The Sixth Doctor was a firework of a Time Lord. Loud. Explosive. Impossible to ignore. He had a wildly unstable start and many might claim he never really settled down…
The Doctor's fourth regeneration had been difficult enough but his fifth bordered on catastrophic. This 'new' Doctor was freakishly unpredictable, immediately demonstrating a gigantic ego and a bruising disregard for the feelings of his companion, Peri. Such manifestations of a bumpy regeneration were one thing, but his new persona span completely out of control when he accused her of being evil and even attacked her!
When the Sixth Doctor's mental make-up began to stabilise it became clear that some of those early traits were part of who he was, and not simply a brief by-product of the regeneration. He did, however, reject violence, declaring, "I have an inbuilt resistance to any form of violence, except in self-defence." Peri slowly began to trust her old friend again and soon the familiar routine of careering around the cosmos, saving planets and rescuing the oppressed - with the occasional bit of fishing thrown in - was re-established.
But the Sixth Doctor remained pompous and often rude, frequently impatient and about as subtle as his flamboyant clothing. Yet he retained a degree of 'Doctorish' charm. He possessed a keen sense of humour and when he thought Peri had died his utter despair was obvious. Perhaps the Sixth Doctor's over-the-top egocentricity was part of an act to mask his feelings…
He was brave and always fought for justice, even when the odds against him seemed overwhelming. He battled a brutal regime on the planet Varos, the powerful but evil Borad on Karfel - not to mention Daleks, Davros, Cybermen and Sontarans!
The Sixth Doctor's tenure began and finished on board the TARDIS. The Rani - one of his own whom he had tangled with in the 19th century England - used advanced technology to bring down his time machine, forcing it to land on the alien world of Lakertya. When she entered the TARDIS she found the Time Lord was unconscious and therefore instructed her lackey to carry him to her laboratory. But before he could be moved, the Doctor began to regenerate. And then, as the Brigadier once put it, it was a case of, "Here we go again…"
Taken from the BBC.
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