best
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11
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1
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*I don't actually dislike any of them, but I do have my favorites.
2
3
4
11
7
1
9
5
10
6
8
worst
*I don't actually dislike any of them, but I do have my favorites.
Rank the Doctors
- Thread starter ToddCam
- Start date
I find it interesting how I share favourite or well-liked Doctors with some of the previous posters but totally diagree on others. I haven't yet seen everything of the old show. I'm currently working my way through it in broadcast order and am now in season 15, in the middle of Tom Baker's tenure, so I can't rank all the Doctors. Additionally, I find it quite hard to actually rank them so it'll be more tier-like and free form.
My two favourite Doctors are David Tennant and Jon Pertwee.
10 will probably always be 'my Doctor', even though I started with 9. He was very diffferent from his predecessor, even more manic but also mellower despite his claim of "No second chances. That's the kind of man I am." I know some people dislike Tennant's acting style but I love it and I can't help grinning when his Doctor does it or gets all positively excited about something. There were also some dark aspects to him, even in his first story, which I find interesting and fascinating. I also liked the tragical elements of his life and backstory (e.g. the loss of the Timelords, his unfulfilled love for Rose).
As for 3, well, others in this thread have already sung his praises. I admire his style, his charms, his witty and sarcastic remarks and his anarchist streak. My fascination with him is also due to his multi-layered character. Many things have been written about the infamous shower scene in Spearhead from Space, I'm sure, but it really impressed me and stuck with me because we get to see this bad-ass tattoo. To me, that made it immediately clear that this guy with the frilly shirts and the velvet dinner jackets is actually a bad-ass if he has to be. Another aspect I really love about this Doctor is his frustration about his exile and the fact that he would abandon earth and UNIT in a heartbeat if he got his time travel capabilities back early on in his tenure. Apparently, I like my characters a bit flawed. The interactions between him and the Brig and the Master are great, too. So, while some of his stories are kind of weak and/or silly, it's always a pleasure to watch him and his interactions with those people.
I find it hard to rank the following four Doctors, really, also because I feel I need to do some rewatching, especially in regards to the Hartnell era which I don't remember too well anymore. So bear in mind that the differences between them is marginal and that it could change.
I fully expected to dislike Tom Baker because he followed Jon Pertwee whom I like so much but he had me on his side after the first few minutes in the role. He's especially crazy and confused in Robot but I loved it. I also admire how he does all the running around, climbing and other stuff without tripping over his scarf.
There's, of course, more to him than just the craziness - I love how he can change from crazy to speaking with authority within seconds and that it's actually convincing. One thing I also like about him is that he seems to be more fallible and vulnerable than his predecessors and has to be saved by his companions in some way pretty often. Since I haven't yet seen everything of his tenure I can't comment on his later years which have been criticised in this thread.
Christopher Eccleston was my first Doctor. He was the Doctor when I fell in love with this weird little show (towards the end of The End of the World). His Doctor was a mix of madness, anger, hope, despair, passion and kindheartedness and I really like that. While I enjoy other Doctors a bit more I'll always remember him fondly. The scene I associate most with him is his final one when he addresses Rose and says, "You were fantastic. And you know what? So was I." because it's true.
I really can't decide between Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell. At the moment, I slightly favour Troughton because he played the character in a comedic way but still managed to convey depth. I appreciate how the Second Doctor doesn't seem to know what he's doing half of the time but actually knows it pretty well.
I was very impressed by Hartnell when I started watching the serials of his era. And there are some pretty great ones. I liked his grumpyness, how he addresses Ian as "dear boy" and ends many of his sentences with a "mmh?". I think that Hartnell did a good job of conveying the alienness of the character, especially early on. He suffers a bit from a streak of mediocre and dull stories later, towards the end of his tenure.
At the moment, my least favourite Doctor is the current one. I can't really connect to him and find him just a bit too weird and also strangely disconnected. However, this may be down entirely to me not being able to get into Moffat era Who because I did like him a lot when he showed up in The Sarah Jane Adventures. His tenure isn't over, yet, and the new direction they seem to take him - judging from the last Christmas special - has piqued my interest.
My two favourite Doctors are David Tennant and Jon Pertwee.
10 will probably always be 'my Doctor', even though I started with 9. He was very diffferent from his predecessor, even more manic but also mellower despite his claim of "No second chances. That's the kind of man I am." I know some people dislike Tennant's acting style but I love it and I can't help grinning when his Doctor does it or gets all positively excited about something. There were also some dark aspects to him, even in his first story, which I find interesting and fascinating. I also liked the tragical elements of his life and backstory (e.g. the loss of the Timelords, his unfulfilled love for Rose).
As for 3, well, others in this thread have already sung his praises. I admire his style, his charms, his witty and sarcastic remarks and his anarchist streak. My fascination with him is also due to his multi-layered character. Many things have been written about the infamous shower scene in Spearhead from Space, I'm sure, but it really impressed me and stuck with me because we get to see this bad-ass tattoo. To me, that made it immediately clear that this guy with the frilly shirts and the velvet dinner jackets is actually a bad-ass if he has to be. Another aspect I really love about this Doctor is his frustration about his exile and the fact that he would abandon earth and UNIT in a heartbeat if he got his time travel capabilities back early on in his tenure. Apparently, I like my characters a bit flawed. The interactions between him and the Brig and the Master are great, too. So, while some of his stories are kind of weak and/or silly, it's always a pleasure to watch him and his interactions with those people.
I find it hard to rank the following four Doctors, really, also because I feel I need to do some rewatching, especially in regards to the Hartnell era which I don't remember too well anymore. So bear in mind that the differences between them is marginal and that it could change.
