Fifth Doctor

Fifth Doctor
Place of origin:	Gallifrey
Appearances:	Full List of Appearances
Main actor:	[[actor::Peter Davison|Peter Davison]]

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.

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 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 humour (and, to an extent, horror) was kept to a minimum, but 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.

Biography

The Fourth Doctor's regeneration into the Fifth was a problematic one, and nearly failed. After recovering on the planet 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.

Personality

The Fifth Doctor was probably the most human and vulnerable of all the Doctors, less pretentious and selfish, often reacting to situations rather than initiating them and openly expressing his hopes and fears to his companions. His young appearance was reflected in the youthfulness of his companions as well, whom he treated more like parts of a team than their usual subordinate role under previous incarnations. The death of Adric affected him and the rest of his companions deeply.

Despite his youthful body, he was one of the least physical Doctors, preferring to use communication and diplomacy to solve a problem. In contrast to some of his more aggressive predecessors, he preferred to gain people's trust by honestly proving himself instead of using his vast experience as an excuse to take charge. Indeed, he often willingly participated in situations under the leadership of someone else who had the strong command presence that he lacked. In an occasional reminder of his actual age, the Fifth Doctor would sport a pair of glasses when examining something.

At the same time, this humanity made him prone to panic under pressure and occasionally indecisive. He was unable to execute Davros in cold blood in Resurrection of the Daleks, and reluctantly killed Kamelion at the end of Planet of Fire only at the android's request.

Of all the Doctors, the Fifth was the one who showed the greatest abhorrence for violence and needless bloodshed as well as the pain and suffering of others. Despite this, violence and bloodshed continued to dog his footsteps, as in the massacre at the end of Warriors of the Deep and the exceptionally high body count of Resurrection of the Daleks which led to Tegan's departure. At the end of that story, the Fifth Doctor acknowledged that he perhaps had to mend his ways

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 ultimately to sacrifice his own existence to save Peri. It is telling that the Fifth Doctor's last word before his regeneration into his sixth incarnation was "Adric."

Other appearances

Novels

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

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

Eighth Doctor Adventures

• The Eight Doctors by Terrance Dicks

Telos Doctor Who novellas

• Blood and Hope by Iain McLaughlin

External links

• Fifth Doctor's theme music
• Fifth Doctor title sequence