You’d think counting the people who’ve played a single TV character would be easy, right? It’s basically just basic math. But when it comes to the list of actors who have played doctor who, the math gets weird. Really weird. Between the numbered Doctors, the secret ones, the ones from the 60s movies, and the faces that popped up on a screen for three seconds in 1976, the number isn't just "fifteen." Honestly, it’s closer to forty if you’re being a bit of a nerd about it.
Most people start with the big names. You’ve got the classics like William Hartnell and Tom Baker, then the modern icons like David Tennant and Matt Smith. But if you stop there, you’re missing the "War Doctor," the "Fugitive Doctor," and a bunch of others that make the show’s timeline look like a ball of yarn after a cat got to it.
The Big Fifteen: The Names Everyone Knows
If you’re just looking for the main stars—the ones who had their faces in the opening credits and stayed for at least a season—the list is pretty straightforward. These are the "numbered" Doctors, even though the numbering has become sort of a mess lately.
- William Hartnell (1st): The original. He started it all in 1963 as a grumpy grandfather who basically kidnapped two teachers.
- Patrick Troughton (2nd): He brought in the "Cosmic Hobo" vibe.
- Jon Pertwee (3rd): The action hero who loved velvet jackets and "Venusian Aikido."
- Tom Baker (4th): The one with the scarf. He stayed for seven years, which is still the record.
- Peter Davison (5th): He wore a piece of celery on his lapel. No, really.
- Colin Baker (6th): Famous for a coat that looked like a rainbow exploded.
- Sylvester McCoy (7th): Started funny, ended up being a dark, chess-playing manipulator.
- Paul McGann (8th): He only got one TV movie in 1996 and a short special in 2013, but fans love him.
- Christopher Eccleston (9th): The man who brought the show back in 2005 with a leather jacket and a "Fantastic" catchphrase.
- David Tennant (10th & 14th): He’s so popular he actually played two different numbered versions. He was the 10th Doctor for years, then came back in 2023 as the 14th.
- Matt Smith (11th): Bow ties are cool. He was the youngest actor ever cast at the time.
- Peter Capaldi (12th): An older, spikier Doctor who played electric guitar on a tank.
- Jodie Whittaker (13th): The first woman to lead the show. Lots of energy, lots of running.
- Ncuti Gatwa (15th): The current Doctor. He’s brought a fresh, emotional energy to the role and officially took over the TARDIS keys in late 2023.
The Ones Who "Don't Count" (But Actually Do)
Here is where the list of actors who have played doctor who gets complicated. If we only look at the numbers, we miss the people who filled the gaps.
🔗 Read more: The Reality of Sex Movies From Africa: Censorship, Nollywood, and the Digital Underground
Take John Hurt. In 2013, the show revealed he played the "War Doctor." He fits right between the 8th and 9th Doctors, but because he was a secret, he didn't get a number. Then there’s Jo Martin, who showed up in 2020 as the "Fugitive Doctor." She’s a version from the Doctor's deep past, even before William Hartnell. It blew everyone's minds because, for fifty years, we thought Hartnell was the first.
And what about the recasts? William Hartnell passed away in 1975, so when the show needed the 1st Doctor to return for anniversary specials, they had to hire new actors. Richard Hurndall played him in 1983, and more recently, David Bradley (the guy who played Filch in Harry Potter) has taken over the role of the 1st Doctor in several episodes.
The "Morbius" Faces and the Timeless Child
Back in 1976, an episode called "The Brain of Morbius" showed a bunch of faces on a screen during a mental duel. For decades, fans argued about whether those were previous Doctors. In 2020, the show finally confirmed it. Those faces belonged to production staff like Christopher Barry and Robert Banks Stewart. If you’re being strictly factual, they played the Doctor too.
💡 You might also like: Alfonso Cuarón: Why the Harry Potter 3 Director Changed the Wizarding World Forever
Then there’s the "Timeless Child" child actors. We saw several kids, like Grace Nettle and Leo Tang, playing even earlier versions of the character. It's a lot to keep track of.
The Movie Doctor: Peter Cushing
You can't talk about this list without mentioning Peter Cushing. In the mid-60s, he played "Dr. Who" in two big-screen movies (Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.).
The catch? These movies aren't part of the main TV show's story. In the movies, he’s a human scientist named Dr. Who who built a time machine in his backyard. It's totally different from the alien Time Lord we see on the BBC. But since he's a legendary actor and the movies are still fun, he always gets a spot on the list.
📖 Related: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
Why the Count Keeps Changing
The truth is, Doctor Who is a show about change. That's why the list of actors who have played doctor who is never actually finished. Every few years, someone new steps into the police box.
Sometimes it's for a comedy sketch, like when Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) played the Doctor for a Red Nose Day special called The Curse of Fatal Death. In that same sketch, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley also played versions of the character. While those are parodies, they are still part of the character's massive cultural history.
How to Keep the Doctors Straight
If you're trying to dive into the series for the first time, don't worry about the "secret" Doctors yet. Focus on the main line.
- Start with the Modern Era (2005): Christopher Eccleston is a great entry point.
- Watch the 50th Anniversary: This is where John Hurt’s War Doctor shows up and explains the gap between the old show and the new one.
- Check out David Tennant’s return: Seeing him as the 14th Doctor helps you understand how the show can "recycle" faces while still moving forward.
- Get to know Ncuti Gatwa: As the 15th Doctor, he’s the face of the show right now, and his episodes are designed for new viewers to jump in without needing a PhD in Time Lord history.
The "official" count might say fifteen, but the real list is a sprawling, beautiful mess of talent that has kept a weird sci-fi show alive for over sixty years.
To get the most out of your Doctor Who journey, you should focus on the "Regeneration" episodes. These are the specific stories where one actor hands the role off to the next. Watching these back-to-back is the fastest way to see how the character evolves and why so many different actors have been able to play the same person so differently. It's also worth looking up the "Big Finish" audio dramas if you want to hear Paul McGann (the 8th Doctor) get the hundreds of adventures he never got to have on television.