli il nome dell'interprete affiancò invece il termine "The Doctor" ("Il Dottore").

Nei titoli di coda della nuova serie del 2005 venne nuovamente utilizzato il nome "Doctor Who" fino a quando, nell'episodio The Christmas Invasion, non apparì nuovamente "The Doctor". Quest'ultimo venne utilizzato in tutti gli episodi a venire.

L'età

Durante le prime produzione della serie venne stabilito che l'età del Dottore fosse di 650 anni; tuttavia, l'età non venne mai dichiarata ufficialmente nei dialoghi.^[6] In un serial del 1967 infine il personaggio disse di avere circa 400-450 anni.^[13]

In The Brain of Morbius il Quarto Dottore ha circa 749, mentre in The Ribos Operation, Romana sostiene che l'età del Dottore sia di 759 anni e che l'uomo abbia «preso in prestito» il TARDIS all'età di 236 anni (ovvero 523 anni prima).

In Revelation of the Daleks il Sesto Dottore dice di essere un Signore del Tempo vecchio di 900 anni e in Time and the Rani l'età del Settimo è di 953.

Nel lancio pubblicitario per la nuova serie del 2005 venne dichiarato che l'età del personaggio fosse di circa 900 anni.^[72] Il Nono Dottore, quando gli viene chiesto se abbia effettivamente quell'età, risponde positivamente.^[73]

Nell'episodio Il viaggio dei dannati il Decimo Dottore dichiara di avere precisamente 903 anni; in La fine del tempo dice di averne 906, mentre in Carne e pietra l'età sale coerentemente a 907.

L'autore Steven Moffat ha dichiarato che per il Dottore è impossibile sapere con certezza quanti anni abbia, a causa della natura dei suoi viaggi spazio-temporali.^[74]

Gli undici Dottori

Il recasting dell'attore che interpreta il personaggio è giustificato dall'abilità dei Signori del Tempo di rigenerarsi nel momento prossimo alla morte. Il processo porta alla guarigione di tutte le ferite riportate dall'individuo, ma ha l'effetto collaterale di modificare il suo aspetto e la sua personalità.

La rigenerazione venne introdotta nella trama solo nel 1966, quando ci fu la necessità di rimpiazzare l'attore William Hartnell con Patrick Troughton. Il processo inizialmente venne chiamato «rinnovo» («renewal») o «cambio d'aspetto» («change of appearance»); nel 1974 si parlò invece per la prima di volta di rigenerazione.

Gli undici interpreti del personaggio sono riportati nella seguente tabella.

Dottore	Interprete	Dal	Al
Primo Dottore	William Hartnell	23 novembre 1963	29 ottobre 1966
Secondo Dottore	Patrick Troughton	29 ottobre 1966	21 giugno 1969
Terzo Dottore	Jon Pertwee	3 gennaio 1970	8 giugno 1974
Quarto Dottore	Tom Baker	8 giugno 1974	21 marzo 1981
Quinta Dottore	Peter Davison	21 marzo 1981	16 marzo 1984
Sesto Dottore	Colin Baker	16 marzo 1984	6 dicembre 1986
Settimo Dottore	Sylvester McCoy	7 settembre 1987	6 dicembre 1989
Ottavo Dottore	Paul McGann	27 maggio 1996	27 maggio 1996
Nono Dottore	Christopher Eccleston	26 marzo 2005	18 giugno 2005
Decimo Dottore	David Tennant	18 giugno 2005	1° gennaio 2010
Undicesimo Dottore	Matt Smith	1° gennaio 2010	in corso

•  
  Tom Baker interpreta il Quarto Dottore
•  
  Peter Davison interpreta il Quinto Dottore
•  
  Colin Baker interpreta il Sesto Dottore
•  
  Sylvester McCoy interpreta il Settimo Dottore
•  
  Paul McGann interpreta l'Ottavo Dottore
•  
  David Tennant interpreta il Decimo Dottore
•  
  Matt Smith interpreta l'Undicesimo Dottore

Personalità

Throughout his regenerations, the Doctor's personality has retained a number of consistent traits.^[4] Its most notable aspect is an unpredictable, affable, clownish exterior concealing a well of great age, wisdom, seriousness and even darkness. While the Doctor can appear childlike and jocular, when the stakes rise, as, for example, in Pyramids of Mars, he will often become cold, driven and callous. Another aspect of the Doctor's persona, which, though always present, has been emphasised or downplayed from incarnation to incarnation, is compassion. The Doctor is a fervent pacifist and is dedicated to the preservation of sentient life, human or otherwise, over violence and war,^[75] even going so far as to doubt the morality of destroying his worst enemies, the Daleks, when he has the chance to do so in Genesis of the Daleks, and again in Evolution of the Daleks. He also, in The Time Monster, begs Kronos to spare the Master torment or death, unintentionally winning the evil Time Lord's freedom, which he tells Jo Grant was preferable anyway, and forgives the Master for his actions in The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords, vowing to take responsibility for his former friend.

Nonetheless, the Doctor will kill when given no other option and occasionally in self-defence;^[75] examples of this can be seen in The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Dominators, The Invasion, The Krotons, Spearhead from Space, The Sea Devils, The Three Doctors, The Brain of Morbius, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Invasion of Time, Earthshock, Vengeance on Varos, The Two Doctors, Silver Nemesis, World War Three, The Christmas Invasion, Tooth and Claw, The Age of Steel, The Runaway Bride, Smith and Jones and most notably in Remembrance of the Daleks when he arranges for the planet Skaro to be destroyed; it has also been stated that he was responsible for destroying both the Dalek and Time Lord races in order to end the Time War numerous times in the series beginning in 2005. Another example of the Doctor purposely taking a life is The Sontaran Experiment, where he tells his companion Harry Sullivan to remove a device from the Sontaran ship, which causes the death of the Sontaran, something the Doctor knew would happen but Harry did not. In the 2005 episode The End of the World, the Doctor teleports Cassandra back onto the ship and does nothing to prevent her death, even ignoring her cries for help and pity. In situations where fixed points in history must be preserved, the Doctor is sometimes faced with hard choices resulting in the deaths of many; In The Visitation he started the Great Fire of London, and in The Fires of Pompeii he caused the volcano above Pompeii to erupt, which killed everyone in the city (but saved the rest of the world). On other occasions he is seen to be critical of others who use deadly force, such as his companions Leela in The Face of Evil and Talons of Weng-Chiang, or Jack Harkness in "Utopia".

The Doctor has an extreme dislike for weapons such as firearms or rayguns and will often decline to use them even when they are convenient. He has proven capable of using them effectively when necessary, as seen in Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks. He will occasionally use a firearm as a convenient way to bluff his way through a situation, hoping that his foe will not suspect that he does not intend to shoot. He will also occasionally present non-threatening items as weapons so as to fool his enemies, and buy himself time (such as threatening to kill a tribesman with a "deadly jelly baby" in The Face of Evil, brandishing a water pistol in The Fires of Pompeii, or pretending a Jammie Dodger to be a Tardis self-destruct device in Victory of the Daleks).

The Doctor has a deep sense of right and wrong, and a conviction that it is right to intervene when injustice occurs, which sets him apart from his own people, the Time Lords, and their strict ethic of non-intervention.

Although throughout his regenerations the Doctor remains essentially the same person, each actor has purposely imbued his incarnation of the role with distinct quirks and characteristics and the production teams purposefully dictate new personality traits for each actor to portray.

Primo Dottore

From the beginning, the First Doctor was a mysterious figure. He appeared to be a frail old man, despite the eventual revelation that he was actually the youngest of the Doctor's incarnations, and yet was possessed of unexpected reserves of strength and will. (An early writers' guide by script editor David Whitaker describes "Doctor Who" as "frail-looking but wiry and tough as an old turkey".^[76]) He obviously held tremendous knowledge of scientific matters, and yet was unable to pilot his TARDIS time ship reliably; his granddaughter Susan explained this by saying that her grandfather was "a bit forgetful". He was abrasive, patronising, and cantankerous towards his human travelling companions, yet shared a deep emotional bond with his granddaughter Susan. He also harboured a streak of ruthlessness, being willing to lie – and in one case attempt to kill – to achieve his goals. Initially, he distrusted his first two human companions, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, who were forced on him. Over time, however, as they shared adventures together, he grew closer to them, and the TARDIS crew came to share almost a family bond.

Eventually, the Doctor began to enjoy his travels through time and space, taking people along for the ride and was always reluctant and sad to see them go, even when he knew it was for their own good. The Doctor's personality mellowed around the time of the serial Marco Polo, and he evolved into the more familiar grandfatherly figure that children loved.

It was also during this time that the Doctor first met what would become his most persistent adversaries – the Daleks and the Cybermen. It would be the latter encounter that would see the Doctor first regenerate; stating "This old body of mine's wearing a bit thin," he collapsed at the end of the serial, regenerating inside the TARDIS into the Second Doctor.^[77]

William Hartnell described the Doctor as "a wizard", and "a cross between the Wizard of Oz and Father Christmas".^[78] One quirk of the First Doctor was his tendency to become occasionally tongue-tied and stumble over words. Sometimes this was a deliberate acting choice: William Russell recalls that it was Hartnell's idea for the Doctor to get Ian Chesterton's surname wrong, calling him "Chesserman" or "Chatterton".^[79] This character choice also gave the series' producers the ability to use takes in which Hartnell flubbed his lines. Due to the series' tight production schedule, it was rarely possible to reshoot such scenes and dubbing the dialogue was usually not an option. Hartnell suffered from undiagnosed arteriosclerosis, which affected his ability to remember lines, increasingly so as his time on the series progressed.^[80]

Secondo Dottore

He has been nicknamed the "Cosmic Hobo"^[81], as the impish Second Doctor appeared to be far more scruffy and child-like than his first incarnation.

