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An eccentric bohemian taking in new sights while fighting the greatest of evils, the Fourth Doctor was a scarfed crusader with a strong wanderlust and a deep-seated resentment toward authority figures, which resulted in him trying to live a life of solitude to avoid being responsible for anyone, though he ironically found himself being forced into missions by the likes of the Brigadier, the Time Lords and even the White Guardian himself. This inability to control the direction of his life led the highly eccentric Doctor to have moments of intense brooding between his oddball comments and cheeky attitude, sometimes to the point that he became callous and intimidating, and would explode with rage when his patience reached their limit. His solitude extended to his companions, who often only joined him in the TARDIS by inviting themselves aboard or when someone else persuaded the Doctor to let them join him.

Biography[]

Main article: Fourth Doctor/Biography

After he helped UNIT deal with the Scientific Reform Society, the Doctor extended an invitation to Sarah Jane Smith to keep traveling with him after his regeneration solidified, with UNIT medic Harry Sullivan joining them in the TARDIS when the Doctor wanted to prove to him that it was a time-space machine, (TV: Robot [+]Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1974-1975).) though Harry's fiddling with the TARDIS controls lead them to the Nerva Beacon, where they saved the crew from the Wirrn (TV: The Ark in Space [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975).) and then faced the Sontaran Styre while repairing the Nerva transmat receptors. (TV: The Sontaran Experiment [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975).) When their return to Nerva was hijacked by the Time Lords, the TARDIS crew found themselves on a mission to interfere with the creation of the Daleks, which saw the Doctor confront their creator, Davros, for the first time when he failed to destroy the Daleks at their genesis. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975).) Upon their return to the Nerva, the TARDIS crew saved the space station from the CyberNomads, (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen [+]Gerry Davis, Doctor Who season 12 (BBC1, 1975).) and where then summoned to Scotland by the Brigadier to help UNIT face the Zygons, with Harry opting to remain on Earth when the Doctor and Sarah left in the TARDIS. (TV: Terror of the Zygons [+]Robert Banks Stewart, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).)

The Doctor and Sarah made to return to the London UNIT HQ, but were forced into several detours that saw them travel to 37166 Zeta Minor (TV: Planet of Evil [+]Louis Marks, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).) and face Sutekh the Destroyer on 1911 Mars (TV: Pyramids of Mars [+]Stephen Harris, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).) before they finally arrived in time to help Harry and UNIT repel a Kraal invasion. (TV: The Android Invasion [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1975).)

The Doctor would remain on Earth for a time, basing himself at his cottage in Wales while Sarah continued working as an investigative journalist, (COMIC: Death Flower [+]Gerry Haylock, TVC comic stories (1975)., Return of the Daleks [+]Martin Asbury, TVC comic stories (1975)., The Sinister Sea [+]John Canning, TVC comic stories (1975).) though they frequently took trips in the TARDIS, (PROSE: A New Life [+]Doctor Who Annual 1976 (Doctor Who annual, 1975).) such as when the Time Lords sent them on missions to planets like Ercos (COMIC: The Dalek Revenge [+]John Canning, TVC comic stories (1975-1976).) and Karn, (TV: The Brain of Morbius [+]Robin Bland, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1976).) and continued to assist UNIT until the Doctor finally cut ties with them after helping keep a Krynoid pod stolen by Harrison Chase from destroying the world. (TV: The Seeds of Doom [+]Robert Banks Stewart, Doctor Who season 13 (BBC1, 1976).)

After adventures that included defeating the Mandragora Helix in 1492 San Martino, (TV: The Masque of Mandragora [+]Louis Marks, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1976).) Sarah decided that she had had enough of life in the TARDIS when she was possessed by the Kastrian Eldrad, just as the Doctor was called back to Gallifrey, necessitating him to leave Sarah behind as humans were not allowed on Gallifrey. (TV: The Hand of Fear [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1976).) However, once he returned to the Capitol, the Doctor found that he had actually been lured back by the Decayed Master to be used as a patsy for the assassination of Lord President Pandad IV, though the Doctor was able to stall his execution by putting himself forward as a presidential candidate, allowing him time to stop the Master siphoning the powers of the Eye of Harmony to heal himself and save the Capitol from destruction. (TV: The Deadly Assassin [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1976).)

After some companionless travels, the Doctor found himself joined by Leela, a warrior of the Sevateem tribe, when she forced her way into the TARDIS after helping the Doctor repair the supercomputer Xoanon. (TV: The Face of Evil [+]Chris Boucher, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1977).) After getting to know each other better while stopping a Kaldor android revolution on Storm Mine 4, (TV: The Robots of Death [+]Chris Boucher, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1977).) the Doctor resolved to improve Leela's education, starting with a visit to 1892 London where they aided Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot in battling Magnus Greel. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1977).)

Shortly after fighting a Rutan scout at Fang Rock Lighthouse, (TV: Horror of Fang Rock [+]Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1977).) the Doctor and Leela were joined by the robot dog K9, despite the Doctor's objections, (TV: The Invisible Enemy [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1977).) though he came to welcome K9 as his dog after a battle with the Fendahl. (TV: Image of the Fendahl [+]Chris Boucher, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1977).) The Doctor, Leela and K9 would go on to have adventures on places such as Pluto and the P7E planet (TV: The Sun Makers [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1977)., Underworld [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1978).) until the Doctor was forced to claim the presidency of Gallifrey to thwart an invasion by the Vardans and the Sontarans, with Leela and K9 opting the stay on Gallifrey, leaving the Doctor to travel alone until he assembled K9 Mark II. (TV: The Invasion of Time [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 15 (BBC1, 1978).)

On the White Guardian's orders, the Doctor and K9 began looking for the six segments of the Key to Time with the Time Lady Romana before they could be found by the Black Guardian. (TV: The Ribos Operation [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978).) After finding segments on Ribos, Zanak, 1978 Earth, Tara and Delta III, (TV: The Ribos Operation [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978)., The Pirate Planet [+]Douglas Adams, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978)., The Stones of Blood [+]David Fisher, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978)., The Androids of Tara [+]David Fisher, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978)., The Power of Kroll [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1978-1979).) the TARDIS crew found the last segment in the form of Princess Astra of Atrios, and were able to complete the Key to Time, though the Doctor ordered the segments to disperse again to stop the Black Guardian claiming it, and installed a randomiser into the TARDIS to escape the vengeance of the Black Guardian, (TV: The Armageddon Factor [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 16 (BBC1, 1979).) with Romana continuing to travel with the Doctor into her next incarnation, with the regeneration occurring just before the Doctor and her stopped the Daleks from retrieving Davros to assist in their feud with the Movellans. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks [+]Terry Nation, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).)

With the randomiser preventing them from choosing their destination, the Doctor and Romana jaunted around the universe, taking in the sights of 1979 Paris, (TV: City of Death [+]David Agnew, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).) Chloris, (TV: The Creature from the Pit [+]David Fisher, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).) the interstellar cruise liner Empress (TV: Nightmare of Eden [+]Bob Baker, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979).) and Skonnos, (TV: The Horns of Nimon [+]Anthony Read, Doctor Who season 17 (BBC1, 1979-1980).) while also visiting 1979 Cambridge in time for Skagra's search for Shada, (PROSE: Shada [+]Gareth Roberts, adapted from Shada (Douglas Adams), BBC Books novelisations (BBC Books, 2012).) until the Black Guardian finally tracked them down, though the Doctor was able to entrapped him in the Time Vortex at the cost of him and Romana also getting trapped in a "fictional realm", (PROSE: The Well-Mannered War [+]Gareth Roberts, Virgin Missing Adventures (Virgin Books, 1997).) where they becoming inanimate toys between endless and frivolous adventures. (PROSE: Playing with Toys [+]David Agnew, Short Trips and Side Steps (Short Trips short stories, 2000).)

