History Characters / DoctorWhoFourteenthandfifteenthDoctors

Fourteen holds a unique position as the first intentional "short-term" Doctor, starring in three 60th anniversary specials in 2023 before handing over the role to Creator/NcutiGatwa as the [[Characters/DoctorWhoFifteenthDoctor Fifteenth Doctor]], thereby making the Fourteenth Doctor the shortest living on-screen incarnation in the programme's history surpassing Nine's one season tenure (while tying both the War and Fugitive Doctors in terms of appearances). [[note]]Comparing with the other "short-term" Doctors, the Eighth Doctor's TV Movie was left open-ended so it could potentially be picked up for a series, but never was; extra incarnations such as the War and Fugitive Doctors were retroactively introduced and intentionally written to be SpecialGuest Doctors who were never intended to be the "incumbent" for the main series (War was only created due to Eccleston turning down reprising his role for the 50th anniversary episode, since War's role was originally meant for Nine); and Christopher Eccleston only signed a one-series contract for the Ninth Doctor in case the Revival wasn't renewed, and chose to leave anyway when it was - which, incidentally, is how David Tennant became the Doctor in the first place.[[/note]] He is also one of the few Doctors (along with the War Doctor) whose post-regeneration story was depicted in expanded universe media rather than the main series itself. [[note]]Fourteen's first adventure after regenerating was shown in the ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic story "Liberation of the Daleks", which was [[ApprovalOfGod approved by Russell T Davies]]. ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' #584, which features the first part of "Liberation", says there can't be too much development for Fourteen between the regeneration and the specials, so the story takes only an hour of his life; this was also a part of Davies's original idea for having the strip handle Fourteen's ongoing story, but it related to a couple of lines in the third special that were subsequently cut. The implication is that there's a brief TimeSkip between the regeneration and the specials, and the 2023 Children in Need skit, which has Fourteen BreakingTheFourthWall to note [[UnreliableCanon the timelines and canon are rupturing]], also has him comment he was Thirteen sixty minutes ago.[[/note]]

* ProneToTears: He frequently sheds tears when afraid or upset, which is markedly different to past incarnations, who have been [[Characters/DoctorWhoTwelfthDoctor more guarded]] [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirteenthDoctor about their feelings]], or [[Characters/DoctorWhoNinthDoctor processed negative feelings]] by [[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor getting angry]]. This might be due to his having gone to therapy in his fourteenth incarnation and learned to deal with his feelings a bit better.

->''"[[ContinuityNod I know]] [[Recap/DoctorWho2022CENThePowerOfTheDoctor these teeth.]]"''\\
''"[[FlatWhat What?]] [[TripleTake What?]] '''[[BigWhat WHAT?!]]'''"''

** He's the first Doctor not to sport a fully British accent; previous Doctors commonly spoke with an English RP accent, and if not that usually an English one, with just two having Scottish accents. Fifteen's accent is a mix of Rwandan and Scottish, with the latter part particularly noticeable in his R's. It's his actor, [[Creator/NcutiGatwa Ncuti Gatwa's]], natural accent.

* SignificantWardrobeShift: Echoing how this Doctor is familiar but different, Fourteen's outfit resembles a modified version of the Tenth Doctor's, but has several changes and a few slight similarities to other Doctors. He now sports a blue BadassLongcoat instead of a brown one that looks similar to the Fugitive Doctor, the front part of his vest is only partially buttoned and his suit and pants feature a plaid pattern reminiscent of the First and Second Doctors' houndstooth pants, instead of Ten's pinstripe design. Without the blue coat, his waistcoat and dress shirt also resemble those of the Eleventh Doctor in Series 7.

* DidntSeeThatComing: Though many of his adventures involve bizarre situations, he seems to be most confounded by his own companion, Ruby Sunday. Like the Twelfth Doctor, he casually dismisses any concerns about [[ButterflyOfDoom trodden-on butterflies]] having any profound effect on the course of history... Until Ruby accidentally does so when they briefly visit the Jurassic period and she spontaneously transforms into a reptilian creature, only changing back when the Doctor revives the butterfly (he'd forgotten the TARDIS's butterfly compensation switch). Later, she seems to bring his memories of the snow-covered Ruby Road into reality. [[Characters/DoctorWhoClaraOswald This wouldn't be the first time that the Doctor was motivated to unravel the mysteries surrounding a companion]].

* NoMoreLies: In contrast to his secretive and withdrawn previous selves, Fifteen is an open book, practically on par with [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie post-regenerative Eight]]. Without being prompted, he tells Ruby all about his past as a foundling, his upbringing on Gallifrey, and the Time Lords' genocide at the hands of the Master once again rendering him the last of his kind.