Mercurial, clever, and always a few steps ahead of his enemies, at times he could be a calculating schemer who would not only manipulate people for the greater good but act like a bumbling fool in order to have others underestimate his true abilities. Sometimes this appears simply as a joke, such as in The Tomb of the Cybermen, where he finishes the archaeologists' calculations behind their backs, but at other times, it seems much darker. In The Evil of the Daleks he coldly manipulates Jamie into trying to rescue Victoria (thus setting in motion the Human Factor tests) and is unsympathetic when Edward Waterfield tries to apologise for his collaboration with the Daleks. But despite the bluster and tendency to panic when events got out of control, the Second Doctor always acted heroically and morally in his desire to help the oppressed.

This Doctor is associated with the catchphrases "Oh my giddy aunt!" and "When I say run, run!", and is noted for playing the recorder. In early stories he also demonstrates a fondness for hats and other types of headgear, mainly sporting a distinctive stovepipe hat when outdoors.

Terzo Dottore

The Third Doctor was a suave, dapper, technologically-oriented, and authoritative man of action, who not only practised Venusian Aikido (or Karate), but enjoyed working on gadgets and riding all manner of vehicles, such as the Whomobile and his pride and joy, the canary-yellow vintage roadster nicknamed "Bessie," a construct which featured such modifications as a remote control, dramatically increased speed capabilities and even inertial dampeners.

While this incarnation spent most of his time exiled on Earth, where he grudgingly worked as UNIT's scientific advisor, he would occasionally be sent on covert missions by the Time Lords, where he would often act as a reluctant mediator. Even though he developed a fondness for Earthlings with whom he worked (such as Liz Shaw and Jo Grant), he would jump at any chance to return to the stars with the enthusiasm of a far younger man than himself (as can be seen in his frivolous attitude in The Mutants). If this Doctor had a somewhat patrician and authoritarian air, he was just as quick to criticise authority, too, having little patience with self-inflated bureaucrats, parochially-narrow ministers, knee-jerk militarists or red tape in general. His courageousness could easily turn to waspish indignation; it is thus no surprise that a common catchphrase of his was, "Now listen to me!"

Despite his now-and-then arrogance, the Third Doctor genuinely cared for his companions in a paternal fashion, and even held a thinly-veiled but grudging admiration for his nemesis, the Master, and for UNIT's leader, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, with whom he eventually became friends. In fact, even when his much-resented exile was lifted, the highly-moral and dashing Third Doctor continued to help UNIT protect the Earth from all manner of alien threats.

In general, this incarnation of the Doctor was more physically daring than the previous two, and was the first to confront an enemy physically if cornered (both of his previous incarnations would nearly always attempt to dodge, flee or negotiate rather than attack). This often took the form of quick strikes, with the occasional joint lock or throw—usually enough to get himself and anyone accompanying him out of immediate danger, but usually not to the extent of a brawl, in keeping with the Doctor's non-violent nature. He would only use his fighting skills if he had no alternative, and even then generally disarmed his opponents rather than knock them unconscious. Indeed, his martial prowess was such that a single, sudden strike was usually enough to halt whatever threatened him, and at one point he reminded Captain Yates (physically as well as verbally) that Yates would have a difficult time removing him from somewhere when he did not want to be removed (The Mind of Evil).

Perhaps due to his time spent on Earth, or maybe just as a function of his pacifistic and authoritative tendencies, the Third Doctor was a skilled diplomat (keeping talks going in The Curse of Peladon, for example) and linguist, as well as having an odd knack for disguises; all of this, combined with his formidable galactic experience, often allowed the Third Doctor to play a central role in the events in which he found himself.

Quarto Dottore

To an extent, the Fourth Doctor is the most unpredictable in terms of his emotional depth, slightly more distant and Alien than his other incarnations - before or after.^[82]

Despite his obvious moments of whimsical charm, offbeat humor, permeated by his manic grin, the Fourth Doctor is more aloof and somber than his previous incarnations. He could become intensely brooding, serious and even callous. He also displays a darker edge to his personality and in The Invasion of Time he seems to cruelly taunt and play with the Time Lords, after his emergency inauguration as President. He also has a strong moral code, such as when he faces the dilemma of whether to destroy the Daleks in (Genesis of the Daleks) stating that if he did, he would be no better than the Daleks himself. He is truely appalled at the actions of the Pirate Captain in The Pirate Planet and refuses to listen to Professor Tryst's attempts to justify drug-running in order to fund his scientific work (Nightmare of Eden), simply telling him to go away.

At the same time he is capable of moments of genuine warmth. In The Ark in Space, he salutes the human race's indomitablity and latter stories establish that Earth is his favourite planet (The Ribos Operation). He is the first Doctor to refer to his companions as his best friends.

To his companions, especially Sarah Jane Smith, he was protective and somewhat of a fathering figure. In stories such as Pyramids of Mars he is concerned that he is approaching middle age with almost melancholic weariness, something which becomes the main focus of his personality in his final season. He often contemplates his outsider status to both humanity and his Galifreyian heritage, as he seems more inclined toward a solitary existence (The Deadly Assassin). In contrast to this "outsider existence" he emphasises that he found mankind to be his "favourite species" as if he was scientifically studying it. He could also be furious with those he saw as stupid, frivolous, misguided or just plain evil. When taking charge, he could be considered authoritative to the point of controlling and egocentric. He generally maintained his distance from the Time Lords, remarking in The Pyramids of Mars that, while being from Gallifrey, he doesn't consider himself a Time Lord. He clearly resents that even after they had lifted his exile, they continue to beckon the Doctor whenever they deemed it necessary (Genesis of the Daleks). .

Although like all his other incarnations he preferred brain over brawn, he is a capable swordsman (The Androids of Tara) and fighter when needs dictate, following on from the martial expertise of his immediate predecessor. He improvises non-lethal weaponry when necessary (Genesis of the Daleks), but was also not averse to more lethal weaponry as a necessity against both sentient and non-sentient beings, like the matter-destroying DeMat Gun (The Invasion of Time) or contemporary firearms (Image of the Fendahl and The Talons of Weng-Chiang).

One of the Doctor's most significant relationships occurs during his fourth incarnation and is explored further in his tenth incarnation. His friendship with Sarah Jane Smith is implied to be deeper than the relationships he shared with other companions to that point (as alluded to in the Tenth Doctor episode School Reunion). She is consequently still profoundly affected by their separation many years later in her personal timeline.

Quinto Dottore

The Fifth Doctor was far more vulnerable, sensitive, and reserved than his previous incarnations, and often reacted to situations rather than initiating them. Frequently, he made decisions by flipping a coin. Unlike his more authoritative predecessors, he treated his young companions as parts of a team, and often willingly participated in situations under the leadership of someone else who had the strong command presence that he apparently lacked. However, the Fifth Doctor's boyish appearance, nervous energy, and charm all hid the fact that he was a Time Lord of great age, compassion, and experience.

This Doctor greatly abhorred violence and often hesitated about taking matters into his own hands. For the first time, indecision weighed seriously on the character, and it had its consequences - yet this Doctor was also one of the most courageous of his incarnations. He was willing to take chances with companions like Turlough and Kamelion, who were originally threats, even as he pretended to be unaware of it at first in order to grant his companion the opportunity to do the right thing. He was also willing to make enormous personal sacrifices (Mawdryn Undead) simply to keep his word and liberate others from suffering. It was perhaps the awful realisation that his very existence begat violence and the weight of companion Adric's death on his conscience, and perhaps Tegan's near emotional breakdown as well, that led him to sacrifice his own existence to save his last companion, Peri. In an episode of Doctor Who Confidential, Steven Moffat said that "this Doctor takes the emphasis off the eccentricities and turns it into a pained heroism of a man who is so much better than the universe he is trying to save but cannot bear to let it stand."

The Fifth Doctor was the last to use the original sonic screwdriver, which was destroyed during The Visitation, although the Seventh Doctor and subsequent Doctors were later seen using new versions of the tool. In "Time Crash", he declined to borrow the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

Sesto Dottore

The Sixth Doctor was an unpredictable and somewhat petulant egoist, whose garish, multicoloured attire reflected his volatile personality. He was both portentous and eloquent, even for the Doctor - of whom he saw himself as the finest incarnation yet – and his unpredictability was made even wilder by his mood swings, manic behaviour, bombastic outbursts and glib, unflappable wit. His personality also displayed occasionally fatalistic overtones.

