# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/81 "2015-06-03T01:17:19Z")
Smith. I caught a few episodes during a marathon, and decided I liked it. Told my trusty DVR to star a collection. After the first few, it switched over to Tennant, and I have a slight preference for him. I haven’t had a chance to catch much of the original stuff - I really need to sign up for Netflix or something and check it out. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/82 "2015-06-03T01:31:00Z")
Tom Baker – _dubbed into Spanish_ on WAPA’s afternoon block in the 70s. Harry and Sarah as first companions. > [@MrAtoz](#): > > 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. And mostly dedicated to unwittingly proving he made the right call in hitting the road. But, heck, he even got to serve as Lord President (very, very briefly). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/83 "2015-06-03T01:45:27Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > …[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) Nyssa was a lad’s wet dream, but my first companion was Lalla Ward (Romana II), and she had a certain appeal to me at the time. Perhaps because she liked dogs. Then our local station started running some of the older episodes, leading me to discover the curvature of spacetime and Elizabeth Sladen. I mean, Mary Tamm’s Romana just did not seem like a good fit. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/84 "2015-06-03T13:13:38Z")
Pertwee was my first, and I liked his portrayal of the arrogant fop, but Baker was and ever will be _My Doctor_. I remember his first appearance, and how I thought he looked very odd, but I was soon drawn into his enigmatic character. Tennant is my second pick. Very enjoyable performance, and by far the best-looking iteration. I’d hit that, and I’m not even gay. Favorite companion is Leela, by and far (sexy and tough); followed by Sarah Jane Smith (great character) and Donna Noble (great humor). (And, yes **eschereal** , a very honorable mention to Nyssa, my first companion crush.) Favorite episode may be _Horror of Fang Rock_. Scared the ever-loving shit out of me. The Tom Baker years provided me with a lot of high-grade nightmare fuel. > [@Sattua](#): > > 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. I agree, Davidson was a great doctor. He really brought a spirit of adventure to the show. It’s a pity he doesn’t get more love. I think he deserves it. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/85 "2015-06-03T13:41:40Z")
> [@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) I rather liked Adric, although as male companions go I’d still put Rory and Wilf first by a long way. Mickey was, by his own admission, the tin dog of the lot. And while I have a soft spot for Sarah, she was too much of the “scream, fall and twist an ankle when being chased” school to be my favorite of the women. I prefer the companions who could hold their own, like Martha who spent a year walking the world to defeat the Master and was willing to blow up the Earth to stop the Daleks. (By the way - I’m still waiting for the return of Lady Christina. A feisty cat burglar companion would be awesome.) Doctor-wise, the first for me was Tom Baker and he’s still my favorite. There’s a reason he’s the most iconic of the Doctors - it wasn’t just the hat and scarf; it was the _voice_, the voice and the grin that told you that no matter how bad things seemed everything was going to be alright so have a Jellybaby. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/86 "2015-06-03T13:53:12Z")
Hmm. That manic grin was indeed very captivating. But I wouldn’t say it conveyed the message that “everything will be alright.” To me, it said, this man is not normal and delights in situations that sane people would run fast and far from. That grin usually meant that some seriously dangerous shit was about to take place, and several people or creatures were certain to die before the dust settled. Those jelly babies of which you speak. They have seen things you humans wouldn’t believe. They have borne witness to horrors that no delicious confectionary should ever have to experience. ---
**Author:** ![Feint\_of\_Spades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Feint\_of\_Spades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feint_of_Spades)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/87 "2015-06-03T13:54:19Z")
Eccleston was my first, but like others, I’ve liked Matt Smith the most. I have gone back and watched some of the early seasons, though I have just gotten to Baker and don’t know him that well yet. My favorite early Dr. right now was William Hartnell. I was a big fan of the contrast to the new-school Drs. and liked the curmudgeon attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/88 "2015-06-03T13:58:27Z")
