Seventh Doctor

Originally a man with the demeanour Of a light hearted buffoon, The Seventh Doctor darkened into a mysterious cunning manipulator to combat Fenric's return.

Though he delighted in humorous reveri it was only the surface of his true nature, beneath he was a Machiavellian and sombre genius of frightful calibre who could tactically use his mind to manipulate almost any situation into his favoured outcome, despite this every action he did “For the greater good” as this incarnation sought out evil to vanquish he could also show profound warmth and affection to his companions and built a strong connection with all of them.

Initially the Seventh Doctor traveled with his predecessor's final Companion Melanie Bush. After several adventures with the new Doctor she left to go travel with Sabalon Glitz prompting him to travel with Ace McShane, a troubled teenager from Earth in the 1980s treating her as both a protegé and initially as a pawn in Fenric's game. He did his best to heal Ace's psychological wounds by helping her come to terms with her past misdeeds and fears, aiding her in maturing and supporting her in moments of difficulty. Although he initially planned on taking Ace home, The Doctor ended up enrolling her in the Time Lord Academy on Gallifrey after being put through a test by the Time Lords.

After traveling alone for a brief time the Doctor befriended Raine Creevy, a posh Safecracker who's father was friends with the Doctor. He and Raine then traveled together for a short while.

The Seventh Doctor finally regenerated into his next incarnation on Earth, in 1945 after being shot, protecting Raine from being killed by Klause Schmit.

Biography[]

Post-Regeneration[]

After the laser attack, the TARDIS was caught in the Rani's tractor beam, and forced to make a landing on Lakertya's surface, where the Rani and her Tetrap servant, Urak, boarded the TARDIS and abducted the Doctor as his regeneration concluded, taking him to the Rani's laboratory. Awakening in the Rani's lab, the Doctor immediately recognised her, but was knocked out by Urak and injected with an amnesia-inducing drug, which allowed the Rani to trick him into assisting her with her project by pretending to be Mel. Upon regaining consciousness again, the partially amnesiac Doctor first decided to choose a new look, before returning to work on the Rani's machine, having been convinced by "Mel" that he had been working on it before an accident caused him to regenerate.

However, as the Doctor found what was wrong with it, the real Mel snuck into the lab and the two convinced each other of their identities, exposing the Rani's lies. Escaping, the Doctor discovered that several other geniuses from throughout time, including Albert Einstein and Hypatia, had been captured to act as components of the Rani's "time brain". Forced to become the final component, the Doctor's still recovering mind caused it to spout nonsense, though he also inadvertently provided the brain with the means to determine the needed substance: Loyhargil. The Lakertyan leader, Beyus, then sacrificed his life to destroy the brain and delay the launch long enough for the rocket to miss the asteroid. Rescuing the captives, the Doctor took them back to their own times. (TV: Time and the Rani)

New adventures with Mel[]

Travelling to Paradise Towers so Mel could enjoy its swimming pool, the Doctor found that the staff and residents residing within the Towers had all become either anarchist Kangs, cannibalistic Rezzies or pompous Caretakers. Accused of being the "Great Architect" that built the Towers, the Doctor was nearly killed by the Chief Caretaker, who wanted the Tower to run the way he wanted. The real architect, Kroagnon, a madman who killed anyone who moved into his creations to keep them perfect, was still within the complex, and had been using the Cleaners to murder residents. As the Doctor and Mel investigated, Kroagnon became concerned, and transplanted his disembodied mind into the Chief, going on a murderous rampage through the complex. He was defeated when Pex, the only remaining male resident, pushed him to his death down a lift shaft, sacrificing himself to prove his bravery. (TV: Paradise Towers)

Winning a free vacation from G715, the Doctor and Mel found themselves part of an alien expedition to experience the Earth's "rock 'n' roll years" at 1959Disneyland. After the tour was detoured to South Wales, the Doctor discovered that the last Chimeron queen, Delta, was amongst their party, hiding with her newborn from the vicious Bannermen, mercenaries set on genocide. After defeating the Bannermen by causing their leader, Gavrok, to fall into his own trap, he bid goodbye to Delta, her daughter and a human, Billy, who had fallen in love with Delta, as they departed for the Chimeron hatchery. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

The Doctor and Mel were summoned to Gallifrey, along with three of his previous incarnations and various companions, who all learned from Romana and the Eighth Doctor, that a renegade Time Lord known as Hildron had escaped a Time Lord prison, along with other prisoners, Rom@na tasked the Doctors with going down to the various planets and dealing with the escaped prisoners.