The Sixth Doctor was almost supremely confident in his abilities and did not suffer fools gladly; he sometimes seemed to endure Peri's presence far more than he actually appreciated it, and his superiority complex applied to almost everyone he encountered. His intellect could support his ego; for instance, the Sixth Doctor was the only one who was able to repair and operate the Chameleon Circuit within the TARDIS, allowing it to change shape to suit its surroundings rather than looking constantly like a police box (although the appropriateness of the TARDIS's appearance to its environment was more-or-less nil) in Attack of the Cybermen. However, not only did his melodramatic arrogance and caustic wit eventually subside, it actually hid the fact that this incarnation retained the Doctor's strong moral sense and empathy, as seen in Revelation of the Daleks, in which he showed great compassion for a dying mutant; and The Trial of a Time Lord, where he displayed outrage at his own people for their part in a plot and cover-up which resulted in the death of most of the Earth's population. Underneath his blustering exterior, he was more determined than ever in his universal battles against evil, possessed of a tenacity and a thirst to do what was right that was far more visible than ever before. Despite his often unstable demeanour, he was always ready to act when necessary, and very little – even his companions – could hope to stand in his way.

His condescension towards the universe around him also extended to his companions, especially Peri. While his use of violence against his foes and his abrasive relationship with Peri were both often criticised by fans, the violence was largely in self-defence, and his relationship with Peri had mellowed significantly when the programme returned from hiatus for Season 23's The Trial of a Time Lord.

He was well-known for his love of cats, and always wore one of a number of cat-shaped pins or brooches on the lapel of his patchwork coat, itself said to be the height of fashion on a distant planet^{[senza fonte]}.

The events surrounding the production of Doctor Who in the mid-1980s caused the Sixth Doctor's tenure to be cut short, and for a long time Colin Baker bore the brunt of the blame as the "unlikeable" Doctor.

The Sixth Doctor's return in the Big Finish Productions audio plays, voiced by Baker, have gone some way to changing this impression, with the Sixth Doctor appearing to be a somewhat calmer, wittier and altogether happier character (attributed in-story to the influence of companion Evelyn Smythe). In a 2001 poll in Doctor Who Magazine, Baker was voted the "greatest Doctor" of the audio plays.

The popularity of Baker's portrayal as the Sixth Doctor would appear to have grown substantially in recent times, and his interpretation of the part is now critically acclaimed as one of the strongest by revisionist aficionados. In April 2010, a poll was launched at Yahoo! TV entitled "Who is your favourite 'Doctor Who' actor?", and which to date has attracted more than 300,000 votes. This has seen Colin Baker emerge as a favourite among the eleven actors to have played the part, Baker receiving 19% of the vote, narrowly pipping David Tennant, who currently holds an 18% share. ^[83]

Settimo Dottore

The Seventh Doctor displayed perhaps the most profound change in attitude of any of the Time Lord's personae, beginning as perhaps the most outwardly amiable and bumbling (to the extent of putting himself in danger but not at the cost of his overall great intelligence and benevolent intentions) and progressing into a driven, dark gamemaster whose plans to defeat his adversaries, both old and new, would play out across space and time. He generally displayed an affable, curious, knowledgeable, easygoing, excitable and charming air. However, as he began to choose his battles and keep a tighter grip on his secrets - from his plans to his very identity - he also presented more serious, contemplative, secretive, wistful and manipulative sides with undercurrents of mischief and authority, constantly giving the impression that there was more to him than met the eye.

As something of a showman, the Doctor would sometimes act like a buffoon, usually preferring to manipulate events from behind the scenes; much like his second incarnation, he was prepared to play the fool in order to trick his foes into underestimating him, inevitably leading to their defeat at his hands. He was an adept physical performer and once deployed a repertoire of magic tricks, illusions and escape artistry to this effect as part of his plans. Although his more obvious whimsical tendencies disappeared over time (particularly his spoons-playing), he maintained a fondness for idiosyncratic speeches that occasionally referred to literature, ordinary places and even food and drink amidst the weightier concerns on his mind. He was empathetic to his friends (and even his enemies, such as Helen A) and somewhat melancholic at times (such as during Mel's departure and before his decision to eradicate the Daleks) but now placed greater burdens upon himself in the name of protecting the universe. This may have led him to surround his true intentions in mystery and the use of sleight of hand as befit his fondness for performance, in effect, subverting his more lighthearted qualities to complement and enhance his heroic and darker ones.

Given the Seventh Doctor's appearance and stature, he was surprisingly capable of both directly and indirectly taking control of situations involving strangers, using his greater intelligence to assess and direct events. Concerned with the bigger picture, he would sometimes overlook the finer details and his planning, both pre-prepared and improvised, would sometimes have fatal results and consequences. When he acted to end threats, it was usually a ruthless, destructive and final manoeuvre. He was also not above hiding the truth from his friends and allies and using them in order to complete his schemes and gambits.

His tendency to reveal only select information to his companion Ace – as well as anyone else around them – was utilised both in her education and in their adventures, as if he were the only one who should know all the answers and others should come to their own conclusions. At two points he even abused Ace's trust in him, once to develop her as a person and again to keep her alive (on both occasions, freeing her from the evil influences that had haunted her during her life), while on one of these adventures, he showed great difficulty in admitting his foreknowledge of the situation's severity to her when she finally confronted him. In spite of his immense fondness for her, and her for him, he often frustrated her with his secretive nature as his alien behaviour, the great importance of his objectives (especially his focus on obliterating enemies from his past) and his strong desire to both educate and protect her would lead him to keep even her in the dark and would even subordinate her feelings towards him in order to succeed in their battles. Fortunately, their close, almost familial bond was likely what helped Ace in moving past the feelings of betrayal she sometimes felt towards the Doctor, particularly as he genuinely had her best interests at heart. In fact, while he appeared to be an unassuming figure, fond of performing magic tricks and displaying notable showmanship, the Seventh Doctor was actually quite powerful and calculating, for he would use his friends and foes alike as pawns in his elaborate chess game against "evil". As Ace herself put it, he was "well devious."

In direct contrast to his third incarnation, this Doctor was absolutely opposed to violence of any sort (as demonstrated in stories such as Battlefield, where he stops a battle merely by ordering the warriors to desist) and he was totally against the use of firearms (to the extent of 'talking down' a soldier ordered to execute him in The Happiness Patrol by emphasising the easiness of the kill versus the enormity of ending a life), although he also proved capable of rendering a man unconscious with a touch (Battlefield, Survival). In keeping with his established habits, he would use gadgetry of his own invention when the situation called for it, but never as his final gambit. Instead, he almost always managed to talk his enemies into submission, often into suicide – perhaps most memorably in Remembrance of the Daleks, where he taunts the seemingly last Dalek in existence until it self-destructs, or in Ghost Light, where he defeats the malevolent Light by ramming home the folly of trying to prevent evolution (he employs variations of this 'talk to death' tactic in Dragonfire, Silver Nemesis and The Curse of Fenric, although primarily to manipulate opponents to guarantee the outcome in his favour). Perhaps this Doctor's most definitive stand against violence and savagery was taken when he faced down his arch-foe the Master in Survival whilst resisting the animalistic influence of an alien world, telling his enemy, "If we fight like animals, we'll die like animals!"

It is indeed fitting that this, at times the darkest Doctor of all, should not directly use physical force to implement his actions, even though he seemed to have the universe's weight on his shoulders more often than any other Doctor.

Ottavo Dottoe

The Eighth Doctor encouraged those around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy giving people hints of their own futures, probably to prod them into making the right decisions. It is unclear if the eighth Doctor's knowledge of people's futures comes from historical expertise, psychic power or precognitive ability.

As with the Fifth Doctor, the debonair Eighth Doctor's youthful, wide-eyed enthusiasm actually hid a very old soul with perhaps a darker side. In fact, whereas the Eighth Doctor of the audio plays (voiced by McGann) and the comic strip hew closely to the television movie Doctor, the Eighth Doctor of the novels exhibited what was, at times, a much darker personality, perhaps due to the rather traumatic adventures that he underwent.

The Eighth Doctor also attracted controversy in the television movie, breaking the long-standing taboo against romantic involvement with his companions by kissing Grace Holloway. Fans were extremely divided on this. In the spin-off media that followed, the Eighth Doctor has often been the object of romantic interest, but has shown little to no romantic inclinations of his own.

Fans have also been divided on the Eighth Doctor revealing that he is apparently half-human on his mother's side. However, "Journey's End", an episode of the revived television series, sees the Tenth Doctor accidentally creating a half-human, physically identical second Doctor, and his reaction to the situation implies this is a new experience for him. Also, in the episode The Doctor's Daughter, Jenny, who was created using a skin sample of the Tenth Doctor, is initially dismissed by him since she is not a complete Time Lord, and according to him, "You're an echo, that's all. A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge, a code, shared history, shared suffering".

In the comic storyline 'The Forgotten' it is revealed that the Doctor's claim that he was half human was in fact nothing more than a ruse.^[84]

In all his iterations, the Eighth Doctor has proven extremely prone to bouts of amnesia, a tendency apparently inspired by the plot of his sole television appearance. He also demonstrates, in his first and only televised appearance, a penchant for sleight of hand. He manages to "lift" or pickpocket various items from certain people he meets during his first adventure.