> [@Not\_Carlson](#): > > Hmm. That manic grin was indeed very captivating. > But I wouldn’t say it conveyed the message that “everything will be alright.” > To me, it said, this man is not normal and delights in situations that sane people would run fast and far from. > That grin usually meant that some seriously dangerous shit was about to take place, and several people or creatures were certain to die before the dust settled. > > Those jelly babies of which you speak. > They have seen things you humans wouldn’t believe. > They have borne witness to horrors that no delicious confectionary should ever have to experience. Well, okay - “everything was going to be alright _eventually_, after a certain amount of death and screaming and facing unspeakable monsters and violating the physical laws of the universe and other miscellaneous fun activities”. Better? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/89 "2015-06-03T14:44:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > My reasons for identifying with Adric should be obvious. In case they aren’t, what are they? > [@JerrySTL](#): > > 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. Are you still in Engleland? I started with NuWho so Eccleston was my first. ---
**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 3, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/90 "2015-06-03T20:06:10Z")
I have to say that for all his amiable man-child persona, nobody did sudden hissing contempt quite like Baker: there was steel behind the grin. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/91 "2015-06-03T20:15:04Z")
Tom Baker on PBS. I think the US was 10 years behind the UK at the time. ---
**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 4, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/92 "2015-06-04T01:26:27Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > 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. Five by five. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/93 "2015-06-04T01:27:22Z")
Jon Pertwee. I have dim memories of watching a few Patrick Troughton stories–including some which no longer exist (_The Wheel in Space_, for example)–but Pertwee is the first I remember clearly. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/94 "2015-06-04T02:10:01Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Tom Baker on PBS. I think the US was 10 years behind the UK at the time. I swear I was seeing Tom Baker’s doctor in the late '70s on KOAP, so not all the country was so far behind. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/95 "2015-06-04T08:25:34Z")
Favourite Companion - until this latest season I’m currently watching (8th) I would have said Rose, with Amy a close second, but now, I’m swinging round to Clara Oswald. Which is not a common opinion, seemingly. It might change before the end of the season (just watched the Mummy episode) ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/96 "2015-06-04T11:54:49Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > In case they aren’t, what are they? > Are you still in Engleland? > I started with NuWho so Eccleston was my first. No. I moved back to the USA in 1992. I really enjoyed my time in England. I was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/97 "2015-06-04T14:21:27Z")
My first was Pertwee in “Inferno,” which I watched on a little black-and-white TV (remember those?). It’s a very heavy story for a new Who watcher to get into, not only because of the whole parallel worlds thing, but because he uses the Tardis console to time travel without the Tardis itself, something I don’t think he ever did before or since. Favorite Doctor: Tom Baker, with Tennant runner-up. Favorite Companion: Sarah Jane in a walk. Always and forever the most lovably, recognizably human of the bunch. (But I will pile on and say yeah, that Nyssa was pretty damn cute. Remember when she fell in that ditch in “Castrovalva,” and made that little “Ewwww” face? Adorbs!) Favorite Story: Almost impossible to choose one, so I’ll cheat slightly and pick one from each era: “Talons of Weng-Chiang” (Classic), “Human Nature/The Family of Blood” (New) Favorite Showrunner: Philip Hinchcliffe. Barry Letts a close second. Favorite Writer: Robert Holmes. Who else? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/98 "2015-06-04T14:33:50Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Favorite Writer: Robert Holmes. Who else? I know your “Who else?” is rhetorical, but of course the other obvious name from the classic era is Terrance Dicks. I would agree with you that Holmes was certainly the better writer, I have a fondness for Dicks because of all those Target novelizations he wrote, which back in the day were the primary way that I was able to experience so many Doctor Who stories. I also appreciate the often hilarious behind-the-scenes tales he tells on the DVD audio commentaries, of which he has done many. I don’t take them too seriously, though. I have the distinct impression that Dicks is one of those guys who never lets the facts get in the way of a good story. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/99 "2015-06-04T16:46:11Z")
Christopher Eccleston. I’ve yet to watch any full episodes before him. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299/100 "2015-06-04T17:08:24Z")
> [@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? Firstly there were other Timelords in the old series: - the Master (first played in 1971 by Roger Delgado) - Romana ( first played by Mary Tamm in 1978. Romana II was played by the beautiful Lalla Ward. 😃 ) - Susan Ford (original episode - the Doctor’s grand-daughter, so presumably at least part-Gallifreyan) Secondly I don’t remember if the old series stated that Gallifrey had been destroyed. :o [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-was-your-first-doctor/721299.md?page=6)