# So "Who" was Your First Doctor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299 "2015-06-01T01:37:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/61 "2015-06-02T02:55:16Z")
One thing that I’m curious about: Prior to the reboot, with Eccleston and then Tennant, and those who follow, was it ever made clear that The Doctor is the last survivor of Gallifrey’s demise? That he is the last surviving Time Lord? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/62 "2015-06-02T03:01:10Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > One thing that I’m curious about: Prior to the reboot, with Eccleston and then Tennant, and those who follow, was it ever made clear that The Doctor is the last survivor of Gallifrey’s demise? That he is the last surviving Time Lord? No–because at that time, he wasn’t. The destruction of Gallifrey, and the Doctor’s role in it, is something that “happened” during the period when the show was off the air. It was a new element in the resurrected show. In the old series, the Doctor returned to Gallifrey several times, and we met a number of other Time Lords who were all alive and well. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/63 "2015-06-02T03:18:02Z")
So, new twist. I really like the writing in the reboot. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/64 "2015-06-02T03:21:28Z")
Christopher Eccleston. I’ve tried to watch some of the older ones, but they just don’t work for me. Favourite Doctor? H’m. Either Eccleston or Tennant. Capaldi may tie in the future, but so far he’s had terrible scripts, and the characterization is simply annoying. Favourite Companion? Rose and Donna Noble. I think I’d like Donna more, but again, she appeared in mainly otherwise lackluster episodes. But those last few she appeared in (Turn Left on) in her season were great. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/65 "2015-06-02T03:29:33Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > My top ten companions: > > Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) > Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) > Frazier Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) > Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) > Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) > Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) > Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) > Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) > Sophie Aldred (Ace McShane) > Louise Jameson (Leela) > > Honorable mention to John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), who would have earned a spot on the list for sure with more episode time as a companion. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You list [_Adric_](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwq34gZb6z1qzhcpf.jpg) higher than [Donna](http://www.panhistoria.com/Stacks/Novels/Character_Homes/HomeImages/D28423.jpeg)? Higher than [Leela](http://doctorwhocompanions.com/files/2011/03/leela-louise-jameson-2.jpg)? Higher than [Clara](http://geekparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Clara_as_Montague-e1356566851355.jpg)? _Adric_, the [Carl](http://image-cdn.zap2it.com/images/walking-dead-season-4-finale-carl-rape-amc.jpg) of _Doctor Who_? Man, are you mad? If your going to pick a male companion, _clearly_ the best is [Rory](http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/608555f9-45b8-40f1-85ac-9004c3fe0c23/e113440f-5d5a-47f0-810e-0dde6264df38.jpg), followed by [Wilf Noble](http://fingerspace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/wilf.jpg), then [Vislor Turlough](http://www.pagefillers.com/turlough/gfx/Turlough.jpg). I mean, duh. Even [Harry Sullivan](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v450/happypotato/harrybowlerhat.png) and [Mickey Smith](http://www.followingthenerd.com/site/wp-content/uploads/noel-clarke.jpg)were more fun than brown-nose Adric and his damned gold star. I won’t even bring up the fact that [Nyssa of Traken](http://peterdavison.s5.com/nyssa.jpg)doesn’t make your list, you…you… you [_Philistine_!](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131027170511/tardis/images/1/10/Rose_Parallel_world_and_my_dad's_still_alive.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/66 "2015-06-02T03:40:02Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > So, new twist. > > I really like the writing in the reboot. It was a new twist, but now it’s pretty silly that the Daleks, who were also wiped from existence, pop up every couple episodes but the Time Lords are still gone. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/67 "2015-06-02T04:08:18Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It was from a Doctor Who monthly audio story produced by Big Finish Productions. “The Rapture.” > > I certainly understand not treating it as canon. Well, it makes “Ace McShane” almost rhyme with “Faith Lehane,” another case of a last name added after a show ended. That kind of makes it work for me. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Even more odd: though Smith remains to my mind both the “real” Doctor and my favorite one, I must admit that Tennant actually is the better actor in the role. Well, Matt was probably trying really hard not to break the props, which may have made it harder for him. (He’s so clumsy!) ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/68 "2015-06-02T04:31:34Z")
William Hartnell. I’m another old timer (and originally from England). I watched Doctor Who live, sometimes from behind the couch, and loved it. I rewatched “The Unearthly Child” recrently; it didn’t hold up well. Liked Pertwee too, but never got in to Tom Baker, so lost track of the series effectively until I saw an episode of “NuWho” on a British Airways flight. That episode was the combination “Bad Wolf”/“The Parting of the Ways”. So my second first Doctor was Eccleston! ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/69 "2015-06-02T04:34:55Z")
Technically Troughton, I’m told, although the one I remember first is Pertwee from about 1972 and 1973. Still my favourite, he had that wonderful pulp hero presence, and the best offsiders as well as villains. The UNIT stories were the best, and UNIT vs. The Master were even better: The Daemons was the all-time best Who story, followed by Carnival Of Monsters, and they could film The Time Warrior tomorrow and it wouldn’t seem out of place. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/70 "2015-06-02T13:23:47Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > No Peri? A most magnificent pair, her and the Doctor. Well, with all due respect to Peri’s pair, she lost me with the giant slugs episode. Couldn’t stand her in that. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/71 "2015-06-02T13:25:24Z")