Nono Dottore

As a character, the Ninth Doctor is less of a central heroic figure than an enabler, encouraging his companions and other people he meets to act upon their more positive impulses. Those he meets (in particular Captain Jack Harkness) often credit him with making them better people (this is indirectly referenced in the penultimate episode of Series 3 when the Master calls the Tenth Doctor "the man who makes people better"). He uses this quality alongside his intelligence and the information he gathers to inspire and allow others to act to end the dangers they face, rarely taking direct action himself (although he tended to find himself incapacitated in some manner at crucial moments, therefore requiring the interventions of others).

The Doctor's ninth incarnation was perhaps the most gritty, and informal, masking a lonely, guilt-ridden and melancholic personality with a jovial, witty, forthright and almost manic exterior. Similar to the Fourth Doctor, he would often make jokes in the face of danger, but then become grim and serious when on his own. Like the Sixth Doctor, he also tended to be fatalistic at times, to the point of near-panic when he and Rose were cornered in "The Unquiet Dead" and he realised that he was going to die. Despite being impatient with humans, whom he often referred to as "stupid apes" -- and Mickey receiving particular scorn and being dubbed "Mickey the Idiot" -- the Ninth Doctor was far more tactile with, and reliant upon, his human companions than previous incarnations. He was notably both sentimental and emotional, especially where his closest friend, Rose, was concerned, to the point of allowing her to view her parents' wedding and later, her father's last moments – this being just one example of his occasional lack of caution.

The Ninth Doctor was quite colloquial in his language and spoke with a distinctly Northern accent. Although the Seventh and Eighth Doctor spoke with non-Received Pronunciation accents, the Ninth's era was the first time this was commented on in the series. When Rose questioned him on why, if he was alien, he sounded like he was from the North, the Doctor retorted, "Lots of planets have a North!"

Much of the Ninth Doctor's melancholy, lack of patience, levels of inaction and hard-bitten edge could be attributed to feelings of guilt at being the sole survivor of the Last Great Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, the conclusion of which apparently resulted from his own actions to end the Dalek threat, burning away 10 million of their ships and destroying Gallifrey and his own race in the process. This darker side came to the fore when he encountered the lone Dalek in "Dalek", exhibiting an angry, merciless and vengeful streak which surprised even Rose and led to the Dalek commenting that the Doctor would make a good Dalek. Previously, echoing the ruthlessness of his seventh self, he also impassively stood by as the villainous Lady Cassandra exploded, viewing it a fitting end for her actions (it was left ambiguous as to whether he could have spared her). However, a more light-hearted enthusiasm would surface on occasion, sometimes finding manic delight in tense situations such as his meeting with Charles Dickens (of whom he is a well-versed fan) whilst pursuing a kidnapped Rose. He also displayed a wide pop-cultural knowledge ranging from Dickens to 21st century celebrity gossip, while his joy on saving the victims of the nanogene attack in 1940s London, thus totally avoiding fatalities, restored some of his optimism and self-belief. Ultimately, the Doctor was able to put some of his demons to rest and seemed to find some peace through redemption towards the end of his incarnation. This redemption occurred shortly before his regeneration when he was given the opportunity to vanquish the Dalek fleet once more, but at the cost of the human race. He decided not to do it. When the Dalek Emperor asked if he would rather be a coward or killer, the Doctor merely responded, "Coward. Any day."

In contrast with his successor and in common with his third, fourth and sixth selves, the Ninth Doctor did not shy away from using force in situations he would deem necessary. In "Dalek", he located an alien weapon for use on the last Dalek in existence; were it not for Rose's intervention, he would have used it. In "Bad Wolf", he and his companions escaped from the custody of the Gamestation's armed guards using physical force, with the Doctor throwing a guard against a wall. Later, as he proceeded to the station's control room, he wielded a heavy two-handed weapon, even deactivating the safety as if he was going to use it. However, as he speaks to the controller, he reveals that he had no actual intention of shooting anybody. The Doctor also arranged for lethal weaponry to be used on the Slitheen in "World War Three", sending a missile to destroy the alien family before they could nuke the world.

On several occasions, the Doctor indicates that he is 900 years old, the same age as the Sixth Doctor claimed to be in Revelation of the Daleks. This appears to contradict the original series in which the Seventh Doctor, following his regeneration in Time and the Rani, claimed to be 953 years of age, and who was in turn followed by the Eighth Doctor. To date this discrepancy has yet to be addressed on-screen. (See The Doctor's age.)

The Ninth Doctor's catchphrase, used in a variety of manners, and sometimes ironically, was "Fantastic!" (In 2007, Eccleston joined the cast of the American series Heroes; in the episode "The Fix", Eccleston's character Claude utters "Fantastic!" in the same occasionally ironic fashion as the Ninth Doctor.)

Decimo Dottore

The Tenth Doctor generally displays a light-hearted, talkative, easy-going, witty and cheeky manner, but repeatedly demonstrates a vengeful and unforgiving streak as well. This emerged early on when he sends the Sycorax leader (who is attacking him from behind) falling to his death while commenting that, with him, there are "no second chances".^[85] In "School Reunion", he acknowledges that he is less merciful than he used to be and has stuck to his "one warning" code, punishing his enemies if they persist in their hostilities. This is demonstrated in "The Runaway Bride" when he drowns the Empress of Racnoss' children, prompting Donna Noble to declare that he needs somebody to stop him, and in "The Family of Blood" where he gives each Family member an individual and eternal punishment. His strong personal sense of justice makes him quick to anger when he feels it is violated, as in "New Earth" when he learns of the plague farm run by the Sisters of Plenitude, and after Prime Minister Harriet Jones gives the order to destroy the retreating Sycorax ship, bringing down her government. In "The Waters of Mars", he goes so far as to declare himself above the laws of time, although there are catastrophic consequences as a result. This is coupled, however, with an intense sense of regret of the deaths of both his friends and enemies. In "Journey's End", he has a flashback of those who have died instead of/for him, including Astrid Peth, Jenny, Luke Rattigan, Lynda Moss, and the stewardess from "Midnight". He also offers Davros the chance to escape the destruction of the Dalek mothership, but Davros spits the chance back at him, calling him the "Destroyer of Worlds". A recurring line on the part of the Tenth Doctor is his saying that he is "so sorry" for actions he takes, even as he takes them.

The Tenth Doctor has a tendency to babble, mixing apparent nonsense with vital information, sometimes acting erratically to put his enemies off-guard. He is prone to making comments that to outsiders seem obtuse or rude, sometimes to his own embarrassment. In "The Christmas Invasion" and "Tooth and Claw", he is surprised at his own unintentional rudeness when making disparaging remarks, and Jack Harkness, after reuniting with the Doctor, notes that his "new regeneration (is) kinda cheeky".^[64] He has a tendency to use technobabble to describe scientific concepts before substituting it with a simpler, analogous explanation, such as his description of non-linear temporal physics as "a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff".^[86] He is also able to rapidly switch between moods, from mania to anger to nonchalance and uses this as a form of reverse psychology on several occasions ("Fear Her", "Love & Monsters" and "Army of Ghosts"). In the latter, by switching gears suddenly after failing to dissuade Yvonne Hartman from her current activities, he is able to make her uncertain enough to get his way.

Another recurring theme in the Tenth Doctor's stories is that of his intense loneliness. In "School Reunion", he describes the ability of Time Lords to live so long as a curse, because while his human companions all someday leave him and eventually die, he continues to live. Other characters have also commented on the Tenth Doctor's loneliness. During a conversation with his nemesis, the Master, he admits that since the end of the Time War and the loss of the other Time Lords, he has been "alone ever since". Indeed, when the Master subsequently dies, the Doctor openly weeps over his body. In "The End of Time", he ultimately ends up regenerating in the TARDIS alone, despite visits to his past companions in his dying hours.

The Tenth Doctor is more extroverted and gregarious than his predecessor, quickly establishing a firmer rapport with Rose Tyler's friends and family than he ever did in his previous incarnation. He is openly fond of mankind and is apparently in awe of their tenacity and curiosity, a trait previously exhibited by his fourth incarnation. In "The Impossible Planet", he hugs the leader of an Earth expedition for daring to explore a planet orbiting a black hole merely "because it was there". In "The Age of Steel", he describes human beings as both brilliant and stupid in the same sentence while arguing the necessity of emotions with the Cyber-Controller. The Doctor even goes so far as to exclaim he's willing to battle the Master across the cosmos so long as he leaves Earth alone in "The Sound of Drums". However, he is also quick to criticise mankind when he feels it is necessary.^[87] Indeed, his confidence in the human race becomes far less pronounced in later series, and at the end of "Midnight" he is left speechless after witnessing the steps humans can become willing to take when placed in a threatening situation, as he is almost killed by a panicky group of people who turn on him.

The 2006 series continued the exploration of the Doctor's romantic aspects, with the Tenth Doctor sharing kisses with Rose (albeit while she was possessed by Lady Cassandra) and Madame de Pompadour. In "School Reunion", Sarah Jane Smith all but confesses that she had been in love with him. In "Doomsday", during their farewell, Rose tells the Doctor she loves him; he begins to reply but only manages to say her name before the transmission is cut off, leaving him alone in the TARDIS with tears on his cheeks. After this, whenever he is reminded of Rose he sometimes becomes depressed or pensive. In the audio commentary for "Doomsday", the executive producer, Julie Gardner, claimed that she will confirm to the nation the Doctor was going to "say it back". In Series 3, the Doctor gradually learns that Martha harbours feelings for him before she leaves his company – which he inadvertently inspires by kissing her as a distraction^[88] – and also exchanges kisses with Astrid in honour of "an old tradition" from her home planet. Following the complications with Martha (for which he blames himself), the Doctor seems reluctant to embark on any other potentially romantic companionship, and makes sure that before allowing her to join him, Donna understands that all he wants is a friend. In keeping with this, when he is poisoned in "The Unicorn and the Wasp" and asks Donna to give him a shock of some kind; kissing him proves to be so out-of-character for her that it is sufficient to trigger the detox process.