* BorrowedCatchphrase: After splitting the TARDIS in two with the Toymaker's hammer, he whispers "[[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor I'm so]] [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourteenthDoctor sorry]]" to them.

** Speaking of regeneration, the order of regeneration in terms of hairstyles is reversed, with the shorter haired Ninth regenerating into the longer haired Ten (Tennant), then regenerating into the even longer haired Eleven (whose hairstyle was similar to Thirteen's). This time the longer haired Thirteen regenerates into the shorter haired Fourteen (again, Tennant who has the same hairstyle as he did as Ten), [[spoiler:"The Giggle" shows him undergoing the first bi-generation, which allows Fifteen to come into existence at a point where Fourteen was fully healed from all the trauma, meaning he'll eventually regenerate into an incarnation whose hairstyle is even shorter than Nine's, with Series 14 revealing he will wear an Afro wig in an episode set during 1963 involving The Beatles]].

* RoguesGallery: Daleks, Beep the Meep, Not-Things, and the Celestial Toymaker.

When the Toymaker tried to kill the [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourteenthDoctor Fourteenth Doctor]] in order to play a third and final game against a new incarnation, something strange happened: the Doctor ''didn't'' change. Instead, he experienced the mythical "bi-generation", his new incarnation splitting off into a new person, who teamed up with his predecessor to defeat the Toymaker.

* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: Due to [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourteenthDoctor the previous incarnation]] essentially going through rehab and semi-retiring, not only is Fifteen a contrast to his immediate predecessor, but he's also a contrast to all of the Revival Doctors. While all Doctors tend to be emotionally distant, Fifteen wears his hearts on his sleeve. All Doctors had shades of TheAtoner, while Fifteen seems to be unburdened by his past. All previous Doctors have the opinion of WhoWantsToLiveForever, while Fifteen seems to have gained a new lease on life and is determined to make the most of it.

* RoguesGallery: The Celestial Toymaker, Goblins, the Bogeyman, and Maestro.

** Speaking of regeneration, the order of regeneration in terms of hairstyles is reversed, with the shorter haired Ninth regenerating into the longer haired Ten (Tennant), then regenerating into the even longer haired Eleven (whose hairstyle was similar to Thirteen's). This time the longer haired Thirteen regenerates into the shorter haired Fourteen (again, Tennant who has the same hairstyle as he did as Ten), [[spoiler:"The Giggle" shows him undergoing the first bi-generation, which allows Fifteen to come into existence at a point where Fourteen was fully healed from all the trauma, meaning he'll eventually regenerate into an incarnation whose hairstyle is even shorter than Nine's. Though as revealed in the trailer for Season 1, Fifteen is capable of growing his hair out into an Afro, meaning he'll have a hairstyle that's both shorter than Nine's and a normal long hairstyle]].

* AllLovingHero: Arguably even more so than usual, as he truly believes that all beings in the universe are unique, beautiful, and deserving of the same amount of respect and protection. [[spoiler:His compassion even extends to a monstrous creature terrorising a space station, which he admits scares him (albeit, only because it was [[TragicMonster designed by the station computer to be that way]]), to the point that he nearly sacrifices his own life to save it.]]

** He's also the first Doctor to regenerate with facial hair, and indeed the first to sport any kind of facial hair in his standard attire since the War Doctor who was originally clean shaven until he grew an unkempt beard overtime which he kept until his regeneration.[[note]]As seen below, the Fourth, Eighth and Eleventh Doctors all temporary had beards at one point in their lives (Four's was due to being forced to grow old via the events of "The Keepers of Traken", Eight's was due to wanting a slight change to his look and Eleven's was due to being held in captivity) and shaved them off shortly after with Four's outright vanishing. Eight and Fourteen likewise had PermaStubble (Eight's due to being broken by the Time War and Fourteen was born with his which was a sign of needing to rest after going through the Time War, the Timeless Child and the Flux).[[/note]]

* CharacterDevelopment: In contrast to the previous Doctors, who were emotionally distant and carried mental hangovers from the Time War. Fifteen is a lot more expressive and has a shameless lust for life and a bigger personality to match. While he still remembers the Time War and all of the other things they've seen, he's more capable of actually processing it and letting himself be happy and deal with it healthily, instead of letting it define him.

* ClarkesThirdLaw: {{Subverted}}. This incarnation regularly encounters magical, reality-bending forces beyond comprehension (said to be a result of his Fourteenth incarnation's battles with the Not-Things at the edge of the universe, followed by the Toymaker), but unlike most of his previous selves, he rarely offers hackneyed pseudoscientific explanations -- he instead accepts that, even with his vast well of experiences, there are still many surprises left in the universe that he knows nothing about.
* CuddleBug: He constantly hugs and shows physical affection to Ruby.

