Peter Davison
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Peter Davison (born April 13, 1951) is a British actor, most commonly associated with playing Tristan to Robert Hardy's Siegfried in All Creatures Great and Small and as the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, whom he played from 1981 to 1984. He is the youngest actor to have portrayed the Doctor. Davison's departure was regarded by many as the kiss of death for the programme, though it survived several more years with other actors in the role. The series was suspended in 1989, and did not appear again as a regular television programme until 2005.
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Davison was born Peter Moffett in London, his father being originally from Guyana. He studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and appeared in several stage productions and some minor television roles before he got his big break in 1978. His performance as the ne'er-do-well Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small made him a household name. He married American actress Sandra Dickinson in the same year, but they eventually divorced in 1994. He and Dickinson had previously appeared together in an episode of the television series The Tomorrow People (1975). He also appeared as the Dish of the Day in the television version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981), which Dickinson was also acting in.
Davison appeared in some British sitcoms before signing a contract to play the Doctor for three years, succeeding Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor). Attracting such a high-profile actor was as much of a coup for the programme's producers as getting the role was for him, but he did not renew his contract because he feared being typecast. Reportedly, Patrick Troughton (who had played the Second Doctor) had recommended to Davison that he leave the role after three years, and Davison followed his advice.
It was not until 1986 that Davison worked on another really popular series. He played Dr Stephen Daker, the ingenuous hero of A Very Peculiar Practice, written by Andrew Davies. The surreal comedy-drama was revived several years later as A Very Polish Practice. Davison also played the lead in Campion, a series based on the period whodunnits of Margery Allingham. This, and the opportunity to play Tristan Farnon again in 1985 and 1990, kept Davison busy until the early 1990s, when he gradually faded from the public eye. He continued to appear occasionally on television, but it was not until 2000 that he returned in another major role, that of David Braithwaite in At Home with the Braithwaites.
He has also starred in the television series The Last Detective (2003-date) and Distant Shores (2005) for ITV, the latter where he coincidentally also played a doctor. His daughter with Dickinson, Georgia Moffett, is also an actress.
Davison returned to play the Doctor in the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time. He has also reprised the role in a series of audio plays by Big Finish Productions.
| Preceded by: Tom Baker | The Doctor 1981–1984 | Succeeded by: Colin Baker External links |