Creator / Peter Davison

I have had other roles, you know.

"I do debate with my grandson, because I said, ‘who’s your favourite Doctor?’, and he said, ‘David Tennant’, and I said, ‘who’s your second favourite Doctor?’, and he said ‘Tom Baker’. So I said: ‘who’s your third favourite Doctor?’, and he thought about it and said, ‘I haven’t got a third favourite’. I’ve managed to force and intimidate him into going slightly up the table there."

—"Q&A with all the living Doctors from Classic Doctor Who"

Peter Davison (born April 13, 1951 in Streatham, London) is a British actor.

Born Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett^n.b.  not the same person as 1980s Who director Peter Moffatt, and not related to 2010s Who showrunner Steven Moffat and raised in London to an English mother and a Guyanese father ^note "not a lot of people [know] because I look so damned bloody English", Davison had an early role as the Dish of the Day in the TV adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (alongside his then-wife Sandra Dickinson, who was playing Trillian), but his breakout role was as vet Tristan in All Creatures Great And Small, the BBC adaptation of James Herriot's beloved memoirs.^note He was also in an episode of The Tomorrow People (1973), but honestly: the less said about that — or the ludicrous outfit he is called upon to wear — the better. Especially for him.

It was this role that brought him to the attention of Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner, who was searching for a replacement for outgoing Doctor Tom Baker. Only 29 when he was cast as the Doctor, Davison would be the youngest Doctor until Matt Smith was cast at 26. His position as the second-youngest Doctor is tied with Ncuti Gatwa, who was also 29 when cast.

Davison played the Doctor's fifth incarnation from 1981 to 1984, following the advice of Patrick Troughton (the actor who played the Second Doctor) to limit his tenure to three seasons to avoid being typecast, and was replaced by Colin Baker. Later on, he returned to the role for Big Finish Doctor Who audios and reprised it onscreen in the Children in Need special "Time Crash" (2007) and the BBC Centenary Special "The Power of the Doctor" (2022). His Doctor remains very popular among the fandom, even if Davison himself was overshadowed in the collective consciousness by his predecessor. He initially came under fire simply because he was replacing Tom Baker, although it's worth considering this was where the first cracks behind the scenes were starting to show. But as time has passed, the Fifth has been vindicated as one of the most underrated Doctors.

It's also worth noting that Tenth Doctor David Tennant grew up with Tom Baker's and Davison's stories. "Time Crash" is essentially a tribute/love letter to him. Where it touches on why the 10th Doctor always admired the 5th Doctor. However, contrary to popular belief, Tennant did not write or have input into the "You were my Doctor" line, and it has been stated that this story was Steven Moffat's love letter to the Fifth Doctor. (Moffat has often stated that Peter Davison was 'his' Doctor, whereas Tennant has affinity with Tom Baker's Doctor.)

Since leaving Doctor Who, he has appeared as a regular in a number of programmes - despite the page quote, he's probably the only classic series Doctor to really avert I Am Not Spock, and has had a healthy career ever since. These include A Very Peculiar Practice; Holding the Fort; Campion, for which he also sang the theme tune; The Last Detective; Fear, Stress, and Anger; Law & Order: UK; and As Himself in Toast of London. He's also made something of a name for himself as a musical theatre actor, with high-profile roles in Spamalot and Legally Blonde: The Musical. Bizarrely enough, composed and performed the theme music to Button Moon. Yes, that's him singing. In 2013 he wrote, directed and starred in the unofficial Doctor Who 50th anniversary webcast episode The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot. His wife, their two sons, his daughter Georgia Moffett, and Moffett's two young children also appeared in the webcast, as did many former Doctor Who actors.

His daughter, Georgia Moffett, is also an actress, though she gave up acting in 2012 in order to focus on raising her children, and also to try to become a screenwriter, after being frustrated at the lack of acting work. She has acted with her father several times, including in an episode of The Last Detective, and had a regular role as his on-screen daughter in Fear, Stress, and Anger. She also played his daughter in a different sense on Doctor Who: a "clone" of sorts made from the Tenth Doctor's DNA. She had a daughter Olive with David Tennant in March 2011, marrying him later that year (as of 2020 they have five kids), which makes the Doctor his own father-in-law.