During a time separated from Romana, (COMIC: Timeslip [+]Dez Skinn and Paul Neary, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics, 1980).) the Doctor and K9 were joined by Sharon Davies when she helped them capture Beep the Meep and the Doctor offered her a lift home, (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Star Beast [+]Pat Mills and John Wagner, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics, 1980).) though her being artificially aged by a malfunctioning chrono-compensator (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Time Witch [+]Steve Moore, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics, 1980).) lead Sharon to decide to settle down with Vernor Allen on Unicepter IV. (COMIC: Dreamers of Death [+]Steve Moore, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics, 1980).) The Doctor then settled himself at Nest Cottage, where he joined with Mike Yates, Fenella Wibbsey and Captain the Wolfhound for a series of adventures around Hexford. (AUDIO: The Stuff of Nightmares [+]Paul Magrs, Hornets' Nest (BBC Audio, 2009).)

When he felt his regeneration nearing, (PROSE: Into the Silent Land [+]Steven A. Roman, Short Trips: Farewells (Short Trips short stories, 2006).) the Doctor became more sombre and weary at the universe, changing his clothes into a macabre burgundy and, despite Romana's objections, giving the randomiser up to the Tachyon Recreation Generator on Argolis. (TV: The Leisure Hive [+]David Fisher, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1980).) When the Time Lords ordered Romana be returned to Gallifrey, (TV: Meglos [+]John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1980).) the TARDIS accidentally passed into the smaller universe of E-Space, (TV: Full Circle [+]Andrew Smith, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1980).) where the Doctor gained a new companion in the teenaged mathematical genius Adric. (TV: State of Decay [+]Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1980).) When they finally found the Gateway back to N-Space, Romana and K9 opted to stay in E-Space to help the enslaved Tharils release themselves from captivity, (TV: Warriors' Gate [+]Steve Gallagher, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1981).) while the Doctor and Adric were summoned to Traken by the Keeper to deal with the Master with the aid of Consul Tremas and his daughter, Nyssa. (TV: The Keeper of Traken [+]Johnny Byrne, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1981).)

As he was observed by the Watcher that heralded his demise, the Doctor found himself and Adric accidentally picking up Tegan Jovanka as a stowaway just as they learned the Master had stolen Tremas's body and they united with Nyssa on Logopolis, where the Tremas Master accidentally started the collapse of the universe, and was forced to join with the Doctor to broadcast a CVE signal from the Pharos Project, but the Doctor was betrayed when the Master tried to blackmail the universe into his servitude and was critically injured after he fell from the antenna while stopping the Master's plan. With the assistance of the Watcher, the Doctor was able to regenerate into his next incarnation. (TV: Logopolis [+]Christopher H. Bidmead, Doctor Who season 18 (BBC1, 1981).)

Other realities[]

Alternate timelines[]

In an alternate timeline created by the Discordia, the Doctor had a passionate romantic relationship with River Song that began in his first incarnation, having married her by his fourth incarnation. When he learned that the only way to defeat the Discordia was to dismantle his timeline, the Doctor admitted that he was afraid to lose River, but was reassured that they would meet again in another timeline. (AUDIO: Someone I Once Knew)

Averted timelines[]

When the Faction Paradox altered events to cause the Third Doctor to regenerate on Dust, (PROSE: Interference: The Hour of the Geek) the Fourth Doctor went on to combat the Eight Legs, (PROSE: The Blue Angel) but was only able to halt their eventual conquest of the universe. (PROSE: The Ancestor Cell)

In a timeline created by the War Master's usage of the Anti-Genesis codes, when the Fourth Doctor was sent back to the creation of the Daleks with Harry Sullivan and Sarah Jane Smith, the Master had his Daleks ambush and exterminate them. (AUDIO: Shockwave)

At two different points in the Doctor's fourth incarnation, one during his time travelling with Leela and another during his adventures with Romana's second incarnation, the TARDIS picked up the signal of a temporal distorsion coming from the planet Henlen, and the Doctor went to investigate. With the Doctor and Leela in a thick jungle and the Doctor and Romana in an ever-changing city, the Doctors and their companions were pursued into a refuge where they found writings in ancient Gallifreyan, and realised they were in the TARDIS prototype that was used for the first experiment of time travel by the Time Lords, and that they were being chased by the original six pilots, who explained that the experiment was sabotaged by the Sirens of Time.

They turned into the starting point of a massive temporal paradox, which was splitting reality apart, and which trapped the pilots into a time loop. They begged the Doctor to stop the experiment and kill them, but he refused. The leader then chose to have the experiment fail himself, thus causing Time Lords never to discover time travel. As a result of his choice, the Doctors, Romana and the TARDISes were erased from time, and Leela was left to die at the hands of the Sirens. However, these events were later cancelled when the paradox was resolved. (AUDIO: Collision Course)

Prologue The Fourth Doctor (comic story)

The Doctor finds that K9 has been cyber-converted. (COMIC: Prologue: the Fourth Doctor)

When the Cybermen allied with Rassilon to take over history, (COMIC: Supremacy of the Cybermen) the Doctor was confronted by a cyber-converted K9 while facing the Cybermen in a mansion, (COMIC: Prologue: the Fourth Doctor) and was then ambushed by the Cybermen. This timeline was eventually unwritten by Rassilon and the Twelfth Doctor. (COMIC: Supremacy of the Cybermen)

While travelling in E-Space, the Doctor arrived on the planet Veridis, where scientists had created a machine that could bring the dead back to life, this discovery completely destabilising society as everyone clamoured for their loved ones to be brought back from the dead. The Doctor was able to destroy the machine, but this was only possible when he and Romana sacrificed themselves to destroy it. Adric was left to make a life for himself on Veridis as the TARDIS decayed and K9 ran out of power, but when he began to experience dreams of the destruction of N-Space in the Doctor's absence, Adric developed his own time machine to go back and undo the events of the Doctor's death so that he could live to save the universe again. (AUDIO: A Full Life)

Undone events[]

Under the influence of the Valeyard and the Dark Matrix, the Fourth Doctor was corrupted into destroying the Daleks at their very beginning. This timeline was negated when the Seventh Doctor defeated the Valeyard and released the Dark Matrix from his control. (PROSE: Matrix)

4 and Leela light at the end

Leela and the Doctor. (AUDIO: The Light at the End)

In a negated timeline, the Doctor and Leela met the Eighth Doctor's companion, Charley Pollard, when she appeared aboard the TARDIS. As he had detected temporal disturbances in the Time Vortex, the Fourth Doctor realised that Charley was one of his companions from the future. He then met the Eighth Doctor himself and they both discovered the Decayed Master was plotting their undoing by removing their TARDIS from history. After Charley and Leela vanished, the Doctors were caught in the explosion of the Fifth Doctor's TARDIS, but were saved by the Sixth Doctor. Once a plan to stop the Master was conceived, the Fourth Doctor went to keep the Master distracted with the Eighth Doctor, and, once the Fifth Doctor had ensured that the TARDIS would not explode, joined his other seven incarnations in preparing to time ram the Master's TARDIS. However, rather than kill the Master, the First Doctor instead turned off the automatic distress actions, which had brought all of the Doctors to the pocket dimension and triggered the TARDIS' destruction, making it so none of that had happened. (AUDIO: The Light at the End)

