The two greatest Doctors, John Pertwee and Tom Baker, exemplified what is most precious about the series: not the plots, not the music, not the rubber space alien costumes, but the character of the Doctor himself. Let us finally islolate the lynchpin characteristics of the Doctor once and for all. Without at least several of these characteristics, you have no Doctor, as you have no archetype!
* the Doctor is an older man
The Doctor is an elder, a senex, a wise man. He must therefore be old. He must be no younger than 40, and preferably a lot older. He is a playful old man. Why is that? It is because he has transcended seriousness. He is a timelord! He has transcended all cares, and has been touched deeply by mortality. Life is a game - no matter how serious the situation, he is playing! And yet, he is wise, and old, and experienced. This is so important. A young doctor has no power, no charisma.
* the Doctor is a bit patrician, a bit of a snob
Why is that? Well, part of his power is that he is rich, influential, a man of class, wealth, education and taste. I remember John Pertwee commenting on a red wine (in the very pit of danger, of course: see the point made above), using the most flowery language, completely deadpan. We need to know that the Doctor is a very classy man. Call it the James Bond principle. Even if he is slumming it, like Tom Baker, there is no doubt that this man knows the value of a good red wine. There's a rich vein of humour here, for one thing - it allows him to do the dinner-jacket-inthe-jungle thing. That is always funny. Also, it allows him to speak pompously to aliens. And it allows him unexpected gateways to power. Finally, and most importantly, it allows his assistant - invariably a more street-savvy woman - to deflate his pomposity from time to time. A scriptwriter needs all that to keep the story rattling on.
* the Doctor is very eccentric and even a little embarrassing
Not a regular guy, not a top bloke, not a mummy's boy. Slightly mad, a little unhinged - thereby to absorb the incredible power of the Trickster archetype. The Doctor, you see, has an unpredictable quality that makes him a formidable enemy. He is witty, surprising, and above all intuitive. He never does the obvious thing. Above all, he is never worried. He trusts in the process, even if he openly admits he doesn't know what he is doing! Very imporant - without this, the Doctor is nothing, he has no power. He upsets the applecart, he lacks manners ('would you like a jelly baby?'). He is Dionysus, weaving magical spells and breaking a thousand rules of propriety.
* The Doctor is a master stategist
He plays chess, he admires all strategists. He quotes the greatest warriors and philosophers of war in human history - frequently! He has studied them all. He is a modern Sun Tzu. He is not easily outwitted, and deliberately allows his enemies to underestimate him to gain tactival advantages. He is brilliant like Churchill (just as the daleks were Nazis - we are dealing with the English psyche here, just as we are with James Bond). He is a martial artist of the mind.
What have we been subjected to ever since Tom Baker? A steady succession of herberts, half-arses, young dickheads, losers, tossers and lame brains. Sorry, BBC, but work it out. You have definitely lost the thread, find it again. Sheesh.
― moley, Thursday, 21 June 2007 11:52 (eighteen years ago)
Is this an Azaxyr post from rec.arts.drwho circa 1997?
― HI DERE, Thursday, 21 June 2007 11:54 (eighteen years ago)
I wouldn't know, I'm not a geek. I am a little pissed however.
― moley, Thursday, 21 June 2007 11:55 (eighteen years ago)
lol sci-fi
― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 21 June 2007 11:59 (eighteen years ago)
This guy is describing McCoy's Doctor to a T, actually.
― HI DERE, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:01 (eighteen years ago)
I share this disdain for Nu-Who, but this is partly based on assuming that everything on TV since I stopped having a TV is rubbish.
― The Real Dirty Vicar, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:02 (eighteen years ago)
It does not, HI DERE. Pish and tush, poppycock, and applesauce.
― moley, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:07 (eighteen years ago)
Moley = Chris Chibnail?? Russell?? Take off that Auton mask!!
― Sarah, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:09 (eighteen years ago)
* the Doctor is an older man * the Doctor is very eccentric and even a little embarrassing * The Doctor is a master stategist
HI DERE, 7TH DOC
― HI DERE, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:10 (eighteen years ago)
"The two greatest Doctors, John Pertwee and Tom Baker"
BZZZZZ. stop right there.
― Alan, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:10 (eighteen years ago)
i found something to agree with here: "He is witty, surprising, and above all intuitive. He never does the obvious thing."
the rest "work it out. You have definitely lost the thread, find it again. Sheesh"
― Alan, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:13 (eighteen years ago)
Who is the oldest lead character on TV these days?
