Doctor Who: 10 Most Memorable Quotes From The Fifth Doctor

The Fifth Doctor was distinct in comparison to his previous selves in the fact that he was the youngest of the bunch, in terms of appearance. This energetic, spry Doctor was no less knowledgeable or experienced, but he carried himself with a sort of youthful vigor that his previous selves couldn’t quite muster. He was also far more serious than before, handling criticism poorly, while facing foes with a surprising amount of stoicism.

This Doctor was played by Peter Davison, and remains a fan favorite despite his relatively short tenure in the role from January of 1982 to March of 1984. Nevertheless, he spearheaded some memorable serials during the revved up John Nathan-Turner era of classic Doctor Who. Here’s 10 of the Fifth Doctor’s most memorable quotes, which shed insight into his character, and how different it was from his past selves.

10 Castrovalva

“Yes, well…that’s democracy for you. Come on.”

The newly regenerated Fifth Doctor didn’t have as harsh a time transitioning to his new body in comparison to previous (and future) selves, and he started things out with sarcasm and humor in peak form. After asking a group of women “Which is the quickest way out of here?”, they responded by each pointing in a different direction. The irony was enough for the Doctor to utter the above quote.

9 Four To Doomsday

“You know, I come here from time to time myself, and nothing on earth changes quite so often as the fashion! You wouldn’t believe the way some people look!”

The Doctor’s self awareness level was at an all-time low when he uttered this quote about fashion. While the 1970s and 1980s did see some spectacularly eccentric fashion trends, it seemed ironic that the Doctor (of all people) would be the one to remark so strongly about it. After all, this is a man who, up to this point, had dressed like a hobo, rocked purple suits with white cuff frills, and worn an impossibly long multi-colored scarf. The Fifth Doctor would continue the trend with a tan suit coupled with red accents, and a large stick of celery in his lapel.

8 Earthshock

“When did you last have the pleasure of smelling a flower, watching a sunset, eating a well-prepared meal?”

It wasn’t the first time the Doctor criticized and rebuked the Cybermen for their abandonment of emotions, but this quote remains one of his most effective. While the concept of Cybermen sitting around the table and discussing the day’s events does seem a little silly, it’s no less poignant. The Cyber Leader responds by saying that such things are irrelevant, to which the Doctor continues, “For some people, small, beautiful events are what life is all about!”

7 Arc Of Infinity

“You know how it is – you put things off for a day, and next thing you know, it’s a hundred years later.”

While most people would utter this quote in the context of a sweeping generalization, the Doctor would have intended a far different meaning, altogether. He would frequently remark about things he put off doing, only to remember them years later. One such task was to fix the Tardis’ broken chameleon circuit, among others. For a Time Lord, the concept of procrastination doesn’t seem particularly risky.

6 Snakedance

“Once, a man fell asleep and dreamt he was a frog. When he woke up, he didn’t know if he was a man who dreamt he was a frog, or a frog who was now dreaming he was a man.”

Doubtlessly a metaphor for losing one’s mind, this quote sums up what it might be like for someone suffering from the kind of nightmares and trauma that Tegan dealt with the Mara incident. It wouldn’t be the first time the Mara went after Tegan psychologically, and the stakes were much higher in the 1983 follow-up Snakedance. The meaning here is obvious – the right combination of elements can have a drastic effect on how one sees reality.

5 Mawdryn Undead

“Well, there’s a probability of anything. Statistically speaking, if you gave typewriters to a tree full of monkeys, they’d eventually produce the works of William Shakespeare.”

Leave it to the Doctor to remark about statistical probabilities. For a man who has so much across so many centuries and worlds, anything must seem possible. In terms of sheer statistics, the probability of this quote seems, at the very least, scant. That might be the point. Even the Doctor admits this with his follow-up comment, “Of course, you and I both know that the end of the millennium, they’d still be tapping out gibberish.”

4 The Five Doctors

“I’m definitely not the man I was. Thank goodness!”

It’s no secret that the Doctor couldn’t stand his other selves. On several occasions, he was forced to team up with his future and past regenerations (depending on how you looked at it) to deal with very large threats. One of the biggest occurred when the Doctor’s first five iterations were lifted out of their respective timelines and deposited on Gallifrey’s Death Zone. After confronting the architect of a plot to gain immortality, the Doctors bid each other goodbye and set off to return to their proper timelines. The Fifth Doctor remarked how relieved he was that he’d changed into his current form, which was far different from his past incarnations.

3 Resurrection Of The Daleks

“I’m not here as your prisoner, Davros…but your executioner!”

Following the events of Genesis Of The Daleks, the Fifth Doctor came into contact with his mortal enemies, once more. This time, the Doctor was forced to deal with the ramifications of sparing the Daleks from total destruction when he learned they had plans to openly attack the Time Lords by assassinating the High Council. With Davros at their side, their victory might have been complete. In order to prevent Davros from finding a cure for the Movellan virus that had nearly wiped the Daleks out, he was prepared to slaughter his nemesis. Eventually, his moral code got the better of him, and the Doctor refrained from murder, a second time.

2 The Caves Of Androzani

“I eat the celery. If nothing else, I’m sure it’s good for my teeth.”

This quote requires a bit of context. The Fifth Doctor was fond of wearing a stick of celery in the lapel of his jacket. For a long while, fans couldn’t figure out if it was just a fashion accessory, or a functional item. Peri asked the Doctor the same question, to which he replied “Safety precaution. I’m allergic to certain gasses in the praxis range of the spectrum. If the gas is present, the celery turns purple.” When Peri asked what the Doctor would do if the celery turned purple, he responded with the original quote. It was the first recorded instance of the Doctor having a physical allergy, and it appears to have affected only his fifth incarnation.

1 “Brave heart, Tegan.”

This quote is not tied to any specific serial, but rather, it was uttered to Tardis companion Tegan in an effort to boost her spirits, or poke a little fun at her. The quote soon became synonymous with the character, so much that she repeated it to herself after leaving the Tardis for good at the end of Resurrection Of The Daleks. The bleak violence and hefty body count would prove to be too much for her.

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