Other references[]

In the Doctor Who series that the Doctor had some part in creating, (PROSE: Afterword, Stop, Thief!) the Fourth Doctor was portrayed by Tom Baker, who was Paul Magrs's favourite Doctor. (PROSE: The Story of Fester Cat) In a short piece that Paul wrote on his inspirations for his books, he noted that Tom Baker actually looked like the real Fourth Doctor. (PROSE: Bafflement and Devotion)

Psychological profile[]

Personality[]

Seeing all sapient lifeforms as his "kith", (TV: Pyramids of Mars) the Fourth Doctor would instinctively put his own wants aside to go against all the odds to protect even his enemies from harm, (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, The Seeds of Doom, The Invisible Enemy, Underworld) regardless of their social standings, (TV: Warriors' Gate) wishing that the peoples of the universe would just "get along". (TV: Full Circle) Prone to mood swings, (PROSE: The Roots of Evil) he could be pedantic at times, often acting erratically in crisis, reacting to others with witty wisecracks and constantly changing his direction of speech, with the Sisterhood of Karn remembering him as "the prattling Doctor, full of idle questions", who often strayed from the matter at hand. (AUDIO: Sisters of the Flame)

He delighted in keeping both friends and foes alike off guard with oddball humour and curious pranks, often playing the fool to lull his opponents into underestimating him, (TV: The Invasion of Time, City of Death) but he genuinely believed that there was "no point being [a] grown-up if you [couldn't] be childish sometimes". (TV: Robot) He always tried to stay "one step ahead of [his] enemies", (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) as he was "a very dangerous fellow when he [didn't] know what [he was] doing." (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) However, when in an emergency, the Doctor would get straight to the point and ask only the most important questions. (TV: The Ark in Space, Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars, The Deadly Assassin)

As he would "try anything once", (COMIC: City of the Damned) the Doctor thrilled on seeing new sights, (TV: The Robots of Death) claiming he "wouldn't sleep at night" if he never learnt where he had been, (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) and delighted in getting himself into trouble, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) often delivering the most frightening of news in a cheery tone and with a smile on his face. (TV: Terror of the Zygons, The Seeds of Doom, Horror of Fang Rock)

Although he was generally peace-loving and kind-hearted, the Doctor would react with explosive fury when provoked. (TV: The Sontaran Experiment, Pyramids of Mars, The Brain of Morbius, The Seeds of Doom, The Pirate Planet, Full Circle) He "always [got] rude when [he was] trying to cover up a mistake", (TV: Planet of Evil) and, when feeling short-tempered, he could indulge in sexist remarks (COMIC: Return of the Daleks) and cultural in-sensitivities. (TV: Horror of Fang Rock)

The Fourth Doctor thought himself as being "a wise and wonderful person who want[ed] to help", (TV: The Power of Kroll) and enjoyed being the centre of attention, sometimes getting someone to ask him questions solely so he could show off his intelligence by answering them. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) He believed highly in himself and his brainpowers, (TV: Robot, The Ark in Space, The Invisible Enemy, The Invasion of Time) though was not completely devoid of modesty. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Face of Evil, Destiny of the Daleks) He could get so deep in thought that he completely drowned out the world around him. (TV: Robot, The Masque of Mandragora, The Hand of Fear, The Stones of Blood)

Viewing "one solid hope [as] worth a cartload of certainties", (TV: Warriors' Gate) the Doctor held a strong determination, believing that there was "no such word as can't", (TV: Robot) that "nothing [was] hopeless", (TV: The Seeds of Doom) and that there was "always a way out" of a situation. (TV: The Armageddon Factor) He would openly antagonise his enemies as an act of defiance, (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, The Brain of Morbius, The Sun Makers, Underworld) though would also charm someone in order to get them to open up for him to extract needful information. (TV: Robot)

He could be literal-minded, (TV: The Seeds of Doom, The Stones of Blood, Nightmare of Eden) and tried to "always accept the unexpected". (TV: The Leisure Hive)

As he felt his regeneration nearing, (PROSE: Into the Silent Land) the Doctor became more sombre and weary at the universe, (TV: Logopolis) preferring sitting back and relaxing than adventuring, (TV: The Leisure Hive) and becoming more vulnerable and less defiant towards peril, (TV: Meglos, Warriors' Gate, Logopolis) even being willing to return to Gallifrey when the Time Lords summoned him, (TV: Full Circle) though he was also bitter towards the lack of control he had over his life. (TV: Logopolis) He also had less fear for consequences, such as removing the randomiser and forgoing its protection from the Black Guardian's revenge due to feeling he was no longer a threat to him. (TV: The Leisure Hive)

He liked bumblebees, (TV: The Robots of Death) "concise answers", (TV: City of Death) ghost stories, (TV: State of Decay) punting, (TV: The Five Doctors) tigers, (AUDIO: The Circus of Doom) butlers, (AUDIO: Destination: Nerva) badgers, (AUDIO: The Sands of Life) and cows. (PROSE: Psi-ence Fiction) He also enjoyed playing games such as draughts, (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) chess, (TV: The Sun Makers, The Androids of Tara) four-dimensional ludo, (COMIC: Timeslip) and arcade games. (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Free-Fall Warriors)

Among his favourite times was 1911, (TV: Pyramids of Mars) and he cited the Megatherium as being one of his favourite animals. (PROSE: The Doctor Who Dinosaur Book) He also had a great appreciation for art and antique furniture, (TV: City of Death) and admired the Peanuts comics. (PROSE: Psi-ence Fiction)

He "hate[d] goodbyes", instead preferring to "just slip away quietly". (TV: Robot) He also disliked guided tours, (TV: The Seeds of Doom) the London Underground, (AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Pescatons) insects, (COMIC: The Mutants) the colour white, (TV: The Invisible Enemy) "gimmicky gadgets", (TV: The Ribos Operation) swimming, (PROSE: Last Man Running) and bow ties. (PROSE: The Roots of Evil)

He liked to drink ginger beer (TV: The Android Invasion) and lemonade, (PROSE: Eye of Heaven) and eat grapes, (COMIC: Treasure Trail) oranges, (TV: The Masque of Mandragora) various ice creams, (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Free-Fall Warriors) doughnuts, (AUDIO: The Beautiful People) and kebab. (PROSE: The Brain of Socrates) Aside from jelly babies, he also liked aniseed balls and humbugs, (AUDIO: The Circus of Doom) but disliked celery. (AUDIO: The Beautiful People) He took his tea with eight sugars. (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Star Beast)

Viewing it as "a free cosmos", (TV: Robot) the Fourth Doctor held a consistently anti-authoritarian attitude, with little tolerance for the bureaucracy of military protocol and police procedures, (TV: The Seeds of Doom, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Nightmare of Eden) seeing himself as a free agent who was "just having fun", (TV: Nightmare of Eden) but held a begrudging respect for the White Guardian. (TV: The Ribos Operation)

Not only was he more inclined towards a solitary existence, (TV: The Face of Evil, The Ribos Operation) such as wishing to be left alone when he had a task to complete, (TV: The Sontaran Experiment) the Doctor also emphasised his distance from humanity. (TV: Pyramids of Mars) He also generally maintained his distance from the Time Lords, and resented that they were capable of controlling his travels whenever they pleased, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Brain of Morbius, The Creature from the Pit) as he "[didn't] like not knowing where [he was] going to turn up next". (TV: The Leisure Hive)