Despite the similar names (and a notorious misspelling on the front of Doctor Who Magazine), he has no relation to Pete Davidson.

Works with pages on TV Tropes that he has appeared in:

TV

• The Tomorrow People: 3 episodes (1973) — Elmer
• All Creatures Great And Small: 65 episodes (1978-80, 1983, 1985, 1988-90) — Tristan Farnon
• The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy: 1 episode (1981) — Dish of the Day
• Doctor Who: 73 episodes / 23 stories^{show list} "Logopolis", "Castrovalva", "Four to Doomsday", "Kinda", "The Visitation", "Black Orchid", "Earthshock", "Time-Flight", "Arc of Infinity", "Snakedance", "Mawdryn Undead", "Terminus", "Enlightenment", "The King's Demons", "The Five Doctors", "Warriors of the Deep", "The Awakening", "Frontios", "Resurrection of the Daleks", "Planet of Fire", "The Caves of Androzani", "Time Crash", "The Power of the Doctor" (1981-84, 2007, 2022) — The Fifth Doctor
• Jackanory: 5 episodes (1984) — Storyteller
• Magnum, P.I.: episode "Deja Vu" (1985) — Ian MacKerras
• A Very Peculiar Practice: 14 episodes (1986-88) — Dr. Stephen Daker
• Tales of the Unexpected: episode "Wink Three Times" (1988) — Jeremy Tyler
• Campion: 16 episodes (1989-90) — Albert Campion
• Fiddler's Three: 14 episodes (1991) — Ralph
• Screen One: episode "A Very Polish Practice"^note a movie-length sequel to A Very Peculiar Practice (1992) — Dr. Stephen Daker
• Children in Need: "Dimensions in Time" (1993) — The Fifth Doctor
• Jonathan Creek: episode "Danse Macabre" (1998) — Stephen Claithorne
• The Mrs Bradley Mysteries: 3 episodes^{show list} "Death At The Opera", "The Rising Of the Moon", "The Worsted Viper" (2000) — Inspector Christmas
• The Last Detective: 17 episodes (2003-07) — DC "Dangerous" Davies
• Hardware: episode "Celebrity (2004) — Himself
• Marple: episode "At Bertram's Hotel" (2007) — Hubert Curtain
• Midsomer Murders: episode "Secrets and Spies" (2009) — Nicky Frazer
• Miranda (2009): episode "Teacher" (2009) — Mr. Clayton
• Sherlock: episode "The Great Game" (2010) — Planetarium Voiceover (voice)
• New Tricks: episode "End of the Line" (2011) — Charles Allenforth
• Lewis: episode "The Ramblin' Boy" (2013) — Peter Faulkner
• The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013) — Himself
• Death in Paradise: episode "The Wrong Man" (2014) — Arnold Finch
• Law & Order: UK: 27 episodes (2011-14) — Henry Sharpe
• Toast of London: 3 episodes (2014-15) — Peter Davison^note He plays a fictionalized version of himself
• Grantchester: 1 episode (2017) — Geoff Towler
• Liar: 2 episodes (2017) — Denis Walters
• Vera: episode "Blind Spot" (2019) — Matthew Wells
• Gentleman Jack: 5 episodes (2019) — William Priestley
• Thunderbirds Are Go: episode "Venom" (2020) — Higgins (voice)
• Call the Midwife: 1 episode (2020) — Mr. Percival
• Good Omens: 1 episode (2023) — Job