The £octor and Mel arrived on a water planet and discovered that the Nestene Consciousness had taken over and was polluting the water. The Doctor, with help from Mel, battled his way through the Autons and soon made it to the Nestene, which the Doctor soon defeated after a psychic battle. Afterwards, the Doctor and Mel returned to Galli&rey where they made their goodbyes, before being sent back to their proper timeline with their memory erased. (TV: The Time Trap)

The Doctor and Mel travelled to Iceworld, where they joined Sabalom Glitzand Ace, a teenage girl from 1987 Earth, on a search to find a treasure guarded by the "dragon" living in the caverns. During the search the Doctor ended up dangling over a sheer drop whilst travelling to follow the map to the supposed treasure, until Glitz came to his aid. The group discovered that the dragon was in fact a biomechanoidtasked with guarding the Dragonfire, a power source sought by exiled criminal Kane to power Iceworld, his prison ship, and return to his home planet to get revenge. However, Kane committed suicide when the Doctor showed him his planet no longer existed and that there was no-one for Kane to enact vengeance upon.

Deducing that Ace had been deposited on Iceworld by his old foe Fenric, (TV: The Curse of Fenric) he gained Ace as a new companion, offering to take her back home to Perivale through "the scenic route". (TV: Dragonfire)

Early travels with Ace[]

Ending the Dalek Civil War[]

The Doctor returned to Shoreditch in November1963 to take care of events he had set in motion during his first incarnation, first by retrieving the Hand of Omega. His mission was disrupted by the Renegade and Imperial Daleks, despite him anticipating one faction showing up, placing the Doctor, Ace and the Intrusion Counter-Measures Group in the crossfire of the Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War, prompting the Doctor to join forces with Counter Measures leaders, Group Captain Ian Gilmore and Professor Rachel Jensen.

Discovering that Davros was now the Dalek Emperor, the Doctor used the his fanatical desire to give the Daleks the power of time travel against them, by goading Davros into using the Hand to create a new Eye of Harmony, but instead resulted in Skaro's sun going supernova, destroying Skaro, as the Doctor had pre-programmed the stellar manipulator to do. With only the Supreme Dalek of the Renegade faction left to deal with, the Doctor managed to convince it that it no longer held a purpose, and it self-destructed. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Further travels with Ace[]

On Terra Alpha, where citizens were being executed by the Kandyman if they did not follow Helen A's happy dictatorship, the Doctor arranged the death of her beloved pet Stigorax to show Helen A that true happiness could only exist if balanced with negative emotions like sadness. Leaving citizen Daisy K and visiting Blues musician Trevor Sigma to help restore order to Terra Alpha, the Doctor and Ace departed. (TV: The Happiness Patrol)

Arriving in 20th century Windsor, the Doctor found the Nemesis statue, which he sent off into space every twenty five years, had returned. Deciding to end the chaos it caused, the Doctor intended to find its bow and arrow for his plan to be rid of it for good. During his search, he encountered Lady Peinforte and the Cybermen. Taking a trip back in time to see how Lady Peinforte got to the future, the Doctor discovered a chess board in her study, (TV: Silver Nemesis) and realised that Fenric was responsible. (TV: The Curse of Fenric) Pretending to comply with the Cyber-Leader's orders, the Doctor prepared to send the Nemesis statue straight into the Cyberfleet, prompting Peinforte to merge with it, before launching it into space, where it exploded, destroying the Cyberships. (TV: Silver Nemesis)

While travelling in the TARDIS, the Doctor received "junk mail" advertising the Psychic Circus. Deciding to attend after Ace admitted to her fear of clowns, the pair discovered that the circus had been taken over by the Gods of Ragnarok, who were forcing the patrons to perform for them until they were no longer amusing and killed. The Doctor took the fight to their home dimension, where he performed for them. Once he ran out of tricks, he used a medallion to reflect the Gods' blast back at them, destroying them. Their business concluded, the duo departed, leaving the sole-surviving troupe member, Kingpin, and the werewolf-like Mags to rebuild the Psychic Circus. (TV: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy)

Growing darker[]

Landing in a military base in 1943, the Doctor accidentally caused Ace to meet and interact with her grandmother and infant mother. After revealing to her that that he knew her arrival on Iceworld and Peinforte's time travelling had been arranged by Fenric, an evil entity he encountered before and trapped in another dimension, the Doctor discovered that it had managed to manipulate those who had come into contact with the flask which contained it, and witnessed its escape. Plagued by a horde of Haemovores it set loose on the base, the pair discovered that the creatures were repelled by faith, and managed to engage Fenric in a final contest. Convincing the Ancient One, one of Fenric's Haemovore servants, to kill his host in revenge for trying to trick it into creating its own apocalyptic future, the Doctor was forced to break Ace's faith in him in order to allow it access to Fenric. Revealing this to her, the Doctor regained her trust. (TV: The Curse of Fenric)