The Doctor had little patience for "religious gobbledygook" (TV: The Face of Evil) and "superstitious rubbish". (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) He also tried to avoid being certain of things, as he thought it "a sign of weakness", (TV: The Face of Evil) as there was "enough uncertainty in the universe" for one to "never guess unless [they had] to." (TV: Logopolis) He considered failure to be "one of the basic freedoms". (TV: The Robots of Death)

He didn't believe in "feminine intuition", (COMIC: Death Flower) "hardly" believed in ghosts, (COMIC: The Eerie Manor) and considered his lucky numbers to be 7 (TV: The Power of Kroll) and 740,384,338. (TV: The Creature from the Pit)

He was almost completely devoid of fear, reacting unfazed to threats of pain, (TV: The Sun Makers, City of Death) and assassination attempts, (TV: Robot, The Android Invasion, The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng-Chiang) friendlily greeting threats to his safety. (TV: The Sontaran Experiment, Terror of the Zygons, The Android Invasion, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Stones of Blood, The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit, The Horns of Nimon) However, he did fear the powers of the Wirrn, (TV: The Ark in Space) Sutekh, (TV: Pyramids of Mars) the Fendahl, (TV: Image of the Fendahl) and the Black Guardian. (TV: The Armageddon Factor) He was also afraid of losing his own sanity. (PROSE: The Fear) When it seemed he was doomed, he resolved to accept his fate, lamenting the long life he had lived (TV: The Power of Kroll) and the friends he had with him. (TV: The Horns of Nimon)

Fourth doctor angry

The Doctor's fury. (TV: Pyramids of Mars)

Despite his charm and offbeat humour, the Fourth Doctor could be intensely brooding, serious and even callous at times, (TV: Pyramids of Mars, The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, Horror of Fang Rock) and would keenly scrutinise his surroundings even when playing the fool. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen, Destiny of the Daleks) He was not against taking a life in extreme circumstances, (TV: The Sontaran Experiment, The Brain of Morbius, The Invasion of Time, The Ribos Operation, The Armageddon Factor, Meglos) but would scold Leela for unnecessary killings. (TV: The Face of Evil)

In his darker moments, the Doctor threatened to deactivate Davros' life-support machine to coerce him into destroying the Daleks, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) fatally electrocuted an attacking Tesh under Xoanon's control, (TV: The Face of Evil) handed Maximillian Stael a gun with the knowledge he would use it for suicide without much convincing, (TV: Image of the Fendahl) and seemed to have nothing against Leela killing random attackers, as long as she kept quiet about it. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) He was also willing to sacrifice himself in order to kill Davros via an explosive device in an attempt to prevent the Daleks harnessing their creator. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)

Though he was much less inclined to use physical violence than his predecessor, the Fourth Doctor would react aggressively if he had no alternative but to defend himself. (TV: The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, Nightmare of Eden) However, he would try to see if he could reason with his opponents before he resorted to force, (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks) and would try to ensure that only those that deserved it were harmed by his actions. (PROSE: The Roots of Evil)

Armed and dangerous

The Doctor retreats, covering himself with a handgun. (TV: The Seeds of Doom)

While he voiced a dislike for guns, (TV: Pyramids of Mars) and claimed he would never use one, (TV: The Seeds of Doom) he was willing to use the likes of the De-mat Gun and Earth firearms if necessary, (TV: The Seeds of Doom, The Deadly Assassin, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Image of the Fendahl, The Invasion of Time) though preferred to improvise a non-lethal way of escaping a situation, (TV: The Face of Evil) making a point to never carry a weapon so as not to give reason for people to harm him. (TV: The Robots of Death)

Nevertheless, the Doctor still had a strong moral code, such as confronting J.P. Kettlewell about how the ends never justified the means, (TV: Robot) telling Sorenson that scientists "buy [their] privilege[s] to experiment at the cost of total responsibility" for the outcome, (TV: Planet of Evil) and admonished harming an innocent for science as nothing short of "coldblooded murder". (TV: Full Circle) When ready to destroy the Daleks before the creation, the Doctor hesitated when he realised he would be no better himself than the Daleks if he committed genocide against them. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) He was also appalled at the actions of the Captain, (TV: The Pirate Planet) and refused to listen to Tryst's attempts to justify drug-running in order to fund his scientific work, simply telling him to go away. (TV: Nightmare of Eden)

However, when the situation called for it, the Doctor could be ruthless in how he acquired results, (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, The Face of Evil) and become particularly brutish in how he subdued his opponents. (TV: The Seeds of Doom) He did not take kindly to his friends being physically attacked, (TV: The Face of Evil) and also scolded a Tharil for unprovokedly knocking down a servant. (TV: Warriors' Gate) He also despised how greed drove people to complicate a situation. (TV: The Seeds of Doom)

He looked down on computers, deeming them to be "sophisticated idiots" due to how they "[did] exactly what [someone told] them [to do] at amazing speed[s]" while being "very difficult [at] stop[ping] [from] obeying the original order" if told to stop, (TV: Robot) and also admonished them for lacking imagination. (TV: The Invisible Enemy) However, he did not look done on robotic species like the Metalupiterons, saying they had "many fine qualities", and saw both them and humans as an equal "mass of circuits and electronical responses". (COMIC: Menace on Metalupiter)

While he knew it was dangerous to tamper with history, to the point that he would avoid places where he was "out of time", the Doctor would ignite "a little revolution" if it didn't compromise the overall history. (COMIC: The Emperor's Spy)

The Doctor was not above the occasional act of hypocrisy, such as telling Harry Sullivan that it was a waste to throw something away, immediately before disregarding a piece of metal that had saved his life. He also told Harry it was "a mistake to clutter one's pockets", despite he himself keeping a large variety of things in his own pockets. (TV: The Sontaran Experiment) He later took an instant liking to Romana's second incarnation when she mimicked his dress sense, despite previously telling her that "external appearances weren't important". (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) He also chastised Bernice Summerfield for her apparent strange sense of priorities while under threat, (COMIC: Time & Time Again) and was unwilling to admit to any wrongdoing on his part. (TV: The Sun Makers)

He was also not averse to deliberately angering his companions as a motivation for them to achieve a task to prove him wrong, (TV: The Ark in Space) nor was he above winding then up on occasion, such as fooling Leela into playing with a yo-yo for an extended period of time, with her believing it was a form of magic, (TV: The Robots of Death) or causing Romana to panic when he pretended to be corrupted by the Key to Time. (TV: The Armageddon Factor)

The Fourth Doctor would affectionately call his other incarnations his "dears". (TV: Dimensions in Time) He thought his third incarnation was "arrogant", (PROSE: Old Flames) and an "incorrigible show-off", (PROSE: Categorical Imperative) but thought that his first incarnation was a "slyboots". (WC: Doctors Assemble!)

