As we approach the 61st anniversary of Doctor Who in November 2024, we thought it might be a good idea to tally up all the known incarnations of the Doctor that we’ve seen on our TV screens over the past six decades. No, we’re not including audio adventures, comics, alternate dimensions, fan projects, mental constructs, hallucinations, doppelgängers, androids, random children from the beginning of time, in-jokes from The Brain of Morbius, etc. — just the legit flesh and blood incarnations we’ve seen on the proper television show who have called themselves the Doctor.

So here, we examine who all’s included in this “faculty” of Doctors.

The Classic Era (1963- 1996)

From 1963 to 1996, this era gave us 26 seasons and a TV movie. Yes, The TV Movie gets grandfathered in because Sylvester McCoy’s seventh incarnation appears in a fairly substantial role, passing the baton to Paul McGann. 

The Classic Era gave us William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, McCoy, and McGann, but we were also graced with Michael Jayston’s portrayal of the Valeyard, a future incarnation. Talk about a prime candidate for the bi-generation argument! That would be just as viable as his being a “physical manifestation” of the Doctor’s dark side from “somewhere between the Doctor’s 12th and final incarnation”. But we digress.

The Classic Era gave us nine incarnations total.

Doctor tally: 9

The New Era (2005-2022)

The much heralded revival of the show in 2005 gave us a plethora of new Doctors, past Doctors, future Doctors, and other Doctors (usually by Mr. Moffat). 13 series in total, and several specials that stretched out over 18 years from 2005 through 2022.

In addition to Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whitaker, we got John Hurt’s War Doctor; Tennant’s half human meta-crisis Doctor; Tom Baker’s future incarnation, the Curator; and Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor. In fact, we saw most of these in the 50th anniversary alone!

So, the New Era gave us nine incarnations as well.

Doctor tally: 18

The Disney Era (2023-)

Now, we had a whole new ballgame starting in 2023 during the 60th anniversary celebrations.

As Doctor Who takes yet another lap around planet earth, in a very short span of time, we’ve already chalked up yet a third Tennant incarnation and the latest version in the form of Ncuti Gatwa. How long this latest version will stick round is anyone’s guess, but yes, after only 4 specials, the Disney Era already has 2 Doctors racked up.

Doctor tally: 20

60 years, 20 Doctors. With the agreements in place between the BBC, Bad Wolf/Sony, and Disney, barring some manufactured disaster, the future for the show is assured.

And yes, it’s likely that the Doctor will still be regenerating long after we’re all gone.