Tracing a signal being broadcast from another universe, the Doctor was reunited with the Brigadier as he joined forces with UNIT. Becoming embroiled in an adventure involving the inhabitants of an alternate Earth who mistook him for Merlin, the Doctor discovered that the sorceress Morgaine was waiting for a final battle with King Arthur. After the Brigadier defeated the Destroyer, the Doctor realised that Arthur was dead, and, informing Morgaine, prevented her from firing a nuclear missile by appealing to her sense of honour. (TV: Battlefield)

the Doctor decided to take Ace back home to Perivale. They found that people had been disappearing, and strange, cat-like creatures called Kitlings were on the prowl. The Doctor soon discovered that the Master was trapped on the Cheetah World, and had become infected with the Cheetah virus. Planning to escape by bringing people there, allowing them to partially change into Cheetah People and then using them to travel back to Earth, the Master kidnapped Ace and many of her old friends. After saving Ace and her friends, the Doctor fought with the Master, but refused to continue when he saw that the destruction of the Cheetah World had begun. He managed to return to Earth, seemingly leaving the Master trapped on the exploding planet, (TV: Survival)

After learning of Ace's guilt over burning down a "haunted" mansion called Gabriel Chase, the Doctor brought her to the house a hundred years prior to its destruction. There, they found a menagerie of strange creatures, including a dangerously mentally unstable entity called Light. Light had slept for millennia, and, upon discovering that Earth's inhabitants had evolved while it had been in hibernation, rendering the exhaustive catalogue it had compiled centuries earlier worthless, planned to destroy the planet, ending its constant change forever. Able to use Light's childish logic against it, the Doctor convinced it to destroy itself, as it was constantly evolving as well. The Doctor then explained to Ace that the reason she burned down the mansion was because of the residual presence of Light, ending her guilt. (TV: Ghost Light)

Final adventures with Ace[]

The Doctor took Ace to Moscow and London in 1967, as part of a test to assess her potential to join the Time Lord Academy. This test involved the Ice Lord Hhessh and his quest to resurrect the legendary Martian Warlord Sezhyr. During this, the Doctor met Markus Creevy and Raina Kerenskaya, who were aiding Hhessh in his quest. Raina was also pregnant with Markus's child. After being taken on board the Ice Warrior's ship and helping to deliver Raina's baby, as she was being possessed by Sezhyr, the Doctor was forced to leave with Markus and the baby, by the Time Lords. Ace passed the test, and the Doctor was allowed to go to Gallifreyto make his goodbyes, he also apologised for not telling Ace about the test, and the two parted on good terms. (TV: Thin Ice)

Time alone[]

The Doctor spent some time visiting a young girl named Raine Creevy, who was the baby he had delivered in 1967. (TV: Thin Ice, Action at a Distance)

Nearing the end and uniting with Raine[]

The Doctor traveled to Raine Creevy's future in 1990. She was now a skilled thief, whom he recruited to steal a sword for him. He plotted to give the sword to Sayf Udeen, so that he could use the sword to ward of an alien incursion by the Metatraxi on his kingdom, but he was killed. After the Metatraxi were defeated, the Doctor offered Raine the chance to travel with him in the TARDIS, which she accepted. Before they departed however, the Doctor discovered that a robot that Katie had destroyed had a plaque on it reading “Margrave University, Physics Department”. Intrigued, the Doctor decided to investigate. (TV: Action at a Distance)

The Doctor and Raine arrived at Margrave University in 2001, where they teamed up with UNIT to stop a group of animal Rights activists led by a student named Scobie, who planned on unleashing a race known as the Numlocks on Earth to free the Lab Rats. However, after arriving and trapping the University in a force field, the Numlocks betrayed Scobie, revealing that they wanted to feed on the blood of students who had consumed meat, as it acted as a iron supplement for their herbivorous diet. The Doctor eventually defeated them. (TV: Blood and Iron)

Death[]

Upon arriving on a military base in 1945, the Doctor and Raine were arrested and accused of being spies, the Doctor was locked up, but eventually escaped with Raine, who had discovered that the soldiers had strange weapons that didn't look like they belonged on Earth. After some investigating, the Doctor and Raine discovered that they were alien weapons. The Doctor and Raine later discovered that the Metatraxi were supplying weapons to the Nazis, in order to help them win the war, but they were also giving these weapons to the British, as they wanted to see both sides wipe each other out.