Film

• Parting Shots (1999) — John

Audio Drama

• Big Finish Doctor Who:
  • Main Range: 86 releases^{show list} "The Sirens of Time", "Phantasmagoria", "The Land of the Dead", "Red Dawn", "Winter for the Adept", "The Mutant Phase", "Loups-Garoux", "The Eye of the Scorpion", "Primeval", "Spare Parts", "The Church and the Crown", "Nekromanteia", "Creatures of Beauty", "Omega", "Axis of Insanity", "The Roof of the World", "The Game", "Three's a Crowd", "The Council of Nicaea", "Singularity", "The Kingmaker", "The Gathering", "Circular Time", "Renaissance of the Daleks", "Exotron / Urban Myths", "Son of the Dragon", "The Mind's Eye / Mission of the Viyrans", "The Bride of Peladon", "The Haunting of Thomas Brewster", "The Boy That Time Forgot", "Time Reef / A Perfect World", "The Judgement of Isskar", "The Destroyer of Delights", "The Chaos Pool", "Castle of Fear", "The Eternal Summer", "Plague of the Daleks", "Cobwebs", "The Whispering Forest", "The Cradle of the Snake", "The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories", "Heroes of Sontar", "Kiss of Death", "Rat Trap", "The Emerald Tiger", "The Jupiter Conjunction", "The Butcher of Brisbane", "The Burning Prince", "1001 Nights", "Eldrad Must Die!", "The Lady Of Mercia", "Prisoners Of Fate", "1963: Fanfare For the Common Men", "Moonflesh", "Tomb Ship", "Masquerade", "Mistfall,Equilibrium", "The Entropy Plague", "The Secret History", "The Waters of Amsterdam", "Aquitaine", "The Peterloo Massacre", "And You Will Obey Me", "The Memory Bank (and Other Stories)", "The Star Men", "The Contingency Club", "Zaltys", "Alien Heart/Dalek Soul", "Time In Office", "Kingdom of Lies", "Ghost Walk", "Serpent in the Silver Mask", "The Helliax Rift", "Devil in the Mist", "Black Thursday/Power Game", "The Kamelion Empire", "Tartarus", "Interstitial/Feast of Fear", "Warzone/Conversion", "Time Apart", "Thin Time/Madquake", "Shadow of the Daleks- Part 1", "Shadow of the Daleks- Part 2", "The Blazing Hour", "The End of the Beginning" (1999-2021) — The Fifth Doctor
  • 8 Special Releases ^{show list} "Excelis Dawns", "No Place Like Home", "Cuddlesome", "The Four Doctors", "The Five Companions", "The Light At The End", "The Legacy of Time: Relative Time", "The Legacy of Time: Collision Course" (2002-2019) — The Fifth Doctor
  • The Lost Stories: 4 releases^{show list} "The Elite", "Hexagora", "The Children of Seth", "Nightmare Country" (2011-2019) — The Fifth Doctor
  • The Fifth Doctor Adventures: 10 releases^{show list} "Psychodrome", "The Iterations of I", "The Garden of Storms", "The Moonrakers", "The People Made of Smoke", "The Lost Resort", "The Perils of Nellie Bly", "Nightmare of the Daleks", "Secrets of Telos", "God of War" (2014-2022) — The Fifth Doctor
  • Novel Adaptations: "Cold Fusion" (2016) — The Fifth Doctor
  • Classic Doctors, New Monsters: 2 releases^{show list} "Fallen Angels", "Empire of the Racnoss" (2016-2017) — The Fifth Doctor
  • The Tenth Doctor and River Song: "Expiry Dating" (2020) — The Fifth Doctor
  • Out of Time: "The Gates of Hell" (2021) — The Fifth Doctor
  • Short Trips: 4 releases^{show list} "The Deep", "Sock-Pig", "Wet Walls", "The Lions of Trafalgar" — The Fifth Doctor
  • The Diary of River Song: 4 releases^{show list} "The Lady in the Lake, A Requiem for the Doctor, My Dinner with Andrew, The Furies (2018) — The Fifth Doctor, Andrew Edwardson

Video Games

• Lies of P (2023) — Pulcinella

Tropes associated with his work:

• As Himself: Davison appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the Hardware episode "Celebrity" (2004), in the Doctor Who comedy short film The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot (2013), which he also wrote and directed, and in three episodes of Toast of London in 2014-15.

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