List of actors who have played the Doctor#Audio
{{Short description|People who have portrayed the BBC sci-fi character}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 525
| perrow = 5 5 4
| footer = Fourteen actors have portrayed the Doctor in a leading role in Doctor Who.
| image1 = William Hartnell, 1950 (halftone filtered).jpg
| caption1 = William Hartnell
| image2 = Patrick Troughton in 1984, 1 (cropped).jpg
| caption2 = Patrick Troughton
| image3 = Dr Who, John Pertwee (10842597324) (cropped).jpg
| caption3 = Jon Pertwee
| image4 = Tom Baker, Whovent 1986 (cropped).jpg
| caption4 = Tom Baker
| image5 = Peter Davison (24257077900) (cropped).jpg
| caption5 = Peter Davison
| image6 = Colin Baker, Whovent 1986 2 (cropped).jpg
| caption6 = Colin Baker
| image7 = Sylvester McCoy Doctor (cropped).jpg
| caption7 = Sylvester McCoy
| image8 = Paul McGann (15823173960) (cropped).jpg
| caption8 = Paul McGann
| image9 = Christopher Eccleston London (cropped).jpg
| caption9 = Christopher Eccleston
| image10 = Fourteenth Doctor in Wild Blue Yonder (cropped).png
| caption10 = David Tennant
| image11 = Eleventh Doctor.jpg
| caption11 = Matt Smith
| image12 = Peter Capaldi (48649225308) (cropped).jpg
| caption12 = Peter Capaldi
| image13 = Jodie Whittaker (52549715171).jpg
| caption13 = Jodie Whittaker
| image14 = Ncuti Gatwa 3 (further cropped).png
| caption14 = Ncuti Gatwa
}}
Fourteen actors have portrayed the Doctor in a leading role in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The series' protagonist, the Doctor is an alien from a species called Time Lords. The transition to each succeeding actor is explained within the narrative through the plot device of regeneration, which allows Time Lords a change of cellular structure when they near death, changing their appearance and personality. The first actor to portray the Doctor was William Hartnell beginning with An Unearthly Child (1963) through The Tenth Planet (1966). In the final moments of the serial, the First Doctor regenerated into Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor.
The most recent incarnation, the Fifteenth Doctor, was played by Ncuti Gatwa, who took over the role from David Tennant following the conclusion of "The Giggle" (2023). Gatwa departed the role in "The Reality War" (2025).{{Cite web |last=Mzimba |first=Lizo |date=31 May 2025 |title=Ncuti Gatwa leaves Doctor Who in shock regeneration |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyvzy82l4no |access-date=31 May 2025 |website=BBC News}}
Outside of television many actors have played the Doctor in various BBC-licensed spin-offs on television, stage, radio, film, audio plays, and webcasts. The character's ability to periodically regenerate appearance and personality has facilitated the ability of new actors to take over the role – in official and unofficial productions – while in most cases maintaining continuity with the television series.
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Television
=Series leads=
=Other=
Audio
= The Doctor in others' bodies =
Other media
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|title=Watching Doctor Who: Fan Reception and Evaluation|last1=Booth|first1=Paul|last2=Jones|first2=Craig Owen|date=25 February 2021|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=9781350185630}}
- {{cite book|title=Doctor Who and History: Critical Essays on Imagining the Past|editor-last1=Fleiner|editor-first1=Carey|editor-last2=October|editor-first2=Dene|date=25 July 2017|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=9781476629810}}
{{refend}}
{{Doctor Who}}
{{Doctor Who characters|selected=Incarnations of the Doctor}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Actors Who Have Played The Doctor}}