The Tenth Doctor sometimes dons a pair of spectacles, like the Fifth Doctor, whose youthful appearance he shares. In the 2007 Children in Need special, "Time Crash", the Tenth Doctor notes other inherited/inspired tendencies when meeting the Fifth Doctor, aside from "the brainy specs" (which he observes were worn by the Fifth simply to look clever rather than out of necessity, therefore implying that his are used for the same reason despite the Fifth Doctor stating twice in series that he was actually near-sighted in his left eye ("Castrovalva") and actually needed a corrective lens for that eye), such as wearing plimsolls/trainers and both of their voices becoming high-pitched when shouting. He also exhibits a remarkable sense of taste, again similar to the Fifth Doctor ("Planet of Fire"), able to identify the blood type of a blood sample ("The Christmas Invasion") or the presence of mistletoe oil ("Tooth and Claw") just by licking. He also shares the Fifth Doctor's skill with a cricket ball, as demonstrated in "Human Nature". The Tenth also admitted to the Fifth that he was the Tenth's favourite past incarnation.

The Tenth Doctor speaks with an Estuary English accent, rather than the Salford, Greater Manchester (Christopher Eccleston's own accent) that the Ninth Doctor used, the Received Pronunciation of most earlier Doctors, or Tennant's natural Scottish English. David Tennant told SFX magazine in 2006 that Russell T Davies had asked him to drop his natural Scottish accent, because he felt "we'd like to not go for another obvious regional accent, because I suppose they'd done that".^[89] In a 23 December interview on BBC Radio 1, Tennant explained that a line had been scripted for the Christmas special explaining that the newly-regenerated Doctor had imprinted on Rose Tyler's accent, "like a chick hatching from an egg", but the line was cut from the final programme. The Tenth Doctor also briefly affected a generic American Appalachian accent in "The Christmas Invasion", and a Scottish accent (David Tennant's own) in "Tooth and Claw".

Like the Ninth Doctor, the Tenth Doctor used his sonic screwdriver quite often. This Doctor relied heavily on the device, and chided his fifth incarnation for going "hands free" in "Time Crash", a reference to the Fifth Doctor's loss of the device in "The Visitation". This reliance came to a head when the screwdriver was burned out in "Smith and Jones", having been pushed past its limits in order to boost the radiation output of an X-ray machine. He obtains another screwdriver by the end of the episode.

Much as the Ninth Doctor frequently declared things "Fantastic!", this Doctor has also favoured certain phrases on various occasions, such as "What?!" (like the Fourth Doctor, it is used to refer to something unexpected happening; however, the Tenth sometimes says it three times in rapid succession), "Brilliant!", "oh yes!" (used in an exuberant fashion, often when he has successfully done something), "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry", and the French expression "Allons-y" ("Let's go"). The latter was first used in "Army of Ghosts", where the Doctor stated that he should say it more often and that he would love to meet someone named Alonso so he could say "Allons-y, Alonso!", eventually achieving this aim in "Voyage of the Damned" with midshipman Alonso Frame. He also often used the Italian expression Molto bene ("Very good"). In addition, he often clarifies his own mistakes by beginning with an elongated "Well..." Like his predecessor, the Tenth Doctor shows a fondness for human popular culture—a characteristic not all of his previous incarnations seemed to share—but even more so, to the point where he finds himself unknowingly quoting the song "Circle of Life" from Disney's The Lion King during a confrontation with the Sycorax leader^[85], dropping a reference to Kylie Minogue's Never Too Late^[90] , and referring to the Harry Potter books twice during an encounter with William Shakespeare^[91] .

Undicesimo Dottore

Accento

Il personaggio ha parlato con diversi accenti, a seconda dell'interprete. I primi sei Dottori si adattarono all'inglese britannico standard usato generalmente in televisione (tanto da essere chiamato "BBC English"). Sylvester McCoy usò un leggero accento scozzese, mentre Paul McGann un debole dialetto Scouse. Il Nono Dottore parla con accento del Nord dell'Inghilterra; quando Rose gli chiede se provenga dal Nord, lui le risponde dicendogli che «molti pianeti hanno un Nord.»

Nonostante David Tennant parli normalmente con accento scozzese, gli venne chiesto di utilizzare un accento sudorientale (Estuary English) così come aveva fatto nella miniserie televisiva Casanova.^[92]

Abbigliamento

Conseguentemente al cambio di personalità, ogni reincarnazione del Dottore ha adottato un abbigliamento che la contraddistinguesse.

Il Primo Dottore vestiva un completo tipico dell'era edoardiana, mentre l'aspetto scapigliato del Secondo è stato paragonato a quello clownesco di Charlie Chaplin; il Terzo Dottore preferì il velluto e l'uso di ornamenti, mentre il Quarto vestiva con un cappotto, scarpe troppo grosse, una lunga sciarpa a strisce e talvolta indossava un cappello ad ampie falde.

Il Quinto Dottore portava un completo da crickettista e un taglio di capelli aristocratico, mentre il Sesto una giacca multicolore con una spilla a forma di gatto. Il Settimo Dottore vestiva un cappotto con due sciarpe e una cravatta; in seguito il personaggio divenne più oscuro e misterioso, e il suo abbigliamento tenne più a colori scuri.

Alla sua rigenerazione, l'Ottavo Dottore si vestì con un cappotto e una camicia simili a quelli dell'abbigliamento del pistolero Wild Bill Hickok. Il Nono Dottore, al contrario di tutti i suoi predecessori, veste un anonimo completo composto da una giacca di pelle nera, una maglia a V e delle scarpe di colore scuro.

Il Decimo Dottore sfoggia un cappotto leggero lungo di di colore blu o marrone, una cravatta e scarpe da ginnastica Converse; l'aspetto dell'Unidicesimo Dottore è stato descritto come quello di un professore universitario: indossa una giacca tweed, un papillon e stivali neri.^[93]

Continuity del personaggio

Over the years, different writers and production teams have introduced their own twists to the Doctor's character, sometimes as part of a grand creative reinvention; others, out of narrative convenience or outside pressures. Without one driving vision to maintain continuity, newer details may occasionally seem to contradict earlier ones. Other details—sometimes significant ones—are later ignored, sometimes leading to argument amongst series fans as to how, or whether, these details apply in a broader context.

In the early serials The Edge of Destruction and The Sensorites, it appeared that the First Doctor had only a single heart. The novel The Man in the Velvet Mask by Daniel O'Mahony suggests that Time Lords only grow their second heart during their first regeneration (speculated earlier by John Peel in The Gallifrey Chronicles). In The Mind of Evil, "The Christmas Invasion" and "The Shakespeare Code" one of the Doctor's hearts temporarily stops beating due to intense trauma.

Also during his first regeneration, and for similarly unclear reasons, the Doctor's clothes (save for his cloak and ring, both of which quickly thereafter fall off) changed along with his body (The Power of the Daleks); on all subsequent regenerations the new Doctor generally continues to wear the clothing he regenerated in until he selects a new outfit (though the regeneration from the Fourth to the Fifth Doctors included a change of footwear, possibly due to a continuity error).

In The Brain of Morbius (produced shortly before The Deadly Assassin), visual images displayed during a mental battle between the Fourth Doctor and Morbius can be taken as implying that the Doctor had at least eight incarnations prior to the First Doctor. However, multiple dialogue references throughout the series (particularly in The Three Doctors, Mawdryn Undead and The Five Doctors) contradict this, as well as the fact that the Doctor has regenerated six times since then (as stated in "School Reunion"). Explanations have included theories that the images were of Morbius's previous incarnations (two images that are certainly Morbius also appear, and the game seems to have a symmetrical arrangement), or false images induced by the Doctor. The Doctor Who novels have suggested that these may have been faces of the Other, a figure from Gallifrey's ancient past and the genetic predecessor of the Doctor (although being from the tie-in novels, the canonicity of this character is debatable). The producers, however, intended that these were figures from the Doctor's past. Producer Philip Hinchcliffe has said, "We tried to get famous actors for the faces of the Doctor. But because no one would volunteer, we had to use backroom boys. And it is true to say that I attempted to imply that William Hartnell was not the first Doctor."^[94]

In the Sixth Doctor story arc The Trial of a Time Lord, a Time Lord with the title of the Valeyard (played by Michael Jayston) was revealed to be a potential future Doctor, a "distillation" created somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnations and embodying all the evil and malevolence of the Doctor's dark side. The Valeyard was defeated in his attempt to actualise himself by stealing the Sixth Doctor's remaining regenerations, however, and so may never actually come to exist.

