If the Fourth Doctor was distinctly alien, The Fifth Doctor was far more human than any of his previous regenerations. With his eclectic clothing, the trademark celery in his lapel and his obsession with cricket, this was a Doctor with distinct foibles and mannerisms. Even so, for the most part he behaved just like a regular man, though one with exraordinary abilities. He had moments of irritation and depression and sometimes he lost his temper with his companions. But other times he was enthusiastic and energetic. This was a Doctor who could make mistakes, and sometimes the cost of those mistakes was a high one, for him, for his companions and others. "There should have been anther way" he mournfully said.

The years were beginning to tell upon the Doctor in the fifth incarnation. The horrors he had seen and endured over hundreds of years showed in moments of deep emotion. Despite his youngest appearance yet, the Fifth Doctor was a very old man.