'Doctor Who': Every former Doctor return appearance, ranked

Doctor Who - Special One: The Star Beast — Photo:
Alistair Heap/BBC

In its decades-long history, Doctor Who has featured more than a dozen actors in its title role. Thanks to the show’s occasional wanderings into the nostalgic corners of time and space, plenty of these former Doctors have come back — for better or for worse. In 2023, the show marked its 60th anniversary with the return of Tenth Doctor actor David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor.

EW ranked every notable return of a Doctor, from the wackiest to the most wonderful. See which one came out on top.

9. Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor), Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor), Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor), Colin Baker (Sixth Doctor), and Sylvester McCoy (Seventh Doctor) in “Dimensions in Time” (1993)

8. Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor), Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor), Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor), Colin Baker (Sixth Doctor), and Sylvester McCoy (Seventh Doctor) in “Dimensions in Time” (1993) — BBC

After ending its original run four years earlier, Doctor Who returned in 1993 for a one-off 30th-anniversary special during Children in Need, an annual charity telethon in the U.K. The two-part special (in 3-D!) featured every living former Doctor and dozens of former companions. What could have been a spectacular event ended up being an embarrassing hodgepodge of cheesy special effects, head-scratching cameos from the cast of the BBC soap EastEnders, and a complicated plot even George R. R. Martin couldn't untangle. The nostalgia of seeing these classic Doctors back in action isn't enough to save this train wreck.

Best line:

Fourth Doctor: “Good luck, my dears.”

8. Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) in “The Two Doctors” (1985)

7. Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) in “The Two Doctors” (1985) — BBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Due to the BBC’s unfortunate "junking" policy, much of Patrick Troughton’s era (1963–1966) as the Second Doctor remains lost to Who fans. His later return appearances have been the best chance to see his lovable portrayal of the mercurial Second Doctor. But his final reprisal in “The Two Doctors” alongside Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor was ill-befitting of his legacy. In this clunky, too-long allegory promoting vegetarianism, Troughton had little time to dazzle, spending much of the story kidnapped, knocked out, or chowing down on a Spanish feast. Worse yet, he shares little screen-time with Baker, a waste of a comedic pairing rife with possibility.

Best line:

Second Doctor: “Do try and keep out of my way in future and in past, there’s a good fellow. The time continuum should be big enough for the both of us.”

7. Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor) in “Deep Breath” (2014)

6. Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor) in “Deep Breath” (2014) — BBC

Matt Smith’s cameo (via a phone call from the past) in Peter Capaldi’s debut episode remains controversial amongst fans. In the scene, the Eleventh Doctor (Smith) urges his companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) to give his newest incarnation (Capaldi) a chance. Though a sweet scene on the surface, it ultimately masks an underlying panhandling to Smith super-fans feeling lukewarm about Capaldi. Regardless of sentiment, the scene feels tacked on and disrupts Capaldi’s otherwise stellar debut.

Best line:

Eleventh Doctor: “He sounds old. Please tell me I didn’t get old. Anything but old! I was young.”

6. Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor), Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor), and Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) in “The Five Doctors” (1983)

5. Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor), Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor), and Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) in “The Five Doctors” (1983) — Mirrorpix/Courtesy Everett Collection

A more accurate title would’ve been “The Four-ish Doctors.” Tom Baker, who, two years earlier, had bowed out of his iconic turn as the Fourth Doctor, refused to appear in the 20th-anniversary special — his brief appearance is merely footage from a different, unfinished episode. He even refused to do the promotional photoshoot so they had to use his creepy Madame Tussauds wax figure instead (see it above). William Hartnell had died in 1975, so producers recast Richard Hurndall as the First Doctor — a fair substitute, but not quite the same. Still, "The Five Doctors" was a banner event in the show’s history. Sure, the plot is lackluster and slow-moving, but when all the Doctors finally get to interact at the end, it’s truly magical.

Best line:

Fifth Doctor: “Well now it seems we must part, just as I was beginning to get to know me.”

5. Paul McGann (Eighth Doctor) in “The Night of the Doctor” (2013)

4. Paul McGann (Eighth Doctor) in “The Night of the Doctor” (2013) — BBC

Paul McGann had only appeared as the Eighth Doctor in a one-off TV movie in 1996, but his beloved incarnation lived on in novels, comic strips, and audio dramas for years to come. In a special mini-episode ahead of the series’ 50th anniversary, McGann burst back onto the screen to the delight and surprise of many fans. “The Night of the Doctor” served as McGann’s heartbreaking swan song, with the Eighth Doctor facing mortal peril and a devastating regeneration decision. Though adding only seven more minutes to his onscreen tenure, McGann proved himself a worthy physician indeed. Bring him knitting!

