*Jon Pertwee *McGann *Tennant *And if I really want to be pedantic, Christopher That all said, of course, it's Tom Baker.
I get that surveys in the '80s always had T. Baker out front because most people outside Britain had never seen anyone but Baker and Davidson (and maybe Pertwee). What's impressive for Tom is that today all the Docs are available to anyone and there have been several charismatic additions. (I still chose Pertwee and would second with Tenant)
Nope. Mind you, over the decades, it's normal for people to say the name of the first Doctor they watched. That version of the character becomes their Doctor, and therefore the answer they give to questions of "favorite" or "best" Doctor. This is probably more true for long-time fans, who have seen numerous Doctors come and go. It's nice to see Tom Baker is still so popular. He's my Doctor, of course, as his episodes were still airing on PBS when I started watching the show. That's not the first thing I ever saw him in. Back in high school, our social studies class had to watch a movie about the fall of the Romanov family in Russia, and Tom Baker was in it. On the above list, I also like Paul McGann and David Tennant. McGann, in my opinion, was robbed. He was so good in the movie (even though the movie itself was not good), and he absolutely nailed the character again in that short little webisode "Night of the Doctor". He should have had his own series as one of the Classic Doctors.
Very true, but at least he got his opportunity to shine with the Big Finish audio plays. If you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend them. Some truly fantastic stories and his performances are always top notched.
This. Tom Baker was my first Doctor and the Doctor that always stands out, in my mind, as the quintessential Doctor.
No one can compare to David Tennant for me. He made me fall in love with the show, and his era is my favorite. Clara is my favorite companion though.
Tom Baker.. When you listen to his interviews about the portrayal of the Character, the attention paid to details and quips as he would do, as an alien, you can tell he loved the part, and was passionate about making his character feel authentic. Tenant was going to be my choice, but after taking time to think it over. Tom was and always, for me, will be the definitive actor and Doctor.
Smith. Other Doctors may be ‘my’ Doctor, for various reasons... (Davison was my first, Sylv was there the longest from my perspective, but both he and my other honourable mention, McGann, were defined by pages rather than screens.) but, Smith very much typifies the definite article, and that surprised even me. So Smith. A final honourable mention to Capaldi, and a brief nod to Tennant...Both had wonderful moments, but overall no Doctor, across their run, exemplifies The Doctor more than Smith. And he just about tips it for putting the most in as ana actor, and range. Just. But it’s touch and go. But the truth is, his moments are far and away the best examples, whether it’s the quiet self-sacrifice of the Big Bang, the wherever a child cries of the Beast Below, the temporal and cosmic machinations of the entire Lake Silêncio regen, the family with the ponds, the anger of a Good Man Goes to War, or the loneliness of most of his Christmas specials...he wins. Helped by writing at its peak.
Okay, your opinion is yours, mine is mine... but I really don't understand any statement that Smith was the best of them. To me, he was the worst. As in it was on his watch that I nearly quit watching the show permanently. It took Clara and her stupid cop-out "death" and lousy writing in general for Capaldi that finally did push me away from the show (I only came back for the special with the First Doctor). Let me say that I don't hate the actors, per se. I've seen Smith in another show (The Crown) and he makes an acceptably slimy Prince Phillip. I've seen Jenna Coleman in Victoria, and she's quite good in that. I just can't stand either of them in Doctor Who. @Chaos Descending: Just a note of thanks - you gave me my 2000th "like".