Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride

June 11, 2011

Doctor Who may not need an introduction but it does need an explanation.

It is a British science fiction show that debuted in 1963, coincidentally on the same day that President Kennedy was shot. It is about a mysterious alien time and space traveler known only as The Doctor and his rotating cast of assistants. Early on the lead actor, William Hartnell, became too old and sick to continue so the part was recast and Patrick Troughton took over as The Doctor. What was really slick was that the producers didn’t just have him continue as the same character, they hit on a way of keeping the show running, potentially, forever. When Patrick Troughton joined the show, he didn’t just slip into the same part. The Doctor “regenerated” into a new version of himself. It was a great way to explain why he looked different and allowed the new actor to bring something new to the role. No matter who plays the part, it is still the same character introduced in 1963, with all the memories and experiences but with a brand new personality. Really, it was a great way to keep the series fresh. All in all, eleven actors have played him on TV, Peter Cushing played him in two feature films, and some others have done non-canonical versions as well.

You can check out some clips of him here, from The Late Night Movie House.

The strips below are a sampling of the first four actors to play the role. While Doctor Who has always (and very unfairly) been called a kid’s show, the comic strips below are positively juvenile and not the best representation of the show. In many cases they are based not on any real knowledge of the show and feature characters who may never have been in the program. I’m also including some strips featuring The Doctor’s biggest foes, the Daleks. They became so popular that they rivaled The Doctor and nearly had their own American TV show. How popular are they? Check out these fangirls:

Daleks

Can you imagine better plumbers?

I freely admit all the flaws in these strips but I still have some affection for them.

William Hartnell

Patrick Troughton (easily my favorite Doctor)

Jon Pertwee

Tom Baker

The Daleks

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