Who’s Who in Who? …For Beginners!

When you’re dealing with the world of Geekdom, you can expect some very strong opinions on a wide array of topics. There is no exception when talking with Doctor Who fanatics. They are very devoted to “their” Doctor. They also have their favorite companions as well. Usually the Doctor of choice is the first one they watched. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes a certain Doctor’s humor or mannerisms speak to a viewer more than others.

Whenever you are dealing with a specific subject, certain language and procedure develops. Working with computers, you learn about RAM and ROM while animation artists know all about Squash and Stretch. The same is true for the world of Who.

Before I give you the Doctors, let’s make sure we’re caught up on some brief Doctor Who etiquette:
Fan groups tend to get clever nicknames; for example, Star Trek fans are Trekkers. If you are a fan of the Doctor Who TV series, you are not a Whoster, a DocJock, or a Tardiac; Doctor Who fans are “Whovians.”
Second, it’s never ever “Dr.” Who, but only D-O-C-T-O-R Who! I got severely chastised about this when I first started watching.
Third, his name is not Doctor Who; that is the name of the show. He is referred to as simply “The Doctor.” Again, I got a vicious lecture on the matter in my early Who days.
Fourth, he almost always travels with another person, usually a girl. This person is called his “companion.”
Finally, his blue police box is not a phone booth, it’s the TARDIS. This is an acronym standing for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. And it’s bigger on the inside!

Now that you know the important information, let’s talk Docs:
1st Doctor – William Hartnell
2nd Doctor – Patrick Troughton
3rd Doctor – Jon Pertwee
4th Doctor – Tom Baker
5th Doctor – Peter Davison
6th Doctor – Colin Baker
7th Doctor – Sylvester McCoy
8th Doctor – Paul McGann
9th Doctor – Christopher Eccleston
10th Doctor – David Tennant
11th Doctor – Matt Smith
12th Doctor – Peter Capaldi

As the Doctor nears death, he regenerates into a new form (or new actor!). There are some others that have played the Doctor over the years in movies and special storylines, such as John Hurt who played the War Doctor, a Doctor falling in between 8 and 9, totally confusing the numbering system. But the standard way to refer to them is as it is above.

I honestly don’t have much experience in the show prior to the 9th Doctor, but my favorite is the 10th, David Tennant. He is funny and quirky and enjoyable to watch. Matt Smith took some getting used to after him, but I like Smith too.

So for those with some Who experience… Who’s YOUR Doctor and why?