Peter Davison had some big shoes to fill when he stepped into the role of the Doctor. He was faced with the daunting task of following Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor, the Doctor that many felt was the absolute quintessential Doctor. In an effort to make this change work, the producers went with someone who was something of a contrast to Baker’s iconic bohemian Doctor. Away went the Afro and the mile-long scarf, and in came a clean, Edwardian cricket outfit and a blond head of hair worthy of the Beach Boys. And while Baker was a relative unknown when he assumed the role, Davison was an already established star in Great Britain, so many fans had some idea of what to expect from this new Doctor. Davison also had the distinction of being the youngest actor to play the Doctor at the time, being just 29 in his debut episode, so, in many ways, this Doctor’s introduction marked a turning point in the show.
I’ll be honest here. I’ve had the most difficult time getting into the 5th Doctor’s run on the series, and, as a result, I have not seen his entire run, so any opinions expressed here may be based on an incomplete understanding of the character. I can’t help but find it all so ironic, though, because I expected to hate the 7th Doctor, but didn’t; I expected to hate the 6th Doctor, but I mostly didn’t; and I expected to love the 5th Doctor, but I don’t. When it comes to Doctor Who, I’ve learned that my personal expectations mean absolutely nothing in the long run — which, honestly, is pretty cool.
I can’t help but feel something was lost when Tom Baker left the series, and I think what’s missing is a general reverence for the Doctor as a character. The 5th Doctor just doesn’t command your attention in the same way, and this was evident even in the way his companions related to him. People didn’t necessarily trust him, and his decisions were often second-guessed, which is something that will force even the most dedicated viewer to question the character’s credibility. This attitude may have been a result of his age because youth is often associated with inexperience, so it’s easy to forget that beneath the youthful facade lies a being who is centuries old.
He didn’t present himself as a leader and as a problem solver. He would be involved in the situation of the day, yes, but in a much more subordinate way, often deferring authority to someone who was more willing than him to take it. This made him a less engaging character, and one that didn’t leave much of an impression on me. For me as a kid, even though it lasted many more years, the series was effectively over when Tom Baker was gone, and it’s safe to say I still feel like that for the most part. If I want to watch Doctor Who now, I invariably skip everything between Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston, despite having been somewhat won over by the 6th and 7th Doctors (and the 8th Doctor’s movie is still craptacular, even though I like the 8th Doctor).
While the 5th Doctor may be something of a dull character in appearance compared to the others, he still makes for a handsome action figure, and I guess his suit is just eccentric enough for him to blend in among his peers. But there’s just so much… beige. It makes him look really bland and easy to ignore, and the red accents don’t really do enough to excite the eye. Despite all that, though, this is a nicely crafted figure.
What’s really impressive here, believe it or not, is the sculpt of his hair. It is so dead-on accurate to Davison’s actual hair throughout much of the series that it’s almost spooky.
Everything else looks good too. Like all the Doctors, Character Options absolutely nailed Davison’s likeness, and the costume has been rendered here in plastic perfectly, so it’s difficult to not appreciate the figure just on those merits alone.
The sculpt of his face looks a little soft at a glance, but then you look at Davison and you realize that his actual face looks a little soft too, so the figure is strangely accurate in the oddest way.
He comes with a sonic screwdriver that looks much like the 4th Doctor’s sonic.
On his lapel he wears a… celery stalk. This isn’t a proclamation of vegetarianism as far as I can tell. He wears it to serve as an indicator if there’s a particular kind of gas in the area. He claims the celery stalk will change color if that gas is present, and if that happens, he would then eat the celery. I guess we can just write that off to one of this Doctor’s idiosyncrasies. I’ll hand it to the sculptor, though — the celery stalk actually looks like a celery stalk. And the texture of his sweater really is impressive as well. It really does look like a real sweater. Subtle details like this make these figures so cool.
He has the same articulation as any other Doctor in the line, so he has all the same drawbacks they all do. He pretty much only looks good in a vanilla pose, but he can be put in a few action poses without looking completely awkward. He’s sorely lacking in shoulder articulation and ankle articulation, since his shoulders can only swivel, and he has no ankle articulation whatsoever. So there’s not a ton you can do with him, but at least his coat isn’t too much of a hindrance for his legs and they can actually move.
This particular Doctor came from the 11 Doctor set, but there are other variations available, including one with a hat and a version of him where he’s sporting the outfit the 4th Doctor was wearing when he regenerated. The one featured here is a nice, solid option and one of the easier ones to get. I got mine for dirt cheap on eBay from a seller based in the UK, so it shouldn’t be too hard to track down one for yourself if you’d like to add a 5th Doctor to your collection.