The idea of an "in-between" version of the Doctor has its precedents. In Planet of the Spiders, a Time Lord's future self (described as a "distillation" of the future incarnation) was shown to exist as a corporeal projection that assisted his then-current incarnation. In Logopolis, an eerie and mysterious white-clad figure known as the Watcher assisted in the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. Nyssa commented that the Watcher "was the Doctor all the time" as he merged with the supine form of the fourth Doctor, regeneration beginning just before the merging is complete.

Perhaps the most controversial element from the 1996 television movie was the revelation that the Doctor is half-human ("on [his] mother's side"). The spin-off novels and audios have tried various methods to explain this revelation, suggesting that the Doctor retained some human DNA from his time as Dr John Smith (in which the Doctor, using bought technology, became biologically human with a different persona unaware of his Time Lord self) in the Virgin New Adventures novel Human Nature, or that his origins have become muddied by agents manipulating his personal timestream (the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel Unnatural History), hinting that it is only the Eighth Doctor who is half human, or that only his mother's incarnation at the time of his birth was Human. Kate Orman's novel The Room with No Doors features a time-travelling Victorian lady, Penelope Gate, who later books, such as Unnatural History and The Gallifrey Chronicles, hint may be the Doctor's mother, but do not elaborate on how this came to pass. In the New Series Adventures novel The Deviant Strain by Justin Richards, the Doctor comments that his DNA is "close" to that of humans. In the IDW Comics story "The Forgotten", the Eighth Doctor remarks that he simply convinced the Master he was half-human, "with nothing more than a wide-eyed expression, a couple of words, and a half-broken Chameleon Arch." However, as noted above, the canonical nature of the novels and comics is uncertain. The idea of a "half-human" Doctor is further discredited by the 2008 series finale "Journey's End", wherein the Doctor expresses dismay at his "half-human" double, and explicitly states that a human/Time Lord cross such as Donna becomes in that story has never existed before; events later in the episode show the latter combination to be inherently unstable. Furthermore, it was heavily implied by Russell T. Davies that "The Woman" in The End of Time is the Doctor's mother, and she is clearly one of the Time Lords with a vote on the Council. Despite all this, the notion that the Doctor is part human could certainly explain why he has always held such a strong affinity and protective nature towards the human race.

The Time Lord ability to change species during regeneration is referenced by the Eighth Doctor in relation to the Master in the television movie, being supported by Romana's regeneration scene in the 1979 serial Destiny of the Daleks. The Daleks also implied during the events of The Daleks' Master Plan (1965–66) that the First Doctor's humanoid form is not his actual appearance. The new series has not made any allusions to mixed parentage, simply referring to the Doctor as "alien" or "Time Lord". However, the trade paperback Doctor Who: The Legend Continues by Justin Richards, published to coincide with the new series, refers to the Doctor as half-human. The 2007 Tenth Doctor episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood", adapted from the above-mentioned Seventh Doctor novel, Human Nature, also show the Doctor using technology to become biologically human, although he does so through Time Lord science. Later, in "Utopia", the Master is revealed to have undergone the same process.

Discontinuities

While over the decades several revelations have been made about his background—that he is a Time Lord, that he is from Gallifrey, among others—the writers have often strived to retain some sense of mystery and to preserve the eternal question, "Doctor who?". This back-story was not rigidly planned from the beginning, but developed gradually (and somewhat haphazardly) over the years, the result of the work of many writers and producers.

This has led to continuity problems. Characters such as the Meddling Monk, expressly said to be from the same planet as the Doctor, were retroactively labelled Time Lords, early histories of races such as the Daleks were rewritten, and so on. Series writer Paul Cornell, discussing continuity errors, opines that the modern series' "Time War" can explain away (or retcon) such discontinuities, giving the example of Earth's different destructions in The Ark (1966) and "The End of the World" (2005).^[95] Writer and Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat has gone further, arguing that "a television series which embraces both the ideas of parallel universes and the concept of changing time can't have a continuity error—it's impossible for Doctor Who to get it wrong, because we can just say 'he changed time'".^[96]

Some of the stories during the Seventh Doctor's tenure, part of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", were intended to deal with this issue by suggesting that much of what was believed about the Doctor was wrong and that he was a far more powerful and mysterious figure than previously thought. In both an untelevised scene in Remembrance of the Daleks and the subsequent Silver Nemesis it was implied that the Doctor was "more than just another Time Lord". The suspension of the series in 1989 means that none of these hints were ever resolved. The "Masterplan" was used as a guide for the Virgin New Adventures series of novels featuring the Seventh Doctor, and the revelations about the Doctor's origins were written into the novel Lungbarrow by Marc Platt. However, the canonicity of these novels, like all Doctor Who spin-offs, is open to interpretation.

When incarnations meet

Due to time travel, it is possible for the Doctor's various incarnations to encounter and interact with each other, although this is supposed to be prohibited by the First Law of Time (as stated in The Three Doctors) or permitted only in the "gravest of emergencies" (The Five Doctors). In the 1963–1989 television series, such encounters were seen on three occasions, in The Three Doctors (1972), The Five Doctors (1983) and The Two Doctors (1985). In Day of the Daleks (1972), the Third Doctor and Jo Grant very briefly met their future selves due to a glitch during a temporal experiment (the serial was supposed to end with the same scene depicted from the perspective of the "other" Doctor and Jo, but was excised because it was anticlimactic^[97]). In "Father's Day" (2005), the Ninth Doctor and Rose observed but did not interact with past versions of themselves; when Rose changed history, the earlier selves – after momentarily noticing Rose running past – vanished and a temporal paradox was created that attracted the extradimensional Reapers. The Tenth and Fifth Doctors met in the TARDIS in the mini-episode "Time Crash", which aired on 16 November 2007 as part of the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal. This marks the only time the Doctor has met a previous incarnation since the show's revival. Although the scene aired outside the series itself, it was established as taking place between the events of "Last of the Time Lords" and "Voyage of the Damned."

The BBC novel The Eight Doctors was written by respected Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks, the same author who wrote The Five Doctors. In it, he tries to reconcile the continuity errors of the 1996 movie, while having the Eighth Doctor meet and interact with each of his previous selves.

Physical contact between two versions of the same person can lead to an energy discharge that shorts out the "time differential". This is apparently due to a principle known as the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, and was seen when the past and future versions of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart touched hands in Mawdryn Undead. Oddly, the Doctor's incarnations do not appear to suffer this effect when encountering each other and shaking hands. This has never been explained. An essay in the About Time series by Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood suggests that Time Lords are somehow exempt from the effect by their very nature. Rose Tyler is seen holding an infant version of herself in "Father's Day", with no visible energy discharge, but the contact does allow the Reapers to enter the church in which the Doctor and several others are taking refuge. While doing a live commentary on the episode at the 2006 Bristol Comic Expo, episode author Paul Cornell said that this is supposed to be due to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, even though it is not mentioned by name. He also suggested that the lack of a spark may be down to the fact that the Time Lords were no longer around to manage anomalies.

The interaction of the Doctor's various incarnations produces a continuity anomaly that requires suspension of disbelief on the part of viewers, as one may assume that his past selves would forget that he would later regenerate. In Castrovalva, the newly-regenerated Fifth Doctor clearly indicates that the outcome of his regeneration cannot be predicted; however, the Fifth Doctor should have had memories from his earlier incarnations of having met himself per the events of The Two Doctors and The Five Doctors. Also, the Second, Third and Fifth Doctors should be already familiar with the events of The Five Doctors, having already lived through them multiple times. It has been suggested in fandom that the Time Lords erase the Doctor's memory after such encounters (and in The Two Doctors there is mention of Dastari administering to the Second Doctor a drug that he bemoans "affects the memory"); the novel The Empire of Glass features the First Doctor directly after his return from the events of The Three Doctors, his memory of the adventure having been totally erased barring a vague recollection of meeting "a dandy and a clown". The Virgin Missing Adventures novel Cold Fusion by Lance Parkin suggests that memory-erasure is sometimes, but not always, due to something called "Blinovitch Conservation".

In the 2006 episode "School Reunion", the Tenth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith both seem to indicate in dialogue that they haven't seen each other since her departure from the TARDIS in The Hand of Fear, although this contradicts their having met later during The Five Doctors. She, in that story, does not realise that the Fifth Doctor is a later incarnation of the third and fourth Doctors with whom she had previously travelled. In "Time Crash", the Tenth Doctor remembers and reproduces what he saw himself do when he was the Fifth Doctor, a fact that seems to surprise the Fifth Doctor himself.

Russell T Davies has expressed a dislike for stories in which multiple incarnations of the Doctor meet, stating that he believes they focus more on the actors than on the story itself.^[98] David Tennant had shown enthusiasm for the idea of a multi-Doctor story, but has expressed doubts about the practicality of shows involving multiple previous Doctors, given that three of the actors who played the character are now deceased.^[99]

Since the series revival, there has been one multi-Doctor story, the Children in Need special Time Crash. Before that, the only references to past incarnations (from 1963 to 1996) have been in the aforementioned episode "School Reunion" (in which the Doctor acknowledges having regenerated "half a dozen times" since last seeing Sarah Jane) and in drawings that the Doctor (who has temporarily become human to hide from the Family Of Blood) makes based on dreams of his other life in the 2007 episode "Human Nature". Seen on screen are the First, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors, but a fuller view briefly available on the BBC website depicted all ten incarnations. However in the 2008 Christmas episode, The Next Doctor, the Tenth Doctor discovers an info stamp originally held by the Cybermen, which includes images of all his past selves. This is a clear affirmation of his past, and that the (then) current incarnation was indeed the Tenth. This was reaffirmed in the episode "The Eleventh Hour", when the Doctor asks the Atraxi whether this planet is protected. The Atraxi then shows 10 images, one of each Doctor from the first to the tenth, with the eleventh walking through the image of the tenth at the end. This is also confirmed in the episode "The Lodger", when the Doctor, explaining to Craig who and what he is, points at his face and says, "Eleventh."

