Ninth Doctor

The Ninth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston during the first series of the show's revival in 2005.

Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of his life, the Doctor regenerates into a new version of himself, with a changed physical appearance and personality. Eccleston's incarnation of the Doctor is a war-torn loner who is more pragmatic and less eccentric than his previous selves, fiercely determined to protect the innocent at all costs, and prone to using humour to mask the trauma he suffers from as a result of the Time War.

To fit in with a 21st-century audience, the Doctor was given the primary companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), who was designed to be just as independent and courageous as the Doctor. The Doctor and Rose also briefly travels with Adam Mitchell (Bruno Langley) and are later joined by Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a reformed con man from the 51st century. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack form a close team but are separated in the series finale in which each character has to make difficult choices and face sacrifice.

In 2006, readers of Doctor Who Magazine voted Eccleston's Doctor the third most popular Doctor. Both mainstream press and science fiction reviewers generally credit Eccleston and his incarnation of the character as helping to re-establish the show following its hiatus between 1996 and 2005. The character's interactions with his arch-enemies, the Daleks, were particularly praised. Eccleston won several awards for his single series, including the 2005 National Television Award for Best Actor.