The Eternal Question: The Doctor, or Doctor Who?
By David Hill
It seems to be the perpetual question without a definitive answer – should the protagonist of Doctor Who be referred to as the Doctor, or Doctor Who?
Considering that Doctor Who has been around for over 53 years at this point, there should be a few things that we just know. The Doctor will eventually regenerate. He will have companions, and they will come and go. His TARDIS will always be a blue police box. You know, the simple things in life.
But there is one item that would seemingly be obvious with any show of such a duration — one that has continued to be a source of debate. What, exactly, should the Doctor be called? Is he the Doctor, or is he Doctor Who? Or should we just call him Doctor Misterio?
Every so often, this debate comes up amongst the fandom. Given that Doctor Who also relishes bringing the past back and cyclical events, so too do the arguments return among the fanbase. With that, it may not be a surprise that the debate regarding the proper way to refer to the Doctor has once again become en vogue.
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In all fairness, it seems as though the show itself is unsure of how to refer to its main character. Originally, in the credits, the character was referred to as “Dr. Who.” Now, in the more recent episodes, that has changed to “The Doctor.” So, which is it? The BBC itself may not be certain.
Honestly, it may well be both. The original idea of having the character be called Doctor Who may have faded over the years, leading to the present tendency to refer to him as the Doctor. Times change, the character changes, and so too does the fanbase. Why should the Doctor’s name, or at least the one that humanity knows him as, be exempt from that evolution and change as well?
But if Peter Capaldi wants to be old school and continue to refer to the character as Doctor Who, then we certainly do not have a problem with that. Who are we to argue with the Doctor?
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