Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor always had a reputation as being too nice, which is a popular Doctor Who misconception. Sandwiched between an irascible Tom Baker and the brash Colin Baker, it’s easy to see how Davison earned his “nice guy” reputation. However, it’s not representative of many of the stories from his Doctor Who era. While the Colin Baker era got the majority of complaints about Doctor Who‘s dark tone, gruesome violence, and unhappy TARDIS team, the very same criticisms can also be leveled at Davison’s era.
When he was cast as Peter Davison’s replacement, Colin Baker stated a desire to move away from the personable and pleasant Fifth Doctor. This suggests that Colin Baker’s pre-Sixth Doctor guest role was his only experience of Doctor Who in the 1980s. In “Arc of Infinity”, the serial in which Baker guest starred, the Fifth Doctor is slightly ineffectual as he becomes unwittingly embroiled in a conspiracy on Gallifrey. The Doctor is generally nice to his companion Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) throughout “Arc”, but the same can’t be said for how he treated some of his other companions.
Why The Fifth Doctor’s “Nice” Reputation Never Made Sense
One of Peter Davison’s strengths as an actor is his ability to portray exasperation. He’s a natural straight man, as proved by his role in the black comedy satire A Very Peculiar Practice, in which he works in a university alongside various oddball characters. However, this ability doesn’t translate to his being a “nice” Doctor. Often, the Fifth Doctor is dismissive of Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) and overtly hostile to Tegan (Janet Fielding). While Tom Baker earned a reputation of being difficult with his co-stars, it always seemed on screen like the Fourth Doctor and his companions actually wanted to travel together.
On top of the fractious relationship with his companions, the Fifth Doctor’s era is often so unrelentingly dark and unpleasant that Tegan opted to depart the TARDIS in protest at the horror and violence. The death of Adric in “Earthshock” fails to leave a lasting impact on the Fifth Doctor. After a brief horrified pause he breezily took everyone on a trip to Heathrow Airport. This is far colder and more alien than many of the so-called crimes of the Sixth Doctor. Although in fairness to the Fifth Doctor, he gave his life to save Peri (Nicola Bryant) in “The Caves of Androzani”, while the Sixth Doctor attempted to throttle her in the very next story.
Davison’s Doctor Proved The Time Lord Can’t Always Afford To Be Nice
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It’s often stated that “The Caves of Androzani” was an attempt to challenge the nice guy Fifth Doctor with a world completely devoid of morality. It’s certainly the most successful attempt in Peter Davison’s final Doctor Who season, but it’s far from the only one. In “Warriors of the Deep”, the Fifth Doctor attempted to negotiate peace between humanity and the Silurians, but only ended up causing a massacre. In “Resurrection of the Daleks”, the Doctor became so outraged by all the death and destruction that he tried to shoot Davros (Terry Molloy) in the face.
It’s odd, therefore, that Peter Davison has a reputation as being a sweet and avuncular nice guy Doctor when he’s surrounded by such darkness. It’s possible that Davison’s reputation largely comes from being overshadowed by behind-the-scenes stories of Tom Baker, and the brashness of Colin Baker’s technicolor coat. There are certainly moments when he’s genuinely tender and sensitive, but Peter Davison’s Doctor Who era also contained some of the darkest moments in the show’s history. The Fifth Doctor’s era, and its brutal climax proved that it’s a big bad universe out there, and no Doctor can get along purely by being “nice.”
