The Doctor (Doctor Who) and therefore cannot be spoken. The character played by Peter Cushing in the films "Dr. Who and the Daleks" and "" referred to himself as "Dr. Who". However, these films are not considered part of the same narrative continuity as the television programme, as they were based upon two television serials featuring William Hartnell and made considerable alterations to the characters of the Doctor and his companions. Quite apart from his name, why the Doctor uses the title "The Doctor" has never been fully explained on screen. The Doctor, at first, said that he was not a physician, often referring
The Doctor (Doctor Who) 1978 serial "The Invasion of Time", the Fourth Doctor is asked to sign a document; although the signature itself is not directly seen on screen, his hand movements clearly indicate that he signs it with a question mark. A similar scene occurs with the Seventh Doctor in "Remembrance of the Daleks." In the early years of the franchise, the character was credited as "Doctor Who" or "Dr Who", up to the final story of season 18, "Logopolis" (1981), which was the last story featuring Tom Baker as the then-incumbent Fourth Doctor. Beginning with the debut of Peter Davison as the