The 5th Doctor: A Look Back

8/17/08

Well, I can honestly say that, after watching all 20 of Peter Davison's 5th Doctor stories, he gives Tom Baker a run for his money as my favorite Doctor.

Peter Davison first appeared as the Doctor at the end of the story Logopolis, during the Tom Baker regeneration scene. This aired on the 21st of March, 1981. He was only 29 at the time. When I think about how young he was to take over such a huge role in a show that was approaching 20 years on the airwaves, I can't help but feel that he must have been quite scared. After all he was, and still stands as, the youngest actor to take the keys to the TARDIS. I'm about to be 29 myself, and the thought of the weight that must have been on him to not just entertain kids and families every week but to also bring something new to the persona is staggering.

But he did it, and he pulled it off. When he started his regular stint in season 19 in January of 1982, he'd worked out exactly what he wanted to do and he brought a whole new dynamic to the show. He was kind, affable, likable, and diplomatic. He cared for his traveling companions and he was very rarely grouchy. He rarely raised his voice, and he almost always had a smile. When he started, he was very youthful and full of energy and wonder, but as the three years went on, he matured, and by the time he was ready to leave the show, he was sometimes in spectacles and seemed a bit worn.

He had spoken to Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor, about taking the role, and Patrick encouraged him to do three years and get out. You didn't want Doctor Who to define you forever, and you wanted to move on to other projects. Three years, Patrick said, is enough. So as his third year began, Davison, dissatisfied with some of what had happened in stories past, informed John Nathan Turner, his producer, that this would be his last season. What he didn't count on was how memorable that third season would be and how sad he would be when the time came. He started to regret his decision, and was going to talk to JNT about staying, but at this point, it was too late and Colin Baker, his replacement, had already been hired.

So after a brief stint of only three years, Peter Davison closed the door on Doctor Who and left us with a fantastic legacy of 5th Doctor stories and what is, for me, the most memorable regeneration scene of the series.

Seeing him come back to the role 23 years later in the Children In Need special "Time Crash" in which he meets the 10th Doctor, was fantastic, and he still lives on in his Big Finish audio adventures, of which there are many.

Peter took a role that had been held by Tom Baker for seven years, the man who WAS Doctor Who for millions, and not only made it his own, but gave Tom Baker a run for his money.

And in the process, made me a huge fan.