5he Doctor created an EMP wave that destroyed all of the weapons, but just as he and Raine were about to leave, Klause Schmit, German soldier arrived and attempted to shoot Raine in an act of revenge, but the Doctor put himself in front of Raine, causing him to be shot. Raine took the Doctor into the TARDIS, and after they took off, the Doctor collapsed. The Doctor assured Raine that everything would be alright and that it seemed like his game was up, the Doctor then regenerated into his next incarnation. (TV: War World)

Personality[]

The Seventh Doctor was originally light-hearted and prone to clownish behaviour, (TV: Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy) However, as he matured, he became a grumpy and melancholy manipulator who saw the battle between good and evil as a game of chess or a stage play, and everyone around him as pawns in the game of fighting evil that he directed, (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, Silver Nemesis, The Curse of Fenric)

The Seventh Doctor was a consummate fan of chess, to the point of treating his companions and enemies as pieces on a chess board, (TV: The Curse of Fenric) Despite his tendency toward a dark personality, the Doctor was known for his use of words to resolve problems instead of violence, (TV: Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks, Silver Nemesis, Battlefield, Ghost Light, Survival) Although his more whimsical tendencies disappeared over time, the Doctor maintained a fondness for idiosyncratic speeches that occasionally referred to literature, ordinary places and even food and drink amidst the weightier concerns on his mind. (TV: Survival) Other times, he would sombrely reflect the ramifications of time, and the consequences of interfering in history. (TV: Dragonfire, Remembrance of the Daleks)

The Seventh Doctor actively sought out villains to vanquish and dictatorships to dethrone, as opposed to his previous incarnations, who would stumble upon trouble by happenstance, (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Patrol) However, he was not totally unfeeling, appearing apprehensive about his decision to destroy Skaro, (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) was genuinely agonised that he had to convince Ace that he did not care about her, (TV: The Curse of Fenric) and felt guilty about not telling Ace that the Time Lords were testing her. (TV: Thin Ice)

The Doctor "[couldn't] stand" burned toast, loathed bus stations, calling them "terrible places full of lost luggage and lost souls", and hated unrequited love, tyranny, cruelty, (TV: Ghost Light)

He could also be critical of human nature, stating that humans had "the most amazing capacity for self-deception, matched only by [their] ingenuity when trying to destroy [themselves]", (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) that "among all the varied wonders of the universe, [there was] nothing so firmly clamped shut as the military mind", (TV: Battlefield)

In direct contrast to his previous incarnation, the Seventh Doctor was opposed to violence of any sort, although he proved capable of rendering an opponent unconscious with a touch (TV: Battlefield, Survival)

the Seventh Doctor did care for his companions, (TV: Battlefield)

the Doctor developed a paternal relationship with Ace, (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, Silver Nemesis, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric, Survival)

Ace had once described the Doctor as an "aging hippy", once during their early travels (TV: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy)

Habits and Quirks[]

Speaking with a Scottish accent, the Seventh Doctor occasionally rolled his 'R's and emphasised his 'P's and 'L's. (TV: Paradise Towers, Delta and the Bannermen, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy)

The Doctor occasionally displayed a tendency to mangle and combine Earth idioms, creating Dundrearyisms. (TV: Time and the Rani, Delta and the Bannermen)

The Doctor was fond of using the term "grubby" when explaining his mission to keep an artefact away from his adversaries, such as when keeping the Hand of Omega out of the Daleks' "grubby little protuberances", (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

The Doctor would often raise his hat to greet new people, smiling as he did so, (TV: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Survival) or when he was departing from company. (TV: Paradise Towers)

As a show of affection, the Doctor would gently press his forehead against a friend's forehead, (TV: Time and the Rani; PROSE: Sleepy) or tap their nose. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, The Curse of Fenric)

Skills[]

The Seventh Doctor was a grand manipulator, often utilising his choice of words to persuade others into a decision of his choosing, (TV: Paradise Towers, The Happiness Patrol) or devising an unscrupulous scheme to defeat his adversaries. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, The Curse of Fenric) When his plans went awry, or an unexpected element developed, the Doctor was efficient at improvising around it. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Despite his stature, the Doctor was capable of both directly and indirectly taking control of situations involving strangers, using his greater intelligence to assess and direct events. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Patrol) While he loathed violence, the Doctor also showed a skill at unarmed combat, being able to briefly overpower a judo trained Mel, (TV: Time and the Rani) and a Cheetah virus infected Master, (TV: Survival)

