William Hartnell	First	1963 - 1966	Barbara Wright - Susan - Ian Chesterton	Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension? Have you? To be exiles ...?  The Doctor (100,000 BC, 1963)	The first Doctor was, in appearance, an elderly man. Viewers first met him when teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright followed one of their students, Susan Foreman, back to her 'home' which turned out to be a dark and gloomy junkyard. The Doctor was her grandfather, and Ian and Barbara found themselves whisked away for a succession of adventures in his incredible space and time machine.  Although apparently old, the Doctor presented a sprightly and devious match for those who would cross him. His quicksilver mind worked fast, solving problems and allowing him to talk his way out of - and often into - difficult situations. He could be angry, conciliatory, calming and inspiring. He loved adventure and travel, and the erratic wanderings of his ship seemed to suit his nomadic and eventful life. He also enjoyed the company of others, even though he seemed initially hostile to the idea of anyone travelling with his grand-daughter and himself. He soon grew to respect Ian and Barbara and they learned that behind the occasionally gruff exterior was someone who could be trusted to the end.  The Doctor was, however, a figure of mystery and shadow.  Little was known or revealed about his true motivations or background. Viewers learned that Susan was 'born in another time …another world', that the Doctor could not return to his own planet and  that he really seemed to enjoy the nomadic life.  However exactly from where and when the Doctor and Susan came, or any details about their past lives was kept deliberately vague.  Despite the mystery of his past, the Doctor won the hearts of millions of viewers who came to see him as their weekly guide to other worlds and times.
Patrick Troughton	Second	1966 - 1969	Jamie McCrimmon - Victoria Waterfield - Zoe Heriod	Our lives are different to anyone else's. That's the exciting thing. Nobody in the universe can do what we're doing.  The Doctor (The Tomb of theCybermen, 1967)	It was towards the end of the Doctor's first battle against the dreaded silver Cybermen that the Time Lord collapsed, seemingly from exhaustion. 'This old body of mine is wearing a bit thin,' he muttered before stumbling back to the TARDIS where, before the amazed eyes of his two companions, Ben and Polly, his face blurred and changed, the elderly features giving way to those of a far younger man.  The second incarnation of the Doctor came as much a shock to his companions as to the viewing audience. Gone was the elderly and dignified statesman and in came a clownish, unpredictable figure with a sense of the absurd about him. 'What have you done to BBC1's Dr.Who,' cried Mrs Estelle Hawken in the Radio Times. 'Of all the stupid nonsense! Why turn a wonderful series into what looked like Coco the Clown?' However this was perhaps a minority view and before long the BBC's listings magazine was printing letters of praise.  The second Doctor could be impish, fun-loving and devious, always ready to pull out a recorder and tootle a tune, or to act the idiot in order to gain the upper hand against his enemies. Appearances can be deceptive, however, and the Doctor's skill with words and manipulation was still very much in evidence. This Doctor actively encouraged his foes to underestimate him and played this card to his greatest advantage.  He was also a master impersonator, and loved dressing in a number of disguises over the course of his adventures. These included an old washerwoman, a Redcoat, various soldiers, army officials and indeed any persona that would allow him to continue his fight against evil. As he said to his friends during a battle against the Cybermen on the Moon, 'There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things ... They must be fought.'
Jon Pertwee	Third	1969 - 1973	Jo Grant - Sarah Jane Smith - Elizabeth Shaw	Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.  The Doctor (Planet of the Daleks, 1973)	The Doctor's transformation into his third persona came about as a result of his being captured and put on trial by his own people for interfering in the affairs of others. The Time Lords sentenced him to be exiled to Earth in the twentieth century and for his appearance to change. Thus the character who stumbled from his TARDIS when it materialised on Earth in the twentieth century was very different from that previously known by viewers.  With this third persona, the mischievous charisma of his second incarnation came right to the forefront and the Doctor became an outgoing man of action. He loved to get involved, whether it was chasing wrong-doers by auto-gyro, hovercraft, water-sled or futuristic car, or using his TARDIS to force the Master into a temporal stalemate. He would dash into action with his cloak billowing in the wind and engage his enemies in swordplay and his own special brand of Venusian martial arts rather than verbal sparring.  This incarnation of the Doctor loved gadgets and his sonic screwdriver and souped up  yellow roadster called 'Bessie' were never far from his side.  The Doctor still retained his emotional and moral values. He hated to see any form of life suffer, and was on the side of the oppressed, even when they were suspicious and hostile towards the hand of friendship that he offered.  While based on Earth, the Doctor joined forces with the British branch of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) led by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, and helped them see off a great many threats including the Axons, the Daemon Azal and an infestation of plague-carrying giant maggots. It was also in this incarnation that the Doctor encountered his arch-enemy the Master for the first time - although they may have had an association earlier in their lives - and the two Time Lords developed a love-hate relationship through their respect for each other, even though they were totally opposed to the other's chosen way of life.