Best line:

Eighth Doctor: “I’m a Doctor. But probably not the one you’re expecting.”

4. William Hartnell (First Doctor) and Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) in “The Three Doctors” (1972)

3. William Hartnell (First Doctor) and Patrick Troughton (Second Doctor) in “The Three Doctors” (1972) — BBC

“The Three Doctors” kicked off the show’s 10th year on the air, a celebration that set the precedent for every anniversary special to come. The four-part story brought together Jon Pertwee (the incumbent Third Doctor) with his two predecessors, Troughton (Second Doctor) and Hartnell (First Doctor). Though an ailing Hartnell’s role was brief, his signature snark and grouchiness played well off of his “dandy and a clown” replacements. Troughton and Pertwee’s rivalry (on screen and off) is all in good fun, making a delightful pair of bickering Time Lords.

Best line:

Second Doctor: “Oh, I’ve seen you’ve been doing the TARDIS up a bit. Hmm, I don’t like it.”

3. Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor) in “Time Crash” (2007)

2. Peter Davison (Fifth Doctor) in “Time Crash” (2007) — BBC

For the first time in decades, Peter Davison donned his signature stick of celery once again for Children in Need alongside David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor in this hilarious mini-episode. Watching Davison and Tennant go toe-to-toe is a genuine laugh-out-loud marvel and a true gift to Who fans across generations. But its Tennant, a life-long Who fan himself, and his sweet-natured, nostalgic awe of Davison that makes “Time Crash” truly heartwarming and special. Years later, in a touching twist, Tennant married Davison's daughter Georgia Moffett, who ironically played the Tenth Doctor's adult daughter in a 2008 episode.

Best line:

Fifth Doctor: “That could blow a hole in the space-time continuum the size of — well, actually, the exact size of Belgium. That’s a bit undramatic, isn’t it? Belgium?”

2. David Tennant (Tenth Doctor) and Tom Baker (“The Curator”) in “The Day of the Doctor” (2013)

1. David Tennant (Tenth Doctor) and Tom Baker (“The Curator”) in “The Day of the Doctor” (2013) — Adrian Rogers; BBC

After hanging up his coat in 2010, Tennant returned to the show in celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2013, in which his Tenth Doctor teamed up with Smith’s Eleventh Doctor to help a previously unknown past incarnation of themselves (John Hurt) face a terrible decision. Tennant and Smith’s interactions were straight out of a buddy-cop film, full of gags, insults, and camaraderie — irresistibly fun to watch. The episode also featured a cameo from Baker, the beloved Fourth Doctor, who this time took on the mysterious role of “the Curator,” offering the Eleventh Doctor wisdom and hope at the episode’s end. While Baker’s cameo probably made zero sense in any time-space continuum, the veteran Who star proved he could still enchant and amaze as the universe’s favorite hero.

Best line:

Tenth Doctor: “We’re confusing the polarity!”

1. David Tennant (Fourteenth Doctor) in "The Star Beast," "Wild Blue Yonder," and "The Giggle" (2023)

Who wouldn't want more Tennant in the TARDIS! Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the longest-running sci-fi series of all time, a trio of Who specials featured Tennant's second return — this time as a new incarnation, the Fourteenth Doctor — along with fan favorite Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and the OG showrunner Russell T. Davies, who dubs these episodes as a "a mini-season" with "three different stories." Beyond the nostalgia kick and surpassing the low ratings of its previous season, the 60th anniversary also gave viewers a glance into what lies ahead with the long-awaited debut of Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, breaking the space-time continuum by "bi-generating" from Tennant's Time Lord. Together, they face off the villainous Toymaker, played by none other than Neil Patrick Harris (a role originally played by Michael Gough in 1966). When asked if he'd return for Doctor Who's 70th anniversary, Tennant told EW, "Who knows if I will still be able to run up and down corridors. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t damage my knees this time out, so I wouldn’t want to tempt fate. But should my joints still be in working order, I will certainly consider any offers if they come through in 10 years' time."