When he came across a statue of the Eleventh Doctor, the Fourth Doctor criticised his future self's nose and bow tie, and also expressed shock of his use of the word "cool." (PROSE: The Roots of Evil) However, when he met his eleventh incarnation in person, he found that he got along well with him, (AUDIO: Babblesphere) and also easily cooperated with the Eighth Doctor. (AUDIO: The Light at the End)

While the Fifth Doctor thought of his fourth incarnation as being "a careless freewheeler who thought he was invincible", (AUDIO: Excelis Dawns) the Eighth Doctor remembered his fourth incarnation as a "casual bohemian" who "dared to take on the evil that stalk[ed] the dark". (PROSE: The Eight Doctors)

Because he did not like the responsibility of looking after them, (TV: The Ribos Operation) the Fourth Doctor would rarely invite others to travel with him, a majority of his companions inviting themselves aboard the TARDIS, (TV: Robot, The Face of Evil, State of Decay) or having someone else persuade the Doctor to let them join him. (TV: The Invisible Enemy, The Ribos Operation, Logopolis) Nevertheless, the Doctor had a close friendship with his companions, and would be crestfallen when they left him. (TV: Terror of the Zygons, The Hand of Fear, The Invasion of Time, Warriors' Gate)

He considered Sarah Jane Smith and K9, and implicitly Leela, to be his best friends. (TV: The Seeds of Doom, Underworld) However, he viewed Harry Sullivan as an imbecile, (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen) and believed that any intelligence that Harry showed was entirely due to his influence. (TV: The Ark in Space)

The Fourth Doctor also started a trend of talking to the TARDIS, (TV: The Deadly Assassin, The Robots of Death, Image of the Fendahl, The Horns of Nimon) constantly showing affection for his magnificent machine by kissing it and caring for it when it got damaged, (TV: The Invisible Enemy, The Invasion of Time, The Ribos Operation) and being defensive when it's capabilities were being belittled. (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Free-Fall Warriors)

Unlike his predecessors, the Fourth Doctor did not maintain a close working relationship with UNIT, keeping his distance from the organisation except for a handful of occasions, reacting with anger and disdain whenever he was recalled back to Earth by the Brigadier. (TV: Terror of the Zygons, Pyramids of Mars)

The Doctor found mankind to be his favourite species, (TV: The Ark in Space, The Masque of Mandragora) describing them as "indomitable" for having "survived flood, famine and plague" and "cosmic wars and holocausts", (TV: The Ark in Space) but also acknowledged that when they "[got] together in great numbers, other lifeforms sometimes suffer[ed]". (TV: The Invisible Enemy) As it was his favorite planet, (TV: The Stones of Blood) he considered Earth to be his "home", (COMIC: Kling Dynasty) especially 20th century England. (COMIC: The Snow Devils)

FourthDoctor Romana slah

The Doctor and Romana, moments before the Doctor kissed her on the cheek. (PROSE: The Well-Mannered War)

Younger in appearance than his previous incarnations, the Fourth Doctor found himself drawing closer to his companions than he might have previously. (TV: School Reunion) He tended not to display such feelings himself, being mostly oblivious to other people's attractiveness, believing that telling Countess Scarlioni that she was "probably beautiful" was a compliment, (TV: City of Death) although he acknowledged that Romana was attractive in her first incarnation, (TV: The Pirate Planet) and even kissed her second incarnation. (PROSE: The Well-Mannered War) The Doctor felt a close connection with Romana, due to her being a Time Lord with ideas like his, and was even tempted to cease travelling to be with her, (PROSE: Notre Dame du Temps) even proposing marriage to her after being prompted by the Prime Computer. (TV: On Through the 80's!)

The Fourth Doctor thought a person having a hatred for children was a poor sign of character. (TV: Dimensions in Time) He himself "usually [got] on terribly well with children." (TV: Full Circle)

Commander Stevenson openly wondered if the Fourth Doctor was "quite right in the head", with Harry Sullivan agreeing that he had his "absent minded moments", (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen) and Richard Dunbar asking if he was "quite sane". (TV:The Seeds of Doom) Sarah Jane Smith, when comparing him to his immediate predecessor, likened the Fourth Doctor to an "older brother in for the weekend and in a spot of bother". (PROSE: Still Need a Title!)

Leela described the Doctor as being "very difficult sometimes, but he [had] great knowledge and gentleness." (TV: Image of the Fendahl) According to K9 Mark I, a number of people described the Doctor as "the most insufferably arrogant, overbearing, patronising bean tin." (TV:The Invasion of Time) Adric described the Fourth Doctor as "unpredictable, intimidating and enigmatic, but brilliant". (AUDIO: Psychodrome)

In her first incarnation, Romana diagnosed him with having "massive compensation syndrome", (TV: The Ribos Operation) stating that he was "capricious, arrogant, self-opinionated, irrational, and [didn't] even know where [he was] going", (TV: The Armageddon Factor) while her second incarnation would admit in private that he was an " incredibly resourceful and intelligent person". (PROSE: The Well-Mannered War)

The Tremas Master referred to Fourth Doctor as "the bohemian, [and] the wanderer" who was keen to "abandon his roots" and thus "abandoned his sense". (GAME: Destiny of the Doctors) When the Eighth Doctor had a tarot card reading, the Fourth Doctor was identified as "the Fool". (PROSE: The City of the Dead)

Logopolis3

The Doctor speaks with Adric and Nyssa, while the Watcher heralds the coming end of his life. (TV: Logopolis)

After seeing himself being observed by the Watcher, the Doctor became aware his end was nearing, adopting a resigned mood while vowing to stop the Tremas Master, eventually losing the strength to keep his grip on the Pharos Project radio telescope's gantry, and fell to his death. As he lay dying, the Doctor spent his last moments thinking of his past companions, and then explained to his present friends that the moment of his regeneration had been prepared for, with a serene glance and a final grin. (TV: Logopolis)

Habits and quirks[]

Fourth Doctor eating allsort

While offering jelly babies, the Doctor eats an allsort. (TV: The Sun Makers)

The Fourth Doctor would often have jelly babies with him, and offered them as a greeting or peace offering. (TV: Robot, The Ark in Space, The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Image of the Fendahl, The Sun Makers, The Invasion of Time, Destiny of the Daleks, Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon) His personal favourites were the orange coloured jelly babies. (TV: The Invasion of Time)

The Fourth Doctor would also let out aloud, "Ah", when he came to a realisation, (TV: Robot, The Sontaran Experiment, Terror of the Zygons, The Hand of Fear, The Deadly Assassin, The Invasion of Time, The Pirate Planet, The Armageddon Factor, The Horns of Nimon, The Leisure Hive) noticed something of interest, (TV: The Ark in Space, Genesis of the Daleks, Planet of Evil, The Brain of Morbius, The Face of Evil, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Invisible Enemy, Image of the Fendahl, The Ribos Operation, The Stones of Blood, City of Death, Meglos, State of Decay) needed to explain himself, (TV: The Ark in Space, The Stones of Blood, State of Decay) or as a response to someone's explanation. (TV: The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death, The Invasion of Time, The Ribos Operation, The Stones of Blood, The Androids of Tara, The Armageddon Factor, Dr. Who For Keep Australia Beautiful, City of Death, The Creature from the Pit, Meglos, State of Decay, The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis) He would say, "Ah, there you are", when he noticed that someone had entered his presence or where someone was. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, Terror of the Zygons, The Androids of Tara, The Horns of Nimon)

He would often say, "come on", when instructing his companions to follow him, as he believed saying it marked him as "the one who leads". (TV: Image of the Fendahl) He would also say, "come along", for a similar reason. (TV: Robot, Genesis of the Daleks, The Brain of Morbius, The Seeds of Doom, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Stones of Blood)

The Doctor often talked to himself, (TV: Robot, The Ark in Space, Pyramids of Mars, The Face of Evil, The Invasion of Time, The Stones of Blood, State of Decay) or acted like he was interacting with someone that wasn't there, (TV: Disney Time, The Face of Evil, Image of the Fendahl, The Invasion of Time, Dr. Who For Keep Australia Beautiful, The Creature from the Pit, Warriors' Gate) with Sarah Jane Smith stating he did so "mostly because [he was] the only person who [knew] what [he was] talking about". (TV: The Ark in Space)