― blueski, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:14 (eighteen years ago)
within the logic of the show, or old in the sense of human mannerisms of the character?
― Alan, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:16 (eighteen years ago)
actual age of the actor!
― blueski, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:21 (eighteen years ago)
dont see anything wrong with the original post
― 696, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:22 (eighteen years ago)
i think the idea of britishness cryptically hidden within the post is sort of dead.
― acrobat, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:30 (eighteen years ago)
I generally agree with him on what The Doctor should be - but I don't think the Doctors since Baker have failed to be it, on the whole (I'm not that familiar with Davidson or C Baker, though).
― chap, Thursday, 21 June 2007 12:45 (eighteen years ago)
This is so important. A young doctor has no power, no charisma.
I don't really see why the actor playing the Doctor must be an older man. If the writing is good, it is possible to convey the idea of great age without the looks.
On the other hand, it would be a shame if nobody older ever played the Doctor again.
― accentmonkey, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:05 (eighteen years ago)
Y'all like Tom Baker because everyone in the universe was 0-15 in 1975-81.
Those who were raised on the previous doctors discovered boys/drugs by the end of the 60s, those who were raised on the successive doctors were weaned off the program when it ended in 1989. It's like middle child syndrome, so those who liked Tom Baker are going to be more complacent and vociferous. Discuss.
― JTS, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:05 (eighteen years ago)
Don't think the Doctor as an old man would appeal to kids today much at all.
― blueski, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:09 (eighteen years ago)
he doesn't have to LOOK old - the old man acting young, and the young man acting old, weariness and glee, general confusion about age is tied in with the alien/oppositeness of who.
― Alan, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:14 (eighteen years ago)
must admit itd be good to see him played by a 4 year old
― 696, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:16 (eighteen years ago)
On the other hand, it would *not* be a shame if nobody older ever played the Doctor again.
fixed
― darraghmac, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:20 (eighteen years ago)
blueski OTM.
Davison did a fine job, IMO.
― mitya, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:21 (eighteen years ago)
Davison is still my favorite.
― HI DERE, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:22 (eighteen years ago)
He's probably the best actor ever to have played it (maybe Eccleston).
― Groke, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:24 (eighteen years ago)
Troughton was no slouch, either.
― HI DERE, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:25 (eighteen years ago)
"Above all, he is never worried" - in the name of drama, let's hope not. again with the alien-ness and the opposite of expectation - he often appears unflappably cool when his mind is racing. (this was tom b's forte.) the doctor is also concerned, and therefore worried about, people close to him, and, importantly, for total strangers.
― Alan, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:25 (eighteen years ago)
Saying Tom Baker's Doctor was never worried indicates that you never actually saw any of his stories.
― HI DERE, Thursday, 21 June 2007 13:34 (eighteen years ago)
All of the stuff at the head of the thread has certainly run through my head, though I think nu-who actually works really well most of the time. It's just different, that's all.
I think kids are actually really open minded - they actually don't give a damn about sexual tension with companions etc - that's for the grown-ups. That said, it'd take nerve to have the doctor transform into an irascible 50+ at this point.
― Soukesian, Thursday, 21 June 2007 17:25 (eighteen years ago)
Yeah, and Troughton (a.k.a. The Best Of Them All) was panicking every 5 minutes.
― The Yellow Kid, Thursday, 21 June 2007 19:21 (eighteen years ago)
When I was a kid of about the age when I first watched Dr Who, 30 didn't seem really any less unimaginable than 50+ did. It was all Grown-Up aka Old to me, you know? And there were other elderly eccentric hero (usually mad scientist) characters in the kids' fiction I enjoyed which I don't believe have entirely disappeared.
Obviously (being the bitter type) I could grumble here all day about how in the 60s mature experienced reason was something to aspire to in the way that today only being young and hott and wacky in yr dashing trainers can be, but I don't know that that's a) true / b) The Kids' fault.
Aside from that, an interesting rant which I don't know enough about Old Who to comment on.
― a passing spacecadet, Thursday, 21 June 2007 20:10 (eighteen years ago)
season three starts next week in moleyland, for context.
― energy flash gordon, Friday, 22 June 2007 10:12 (eighteen years ago)
"The two greatest Doctors, John Pertwee..."
Y'see, you're wrong already.
― DavidM, Friday, 22 June 2007 15:17 (eighteen years ago)