Something of a showman, the Doctor was an adept physical performer, and deployed a repertoire of magic tricks, illusions and escape artistry as part of his plans. (TV: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy) He could also perfectly mimic the local fauna of his surroundings, (TV: Silver Nemesis)

The Doctor also showed a knack for playing the spoons as a musical instrument, (TV: Time and the Rani, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy)

Physical Appearance[]

The Seventh Doctor was a short man, who initially appeared to be in his mid-forties, (TV: Time and the Rani)

With an animated face, the Doctor had expressive bulgy eyebrows, (TV: Time and the Rani)

Hair and grooming[]

While he had a full set of brown hair after his regeneration, (TV: Time and the Rani)

Clothing[]

After many failed attempts to find a new look, the Seventh Doctor eventually settled on a single breasted ivory safari jacket with a redpaisley handkerchief in his left pocket, a crimson/black tartan scarf under his lapels, with a beige pullover adorned with cherry question marks and turquoise zigzag patterns, with tan plaid trousers and a pair of burgundy braces either pulled over (TV: Time and the Rani) or tucked under the pullover. (TV: Paradise Towers) Under the pullover, he wore a white shirt with a scarlet paisley necktie, and completed his outfit with a pair of two-tone white and brown brogued spectator shoes. He also had a chained fob watch attached to his left lapel, while the watch rested in his upper left breast pocket. After losing his tartan scarf during his clash with the First Rani, (TV: Time and the Rani) he replaced it with a crimson paisley one. (TV: Paradise Towers)

As he matured into more of a schemer, the Doctor began wearing a chocolate brown jacket, and changed his capband, handkerchief and necktie to ones in more subdued shades of navy and burgundy. (TV: Battlefield,Ghost Light, The Curse of Fenric, Survival) He would occasionally wear a tan brown duffle coat when caught in the rain or cold weather. (TV: The Curse of Fenric, Thin Ice)

On his head, the Doctor wore battered cream colonial-styled Panama hatwith an identical paisley handkerchief folded into a hatband and an upturned brim. (TV: Time and the Rani) He later replaced his battered hat with a newer one. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) He also wore a black Tank-styled wristwatch on his right wrist, (TV: Time and the Rani) which he later replaced with a sportier round watch, (TV: Silver Nemesis) and then with a rectangular faced tank watch. (TV: Battlefield)

Umbrellas[]

After his regeneration stabilised, the Doctor took to carrying around an umbrella as part of his day-to-day outfit, using them as physical props, usually to disarm and trip opponents, (TV: Paradise Towers, Battlefield, Ghost Light, Survival) as well as using them as grappling hooks, (TV: Dragonfire) and as measuring rods. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

He initially carried his previous incarnation's rainbow umbrella, but was forced to leave it in the First Rani's base on Lakertya where it was destroyed. (TV: Time and the Rani) he began to carry a black umbrella with a whangee handle. (TV: Paradise Towers)

The Doctor acquired a new umbrella, with an elaborate handle in the shape of a large wine question mark. (TV: Delta and the Bannermen)

Other Information[]

Parodies and Pastiches[]

In the BBC medical soap opera Doctors (2000-ongoing), McCoy guest-starred as Graham Capelli, an actor who had played the titular role in The Amazing Lollipop Man, a cult 1980s children's television series. The character of the Lollipop Man had many similarities to the Doctor.
An Easter Egg referencing the Seventh Doctor appears in the seventh episode of the first season of the Nickelodeon children's horror series, Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991-96, 1999-2000), "The Tale of the Captured Souls" . The Seventh Doctor's hat and coat can be seen hanging from a hatstand at two points in the episode.

Behind the Scenes[]

Casting[]

Actors considered for the role of the seventh incarnation before Sylvester McCoy was cast included Rowan Atkinson, who later played the ninth incarnation in the satirical The Curse of Fatal Death; McCoy's mentor Ken Campbell; Chris Jury; Tony Robinson; and Alexei Sayle. Sayle had previously played the DJ in TV: Revelation of the Daleks. Furthermore, Andrew Sachsand Dermot Crowley auditioned for the role.

Cartmel Masterplan[]

Season 25 and 26 had broad hints that the Doctor was not simply a Time Lord, as previously shown and stated. This overarching plot, conceived by Script Editor Andrew Cartmel and referred to by fans as the Cartmel Masterplan, was designed to restore an element of mystery in the Doctor and his true nature as in the stories of the first and second incarnations. This story arc was later brought to a close in the Season 28 story, Lungbarrow.