Forum:How many Doctors?

Was there any dialogue that definitively stated that Christopher Ecclestone's Doctor was the ninth, or that David Tennant's is the tenth. If not, it is possible that were other incarnations between Paul McGann's and CE's, which could explain the Doctor's comment, in "School Reunion", that he had regenerated half-a-dozen times since last meeting Sarah-Jane Smith.

More seriously, an unseen Doctor could be the basis for a surprise revelation RTD has for us. Maybe I've just spoiled it!Quornhog 20:23, 8 April 2008 (UTC)


 * The amount of Doctors is not the biggest dispute. On the BBC Website episode guide it firmly states Doctors 1 - 8. There is probably something stated in an official reference text stating that the Ninth was CE and the Tenth DT. There are other problems (not how many Doctors there are, though if you're concerned about that question look at; The Brain of Morbius (that example is usually ignored), Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (more Time Lord history than actual confusion about the Doctor), Lungbarrow (more questions and answers about the Doctor and stuff related to him), Birthright (someone who might or might not be the Doctor who pops up in that one)...there are others. Also if you're getting into other problems, there's his age. Firmly stated as 900 in Aliens of London, which would be fine except in Time and the Rani it's stated as 953 and in Vampire Science as 1,012. On a more practical level I doubt RTD would do the 'previous Doctor' thing, mainly because if you had that scenario you get into a problem of balancing all the previously unseen continuity, you need to re-introduce a previously never seen character, also there's the whole 13 lives thing which if there was an unseen Doctor would shorten to possible length of the series by one actor. --Tangerineduel 14:58, 9 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't think it was stated as being exactly 900 in Aliens of London, although in The Runaway Bride he said he was exactly 903 years old. I just assumed that, after the Last Great Time War, he decided that 900 would be a good age to start counting from. And the New Series Doctors are stated to be the Ninth and Tenth here, and that's probably official. 14:53, 10 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Official, it may be. But it's definitely not in-universe.  There is nothing in-universe to definitively number the BBC Wales Doctors as yet.  The closest thing is the rather colloquial and vague "half a dozen" regenerations which separates Sarah's last encounter with the Doctor from the "Tenth" Doctor.  If it's literally 6, from where do we count?  The Hand of Fear or The FIve Doctors?  It it's casually 6, then again we could be missing a Doctor or two between McGann and Eccleston.  Steven Moffat is, as I see it, completely at liberty to do what he wants.  And if he wants to blow all our little minds and bring in a past Doctor we don't recognize, more power to him, I say.   Czech Out   ☎ | ✍  23:04, 16 July 2008 (UTC)