10 Doctor Who Facts Most Fans Don't Know
8. Not Even Jon Pertwee Knows Where The Third Doctor's Tattoo Came From
The Third Doctor's cobra tattoo has been the subject of fan myth and speculation for decades. Is it a Time Lord prison tattoo? Some form of Division branding? The real story of how Jon Pertwee got his cobra tattoo is equally mysterious, with the actor confirming that even he isn't entirely sure where it came from.
In his memoir Moon Boots and Dinner Suits, Pertwee recounts many stories of his impressive career in the Navy. Most people already know that he worked alongside James Bond creator Ian Fleming in that department, adding an additional layer of meaning to the oft-repeated comparison between the Third Doctor and Mr. Bond.
In one passage from the book, Pertwee writes about waking up with a horrendous hangover from a night out while serving in the Navy:
"I'd been tattooed. A green and scarlet cobra was squirming itself into a question mark on my forearm. [...] God knows where or by whom this work of art was done, but whoever it was had executed quite a fair job and it doesn't seem to have upset too many people over the years..."
Apart from those perplexed Doctor Who fans who are still trying to write the cobra into canon, that is.