Because each new Doctor is different from his previous incarnations, how their personalities interact varies when two or more different incarnations encounter each other. Time Crash featured Peter Davison returning as the Fifth Doctor. This event is explained as occurring due to the current Doctor having left his shields down when rebuilding the TARDIS following "Last of the Time Lords" and then accidentally crossing the Fifth Doctor's timeline, allowing the two TARDISes to merge. When the Tenth Doctor effortlessly averts the impending Belgium-sized hole in the Universe caused by this temporal anomaly, he reveals having known what to do because he saw himself do it as the Fifth Doctor and remembered. He goes on to tell the Fifth Doctor how fond he was of his incarnation and how he influences the current Doctor's personality.^[100] However, in their two meetings, the Second Doctor and Third Doctor had a degree of antagonism towards each other, with the patriarchal First Doctor critical of them both. During the Virgin New Adventures, the Seventh Doctor was occasionally at odds with his subconscious memory of his previous incarnation as his memory of his past self became increasingly associated with the Valeyard, his dark future self, but he eventually accepted his dark side and 'reformed' his memory of his former self, although it was never established how the two Doctors would interact if they had met in person.

Reprising the role

On a few occasions, previous Doctors have returned to the role, guest-starring with the incumbent:

• William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton with Jon Pertwee in The Three Doctors. Originally Hartnell's role had been intended to be more extensive, but his health had deteriorated to the extent that he could only make a limited appearance. In the end, it turned out to be his last television role.
• Troughton and Pertwee with Peter Davison in The Five Doctors, the twentieth anniversary special, with another actor, Richard Hurndall, standing in for the late William Hartnell (the story began with a clip from The Dalek Invasion of Earth featuring Hartnell himself). Tom Baker declined to appear, feeling that the role came too soon after he had left the programme (a decision he later said he regretted^[101]) and the narrative was reworked to use clips from Shada, an intended six-part story from the Fourth Doctor's era that was never completed due to industrial action. A waxwork dummy of Baker from Madame Tussauds was used in the publicity photographs.
• Patrick Troughton with Colin Baker in The Two Doctors.
• Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy – with rubber dummy heads standing in for the late William Hartnell and the late Patrick Troughton—in Dimensions in Time, a charity special in aid of Children in Need in 1993, the programme's 30th anniversary year. Except for the mannequin versions of Hartnell and Troughton, no two Doctors are shown on screen at the same time. (This story was a crossover with EastEnders).
• Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy in the first Big Finish audio adventure, The Sirens of Time.
• Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann- the first three appearing initially as holograms using the Doctors' appearances and later as the Eighth Doctor's subconscious memory of his past selves), with Jon Pertwee posthumously joining them by virtue of an extant fan recording, in the audio adventure Zagreus, a fortieth anniversary special and the fiftieth release.
• Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy in the second half of the audio Project Lazarus (Although the Sixth Doctor in this story is later revealed to be a clone of the Sixth Doctor created from DNA samples extracted during his previous visit rather than the actual Sixth Doctor).
• Peter Davison with David Tennant in the 2007 Children in Need special "Time Crash".
• Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann in the Big Finish Audio The Four Doctors.

Other actors have portrayed the character of the Doctor outside of the television series. For details on this see under Adaptations and other appearances in the main article and Doctor Who spin-offs.

For a list of all actors who have played the Doctor see List of actors who have played the Doctor.

Relazioni sentimentali

Sin dal primo episodio viene fatto presente come il Dottore sia il nonno di Susan Foreman; nessuno dei due personaggi, tuttavia, parla mai dei genitori della bambina. In un episodio del 2006, nella nuova serie, il Dottore dichiara di «essere stato un padre, una volta», suggerendo che a un certo punto della sua vita abbia avuto una famiglia.^[15]

Serie classica

In un episodio il Primo Dottore flirta e si fidanza per errore con un personaggio di nome Cameca,^[102] ma la vicenda si riduce ad essere solo un espediente narrativo.

In seguito, più il Dottore acquistò popolarità tra i bambini, più il personaggio venne dipinto come asessuale e in generale disinteressato alle relazioni sentimentali. Venne quindi stabilita una regola secondo cui il personaggio non aveva il permesso di interagire fisicamente con le figure femminili che lo affiancavano nei suoi viaggi in modi che potessero far intuire una relazione amorosa. Eccezionalmente, il personaggio di Jo Grant bacia sulla guancia il Terzo Dottore prima di lasciarlo e partire per conto suo.^[103]

Il tabù fu poi spezzato dall'Ottavo Dottore, baciando la Dr.ssa Grace Holloway nel film per la televisione del 1996.

Nuova serie

Nella nuova serie del 2005 è stato più volte suggerito che il Dottore possa provare sentimenti di tipo romantico, sebbene faccia fatica ad esternarli. In due occasioni esprime costernazione ricordando che le sue compagne, essendo umane, saranno destinate ad invecchiare e a morire;^[104] a Martha Jones confida inoltre che «preferisce restare solo.»^[12]

Sin dalla prima stagione, viene fatto riferimento a una possibile relazione tra il Nono Dottore e Rose Tyler: molti personaggi li scambiano per una coppia e lo stesso Mickey Smith, fidanzato di Rose, prova gelosia nei confronti del Dottore. Quest'ultimo riesce ad ammettere di amarla solo quando Rose è costretta a lasciarlo poiché bloccata in un'altra dimensione, ma non fa in tempo a dirglielo espressamente.^[105] Commentando l'episodio, il produttore esecutivo Julie Gardner ha dichiarato che «di sicuro lo stava per dire... avrebbe detto a Rose che la amava.»^[106] Successivamente i due personaggi riescono a ritrovarsi, ma le circostanze li dividono nuovamente: Rose torna infatti nell'universo parallelo, seguita questa volta da una copia umana del Decimo Dottore che le sussurra i sentimenti dell'originale all'orecchio. Anche in questo caso, gli autori hanno confermato che le parole in questione avrebbero dovuto essere «ti amo».^[107]

Dopo aver perso Rose, il Decimo Dottore invita Martha Jones ad accompagnarlo nei suoi viaggi; la donna prova dei sentimenti nei suoi confronti, ma quando capisce che non sono replicati decide di lasciarlo per potersi costruire una vita propria.^[108]

La versione umana del Dottore, John Smith, si innamora di un'infermiera di nome Joan Redfern; la loro relazione, destinata a sfociare in un felice matrimonio, viene interrotta quando il Dottore è costretto a riprendere la sua forma originale di Signore del Tempo.^[109]

Il Decimo Dottore e Donna Noble decidono di avere una relazione di natura del tutto professionale e riescono a instaurare una forte amicizia;^[110] in una gag ricorrente, tuttavia, vengono spesso scambiati per una coppia e fanno fatica a spiegare di non essere sposati.

In quattro diversi episodi viene fatto riferimento a un matrimonio (fallimentare) con la regina Elisabetta:^{[111][38][112][113]} il Decimo Dottore, parlando della sovrana, sostiene che la donna non potrà più portare il soprannome di "Regina Vergine".^[111]

Incontrando Madame de Pompadour, instaura con la donna un forte legame: lei lo bacia appassionatamente e in seguito è in grado di leggergli nella mente; il Dottore, tuttavia, riesce a tornare a farle visita solo quando è già spirata.^[11]

La prima compagna dell'Undicesimo Dottore, Amy Pond tenta di sedurlo e lo bacia poco dopo averlo conosciuto.^[114] Il Dottore declina le sue avance e la ragazza torna ad avere occhi solo per il suo promesso sposo, in seguito marito, Rory Williams.

Durante una visita alla Hollywood degli anni '50, il Dottore si fidanza per errore con l'attrice Marilyn Monroe ma tranquillizza i suoi amici dicendo che «il matrimonio non era legalmente valido».^[20]

Nel doppio episodio Le ombre assassine/Frammenti di memoria entra in scena il personaggio di River Song, che rivela di avere una parte importantissima nel futuro del Dottore. Quest'ultimo, che invece la incontra per la prima volta, inizia a fidarsi delle sue parole solo quando scopre che la donna conosce il suo vero nome. I due personaggi si incontrano diverse volte, sempre in ordine temporale sbagliato, e la donna fa intendere che tra loro, nel passato di lei e nel futuro di lui, è nata una relazione sentimentale.

