Doctor Who: Highway To Terror

A Critical Essay On The Doctor

A short little introduction about the character of the Doctor; For me, the Doctor is the greatest character ever created. A character that has broken world records for having the most told stories about a singular character. This essay will describe the many unique qualities that personify the Doctor as the Doctor and try to include all the various critics and arguments that have been written about the Time Lord. He is full of sophistication, deep and interesting layers, and performed by some of the greatest actors in history.

 I think it begins with saying that each generation has each Doctor they always come to define as "their" Doctor. You may have been a fan since the very beginning of the show way back in 1963 with William Hartnell as the Doctor. Or, you may have grown up during the show's "Golden era" in the 1970s when Tom Baker was Doctor Who. In my case, I joined the Doctor Who fandom when David Tennant was the Doctor when the show was triumphantly in the mid-late 2000s. Perhaps, you may have started watching the show back with Matt Smith when Doctor Who exploded in the US in 2011. As Doctor Who has always been able to renew and adapt itself for every new generation, each viewer from every era would have contrasting views over the character of the Doctor. Some prefer the Doctor to simply be a passing traveller meeting aliens and exploring new times and planets. Other fans may prefer the Doctor to be an enigma, an ancient being that has lived the span of countless lifetimes or to be some powerful God-like being. Most of the Doctor's younger fans however prefer the Doctor to be young and have a sexual partnership with his companion.

Despite the contrasting feelings about what type of Doctor the Doctor should be, the character of the Doctor at his core elements has always remained the same. The Doctor is indeed a mythical figure, inconceivably ancient and always the smartest guy in the room. The Doctor has been around a long time, been there and done that. And if he encountered something new, the Doctor would be intrigued. Although familiar and safe among viewers, he still retains a touch of aloofness. The Doctor can be curious, amused, mischievous and at times melancholy. He is friendly, bright, and fun, but at times he can be brooding and at times dangerous. Fans can stand and look at the Doctor with a sense of aspiring wonder, combined with a sense of foreboding like being in the presence of a tame tiger. 

Never cruel or cowardly, or a man who suffers fools gladly, the word Doctor symbolises the word for healer or physician. A helper and fighter for justice across the universe, with a simple message to teach viewers to treat life in all forms with respect and compassion. The Doctor would stand up for injustice when he witnesses it. He is the powerful hero of his own show. An alien, unpredictable, witty, and resourceful. He is your best friend you wish you could have, someone you can easily trust. A time traveller who uses intellect over aggression and weapons, the Doctor will always use the peaceful solution when he can see it. Asexual to humans, the Doctor would never kill or harm innocent life, not unless his own is immediately threatened. This is not to say the Doctor is without his darker side. He is a figure you would not want to cross with. In spite of his suave charisma and sophistication, the Doctor has been known for going too far on multiple occasions, particularly after he was traumatised after the Time War, believing his people had been obliterated in a frightfully destructive war with his greatest enemy. In a sense, the Doctor is very much like Sherlock Holmes. Usually tall and dark, he can become very snappy with people and bark and them with ruthless condescension. The Doctor is a scientist and a Professor, possessing an eccentric pomposity that helps him assert his authority.

His adversaries are multi-faceted and complex as much as the Doctor himself. He does not bother to reason with the Daleks knowing they are bred with hatred in their DNA. His Moriarty could be regarded as the Doctor's darker self with the same suave and intellect, this megalomaniac instead aims for universal domination and suppression. His never ending battles with the Master is another unique development in the Doctor's character, emphasizing more of the darker elements in his personality. With over 2,000 years of history behind him, the true origins of the Doctor are hard to define. We know the Doctor lies or exaggerates from time to time, claiming once he had 130 lives, and once even that he could change his eye colour 507 times. Aside from his curiosity about the universe and science, and passion to find justice, some have tried to answer the origins behind the Doctor, Time Lords and Gallifrey and have produced fascinating results. The society of Time Lords and their corrupt politics is another reason why the Doctor left his home planet. There is still much we hardly know about the Time Lords and the reasons why the Doctor went on the run in his TARDIS. Was he in exile from his people the whole time? Was he running to something? Or on the run for other motives? The true origins of this are better left underdone for the audience to speculate.

The Doctor and his wonderful time machine are together so old and have seen so much together that they are so strongly linked together. This is because the TARDIS is a living being and after so long, they have become inextricably linked. A homeless traveller with his blue box that is dimensionally transcendental, the Doctor remains a very unique, lonely character. In spite of his many companions, the Doctor is immediate and tactile. You stand too close to him, you could get burnt. Tom Baker once described that playing the Doctor is not an acting part. The fact is that the character is very severely limited. There are boundaries the Doctor cannot go, such as becoming gratuitously violent, interested in romance, acquisitive etc. Therefore, for the actor, he has to keep the audience engaged by surprising them. I do greatly admire the impact Baker's life outside Doctor Who would have had on children's perception of the Doctor. He was always greatly aware to maintain his image in the eyes of the public. For example, if Doctor Who drank alcohol and smoked, then in a child's mind it would also be ok for them to drink and smoke. The Doctor is a major role model in the eyes of children, including yours truly.

One of the wonderful beauties of the Doctor is the ability to, every few years when an actor decides to leave the role, change his appearance and become an entirely new man. Each actor has added a unique new layer to each character. Patrick Troughton had the most challenging task of playing the exact same character as his predecessor but entirely different for the very first time. The success of Troughton's unique performance has enabled the show to renew itself so the show can continue for decades to come. One brilliant element Troughton added to the Doctor was the ability to play a "cosmic hobo", a bit of a buffoon and clown whilst having the ability to keep one step ahead of his enemies. He can be a bit quiet, but loud, a bit common, and a bit exotic, all at the same time. Even when he is fooling about it, he is in fact using his intellect to work out a plan. The majority of Doctors have taken that wonderful element of his portrayal to help develop their characters' own unique Doctors. The majority of later Doctors would cite Troughton as their favourite Doctor!

This is not to say that there is a singular best Doctor by any means. As already stated, the subject of best Doctor is subjective. Some Doctors are more assertive than others, others are more jokey, and others are darker versions of the character. Each actor has been successful in their portrayals. I personally love all the Doctors for their own special ways, which is why I cannot place myself to have a favourite Doctor. I say David Tennant is my favourite Doctor only because he was my Doctor, the first Doctor I saw. Usually, your first Doctor you see is your Doctor. The best cast Doctors I would say, not necessarily the best Doctors, are I'd say Colin Baker, Paul McGann and Peter Capaldi. Tom Baker I would strongly argue didn't just play the Doctor - he became the Doctor! In part thanks to his record-breaking run as the Doctor, Baker is still regarded even today as the Doctor. I would say as well that Peter Capaldi also became the Doctor too, but unfortunately, he was lumped with often very poor material throughout his run. 

Walt Disney once stated that a new audience is watching his works every 7-10 years, and I believe the same holds for Doctor Who. New generations are thrilled by the show and look up to the Doctor as a wonderful role model. The Doctor and the show will continue to captivate and entertain audiences for the rest of time...