My first Doctor was Tom Baker, who remains my favorite. Haven’t really kept up with the latest incarnations, though… ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/72 "2015-06-02T13:29:47Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > One thing that I’m curious about: Prior to the reboot, with Eccleston and then Tennant, and those who follow, was it ever made clear that The Doctor is the last survivor of Gallifrey’s demise? That he is the last surviving Time Lord? And to quote River Song: “Spoilers!” Additional information about Gallifrey is revealed in subsequent reboot episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/73 "2015-06-02T13:35:51Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You list [_Adric_](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwq34gZb6z1qzhcpf.jpg) higher than [Donna](http://www.panhistoria.com/Stacks/Novels/Character_Homes/HomeImages/D28423.jpeg)? Higher than [Leela](http://doctorwhocompanions.com/files/2011/03/leela-louise-jameson-2.jpg)? Higher than [Clara](http://geekparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Clara_as_Montague-e1356566851355.jpg)? _Adric_, the [Carl](http://image-cdn.zap2it.com/images/walking-dead-season-4-finale-carl-rape-amc.jpg) of _Doctor Who_? Man, are you mad? If your going to pick a male companion, _clearly_ the best is [Rory](http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/608555f9-45b8-40f1-85ac-9004c3fe0c23/e113440f-5d5a-47f0-810e-0dde6264df38.jpg), followed by [Wilf Noble](http://fingerspace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/wilf.jpg), then [Vislor Turlough](http://www.pagefillers.com/turlough/gfx/Turlough.jpg). I mean, duh. Even [Harry Sullivan](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v450/happypotato/harrybowlerhat.png) and [Mickey Smith](http://www.followingthenerd.com/site/wp-content/uploads/noel-clarke.jpg)were more fun than brown-nose Adric and his damned gold star. > > I won’t even bring up the fact that [Nyssa of Traken](http://peterdavison.s5.com/nyssa.jpg)doesn’t make your list, you…you… you [_Philistine_!](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131027170511/tardis/images/1/10/Rose_Parallel_world_and_my_dad's_still_alive.jpg) Well, when I started watching Doctor Who I was an insufferable know-it-all teenage snot who was on my high school math team. My reasons for identifying with Adric should be obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/74 "2015-06-02T16:32:55Z")
Baker. From PBS in the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/75 "2015-06-02T17:42:59Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Well, it makes “Ace McShane” almost rhyme with “Faith Lehane,” another case of a last name added after a show ended. That kind of makes it work for me. I’ve been wracking my brain for hours, trying to remember a _Doctor Who_ companion named Faith, until I realized this is probably a _Buffy_ reference. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/76 "2015-06-02T20:09:29Z")
I visited my grandparents for a week up in Iowa one summer. Bored and flipping through the channels on an old B/W console set the psychedelic intro to Tom Baker’s Dr. Who caught my eye. I watched the 30 minute episode. I was entranced. Afterwards I leafed through the TV guide to find out it would air again next week, after we left for home! Fast-forward a year later. We went back up to visit my grandparents. I got to watch another 30 minute episode! Years later our local PBS station started to play the series. I could now get two episodes of a story once a week on Saturday nights. I’ve VCR’d episodes and progressed now to cable and Netflix. Over the years I’ve probably seen Every story. Even the stories that don’t exist anymore. It’s true madness when you can watch recreations consisting of recovered bits of film (or animation) mixed with stills. And even whole stories that are just stills and audio recordings. Hard to stay awake sometimes, but I’m glad to have experienced them. Baker, then Pertwee, then Troughton, then Smith, then Tennant, then the others fondly. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/77 "2015-06-02T21:21:16Z")
Tom Baker for me on PBS. I got so hooked that I moved to England in 1988 so that I could see the shows as they came out instead of waiting for them to come to the USA. Sylvester McCoy was the Doctor then but the series was cancelled shortly afterwards. I did get to see Jon Pertwee live on stage in Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure play. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/78 "2015-06-02T23:35:16Z")
Tom Baker, when DW was being run in strip format on a UHF station in Southern California. I’d heard of the series but knew almost nothing about it. The first scene has an old guy lying on the floor suddenly turning into a young guy. 😕 ? Then the dialog from the other characters (Brigadier, Sarah, Benton) indicates he’s apparently done something like this before. 😕 It wasn’t until a chance meeting with a major Who fan in a local bookstore that I got some serious background on the show. But Baker pretty much hooked me regardless. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/79 "2015-06-03T00:08:51Z")
Peter Davidson, believe the episode was “Snakedance.” I don’t recall how much further my local PBS station went at the time, if they got into Colin Baker at all, it wasn’t very far, but then later they started back with Pertwee, eventually going through to somewhere in McCoy’s run. Never watched any of the NuWho stuff, by the time I was really aware that it was happening, they were a couple of Doctors into it, and I don’t have Netflix to site down and watch in order like I’d prefer to at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/80 "2015-06-03T00:23:50Z")
Peter Davison. I scanned this whole page and was really weirded out that nobody else mentioned him, until dzeiger. When I was a kid he was by far the easiest Doctor to catch on television. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299.md?page=5)