There are 11 Doctors, right? We all know that. Well, they've already announced Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth debuting this Christmas, so OK, there are 12 Doctors. Then again, we know that John Hurt is playing some incarnation of The Doctor in the 50th anniversary special, and that makes 13 Doctors. Does the Meta-Crisis Tenth Doctor count because that would make 14? Jeez, how many Doctors are there?
Actually, the number could be as high as 58, if not higher.
Depending on how deep you're willing to look into the expanded universe of Doctor Who there are many Doctors who may or may not exist in the Whoniverse as we know it. Which of these are true incarnations of the legendary Time Lord and which are not? Who can say, but today we look at ten of the best Doctors Who Aren't in hopes of unraveling the mystery.
See also: Doctor Who: An Alternative History of 11 American Doctors
Dr. Who: In 1965 the first of two movies starring Peter Cushing as a version of The Doctor, Doctor Who and the Daleks, was released. This version of The Doctor is both totally human and explicitly named Dr. Who unlike his BBC counterpart. The Tardis is his personal invention, and he travels through space and time battling the Daleks over the course of the two films. He greatly resembles the First Doctor in appearance and nature.
There are several theories onto the relationship of Dr. Who to The Doctor. The most prevalent is that the films exist in the Whoniverse itself, and were based on memoirs published by the First Doctor's companion Barbara Wright. Another is that Dr. Who is actually a fictional creation of The Doctor himself, designed by the First Doctor to throw an enemy known as the Five O'Clock Shadow off his track.
Bayldon Doctor: The Doctor Who Unbound audio story series fielded a fantastic set of stories involving alternative universe versions of the hero. In "Auld Mortality" we meet the first of them, played by Geoffrey Bayldon who had also been considered for the role of The Doctor twice in the '60s.
This Doctor wasn't the renegade who fled Gallifrey in a stolen Tardis. Instead, he was a science fiction author who was among the most beloved on the planet. He took little interest in the outside universe, even remarking that someone should do something about the ever-expanding Thalek Empire. He uses a possibility generator to research his novels, and eventually to enlist Hannibal's army in overthrowing a corrupting Gallifreyan councilman. He eventually does succumb to the lure of the stars, and steals away with his granddaughter.
Greenpeace Doctor: In 1989 there was a musical stage version of Doctor Who dubbed "The Ultimate Adventure" written by longtime show writer Terrance Dicks. It featured three new companions, Jason, Crystal, and Zog, and saw them taking on a tag team of Cybermen and Daleks.
Jon Pertwee reprised his role as the Third Doctor to lead the production; however, he fell ill and was replaced in two shows by his understudy, David Banks. It's interesting to note that Banks sported his own unique costume rather than Pertwee's, giving rise to yet another alternative universe Doctor. Banks wore a Greenpeace shirt (Hence the nickname) underneath beige coat and pants under a brown fedora hat. He returned to the role of Karl in the play when Pertwee recovered.
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