He would say, "well...", whenever he was about to explain something, (TV: The Ark in Space, Terror of the Zygons, The Brain of Morbius, The Hand of Fear, The Face of Evil, The Invisible Enemy, Image of the Fendahl, Underworld, The Invasion of Time, The Stones of Blood, City of Death, The Leisure Hive, The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis) and would often interrupt himself with a, "still...", when attempting to explain something and wanted to elaborate on what he was talking about. (TV: Robot, The Ark in Space, The Pirate Planet)

Whenever he heard something he didn't like, he would shout, "what". (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, The Brain of Morbius, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Invisible Enemy, The Sun Makers, Underworld, The Invasion of Time, The Ribos Operation, The Pirate Planet, The Androids of Tara, Dr. Who For Keep Australia Beautiful, Destiny of the Daleks, City of Death, Step Into the 80's!, Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon, On Through the 80's!, The Leisure Hive, State of Decay, Warriors' Gate, The Keeper of Traken)

When reaching a conclusion, he would utter, "of course". (TV: The Ark in Space, Revenge of the Cybermen, Terror of the Zygons, Image of the Fendahl, The Pirate Planet, The Stones of Blood, The Armageddon Factor, Destiny of the Daleks, Nightmare of Eden, The Horns of Nimon, The Leisure Hive, Meglos, State of Decay, Logopolis) When met with a concept he rejected, he would describe the ideas as "rubbish". (TV: The Sontaran Experiment, The Hand of Fear, The Deadly Assassin, The Sun Makers, The Ribos Operation, The Pirate Planet, The Armageddon Factor)

The Doctor would say, "splendid", when celebrating a positive outcome, receiving good news or describing a place he liked, (TV: The Ark in Space, Revenge of the Cybermen, Pyramids of Mars, Image of the Fendahl, The Pirate Planet) and often quoted literature. (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, Planet of Evil, The Android Invasion, The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Horror of Fang Rock, The Power of Kroll, State of Decay, Warriors' Gate)

He would often ask others if they were listening to him, (TV: The Android Invasion, The Seeds of Doom, The Invasion of Time, The Armageddon Factor) and would tell people to "shut up" when he was concentrating. (TV: Terror of the Zygons, The Face of Evil, The Sun Makers, Underworld, The Invasion of Time, The Stones of Blood, Destiny of the Daleks)

He frequently called those who annoyed him with their perceived poor planning and clumsiness an "idiot", (TV: Robot, The Ark in Space, The Deadly Assassin, The Androids of Tara, City of Death) and would often describe an inhumane adversary as an "unspeakable abomination". (TV: The Sontaran Experiment, The Brain of Morbius)

The Fourth Doctor was prone to boggling his eyes out while flashing his upper teeth in a grin. (TV: Robot, The Ark in Space, Genesis of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen, Terror of the Zygons, The Seeds of Doom, The Masque of Mandragora, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Sun Makers, The Invasion of Time, The Pirate Planet, Destiny of the Daleks, City of Death, The Creature from the Pit, Meglos, State of Decay, The Keeper of Traken)

When he was not pushing back the ends of his coats to put his hands in his trouser pockets, (TV: Horror of Fang Rock, Image of the Fendahl, Underworld, The Ribos Operation, The Power of Kroll, The Armageddon Factor, Season 17 Launch Trailer, Destiny of the Daleks, City of Death, Step Into the 80's!, The Creature from the Pit, The Horns of Nimon, Dr. Who For Keep Australia Beautiful, On Through the 80's!) the Doctor would instead rest his knuckles on the pockets' edges. (TV: The Ark in Space, Genesis of the Daleks, The Android Invasion, The Brain of Morbius, Horror of Fang Rock, The Sun Makers, The Stones of Blood, The Armageddon Factor) Other times, he would place his hands in the pockets of his coat, especially with his burgundy jacket. (TV: The Leisure Hive, Meglos, Full Circle, State of Decay, The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis)

The Doctor tended to run his hand through his hair when concentrating on something, (TV: The Ark in Space, Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars, The Seeds of Doom, The Masque of Mandragora, The Invisible Enemy, The Invasion of Time, The Stones of Blood, The Armageddon Factor, City of Death) or to calm himself after moments of intensity. (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen, The Masque of Mandragora, The Pirate Planet, The Androids of Tara, The Creature from the Pit)

When in thought, he would scratch at his thumb with his teeth. (TV: Robot, Planet of Evil, Pyramids of Mars, The Android Invasion, The Creature from the Pit) To allure a sense of mystery, the Doctor would often tap his nose when keeping secrets. (TV: Robot, The Brain of Morbius, The Creature from the Pit)

When relaxing, the Doctor tended to put his feet up on a ledge and lean back, often placing his hat over his face as he dowsed off. (TV: Robot, Terror of the Zygons, The Seeds of Doom, Image of the Fendahl, The Invasion of Time, The Androids of Tara) He tended to lightly smack himself when he came to a realisation. (TV: Robot, The Invasion of Time, The Armageddon Factor, On Through the 80's!, State of Decay)

The Doctor would play with a yo-yo to relax or help determine new environments, (TV: The Ark in Space, Revenge of the Cybermen, The Android Invasion, The Brain of Morbius, The Seeds of Doom, The Masque of Mandragora) and also carried a small telescope that he sometimes used to assess his surroundings. (TV: City of Death, State of Decay)

According to one account, the Fourth Doctor always carried a piccolo on his person, telling Sarah that he "always played the piccolo when [he was] nervous" to "relieve the tension". (AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Pescatons)

When complimenting his female companions' achievements, the Doctor would say, "good girl".[source needed] When confused, he would give a quiet, "eh".[source needed] He frequently rubbed his index finger under his nose.[source needed] He often whistled to himself.[source needed] He would shush people to get them to be silent.[source needed] He would sometimes react with dread to a name, only to then admit he had never heard of the person.[source needed] He frequently said, "I see", when responding to someone.[source needed] He would pull at his face when in thought.[source needed] He sometimes drooped his face.[source needed]

Skills[]

Much like his immediate predecessor, the Fourth Doctor was very physical, being talented at evasive manoeuvres, (TV: Robot, Revenge of the Cybermen) an excellent runner, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, Terror of the Zygons, The Seeds of Doom) and a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, (TV: The Seeds of Doom, The Masque of Mandragora, The Talons of Weng-Chiang, Logopolis) being capable of withstanding levels of pain that would normally kill a human. (PROSE: The Romance of Crime)

He was strong enough to carry Malcolm Sillett over his shoulders, (COMIC: Death Flower) and was capable of rendering someone unconscious with a single blow. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks, Planet of Evil, The Seeds of Doom, The Hand of Fear, The Power of Kroll, City of Death, State of Decay, The Keeper of Traken) He could also briefly tussle with a Mandrel, (TV: Nightmare of Eden) and utilise Venusian aikido to overpower some Ice Warriors. (GAME: Lost in Time)

Showing incredible accuracy, the Doctor was able to effortlessly throw a gun to Harry with a baton, (TV: Genesis of the Daleks) hit a bullseye on a dart board, (TV: The Android Invasion) strike a strand of rope with a crossbow, (TV: The Face of Evil) throw an axe at Magnus Greel's distillation machine to free Leela, (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) and land his hat on a Dalek eyestalk. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) He could also gather information from his surroundings to accurately deduce a situation. (COMIC: Under Pressure)

He was also shown to be a highly skilled swordsman, (TV: The Masque of Mandragora, The Androids of Tara) even when using a club as a substitute blade. (TV: The Sontaran Experiment)

