Rightness as in the writing for the characters, how easy is each character to write for?



In descending order...



TomDoc. Nearly impossible to get wrong. Write a script with nothing more than him eating jelly babies and playing with his yoyo and it'll shine.



Hartnell. Everyone sort of gets the first Doctor,  he's pretty easy to write for.



Pertwee. Easy, forthright and morally pugnacious.



McCoy. Easier as the Machiavellian manipulator hiding behind a clown than the clown himself.



Davison. Least defined, the greater the threat he faces the better he works.



ColinDoc. Deceptively hard, terribly easy to caricature. Particularly on the screen.



Troughton. Some think it's enough to get him to muck about with a sandwich. I don't.



And the latest three I have no strong feelings on...

Very interesting analysis Martin



I agree with it.... though with a few changes.



Davison to the bottom of the list. Character a weak sissy with no backbone, better suited to play school, in the square window, because he is a square....!!!!



Colin Baker to the top equal with Tom Brilliant and dynamic able to play any role perfectly (even if it is a suicidal role created by fools like JNT and Saward)

Sure, but I'm not rating them (characters not actors) by anything other than how easy it is to get them wrong. Davison scores middling because he is so vague. ColinDoc and Troughton I see people writing too often as caricatures, as if it's OK just to get down their funny mannerisms and assume the rest will follow.

Ahhhh!!! Sorry Martin I would then agree with your analysis



OK then, what order would you rate them in Acting Ability?

I do agree with Martin except you forgot about Troughton with his Flute and funny hat.



Why don't we judge them on dress.



Hartnell dress as a man of his age should.



Troughton look like a vagabon so that is how he was dressed.



Pertwee had a aura so why not make him one of only two men who could where a frilled shirt with a purple suit. (who was the other?)



TB one word - scarf.



Davidson - cricket anyone, he look as though he could crack one in the covers.



CB worst outfit it looked as though a rainbow had vomitted on his jacket.



McCoy look as though he could blend in anywhere perfect for the doctor.

I'm sorry I muddied the issue by referring to the actor's names.



I don't think that much of actors (I'm a drama graduate, but please don't tell anyone). To use Stephen King's description of life in "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption", there's good, bad and terrible.



You're lucky with most actors it they can recite the lines without inappropriate inflection. And acting is an actual make believe act, playing yourself doesn't count.



One acid test I use is whether actors can play radically different parts. Can Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy act? I don't know, never seen them play anything else!



Hartnell  could act, but didn't put much effort in by the time Who got him. One reason I like The Romans, Myth Makers and Gunfighters is he would sparkle with a comedic script. He was like a different man!



One problem with the '80s TV doctors is JNT would cast them to be themselves! He'd see them do something (in Davison's case...play cricket!) and get them to repeat it on the Who set. No challenge.



I believe Colin Baker could act, although he comes across like the sixth doctor in real life. I've seen Peter Davison act although he tends to be typecast in "impotent" roles.



Pertwee gurned in everything I've seen him in. Even in bit parts he dominates the screen. His Doctor is if anything understated.



And Troughton? Even in Who he demonstrated this!

Ok, while we are judging them, how about we judge them on their ability to win an arm wrestle against Davros.



1. Pertwee, with his Karate and hands-on approach he is the sure winner



2. Colin Baker - larger stature than the other Doctors with an agreesive streak for extra punch



3. Tom Baker - once again, slightly larger than the others but missing the agressive streak of Colin and when arm wrestling Davros a jelly baby is of little help



4. Slyvester McCoy - Maybe not as fragile as we may think, he had to put up with Mel and Ace as his companions after all



5. Hartnell - Maybe Old but this old man takes no crap from anyone, especially not some freak in a wheelchair



6. Troughton - Pansy!!! But not as bigger pansy as the next.



7. Davison - Probably be crushed by Davros and go back crying to his mummy like the pussy he is

I'd put Hartnell higher--he could be vicious with that stick, and doubtless could have worn Davros down with interminable theater anecdotes..."I was on tour with Laurence Olivier, and I said 'Olly, this is another fine mess you've gotten us in...'".

Forgive my dramatic arts knowledge, or lack of. But, when you say inappropriate inflection do you mean that the actor will recite their lines by using their own words? Thus, inserting their own personality into the character? Therefore, rendering the character a mere mirror of themselves and not the character the writer planned them to protray?



