Doctor Who's greatest sporting triumphs

The Third Doctor was a bit of an action man, and never more so than when practicing his beloved Venusian aikido. As the name suggests, this martial art originated on Venus, and worked best if you had five arms and legs. Nevertheless, for a biped, the Doctor was pretty handy at it, often using his skills to immobilise his enemies via pressure points and a combination of joint locks, throws and kicks – usually accompanied by his trademark cry of “Hai!”. On occasions when it didn’t work, he wasn’t beyond having a go at Martian karate instead.

FYI Off screen, Jon Pertwee was an avid sportsman, with a particular passion for water-skiing. As a teenager, he’d even been a Wall of Death rider.

5. Going for gold (The Bells of Saint John, 2013, and others)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OKvobPKN3Q

The Eleventh Doctor rode an anti-gravity motorbike in the 2074 Anti-Grav Olympics. He came last.

In Destiny of the Daleks (1979), the Fourth Doctor tells Davros that, while he’s been in suspended animation, Arcturus won the Galactic Olympics, with Betelgeuse coming second. Davros appears indifferent to this news, at best.

According to The Waters of Mars (2009), the 2044 Olympics will be held in Havana, with Tirak Ital winning a gold for Pakistan. The 2048 games will be staged in Paris. Tickets go on sale Friday.

FYI A montage of the first 11 Doctors was set to feature in the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, but had to be cut for timing reasons. A small snatch of the TARDIS dematerialisation sound is all that made the final show.

4. Pitch perfect (Black Orchid, 1982)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2-5LAe_x_0

More cricket. We already know the Fifth Doctor is a cricket nut, so he’s in his element when, arriving in the small village of Cranleigh in 1925, he is co-opted into the cricket team through a case of mistaken identity. He proceeds to turn their ailing fortunes around, resulting in a resounding victory that gets him and his companions invited to the local squire’s fancy dress ball. Where, naturally, they all end up in mortal danger.

FYI Peter Davison was delighted when he was caught on camera bowling the batsman out for real.