The Fourth Doctor possessed telepathic powers, allowing him to hide his spirit within a "sleeping psyche" should his body be compromised (COMIC: The Body Snatcher) and project his mind over long distances to communicate with other telepathic users. (TV: The Pirate Planet) Due to his "complex mind", he was able to immunise himself from other telepaths. (TV: The Invasion of Time) He was also able to overpower the Second Morbius in a mindbending duel, though his victory left him severely weakened, with only the Elixir of Life being able to revive him. (TV: The Brain of Morbius)

Claiming to be a master hypnotist, (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) the Fourth Doctor was able to use hypnosis on people with simple eye contact, (TV: Terror of the Zygons) by laying his hands on their temples (TV: The Hand of Fear) with well-chosen vocal commands, (TV: The Face of Evil, The Sun Makers, The Invasion of Time) or with use of a fob watch. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Ribos Operation)

The Doctor could take ordinary household appliances and construct a gadget out of them to assist him in his objectives. (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Star Beast) He also could repair an android. (TV: The Androids of Tara)

Despite not being a doctor of medicine, (COMIC: The Mutant Strain) the Fourth Doctor possessed "considerable medical knowledge", (COMIC: The Space Ghost) being able to diagnose and treat a sprained ankle, (COMIC: Death Flower) and check a pulse with his knee. (PROSE: The English Way of Death)

The Doctor could read with incredible speed, (COMIC: Death Flower) detect the level of immuno-agents in blood by its smell, (PROSE: The English Way of Death) and see through cloaking-fields. (PROSE: Managra)

The Doctor could still drive Bessie, (TV: Robot) was able to commandeer and ride a horse with ease, (TV: The Masque of Mandragora) and could pilot an aircar. (TV: The Pirate Planet) He once admitted to Sarah Jane that he could easily control the destination of his TARDIS if he really wanted to, but that he preferred to only do so in moments of importance. (PROSE: Evolution) He could also drive a forklift (COMIC: Death Flower) and figure out how to operate a Dalek driller. (COMIC: The Dalek Revenge)

The Doctor could speak Mandarin and Cantonese, among other dialects, (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) such as Swahili. (AUDIO: Trail of the White Worm) He could also speak Ancient Latin. (COMIC: The Space Ghost)

Like several of his other incarnations, the Fourth Doctor's pockets appeared to be dimensionally transcendental, as he carried a large array of bizarre items in his pockets. (TV: Robot, Genesis of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen, The Talons of Weng-Chiang) He could also hold his breath for an extended period of time by using a technique taught to him by a Tibetan monk, (TV: Terror of the Zygons) and was talented with sleight of hand pickpocketing. (TV: The Ribos Operation, City of Death)

If his mind came under attack, the Doctor could force himself into a healing coma. (TV: The Invisible Enemy, The Invasion of Time) He could judge character keenly, almost instantly knowing whom not to trust. (TV: The Power of Kroll, City of Death)

The Doctor could also easily draw caricatures of people, (TV: The Deadly Assassin) perform magic tricks, (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) produce a scream powerful enough to shatter glass, (TV: The Power of Kroll) write decryption algorithms for computers, (PROSE: System Shock) and play poker. (PROSE: The Drosten's Curse)

Appearance[]

Fourth Doctor smile

The Fourth Doctor smiling. (TV: Robot)

Standing at 6'4", (PROSE: The Romance of Crime) the Fourth Doctor was notable for having large, expressive blue eyes, a large hooked nose, a round chin, bright white teeth and a large head of wild curly brown hair, (TV: Planet of the Spiders, Robot) leading him to frequently be described as being "all teeth and curls". (TV: The Five Doctors; WC: Shada, Doctors Assemble!; PROSE: The Touch of the Nurazh; COMIC: The Lost Dimension) He had short, light brown hairs growing on his arms. (TV: Robot)

By the time he was given his quest for the Key to Time by the White Guardian, the Doctor's hair had started to turn grey, and he had acquired a small scar on his upper lip, (TV: The Ribos Operation) which was made worse after he banged his face on the TARDIS control console, (TV: The Pirate Planet) though it soon faded. (TV: The Stones of Blood)

Upon first seeing his reflection, the Doctor lamented that "nothing [was] perfect", and that he had to "take the rough with the smooth", but thought his "nose [was] a definite improvement", though remained unsure about his ears in comparison. (TV: Robot) He eventually came to think of himself as being attractive. (AUDIO: The Power of the Daleks)

Li H'sen Chang described the Fourth Doctor as "tall with wide pale eyes and hair that curls like the ram", (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang) with Mena describing him as a "tall curly-headed humanoid". (TV: The Leisure Hive) Adric also called the Doctor a "tall man with curly hair and a silly scarf." (TV: State of Decay) Professor Frederick Marius remarked that the Doctor looked like a "space vagrant", (TV: The Invisible Enemy) while Paul Magrs thought that the Fourth Doctor resembled Tom Baker. (PROSE: Bafflement and Devotion)

The First Doctor described his fourth incarnation as the "taller chap with the teeth and the scarf", (PROSE: Five Card Draw) while the Sixth Doctor called him the "tall one with the teeth and the dark mass of curly hair". (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass)

When Affinity took on the Fourth Doctor's appearance, the Twelfth Doctor noted that his fourth incarnation's "eyes bulged alarmingly above tombstone teeth". He also doubted that the "battered hat jammed down over a madness of brown curls and an improbably long scarf displayed any sort of style." (PROSE: Silhouette)

Clothing[]

Main attires[]

The Fourth Doctor's most distinctive item of clothing was a series of long, rainbow-styled scarfs that varied in length and pattern formation, (TV: Robot, Image of the Fendahl, The Ribos Operation, Shada) which had originally been knitted for him by Madame Nostradamus, (TV: The Ark in Space) though he also owned a yellow and green striped scarf. (COMIC: The Totally Stonking, Surprisingly Educational And Utterly Mindboggling Comic Relief Comic) His dark curly hair was often partially hidden by a floppy chocolate brown fedora. (TV: Robot)

Aside from his scarf, the Doctor's first outfit consisted of a rust-orange corduroy blazer with elbow patches, a dark brown cardigan with diamond shapes adorning the front, a white dress shirt, an emerald green skinny tie, ankle-high leather shoes, baggy grey tweed trousers (TV: Robot) held up by braces, (COMIC: The Sinister Sea) and a tank top. (COMIC: The Emperor's Spy) He later switched his jumper for a checked-styled waistcoat and discarded his tie altogether, (TV: Terror of the Zygons) until he replaced it with a cravat. (TV: Planet of Evil) Eventually, his switched his blazer for a frock coat. (TV: Pyramids of Mars) After switching his cravat for an ascot tie, (TV: The Seeds of Doom) he eventually abandoned neck wear in favour of an open-necked shirt, (TV: Image of the Fendahl) with a likewise unbuttoned waistcoat, as well as an ivory cravat tied around his neck. (TV: The Invasion of Time)

He wore several frock coats of different colours, including a mahogany coat, (TV: Pyramids of Mars) a light grey beige tweed coat, (TV: The Android Invasion) and a dark brown coat. (TV: The Power of Kroll) He sometimes adorned his coats with lapel pins and brooches in various shapes, such as a flock of geese, (TV: The Power of Kroll) or an artist's pallet with tubes of paint. (TV: City of Death) He also varied his footwear to include leather boots, (TV: The Deadly Assassin) ugg-style boots, (TV: The Face of Evil) and green knee-high wellington boots, (TV: The Power of Kroll) and also changed his usual style to a green sleeveless-cardigan, (COMIC: Jackals of Space) a purple waistcoat, (TV: The Ribos Operation) brown checkered trousers, (TV: The Power of Kroll) and a yellow, checkered waistcoat. (TV: City of Death) He would also switch his braces for a black belt. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)