If that is the case then I would agree Most actors cannot but help themselves to insert themselves over the top of the intended character



And what you said is true, with the Doctor's it is difficult to determine their acting abilities as we don't always have a comparison in a different role to match them up against.



Though as you said Pertwee is magnificent. That ScareCrow he played and the voice of spotty in Superted, no matter where he is, he is dynamic and commands attention



I agree with you, I believe Colin Baker can act



Though the big question mark will forever be over Tom Baker's head. He has been in different roles and plenty of voice overs,,,, but to me he appears to be Doctor Who in all of them. Now that leave the question, maybe it was never Doctor Who he was playing.... but rather Tom Baker



Some of the interviews I have seen of Tom Baker, I don't think he completely grasped the concepts of the show or his characters or the other characters. Almost sometimes verging on complete disinterest in the show. (But I could be wrong I have only ever really seen him in about 4 interviews)



Nonetheless, whether he was playing the character intended or playing Tom Baker when he was the Doctor, he vivid personality shone as a beacon and he will always remain the quintessential Doctor

A 7 year track record as The doctor would mean that he (TBaker) could keep Davros pinned down for quite some time - so I think Tom Baker would win on the arm wrestling stakes. Though Hartnell could be a vicious bugger, and bore his competitor as well.



TBaker WAS the Doctor in the sense that BBC merchandising had got the formula right for a commercial success. He had so many 'trademarks' in both his image and his character. The toothy smile, curly hair, boggly eyes, commanding voice, the scarf, the jelly babies, the hat, K9, Leela................

Not only were his stories the most well crafted of them all (?), but his character and 'image' were fine tuned into the bohemian vagabond, roaming through time and space - an anti authoritarian figure who was an authority in what he did not do.....what I mean by that is he knew how to fight aliens by not fighting aliens. HE WAS THE ALIEN, and he was capable of empathising with the alien's point of view (ref. "The Face of Evil", "The Robots of Death", "Genesis of the Daleks", and especially "Pyramids of Mars" - "Sometimes you don't seem human!!!", says Sarah in shock as The Doctor casually lists Sutekh's body - count so far in the story). With Baker we had a real life eccentric (remember he had trained to be a monk) playing an alien Time Lord in a show that had become an institution, and he was packaged to appeal to all age groups, with his Jelly Babies and his ability to explain the horrific so casually.



Now as for inflection, did TBaker ever change the pitch of his voice???? and even if he did, the commanding baritone would still be there. His powerful and authoritive manner was ubiquitous throughout the show - in "The Face of Evil", his voice commanded the tribe of the Salateen, and his face left them in terror. Yet he was the symbol of the 'old fashioned hero' in a sci fi setting. This then just goes to show what a powerful character Baker was - he could be menacing and comforting - and his voice and image were able to convey that at the same time when he had to play both The Doctor and the Evil One.

(and don't forget "The Invasion of Time's " cliffhanger where The Doctor calls the double bluff on the Vardans and TimeLords - and the audience!).

No other actor could have so dramatically delivered the speech about human survival in "The Ark in space", or coax/egg on Davros into his state of meglomania ("Genesis of the Daleks" - the question of a phial containing a virus that could wipe out all life), played the schizophrenic 'other' from Jung psychoanalysis ("The Face of Evil") or face off against the Master with such great conviction as in "Logopolis", than Tom Baker.

Even though he wasn't my favourite Doctor, I must say that he will never be surpassed in his thespian approach to the part - and in how he fit the mould that was crafted by canny producers such as Hinchcliffe and Williams, who fully appreciated the commercial value of the show and how well it related to the TV viewing population.



In defence of Davison, he was briefed to be everything that Tbaker wasn't, and you must agree that he did that quite well. He was much younger, and was stepping into a role that TBaker had made his own for the better part of 10 years. And Nathan - Turner wanted to exploit the 'star' aspect of Davison, that he was young and 'dishy' (the Radio Times of 1981 called him the 'dishy Doctor'). Having Davison look glazy eyed into the camera and say "I don't know" when he was faced with problems and dangers was supposed to help increase his sex appeal.......and talking to female Dr who fans, it seems that JNT's project had succeeded.

And he also managed to succeed in destroying the show....watching McCoy's era is like watching an old racehorse trying to just get up and go back to the stable after a slow trot across the farm. To think that a show that once had done "Alien" 6 years earlier ("The Ark In Space"), had a prestigious history concerning a noble species that had mastered the arts of space time travel (the Time Lords), and had made "Exterminate" a world wide catch phrase that conditioned young children to act like Daleks, had now turned into a program where the lead character is literally a clown ("The Greatest Show in the Galaxy") and the stories are so purile that they are embarassing - this is a disgrace!!! JNT has a lot to answer for.



