The 9th Doctor

The Ninth Doctor​​



The Ninth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston during the first series of the show's revival in 2005. Within the programme's narrative, the Doctor is a time travelling, humanoid alien from a race known as the Time Lords. When the Doctor is critically injured, he can regenerate his body but in doing so gains a new physical appearance and with it, a distinct new personality.

The production team's approach to the character and Eccleston's portrayal were highlighted as being intentionally different from his predecessors, with Eccleston stating that his character would be less eccentric. To fit in with a 21st-century audience, the Doctor was given a primary companion who was designed to be as independent and courageous as himself in the form of Rose Tyler. He also briefly travels with Adam Mitchell, a self-serving boy genius who acts as a foil to the companions and ultimately proves unworthy, and Jack Harkness, a reformed con man from the 51st century. The Doctor, Rose and Jack form a close team but are separated in the series finale in which each character has to make difficult choices and face sacrifice.

In 2006, readers of Doctor Who Magazine voted Eccleston's Doctor the third most popular Doctor. Both mainstream press and science fiction reviewers generally credit the character and Eccleston as helping to re-establish the show following its hiatus between 1996 and 2005. The character's interactions with his archenemies, the Daleks, were particularly praised. Eccleston won several awards for his single series including the 2005 National Television Award for best actor.

Companions
"They love each other. They're best friends and they kind of finish off each other's sentences, understand each other's mood swings and reasoning but, as in all good relationships, they have lessons to teach other." Eccleston on the relationship between the Doctor and Rose.[42] Since 1963, the Doctor has travelled with various companions who generally serve to remind him of his "moral duty".[45] The casting of Billie Piper as the Ninth Doctor's primary female companion Rose Tyler was announced in May 2004. Julie Gardner felt that the young actress and former pop star was perfect as a "unique" and "dynamic" companion for the Doctor.[46] Press for the series focused heavily on the fact that Rose was to be more independent and courageous than previous companions. Prior to the casting of Piper, Eccleston had joked that "I'll be doing the running around screaming."[29] He later opined that Rose is not as "vulnerable" as previous companions and that "she's as brave and courageous and intelligent as he is" citing the fact that she saves the Doctor's life.[42] Piper remarked that the Doctor challenges Rose more than anyone else in her life and that he in turn sees in her "she has huge potential, to be someone really, really great."[47] Eccleston felt that Rose is a "heroine" who "teaches [the Doctor] huge emotional lessons". He felt that the relationship between the two characters was "love at first sight" although in a more mysterious fashion than a conventional love affair.[48] Commentators on the series noted the romantic tension between the two characters. In their book Who is the Doctor?, Graeme Burk and Robert Smith described the climactic kiss between the Ninth Doctor and Rose in "The Parting of the Ways" as being something "we all secretly wanted, even though it ultimately killed him".[49] The companions of the Ninth Doctor. Rose Tyler, Adam Mitchell and Captain Jack Harkness.Adam Mitchell joins the Doctor and Rose in the episode "Dalek". The character was first conceived during Russell T Davies' 2003 pitch to the BBC: it was always the intention for Adam to join the TARDIS team after Rose developed a liking for him. Contrasting against Rose, Adam was created to show that not everybody is suited to be a companion. Davies stated that he "always wanted to do a show with someone who was a rubbish companion" and dubbed Adam "the companion that couldn't".[41] Upon returning Adam home, the Doctor informs him that "I only take the best. I've got Rose".[7] Fraser McAlpine, reviewing Adam's appearances as companion for BBC America's Anglophenia blog, described Adam as fulfilling a role as "the companion that proves the worth of all of the other companions".[50] From episodes nine through thirteen, Rose and the Doctor are joined by the con man Jack Harkness. Jack's appearances were conceived with the intention of forming a character arc in which Jack is transformed from a coward to a hero.[51] John Barrowman, reflecting on the interrelationships between The Doctor, Jack and Rose, felt that "the subtle sexual chemistry between all three characters... was always in play" with the caveat that "the relationships were by no means driven by desire".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BonJack_52-0">[52] SFX magazine also commented on the "intoxicatingly flirtatious dynamic" and compared the trio to "a Buffy-style Scooby gang who can quip in the face of danger".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[53] Jack parts from the Ninth Doctor with a kiss which Barrowman felt to be "full of fondess and respect" and both "a significant moment in the annals of the series" and "a moment full of melancholy and loss for the characters".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BonJack_52-1">[52]