Tom Baker	Fourth	1974 - 1980	Adric - K9 - Leela - Sarah Jane Smith - Tegan Jovanka - Romana - Nyssa	There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.  The Doctor (Robot, 1974/5) 	It was a fatal dose of blue radiation from the cave of the arachnid Great One on the planet Metebelis 3 that caused the Doctor to change his form once more. The Doctor had to face his fear and in doing so sacrificed his life for the oppressed people of Metebelis. Thanks to the timely assistance of another Time Lord, K'anpo, the Doctor regenerated once more and was soon to break his ties with UNIT and the Earth and once more become a traveller in time and space.  The new Doctor seemed even more alien than before. He had a quirky dress sense and favoured a wide-brimmed felt hat, a comfortable and voluminous coat with virtually bottomless pockets and an unfeasibly long multi-coloured scarf. With the Doctor's exile to Earth being lifted by the Time Lords part-way through his third incarnation, this new Doctor was able to travel once more and viewed the many worlds he visited with an aloof, almost Olympian, detachment. If there was evil to be fought then he would fight it, but he treated the deaths of individuals as necessary to the greater good. He could be cold and impersonal, but the next moment brimming with enthusiasm for the life of a daisy.  He disarmed opponents with wit, a smile, and, as with the second Doctor, an ability to hide his intelligence. It was those he opposed who took him for a fool that were easiest to defeat. Some however, like Davros, creator of the Daleks, never  underestimated the Time Lord and yet still found him elusive and difficult to trap and destroy.  This incarnation of the Doctor took his TARDIS to the edges of the Universe in a never-ending search for information and excitement. Millions of viewers travelled with him also, making this Doctor's era the most popular in the programme's history.
John Davison	Fifth	1980 - 1984	Adric - Tegan Jovanka - Nyssa - Vislor Turlough	For some people small, beautiful events is what life is all about.  The Doctor (Earthshock, 1982) 	After seven years enjoying adventures in his fourth persona, it was the latest in a line of battles against the Master that caused the Doctor to fall from the gantry of a radio telescope. This fall had been predicted, however, and, to the astonishment of his companions, the Doctor merged with a mysterious being known only as 'the Watcher', the result being another incarnation.  The fifth Doctor was much younger in appearance than any of his predecessors, and had a boyish charm and endearing air of innocence. However his looks belied his intelligence which was put to good use in working out just how to defeat foes as diverse as the burrowing Tractators and the devious Black Guardian.  The Doctor liked to rush headlong into action, often breathless with excitement, and his whirlwind enthusiasm affected those around him, particularly the Australian trainee air-stewardess Tegan, Nyssa, the young girl from Traken, and the Alzarian youth Adric. As this Doctor appeared younger than the others, he often took on a more 'elder brother' role with his companions as opposed to the father figure of earlier incarnations.  The Doctor was trusting and open, especially with his companions, and yet still intolerant of evil. His handling of the Trion exile Turlough was especially sensitive, particularly as the boy was tasked by the Black Guardian to destroy the Doctor and his ship.  As always, the Doctor was the champion of the underdog, but also liked to relax and was not adverse to playing a few overs of cricket when the opportunity arose.