MCoy's Doctor was a clown and a Jung - like psychiatrist for Ace. Just write stories for him to do things to help Ace face her fears and be a good role model for feminists (oh, and include the narrative that the Doctor already knew what was going to happen all along!!!), and that basically summarises the McCoy years.



Humiliate a good actor with lousy costume design and overly sentimental stories that constantly make reference to the show's history, and you've got the CBaker formula.



Now.......back to the golden years - pure escapism and a daper hero with a taste for class and action, and you have the Pertwee years.



Hartnell - the show was finding its feet and so was the lead actor. He could fluff his lines and it didn't matter becuse the show didn't make much sense back then anyway (not until Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler joined the crew).



Troughton  - the cosmic hobo who would duck and cover while being chased by a weird and wild (psychedelic?) array of monsters. Writing for him meant that he was to act scared and silly and then save the day because that was always a decoy for his logical and rational mind that was sussing out his enemies by making them think he was on the run.



In conclusion, in no particular order, the arm wrestle:



Hartnell would beat Davros with his old school ways - the cranky old Doctor would distract him if he couldn't beat him physically.



Troughton - May be a wussie; he would use Jamie to wrestle Davros while he went around the other side of his life support system and planted some type of explosive device.



Pertwee - repulsed at having to even make physical contact with Davros, he would use his martial arts prowess to rip his arm off and then deliver a moral sililoquy to the Daleks that without 'arm'aments they're useless.



TBaker - The long running Doctor - see above



Davison - Might make Davros feel sorry for him and give him a peck on the cheek if he said "I don't know" like he did in most of his cliffhangers......he'd most likely lose.



CBaker - This one wouldn't just arm wrestle Davros.......he'd  demand satisfaction and declare a duel at 6am Skaro time. He'd loudly say this while also delivering a speech that he despises violence (and yet, he may strangle Davros instead)



Mc Coy - He's already had the arm wrestle in a previous encounter with Davros and was only playing out this wrestle to distract the renegade Daleks as they were preparing to destroy all Davros' army in a war that would destroy the universe if he didn't arm wrestle Davros in the previous encounter...............

Inappropriate inflection simply means they emphasize the wrong words.



The most universal example I can give is when newsreaders  read their autocues (or as Who fans call them Piniprompts) incorrectly and it's obvious they don't understand the content.



Thinking about it in a dramatic context one example which leaps out at me is from Blakes 7: Space Fall. Jenna sticks her hand in some shaving cream oozing out of a wall and declares it to be sealant. Then, accusatory towards the rest of cast "It goes solid in minutes!" as if she were annoyed the last sandwich was gone from the catering tray.



Another thing which I find surprising is the next integration. Upon realizing there must be damage to the hull Villa starts "Gan-" before being cut off by Blake. What was he going to say? Plug it with your big head? They were all prisoners in two rooms as far as we know!

How about the 'inflection' of Michael Wisher's tedious portrayal of a BBC reported in "The ambassadors of Death"?!?

- Juxtaposed with (what I think was hilarious) parody of the pompous BBC given by Hugh Walters as Runcible in "The Deadly Assasin".



Don't pay out Sally Knyvette - she's too gorgeous

Ahhhh Empasising the wrong words, now I am with ya' In that case I must submit, I can never recall Tom Baker emphasising anything incorrectly



Does being bland and boring constantly count as inappropriate inflection?

I dunno about that one - Martin's the dramatic artiste. But from my layman's knowledge, I'd say that a bland and boring TV presenter doing a story on aliens from Mars is inappropriate inflection. It's not exactly how you'd expect the report to read when we are about to make contact with E.T.!!!!



Tom Baker's voice is incomparably good........but there is Richard Burton's narration for the musical version of "The War of the Worlds". Now that is FANTASTIC!!!!!

Have you ever heard that Sneb?

So that means Peter Davison, bland and boring, is the master of inappropriate inflection??? heheheh!!!



No, I have not yet had the joy of experiencing the War of the Worlds Musical Version. I should lay my hands on a copy. I have plenty of time for listening driving between Adelaide and Port Pirie everyweek

I can loan you a copy!!!!!

I must have it!!!!