Many years ago I bought this book about popular TV shows called “Cult
TV.” It was published back in the mid eighties. They have a section on
Doctor Who. I hadn’t touched this book in years…recently found it
again and started reading. Some amusing things about the Doctors, as
well as some odd errors…

“The Doctors:

1. William Hartnell: “With me to lead them, we can’t possibly lose.” Very arrogant, snappy. Convinced of his own brilliance; he knows he’s the best. LOOK FOR: The way he’ll instantly take over a situation, imposing his will on it.

2. Patrick Troughton: “When I say run, run like a rabbit.” Acts feeble and stupid to disarm his opponents. If a situation gets dangerous, he runs. Apparently crazy – but that’s just a facade. LOOK FOR: He gets his way while seeming to do nothing at all. Disarms villains with a few “innocent” remarks.

3. Jon Pertwee: “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.” James Bond dandy type, with action, fight sequences, gadgets, gimmickry, etc. Very fatherly; where Bond would get the girl, he protects her. Whips up any type of gadget on the spur of the moment. LOOK FOR: His Venusian aikido (his fighting technique), lots of gadgets.

4. Tom Baker: “You may be a doctor, but I am THE doctor. The definitive article, you might say.” Childish, Bohemian, with a long, flowing scarf, a battered hat, a mop of curls, and big, bulging eyes. Has violent mood swings – very serious one moment, joking the next. Very unpredictable. LOOK FOR: Witty dialogue, threats to the universe.

5. Peter Davison: “Call yourself a Time Lord? A broken clock keeps better time than you do!” Very vulnerable. Wears cricket outfits, with a sprig of celery in his lapel. He’s the youngest of the Doctors – nervous and apparently not in control of the situation (but of course he is).

6. Colin Baker: Incredibly egoistic. An appalling dresser – no taste in clothes or style. Biting, pompous and incredibly brilliant – and he knows it.

A couple amusing (or not) errors I found:

“Liz: What are you a Doctor of?” Doctor: Practically everything, my dear.” They attribute this quote to the 1st Doctor, not the 3rd. Hmm, trying to picture Hartnell’s Doctor saying he’s a citizen of the universe and a gentleman to boot. 😉

In the list of the Doctor’s companions, it includes “Fraser Hines as Jamie McCrimmon, a 15th-century Scottish piper.” Wow, so Jamie’s actually from the 1400s then? LOL…

Just wanted to share these amusing findings…