* DidntSeeThatComing: Though many of his adventures involve bizarre situations, he seems to be most confounded by his own companion, Ruby Sunday. Like the Twelfth Doctor, he casually dismisses any concerns about [[ButterflyOfDoom trodden-on butterflies]] having any profound effect on the course of history... Until Ruby accidentally does so when they briefly visit the Jurassic period and she spontaneously transforms into a reptilian creature, only changing back when the Doctor revives the butterfly. Later, she seems to bring his memories of the snow-covered Ruby Road into reality. [[Characters/DoctorWhoClaraOswald This wouldn't be the first time that the Doctor was motivated to unravel the mysteries surrounding a companion]].

* {{Keet}}: He is up there with Eight and Ten as one of the most excitable and energetic Doctors, always enthusiastic for adventure. Lucky for him, his first companion Ruby Sunday matches his energy.

* ManlyFacialHair: He pops into existence with a moustache, the first "main" incarnation to do so, although he's not the first to have facial hair upon regenerating (Fourteen had PermaStubble) or grow it over time (Four, Eight, War, and Eleven all grew beards during their lives, with Four's, Eight's and Eleven's being temporary. Though Eight did get a similar PermaStubble style to Fourteen leading up to his regeneration, though this was due to suffering from the effects of the Time War and having aged as it went on).

* NoMoreLies: In contrast to his secretive and withdrawn previous selves, Fifteen is an open book. Without being prompted, he tells Ruby all about his past as a foundling, his upbringing on Gallifrey, and the Time Lords' genocide at the hands of the Master once again rendering him the last of his kind.

->''[[ContinuityNod I know]] [[Recap/DoctorWho2022CENThePowerOfTheDoctor these teeth.]]"''\\
''[[FlatWhat What?]] [[TripleTake What?]]'' '''''[[BigWhat WHAT?!]]''

* TheHedonist: With his renewed lust for life, Fifteen simply wants to have fun. He drinks and dances at night clubs and gigs, he

** His response to being surrounded by hundreds of angry goblins? ''Song off''.

* ManlyTears: In "The Church on Ruby Road" he starts crying [[spoiler:after hearing AlternateTimeline Carla's SuspiciouslySpecificDenial that she never wanted a daughter]].

** He's the first Doctor not to sport a fully British accent; previous Doctors commonly spoke with an English RP accent, and if not that usually an English one, with just two having Scottish accents. Fifteen's accent is a mix of Rwandan and Scottish, with the latter part particularly noticeable in his R's. It's his actor, [[Creater/NcutiGatwa Ncuti Gatwa's]], natural accent.

->''[[[Recap/DoctorWho60thASTheGiggle Who'd have thought? I ended up with a family. (...) Funny thing is, I fought all those battles for all those years. And now I know what for. This. I've never been so happy in my life.]]''

''"[[ContinuityNod I know]] [[Recap/DoctorWho2022CENThePowerOfTheDoctor these teeth.]]"''\\
''[[FlatWhat What?]] [[TripleTake What?]]'' '''''[[BigWhat WHAT?!]]'''''

'''''[[[[Recap/DoctorWho60thASTheGiggle Who'd have thought? I ended up with a family. (...) Funny thing is, I fought all those battles for all those years. And now I know what for. This. I've never been so happy in my life.]]'''''

** He reveals in "The Devil's Chord" that [[spoiler:his bigeneration was more traumatic than it initially seemed, tearing his soul in half]].

* TraumaButton: The Doctor plays it off well when he's with Fourteen and Donna but he later reveals to Ruby that being split in two from Fourteen was actually quite traumatic for him and hearing The Maestro echo the Toymaker's giggle triggers him hard.

** He's also the first Doctor to regenerate with facial hair, and indeed the first to sport any kind of facial hair in his standard attire since the War Doctor who was originally clean shaven until he grew an unkempt beard overtime which he kept until his regeneration.[[note]]The Fourth, Eighth and Eleventh Doctors all temporary had beards at one point in their lives (Four's was due to being forced to grow old via the events of "The Keepers of Traken", Eight's was due to wanting a slight change to his look and Eleven's was due to being held in captivity) and shaved them off shortly after. Eight and Fourteen likewise had PermaStubble (Eight's due to being broken by the Time War and Fourteen was born with his which was a sign of needing to rest after going through the Time War, the Timeless Child and the Flux.[[/note]]

** He's also the first Doctor to regenerate with facial hair, and indeed the first to sport any kind of facial hair in his standard attire.