The main faults are the Fifth Doctor is that he is largely defined by what he isn't - which is Tom Baker. In person, Peter Davison is witty, dry, acerbic and humorous. Alas, as Baker had been witty, acerbic and humorous, Davison was forced to pay the part as an earnest young man with the added handicaps of being in fancy dress and having a vegetable pinned to his lapel. He was also surrounded by a plethora of high-concept companions who ether resented him or wanted to kill him... or both. Davison spent much of his reign acting like some harassed supply teacher, one who was also rather dull. It was only really in his last year that that he managed to bring more of his own character to bear, giving the Fifth Doctor a bit more strength and sarcasm. It's ironic that his best performance was also his last. Could his more moral Doctor have made the darker tales of Season 22 work?
Writer of The Blog of Delights, a review site covering film, TV, cult TV, books and audio. Fan of Dr Who, Bond, X-Men and Marvel. Also the writer of e-book 'Fictional Legends: Doctor Who - the TV Adventures' for Collca.