Note

1. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
2. Template:Cita episodio/temp
   
3. (EN) New Doctor actor is youngest ever, su news.bbc.co.uk, BBC News, 4 gennaio 2009. URL consultato il 3 gennaio 2009.
4. (EN) Dr Who profile: Britain's favourite alien, su telegraph.co.uk, Daily Telegraph. URL consultato il 4 luglio 2008. Parametro sconosciuto date ignorato (forse intendevi data) (aiuto)
5. ^ (EN) Best Heroes of All Time, su ugo.com, UGO Networks, 21 giugno 2010. URL consultato il 3 aprile 2011.
6. (EN) David J. Howe, Mark Stammers e Stephen James Walker, The Handbook: The First Doctor – The William Hartnell Years 1963–1966, Virgin Publishing, 1994, ISBN 0-426-20430-1. Parametro sconosciuto luogo ignorato (forse intendevi città) (aiuto)
7. ^ (EN) Doctor Who: The Classic Series – Episode Guide, su bbc.co.uk, BBC. URL consultato il 6 settembre 2011.
8. ^ Doctor Who, regia di Geoffrey Sax – film TV (1996)
9. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
10. Template:Cita episodio/temp
11. Template:Cita episodio/temp
12. Template:Cita episodio/temp
13. Template:Cita episodio/temp
14. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
15. Template:Cita episodio/temp
16. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
17. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
18. Template:Cita episodio/temp
19. ^ Colpo d'occhio (Blink), episodio 3x10, Doctor Who (nuova serie).
20. Un canto di Natale (A Christmas Carol), episodio speciale, Doctor Who (nuova serie)
21. Template:Cita episodio/temp
22. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
23. The Five Doctors, episodio speciale, ventesima stagione, Doctor Who
24. ^ Time Crash, episodio speciale, Doctor Who (nuova serie)
25. ^ (EN) J. E. Lewis e P. Stempel, The Ultimate TV Guide, Orion media, 1999, p. 102, ISBN 0-7528-1805-8. Parametro sconosciuto quotes ignorato (aiuto)
26. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
27. Template:Cita episodio/temp
28. Template:Cita episodio/temp
29. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
30. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
31. ^ (EN) INTERVIEW Russell T Davies talks about THAT Sarah Jane Adventures line, su sfx.co.uk, SFX, 26 ottobre 2010. URL consultato il 5 settembre 2011.
32. The Christmas Invasion, episodio speciale, Doctor Who (nuova serie)
33. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
34. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
35. Template:Cita episodio/temp
36. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
37. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
38. Template:Cita episodio/temp
39. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
40. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
41. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
42. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
43. Template:Cita episodio/temp
44. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
45. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
46. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
47. Template:Cita episodio/temp
48. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
49. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
50. Template:Cita episodio/temp
51. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
52. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
53. ^ (EN) Paul Parsons, The Unofficial Guide: The Science of Doctor Who, Icon Books, 2006.
54. ^ (EN) The War Games, su drwhoguide.com, Doctor Who Reference Guide. URL consultato il 31 agosto 2008.
55. ^ (EN) Full record for Tardis-like adj., su jessesword.com, Science Fiction Citations. URL consultato il 19 aprile 2006.
56. ^ (EN) Case details for Trade Mark 1068700, su patent.gov.uk, UK Intellectual Property Office. URL consultato il 28 gennaio 2007.
57. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
58. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
59. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
60. ^ Shada, serial mai trasmesso, Doctor Who.
61. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
62. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
63. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
64. Template:Cita episodio/temp Errore nelle note: Tag <ref> non valido; il nome "utopia" è stato definito più volte con contenuti diversi
65. Template:Cita episodio/temp
66. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
67. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
68. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
69. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
70. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
71. ^ (EN) The Age News Website, su theage.com.au, The Age, 7 ottobre 2003. URL consultato l'8 aprile 2007.
72. ^ (EN) BBC News, Scary new Dr Who series unveiled, su news.bbc.co.uk, 9 marzo 2005. URL consultato il 16 novembre 2006.
73. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
74. ^ (EN) Steven Moffat, The First Eleven, maggio 2010, SFX Magazine, p. 58. Parametro sconosciuto quote ignorato (aiuto)
75. Doctor Who Confidential; 8 May 2008
76. ^ David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker, Doctor Who: The Sixties, paperback, London, Virgin Publishing, 1992, p. 8, ISBN 0-86369-707-0.
77. ^ Template:Cite serial
78. ^ Howe, pp. 16–17.
79. ^ Howe, p. 19.
80. ^ Howe, p. 17.
81. ^ Doctor Who - Classic Series - Episode Guide - Second Doctor Index, su bbc.co.uk, BBC. URL consultato il 22 June 2010.
82. ^ [http://www.cumberlandspaceman.co.uk/spaceman-home/classic-doctor-who/classic-doctor-who-profile-tom-baker/ Classic Doctor Who Profile - Tom Baker
83. ^ http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/poll_results.html?poll_id=53776&wv=1
84. ^ Doctor Who, The Forgottten, issue #5 page 8.
85. Writer Russell T. Davies, Director James Hawes, Producer Phil Collinson, Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion, BBC One, 25 December 2005.
86. ^ Writer Steven Moffat, Director Hettie MacDonald, Producer Phil Collinson, Doctor Who: Blink, BBC One, 9 June 2007.
87. ^ Writer Chris Chibnall, Director Graeme Harper, Producer Phil Collinson, Doctor Who: 42, BBC One, 19 May 2007.
88. ^ Writer Russell T. Davies, Director Charles Palmer, Producer Phil Collinson, Doctor Who: Smith and Jones, BBC One, 31 March 2007.
89. ^ I agreed to drop Scots accent for Doctor Who - Tennant, 3 April 2006, The Scotsman
90. ^ Writer Mark Gatiss, Director Euros Lyn, Producer Phil Collinson, Doctor Who: The Idiot's Lantern, BBC One, 27 May 2006.
91. ^ Writer Gareth Roberts, Director Charles Palmer, Producer Phil Collinson, Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code, BBC One, 7 April 2007.
92. ^ (EN) Nick Dermody, Third series for Dr Who and Rose, su news.bbc.co.uk, BBC Wales news website, 30 marzo 2006. URL consultato il 29 dicembre 2006.
93. ^ (EN) The Eleventh Doctor’s costume unveiled!, WhovianNet, 20 luglio 2009. Parametro sconosciuto ur ignorato (aiuto); Parametro url vuoto o mancante (aiuto)
94. ^ Lance Parkin, A History of the Universe pg. 255
95. ^ Paul Cornell, Canonicity in Doctor Who, in Paul Cornell's House of Awkwardness, 10 February 2007. URL consultato il 22 July 2008.
96. ^   Moffat, Steven (Panelist), Doctor Who Panel Part 5 SDCC 2008, YouTube, San Diego Comic-Con 2008, 24 July 2008, a 6:53. URL consultato il 28 July 2008.;
    Moffat promises new Who monsters, BBC News, 29 July 2008. URL consultato il 29 July 2008.
97. ^ Pixley, Andrew, "The DWM Archive: The Day of the Daleks", Doctor Who Magazine, #501, 7 March 2001, p.31 (sidebar: "Editing Episode Four").
98. ^ Cameron Robertson, Writer Russell won't be asking old Docs back, in The Daily Mirror, 10 April 2006. URL consultato il 13 April 2006.
99. ^ Rawson-Jones Ben, Tennant talks about multiple Doctor story, in Cult – News, Digital Spy, 23 March 2007. URL consultato il 26 March 2007.
100. ^ Dr. Peter is Back in the TARDIS, in The Sun, 21 August 2007. URL consultato il 16 October 2007.
     Peter is Doctor Grew, in The Sun, 13 October 2007. URL consultato il 16 October 2007.
101. ^ The Tom Baker Years
102. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
103. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
104. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
105. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
106. ^ (EN) Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner e Phil Collinson, Doctor Who Confidential: Doctor Who Commentaries – "Doomsday", BBC, 8 luglio 2006, a 44 min 08 s. URL consultato l'8 settembre 2011.
107. ^ (EN) Zoe Rushton, Gillane Seaborne e Julie Gardner, Doctor Who Confidential: Doctor Who Commentaries – "End of an Era", BBC, 5 luglio 2008, a 24 min 38 s. URL consultato l'8 settembre 2011.
108. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
109. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
110. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
111. La fine del tempo (The End of Time), episodio speciale, Doctor Who (nuova serie)
112. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
113. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp
114. ^ Template:Cita episodio/temp

Bibliografia

• Paul Cornell, Martin Day e Keith Topping, The Discontinuity Guide, Londra, Doctor Who Books, 1995. ISBN 0-426-20442-5
• David J. Howe, Mark Stammers e Stephen James Walker, Doctor Who: The Eighties, Londra, Virgin Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-85227-680-0
• David J. Howe, Walker Howe e Stephen James, Doctor Who: The Television Companion, Londra, BBC Books, 1998. ISBN 0-563-40588-0
• David J. Howe, Walker Howe e Stephen James, The Television Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to DOCTOR WHO, Surrey, Telos Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-903-88951-0

Collegamenti esterni

• Biografia del personaggio su Tardis Index File

{{Doctor Who}} [[en:Doctor (Doctor Who)]] [[ca:Doctor (Doctor Who)]] [[de:Der Doktor]] [[es:El Doctor]] [[et:Doctor Who]] [[fr:Le Docteur (Doctor Who)]] [[he:הדוקטור (דוקטור הו)]] [[pl:Doctor (postać)]] [[zh:神秘博士]]