DOCTOR WHO is a triumph of the imagination. A premise that is elegantly simple with an enigmatic hero, who is staggeringly brilliant and yet endearingly flawed. The show's strength has always been its consistently powerful writing, and the performance of the lead actor, of who there have been many. (Seven all together in this series.) The premise: A time traveler from an advanced race flees his suffocating, antiseptic society, to experience the wonders of the universe in his time/space vehicle, the TARDIs (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). He starts out as purely an explorer, but soon becomes a galactic crusader, using his amazing science and resourceful ingenuity to defend the weak and fight evil.
When the series first star, William Hartnell, became too ill to continue on in the role, the writers came up with the ingenious concept of "regeneration". Whenever the Doctor is dying, he can regenerate into a newer, healthy form. This explains the seven varying actors, who not only don't look alike, but have decidedly differing personalities.
Doctor One was an aging, eccentric curmudgeon. He had little patience and he didn't suffer fools gladly. He could be very intolerant and dismissive of his traveling companions (except for his beloved Grand daughter Susan) although he started to lighten up as the show went on, learning to enjoy a bemused chuckle once in a while.
Doctor two was a complete reversal. He was friendly, funny and frivolous. He liked to play his flute, wear disguises and use lots of puns. He was like a mischievous little imp. He would certainly show fear at a frightening moment and was not adverse to running away when the situation warranted it. He often played the fool, making himself seem like a bungler...but this was all an act, designed to make people underestimate him. And he knew when to stop playing games. When he was all business, he was very formidable.
Doctor Three Was the most physical and action oriented of the Doctors. Although he was certainly not a young kid, he was athletic and a master of a unique form of martian arts. This Doctor was a product of the James Bond era, relying on gadgets, like his cars "Bessie" and the Whomobile. He was elegant and classy looking, in his ruffled shirt and opera cloak. He exuded a sense of supreme confidence. He always seemed to be in control, no matter what the odds against him.
Doctor Four was eccentric, unpredictable and maybe just a little bit crazy. There was no telling what he'd do or say next. He had a childlike enthusiasm and a sometimes a childish petulance. He would frequently enrage an enemy with his verbals barbs. Wrapped in his long, multi-colored scarf, he'd bound recklessly into danger, grinning that big boyish grin, as if the idea of defeat had never occurred to him. He was as fearless as he was curious.
Doctor Five was a kinder gentler Doctor. He was patient, gentle, and displayed more vulnerability than other Doctors. His amiable nature was often put to the test, since he was saddled with the most disagreeable and argumentative group of traveling companions that any Doctor had ever been burdened with. He tried to play the adult and keep peace among his squabbling crew, but sometimes he just had to storm out and get away from these pests. He was a big sports lover and always dressed in a Cricketers outfit.
Doctor Six was the most unlikable and irritating of all the Doctors. He was bombastic, boastful and belligerent. He showed little sympathy for his companions, and was quick to use lethal force to defeat an enemy.
Doctor Seven began an a comical, impish fun lover, but soon revealed a darker side. He was the most enigmatic Doctor since Hartnell and displayed many layers of mystery beneath his smiling exterior.
The tone of the show changed with each Doctor, and allowed the writers to reinvent the show over and over, keeping it as fresh in it's 26th year as it was in it's first.
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