Doctor Who actors in order – in production and chronological order

Doctor Who actors in order – in production and chronological order

As a die-hard Doctor Who fan who has witnessed the regeneration of numerous Doctors, I must say that the recent revelations about the multitude of Doctors roaming the universe is nothing short of mind-boggling! It’s like a never-ending Christmas present for us Whovians.


Ncuti Gatwa is really finding his rhythm as the 15th Doctor in Doctor Who, and his second season will be shown next year, along with a special episode for Christmas!

Prior to this, numerous legendary figures have appeared on our television screens since the show debuted in 1963. Each one contributed to the continuous evolution of the series, shaping it into the version we recognize today through their incremental reinventions.

As I sat down to pen my thoughts about this timeless series, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a prophetic statement made by none other than William Hartnell, the original Doctor himself. In an intriguing turn of events, Carole Ann Ford, our very own Susan Foreman, shared that Hartnell had foreseen the profound influence this show would come to wield. Simply incredible!

He certainly wasn’t wrong! Here, we look back at every actor to have played the Doctor.

It should be noted that we are only including the iterations where actors who play The Doctor are in the canon of the BBC series in this list.

In other words, we are excluding performers like Peter Cushing, who played Dr. Who in the films outside of the main series titled “Dr. Who and the Daleks” (1965) and “Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD” (1966), which are not considered part of the official canon.

So, where do they all fall in the timeline of the series – in real life and in the story?

Doctor Who actors in production order 

Doctor Who actors in order – in production and chronological order

In this presentation, these actors have taken on roles as different manifestations of The Doctor throughout the long history of Doctor Who. Their performances are listed in the sequence they appeared in the actual show.

  • William Hartnell as The First Doctor
  • Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor
  • Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor
  • Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor
  • Various as The Morbius Doctors
  • Adrian Gibbs as The Watcher
  • Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor
  • Richard Hurndall as The First Doctor
  • Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor
  • Michael Jayston as The Valeyard
  • Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor
  • Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor
  • Christopher Eccleston as The Ninth Doctor
  • David Tennant as The Tenth Doctor
  • David Tennant as The Meta-Crisis Doctor
  • Matt Smith as The Eleventh Doctor
  • Toby Jones as The Dream Lord
  • John Hurt as The War Doctor
  • Tom Baker as The Curator
  • Peter Capaldi as The Twelfth Doctor
  • Michael Jones as child First Doctor
  • David Bradley as The First Doctor
  • Jodie Whittaker as The Thirteenth Doctor
  • Jo Martin as The Fugitive Doctor
  • Evan McCabe as Brendan
  • Various as The Timeless Children
  • Sacha Dhawan as The Master Doctor
  • David Tennant as The Fourteenth Doctor
  • Ncuti Gatwa as The Fifteenth Doctor

It’s likely that the show will have additional unexpected plots and characters joining as we move forward.

Doctor Who actors in chronological order by story

Doctor Who actors in order – in production and chronological order

In the BBC series, these actors have played The Doctor in the correct sequence based on the show’s internal timeline:

  • Various as The Timeless Children
  • Evan McCabe as Brendan
  • Jo Martin as The Fugitive Doctor
  • Various as The Morbius Doctors
  • Michael Jones as child First Doctor
  • William Hartnell, Richard Hurndall, and David Bradley as The First Doctor
  • Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor
  • Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor
  • Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor
  • Adrian Gibbs as The Watcher
  • Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor
  • Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor
  • Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor
  • Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor
  • John Hurt as The War Doctor
  • Christopher Eccleston as The Ninth Doctor
  • David Tennant as The Tenth Doctor
  • David Tennant as The Meta-Crisis Doctor
  • Matt Smith as The Eleventh Doctor
  • Toby Jones as The Dream Lord
  • Peter Capaldi as The Twelfth Doctor
  • Michael Jayston as The Valeyard
  • Jodie Whittaker as The Thirteenth Doctor
  • Sacha Dhawan as The Master Doctor
  • David Tennant as The Fourteenth Doctor
  • Ncuti Gatwa as The Fifteenth Doctor
  • Tom Baker as The Curator

Conversely, the timeline became even more intricate following the two-Doctor scenario in the 60th anniversary special titled “The Giggle.” Instead of a new Doctor taking over from the old one, the Doctor split into two entities.

In simpler terms, this event might significantly alter the Whoniverse as we know it. Essentially, it suggests that every prior regeneration has been influenced by the bi-regeneration, meaning that each ‘previous’ Doctor survives their death in a separate timeline.

Russell T Davies elaborated that it seems each incarnation of The Doctor returned to existence, equipped with their personal TARDIS, a gift from the Toymaker, and are currently exploring various realms collectively known as the “Doctor-multiverse”.

Doctor Who actors in order – in production and chronological order

These disclosures stem from a mention in the spin-off series called “Tales of the TARDIS,” where Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor explained to Sophie Aldred’s character Ace about his changing appearance by saying, “Time can be quite unpredictable. Sometimes I undergo regeneration, while other times I don’t. It all depends on the viewpoint.

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2024-11-21 19:16