Doctor Who is played by just a single actor
Doctor Who is a British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963 . The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation -- an idea introduced in 1966 to allow the show to continue after the departure of original lead William Hartnell who was becoming very ill at the time . Doctor Who (film) . It was intended as a back-door pilot for a new American-produced Doctor Who TV series and introduced Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor in his only televised appearance as the character until `` The Night of the Doctor '' in 2013 . It also marks the final appearance of Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and the only appearance of Daphne Ashbrook as companion Grace Holloway . Peter Dougan Capaldi ( born 14 April 1958 ) is a Scottish actor , writer and director , best known for playing the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who .