Quick Links
How many actors have played The Doctor inDoctor Who? It seems like a simple enough question - 14. We have that many numbered time-travelling sweettalkers, so there must be that many actors. If you want to include The War Doctor and Jo Martin, it only goes up by two. Oh, if only it were that simple.
RELATED:Magic: The Gathering – Everything We Know About The Doctor Who Commander Decks
There are recasts, younger versions of The Doctor, audio drama what-ifs?, alternate universes, future versions, and past versions we meet out of time, manifestations, unofficial and non-canon skits, self-insert easter eggs, and so many more. Let’s break down every actor who played The Doctor and answer that question in detail.
Who Has Played The Doctor In The Show?
While there willsoon have been 15 numbered Doctors, the number of actors to have played The Doctor on screen (as in, in a BBC production) is over double that figure.
It allstarted with William Hartnell in the ’60s, who wasreplaced by Patrick Troughtondue to his worsening health, leading to the idea of regeneration as an in-universe explanation behind the revolving door of different lead actors.
We then had Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Paul McGann, capping off the ‘Classic Who’ era. Then ‘NuWho’ continued the show withChristopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Tennant (again), and, as of late 2023, the fifteenth Doctor,Ncuti Gatwa. That totals out 14 actors playing 15 ‘official’ Doctors.
However, a much higher number of31 actors have played The Doctor during the show’s 60 years on air.
In the Fourth Doctor serial The Brain of Morbius, eight crew members lent their likeness to pre-Hartnell incarnations in a brief slideshow. Those eight wereChristopher Barry, Robert Banks Stewart, Christopher Baker, Philip Hinchcliffe, Douglas Camfield, Graeme Harper, Robert Holmes, and George Gallaccio.
In the Fourth Doctor’s final episode, we also hadThe Watcher,a manifestation of The Doctor’s impending death.He was played by Adrian Gibbs.The First Doctor would also be recast for The Five Doctors due to William Hartnell’s passing, andRichard Hurndall took the role.
We then hadMichael Jayston as the Valeyard, an amalgamation of The Doctor’s dark side, in the Sixth Doctor’s last season.Toby Jones later appeared in Amy’s Choice as the Dream Lord, another manifestation of The Doctor’s darkness, this time created by psychic pollen.
John Hurt played The War Doctor, a hidden incarnation between Eight and Nine;Michael Jones played a younger First Doctorduring the episode ‘Listen’;David Bradley was the fourth actor to play the First Doctorin Twice Upon a Time and The Power of The Doctor.Jo Martin was cast as a pre-Hartnell incarnation dubbed by fans as the ‘Fugitive Doctor’, andSacha Dhawan took over The Doctor’s bodyto become ‘The Master Doctor’, bringing us to 31.
Who Has Played The Doctor Outside Of The Show?
Before the idea of regeneration and other Doctors,we would see Peter Cushing play a human version of the characterin two Doctor Who movies based on the show. But he’s not the only actor to have played the character outside the officially recognised canon.
Prior to the 2005 revival, Doctor Who was nearly brought back asan animated webshow with Richard E. Grant as the Ninth Doctor, now more commonly known as the Shalka Doctor. Interestingly, David Tennant appeared in this limited series, as well as Derek Jacobi who played an android version of The Master prior to his debut as The War Master in Utopia. The Shalka revival series was short-lived as only two years later, NuWho began.
There were also several skits. In the Wilderness Years, which was when the show had been canceled following Paul McGann’s TV movie, there was a Comic Relief special The Curse Of Fatal Death, written by future showrunner Steven Moffat, with several Doctors as they regenerated time and time again in a battle with The Master and the Daleks.
Here, we sawRowan Atkinson, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, and Joanna Lumleyplay the role.
Then we haveMark Gatiss.He has not only written for Doctor Who and appeared as Professor Lazarus, Gantok (in an uncredited role), and The Captain in the series, but he once did a fan-made skit where he played The Doctor.Lenny Henry also played The Doctorin two separate skits, one as recent as March 2023.
The Audio Doctors
Outside of the show, Doctor Who has thrived in the world of audio dramas. These let Paul McGann blossom into a fan-favourite Doctor afterhis short-lived stint with the infamous TV Movie, while also giving older actors a chance to come back to the role for even more stories.
However, the first three Doctors and The War Doctor are no longer with us, and several of the newer Doctors are simply too busy to record new episodes, so Big Finish has recast the role several times over the years.
Geoffrey Bayldon, Peter Purves, William Russel, and Stephen Noonanall played the First Doctor;Joe Bassettplayed a child version of the First;Frazer Hines(who played Jamie McCrimmon),David Troughton, andMichael Troughtonplayed their own versions of the Second Doctor;David Warner,Nicholas Briggs, andTim Reloarplayed the Third Doctor;Jon CulshawandTrevor Martinplayed the Fourth Doctor;Jacob Dudmanplayed the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors, andJonathon Carleyplayed The War Doctor.
Finally,David Collings, Ian Brooker, Arabella Weir, and Derek Jacobihave all played Unbound Doctors.That brings us to a total of 27 Doctors outside of the show.
How Many Actors Have Played The Doctor In Total?
In total,at least 58 actors have played the role of The Doctorin one way or another, a much higher figure than the 15 numbered incarnations would have you believe.
So, when someone asks you who your favourite Doctor is, why not throw out a complete curveball and say Lenny Henry?