As he felt his regeneration nearing, (PROSE: Into the Silent Land) the Doctor overhauled his outfit to a full-length burgundy coat, waistcoat, trousers, buccaneer-style leather boots, a Poet's Hat, an ecru open-neck dress shirt with subtle ecru question marks adorning the collars, and a maroon scarf with violet stripes (TV: The Leisure Hive) and dwarf star alloy sown into its fabric. (PROSE: The Beast Inside) He kept his trousers up with a pair of braces with a flowery design. (TV: Meglos)

The Doctor occasionally wore trench coats, such as a light brown one with dark brown trim, (TV: The Ark in Space) and a plum velvet one. (TV: Nightmare of Eden) He also had a black jeweller's scope, (TV: Robot) and had a pair of small-lensed, dark-tinted glasses that he could wear when tinkering with scientific equipment. (TV: The Sun Makers)

Other costumes[]

Fourthdoctorwengchiang

The Doctor in Victorian era London. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)

When he took Leela to 1892 London, the Doctor dressed for the occasion by donning a plaid Inverness caped coat over a velvet patterned jacket with a dotted texture, a print waistcoat, a red tie with scattered pok-a-dots, tweed trousers, whites gloves, and a Deerstalker cap. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)

When attending the coronation of Azula on Shem, the Doctor wore a pitch black blazer with a matching tie and trousers, and a white dress shirt. (COMIC: The Power)

Behind the scenes[]

Casting[]

Costume influences[]

Doctor and Lautrec

Top: Painting of Aristide Bruant by Lautrec, which inspired the Doctor's famous look.
Bottom: Cover of AUDIO: The Demon of Paris, which reflected on the painting.

  • According to the creators of the show and Tom Baker, the Doctor's look was originally based on paintings and posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec of his friend, Aristide Bruant, a singer and nightclub owner whose trademark was a black cloak and long red scarf.[2]

In popular culture[]

  • The Fourth Doctor's distinctive appearance and mannerisms have made him a target for affectionate parody, such as on The Simpsons, Futurama and Robot Chicken.
  • In Hugo 2: Whodunnit?, a computer game, the player's character can save the Fourth Doctor from a Dalek, who in return gives the player his sonic screwdriver.
  • The Fourth Doctor was frequently impersonated by impressionist Jon Culshaw on the radio and television series Dead Ringers. Even Barney Miller had an episode featuring an eccentric man claiming to be a time-traveller and wearing a long striped scarf.
  • Archival footage of the Fourth Doctor's first title sequence was used in the Family Guy episode "Blue Harvest" to represent and parody Star Wars' hyperspace.
  • Tom Baker, as the narrator of the series Little Britain, has referenced Doctor Who.Template:How
  • In the book Return of the Bunny Suicides, there was a scene in which a bunny sits on top of the TARDIS with a noose around its neck as the Fourth Doctor runs into it, being chased by a Dalek.
  • Peter Jackson wore a costume similar to the Fourth Doctor's when he played Derek in his film Bad Taste.
  • On The Big Bang Theory, in the episode, "The Justice League Recombination", Stuart wears the Fourth Doctor's costume to a New Year's Eve costume party at his comic book shop.
  • The video game Team Fortress 2 features the Fourth Doctor's scarf as a cosmetic for the Medic class. The scarf was renamed as the Chronoscarf, and was added in the 18 June 2014 update.

Reprising the role[]

  • Originally intended as a major player in the 20th-anniversary special, The Five Doctors, Baker pulled out before production began, citing other obligations as his reasoning. The production team rewrote the scripts to give much of his role to the Fifth Doctor, and included the Fourth Doctor by making use of unbroadcast footage from Shada. A Madame Tussauds wax mannequin of his incarnation was used in publicity shots to keep the "five Doctors" concept afloat.
  • In 1993, Baker was hired to play the Doctor full-on for the planned 30th Anniversary Special The Dark Dimension, but the special was cancelled and instead a small cameo for Dimensions in Time was shot instead. Around this time, he also introduced a VHS reconstruction of Shada, though not apparently in character as the Doctor. In 1997 he returned to the role in a more serious manner in the video game Destiny of the Doctors and in a Superannuation advertisement. He also appeared as Tom Baker as Fourth Doctor in the comedy docudrama Who on Earth is Tom Baker.
  • Despite his hesitancy to play the role again, Baker made frequent appearances on DVD releases of his stories, recording audio commentaries for many and conducting on-camera interviews for others.
  • In the 2000s, Baker made a tentative step towards reprising the role by agreeing to record audio books for BBC Audio, reading the texts from several Target novelisations from his era. Finally, in 2009, Baker agreed to return to the role of the Doctor in a dramatic context, performing the five-part Hornets' Nest story arc, again for BBC Audio, in which he was paired up with Richard Franklin reprising his character of Mike Yates.
  • In March 2010, Baker announced on his official website that he was in discussions with Big Finish Productions to record Doctor Who audio dramas for the company.[3] Big Finish confirmed this on 3 June 2010.[4] A few days later it was also confirmed that Baker would be doing additional stories for BBC Audio, AUDIO: Demon Quest, released at end of 2010.[5]
  • Prior to the cancellation of The Sarah Jane Adventures following the death of Elisabeth Sladen, Tom Baker was briefly considered to play a role in the series, specifically in a planned 2011 Christmas special entitled Miracle on Bannerman Road, in which he would portray a mysterious traveller. (DWMSE 32)
  • In 2013, Baker made a cameo appearance in the 50th anniversary story, The Day of the Doctor, as the Curator of the National Gallery.

Romances[]

Since the fourth incarnation was the youngest in appearance at the time, he therefore appeared closer in age to his companions. This led to concerns being expressed of possible "hanky panky in the TARDIS", a term often used in the tabloid press to suggest the impression of off-screen dalliances between the various Doctors and their young, female companions.

Perhaps to address this, according to the Information Text commentary on the 2007 DVD release of The Stones of Blood, Baker generally tried to emphasise the asexuality of the character, apart from possible subtle romantic tension such as that with Sarah Jane Smith. Despite this, Baker was not above tossing in occasional visual jokes that suggested sexual tension.

For example, in The Stones of Blood, the Doctor and Romana have to huddle close in order to be within the confines of a transporter beam and enter what would, in normal circumstances, be seen as a romantic clinch, but neither character appears to recognise this. Likewise, the Doctor and Romana are forced into close proximity in The Ribos Operation when hiding from Graff Vynda-K and neither seem to recognise this as a romantic moment.

Secondary media, on the other hand, has often restrained less from romantic moments; particularly with Romana II. For instance, in the Short Trips story Special Occasions: 2. Do You Love Anyone Enough?, the Doctor gave Romana the last Rolo in the Universe for St Valentine's Day. In PROSE: The Well-Mannered War, the Doctor kissed Romana on the cheek.

Other matters[]

External links[]

Footnotes[]

  1. Doctor Who - The Tom Baker Years 1974 - 1981. h2g2 (23 November 2005). Retrieved on 28 April 2012.
  2. Tom Baker. BBC - Doctor Who. Retrieved on 28 April 2012.
  3. "Marcus" (17 March 2010). Tom Baker to record for Big Finish? (UPDATED 18 March). Doctor Who News. Retrieved on 28 April 2012.
  4. Licence Renewed for Doctor Who Audios. Big Finish (3 June 2010). Retrieved on 28 April 2012.
  5. "Marcus" (13 June 2010). Tom Baker - Demon Quest. Doctor Who News. Retrieved on 28 April 2012.
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