Colin Baker	Sixth	1984 - 1986	Mel	The TARDIS, when working properly,  is capable of many amazing things. Not unlike myself.  The Doctor (Attack of the Cybermen, 1985) 	As might have been expected from the boyish fifth Doctor, he sacrificed his own life so that his companion, Peri, might live. They had both contracted the fatal disease spectrox toxaemia and there was only enough of the antidote for one ...  Where the fifth Doctor had been somewhat staid in his outlook, his only affectation being an eternally fresh stick of celery on his lapel, the sixth Doctor was positively ebullient. Perhaps because the regeneration was brought on by a fatal bodily poison, or perhaps because the Doctor was weakened by the illness, he initially suffered severely from post-regeneration trauma. As Peri discovered, he became unstable and violent, and attacked her physically as well as verbally. Moods of fatalistic melancholy gave way to poetic discourse and bewildering fits of bravado and cowardice. As he recovered from the regeneration, so these atypical seizures faded away, leaving a more mellow Doctor.  He could still be abrasive and brash but there was a human side to him also, one which he tended to keep hidden. However on occasion, when pondering on the destruction of Earth perhaps, or tenderly holding a dying friend, his sensitivity would come to the fore.  This Doctor was certainly not one to fade into the background, and his preferred mode of dress was a totally tasteless outfit comprising a gaudy coat of clashing colours, textures and patterns, green spats, patterned waistcoat and black and yellow striped trousers.  This incarnation of the Doctor never really got a chance to shine as no sooner had he started to enjoy his adventures than the Time Lords pulled him out of time to stand trial once more. It could be said that we never really got to know the sixth Doctor.
Sylvester McCoy	Seventh	1986 - 1996	Ace - Mel	Think about me when you're living your life, one day after another, all in a neat pattern.  Think about the homeless traveller in his old police box, his days like crazy paving.  The Doctor (Dragonfire, 1987) 	After a somewhat dynamic and brightly-flaring sixth Doctor, it perhaps seems strange that his next regeneration would be triggered apparently by his falling to the floor of the TARDIS during an attack by the Rani, another renegade Time Lord. He was promptly kidnapped, drugged and mentally confused by the Rani and it wasn't for some time that the Doctor realised who he really was.  Not surprisingly, this treatment resulted in an initial period of uncertainty and instability, but the Doctor's emerging character featured traits from all his predecessors: wisdom, unpredictable clownishness, a love of gadgets, mystery, the ability to be underestimated and a volatile temper.  This Doctor was also seen to have hidden depths and undercurrents. There was a new sense of mystery and intrigue over his origins: he hinted at being more than just a Time Lord, and a witch from the 17th Century seemed to know many 'secrets' about him, all of which remained untold. If the Doctor was a Time Lord, then his role in the history of that race was in the process of being reassessed.  The seventh Doctor could be dark and manipulative, secretive and angst-ridden, keeping his cards very close to his chest and only allowing others to glimpse a fraction of his true motives and aims. He could also be unpredictable and flippant, enjoying teasing others with his apparent lack of concern when, inside, he was plotting and scheming a way to save everyone. He could happily delay the Gods of Ragnarok with an endless presentation of magical tricks and feats of dexterity and could even use some form of psychic power to incapacitate those who threatened to stand in his way.  Alongside all these traits, he also took on the role of teacher to his companion Ace, often forcing her to confront aspects of her past and personality that she would rather remain buried. Ace flowered under the Doctor's tutelage, and they eventually grew to respect and trust each other.
Paul McGann	Eighth	1996 - ????	Dr Grace Holloway - Chang Lee	Grace, I came back to life before your eyes. I held back death.  Look, I can't make your dream come true forever, but I can make it come true today.  The Doctor (Doctor Who, 1996) 	The eighth incarnation of the Doctor came into being through the most traumatic and violent regeneration that the Doctor had yet experienced. Shot by gangland thugs, rushed to hospital and then anaesthetised and subjected to a heart probe by specialists, the Doctor's alien body was unable to cope and, as far as those attempting to save his life were concerned, he died on the operating table.  Some two hours later his body convulsed and regenerated in the morgue. The new Doctor, staggering from a cold-store dressed only in a sheet was understandably confused. When he began to recover his lost memories, it was to rediscover himself with delight.  This delight was what epitomised the eighth Doctor. He simply loved life. He loved the way a new pair of shoes fitted, the night air,  remembering fireworks in the sky ... all the simple things that people often take for granted. Of course, given that the Master was again scheming to take these away by destroying the Earth gave the Doctor the impetus he needed to gather some good companions around him and to again take up the fight for the Earth.  The Doctor seemed to have picked up some new traits as well. He was an accomplished pick-pocket, able to steal away security passes or pistols with equal ease. He was also far more emotional than previous incarnations, feeling no embarrassment about kissing his companion in triumph as he remembered who he was.  As the Doctor entered his TARDIS once more after again saving the Earth, he left behind his friends: Doctor Grace Holloway and Chang Lee; who no doubt harboured a secret wish that they perhaps could have joined this romantic, endearing, unpredictable, suave, lunatic and caring character on further adventures in space and time.