Fifth Doctor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Doctor | |
| |
| The Fifth Doctor | |
| Portrayed by | Peter Davison |
|---|---|
| Tenure | 1981–1984 |
| First appearance | Logopolis |
| Last appearance | The Caves of Androzani |
| Number of series | 3 |
| Appearances | 20 stories (69 episodes) |
| Companions | on television: Adric, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Kamelion, Peri in spin-offs: Sir Justin, Gus, Erimem |
| Related Articles | |
| Preceding | Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) |
| Succeeding | Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) |
| Series | Seasons 19 to 21 |
The Fifth Doctor is the name given to the fifth incarnation of the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Peter Davison.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
After the famous and popular Fourth Doctor (as played by Tom Baker), the decision was taken for the next Doctor to be played by someone who presented something of a physical contrast to Baker and by an actor who was already firmly established in the British public's mind. Peter Davison was chosen, due in no small part to his popular and critically acclaimed role as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small, a BBC series based on the books of James Herriot.
The Fifth Doctor's era was notable for a "back to basics" attitude, in which "silly" humour (and, to an extent, horror) was kept to a minimum, and more scientific accuracy was encouraged by the producer, John Nathan-Turner. It was also notable for the reintroduction of many of the Time Lord's enemies; such as the Cybermen, Omega (a founding-father of Gallifrey), the Black and White Guardians, the Sea Devils, and the Silurians.
[edit] Biography
The Fourth Doctor's regeneration into the Fifth was a problematic one, and nearly failed, with the Doctor briefly taking on personality aspects from his four previous incarnations. After recovering in the fictional city Castrovalva, he continued his travels with Tegan Jovanka, Nyssa of Traken and Adric. After trips to the future and the past encountering villains such as Monarch and the Mara, the Fifth Doctor was confronted with tragedy when Adric died trying to stop a space freighter from crashing into prehistoric Earth (Earthshock).
When the Doctor met a new companion, an alien boy stranded on Earth by the name of Vislor Turlough, he did not know that Turlough had been commissioned by the Black Guardian to kill him. Soon after, Nyssa left to help cure Lazar's Disease on the space station Terminus. After meeting the entities known as Eternals racing in yacht-like spacecraft for the prize of "Enlightenment", Turlough broke free from the Black Guardian's influence, and continued to travel with the Doctor and Tegan. The Doctor met three of his previous incarnations when they were summoned to the Death Zone on Gallifrey by President Borusa, who was attempting to gain Rassilon's secret of immortality.
After further adventures in which the Doctor re-encountered old foes including the Silurians and the Sea Devils both Tegan and Turlough left the TARDIS. Tegan would find the death and violence they encountered on their travels too much to bear (Resurrection of the Daleks), and Turlough returned to his home planet of Trion.
Ultimately, the Fifth Doctor and his last companion Peri Brown were exposed to toxic levels of the drug spectrox on Androzani Minor. With only one dose of the antidote available, he sacrificed his own existence to save Peri, regenerating into the Sixth Doctor.
The Fifth Doctor's chosen mode of dress was a variation of an Edwardian cricketer's uniform, and he was even seen to carry a cricket ball in one of his pockets (which saved his life in one adventure). He wore a cream-coloured frock coat, striped trousers and plimsoll shoes. On his lapel, this Doctor wore a celery stalk; he claimed in The Caves of Androzani that the celery would turn purple in the presence of certain gases in the "Praxis" range to which he was allergic. He would then eat the celery, although this allergy was not present in any incarnations before or since.
The Fifth Doctor was also the last to use the original sonic screwdriver, which is destroyed during The Visitation, although the Seventh and his subsequent incarnations were later seen using new versions of the tool.
[edit] Personality
The Fifth Doctor, who was far more vulnerable and reserved than his previous incarnations, would often react to situations rather than initiate them. Unlike his more authoritative predecessors, he would treat his young companions as parts of a team, and would often willingly participate in situations under the leadership of someone else who had the strong command presence that he lacked. However, the Fifth Doctor's boyish appearance, nervous energy, and feckless charm all hid the fact that he was a weary Time Lord of great age and experience.
Despite his youthful body and love of cricket, he greatly abhorred violence and would often be hesitant in taking matters into his own hands. In fact, it was perhaps a combination of realising that his lifestyle begat violence, and the weighing of Adric's death on his mind, that led him to ultimately sacrifice his own existence to save Peri. It is telling that the Fifth Doctor's last word before his regeneration was: "Adric?"
[edit] Other appearances
[edit] Novels
[edit] Virgin Missing Adventures
- Goth Opera by Paul Cornell
- The Crystal Bucephalus by Craig Hinton
- Lords of the Storm by David A. McIntee
- The Sands of Time by Justin Richards
- Cold Fusion by Lance Parkin
[edit] Past Doctor Adventures
- The Ultimate Treasure by Christopher Bulis
- Zeta Major by Simon Messingham
- Deep Blue by Mark Morris
- Divided Loyalties by Gary Russell
- Imperial Moon by Christopher Bulis
- The King of Terror by Keith Topping
- Superior Beings by Nick Walters
- Warmonger by Terrance Dicks
- Fear of the Dark by Trevor Baxendale
- Empire of Death by David Bishop
[edit] Eighth Doctor Adventures
- The Eight Doctors by Terrance Dicks
[edit] Telos Doctor Who novellas
[edit] Comics
[edit] Doctor Who Magazine
- The Tides of Time
- Stars Fell on Stockbridge
- The Stockbridge Horror
- Lunar Lagoon
- 4-Dimensional Vistas
- The Moderator
- The Lunar Strangers
- The Curse of the Scarab
[edit] Doctor Who Yearbook
- Blood Invocation
[edit] Audio
[edit] External links
| The Doctors |
|---|
| First Doctor | Second Doctor | Third Doctor | Fourth Doctor | Fifth Doctor |
| Sixth Doctor | Seventh Doctor | Eighth Doctor | Ninth Doctor | Tenth Doctor |
| Other Doctors |
| Cushing Doctor | Shalka Doctor |
