Doctor Who Doctor's nature, somewhere between the twelfth and final incarnation. On rare occasions, other actors have stood in for the lead. In "The Five Doctors", Richard Hurndall played the First Doctor due to William Hartnell's death in 1975; 34 years later David Bradley similarly replaced Hartnell in "Twice Upon a Time". In "Time and the Rani", Sylvester McCoy briefly played the Sixth Doctor during the regeneration sequence, carrying on as the Seventh. For more information, see the list of actors who have played the Doctor. In other media, the Doctor has been played by various other actors, including Peter Cushing in
Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure was a 1989 stage play written by Terrance Dicks, based on the long-running British science fiction television series "Doctor Who". The play was staged at twenty theatres around Britain, commencing 23 March 1989. It initially starred Jon Pertwee (who had played the Third Doctor in the series) as the Doctor. On 29 April Pertwee was ill, so understudy David Banks, who portrayed the Cyber Leader in the series from "Earthshock" onwards, played the Doctor for the matinee and evening performances. Pertwee continued in the role until 3 June