I fully expected to dislike Tom Baker because he followed Jon Pertwee whom I like so much but he had me on his side after the first few minutes in the role. He's especially crazy and confused in Robot but I loved it. I also admire how he does all the running around, climbing and other stuff without tripping over his scarf.
There's, of course, more to him than just the craziness - I love how he can change from crazy to speaking with authority within seconds and that it's actually convincing. One thing I also like about him is that he seems to be more fallible and vulnerable than his predecessors and has to be saved by his companions in some way pretty often. Since I haven't yet seen everything of his tenure I can't comment on his later years which have been criticised in this thread. Christopher Eccleston was my first Doctor. He was the Doctor when I fell in love with this weird little show (towards the end of The End of the World). His Doctor was a mix of madness, anger, hope, despair, passion and kindheartedness and I really like that. While I enjoy other Doctors a bit more I'll always remember him fondly. The scene I associate most with him is his final one when he addresses Rose and says, "You were fantastic. And you know what? So was I." because it's true.
I really can't decide between Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell. At the moment, I slightly favour Troughton because he played the character in a comedic way but still managed to convey depth. I appreciate how the Second Doctor doesn't seem to know what he's doing half of the time but actually knows it pretty well.
I was very impressed by Hartnell when I started watching the serials of his era. And there are some pretty great ones. I liked his grumpyness, how he addresses Ian as "dear boy" and ends many of his sentences with a "mmh?". I think that Hartnell did a good job of conveying the alienness of the character, especially early on. He suffers a bit from a streak of mediocre and dull stories later, towards the end of his tenure.
At the moment, my least favourite Doctor is the current one. I can't really connect to him and find him just a bit too weird and also strangely disconnected. However, this may be down entirely to me not being able to get into Moffat era Who because I did like him a lot when he showed up in The Sarah Jane Adventures. His tenure isn't over, yet, and the new direction they seem to take him - judging from the last Christmas special - has piqued my interest.
I've only seen the last four Doctors, so unfortunately my list is pretty short:
1. Eleven - He's been around long enough now that I can comfortably put him above Ten in my rankings. I was hooked from the very beginning but wanted to make sure I wasn't just saying he's my favorite because he's the current Doctor. Now, though, I think I can safely say that he really is. I love where Smith is taking him and I can't wait to see how he continues to evolve with his new companion.
2. Ten - My favorite until Eleven came along. I think he was at his best in his middle seasons, with Martha and Donna. I'm not a fan of his "romance" with Rose (who's also one of my least favorite companions) and that brings him down a bit for me, and I was really starting to get tired of his antics by the end of his overindulgent "farewell tour."
3. Nine - I just don't think he was around long enough. I did like what I saw from him, but I wish I could have seen more. I also didn't think he was alien enough, he was a little too human to me both in looks and attitude. I loved his fire, though.
4. Eight - Again, like Nine, there just wasn't enough there, but I still liked what I did see. Not a big fan of the half-human thing, though, and I'm glad the new series seems to have brushed that under the rug.
1. Eleven - He's been around long enough now that I can comfortably put him above Ten in my rankings. I was hooked from the very beginning but wanted to make sure I wasn't just saying he's my favorite because he's the current Doctor. Now, though, I think I can safely say that he really is. I love where Smith is taking him and I can't wait to see how he continues to evolve with his new companion.
2. Ten - My favorite until Eleven came along. I think he was at his best in his middle seasons, with Martha and Donna. I'm not a fan of his "romance" with Rose (who's also one of my least favorite companions) and that brings him down a bit for me, and I was really starting to get tired of his antics by the end of his overindulgent "farewell tour."
3. Nine - I just don't think he was around long enough. I did like what I saw from him, but I wish I could have seen more. I also didn't think he was alien enough, he was a little too human to me both in looks and attitude. I loved his fire, though.
4. Eight - Again, like Nine, there just wasn't enough there, but I still liked what I did see. Not a big fan of the half-human thing, though, and I'm glad the new series seems to have brushed that under the rug.
I think this might be the first one of these I've cast my vote. Goes something like this:
1. Tom Baker - First guy I saw in the role, and partly because of that, he'll always be The Doctor to me. He just simply became the character, and it's the stories from that era I look back on most fondly.
2. David Tennant - Funny, I wasn't wild about him at first after having gotten to like Eccleston's Doctor, but then he began to grow in me in the first Cybermen story. I was sorry to see David go.
3. Peter Davison - After PBS ran out of Baker eps, they started in with Davison, and I found myself liking his performance, though I know many people don't. He wasn't as entertaining as Baker, but I still bought into his version of the Doctor.
4. Christopher Eccleston - Pretty much liked him from the start, his offbeat humor reminded me a great deal of Baker's. He was a good choice to kick off the modern version of the show.
5. Jon Pertwee - Though I haven't seen all of the eps from his tenure, the guy was dapper, witty and quite believable as a Time-Lord. One of my goals is to try to watch his shows from the beginning.
6. Patrick Troughton - I've seen even less of Troughton, but I found him to be as likeable as Pertwee. Again, have to see how many DVDs the library has available in their system.
7. Willliam Hartnell - Only saw the Original Doctor once, in the pilot ep, but would like to see more. Cranky, mysterious, he was quite different from all the versions that followed, but I'm sure that for many folks who were there in the beginning, he became very closely associated with the role.
8. Paul McGann - The TV movie was horrible, but McGann himself wasn't bad. It's a shame they couldn't have gotten him to do a regeneration scene into Eccleston for the reboot.
9. Matt Smith - I know he's beloved by millions, but I still have a hard time buying him sometimes. He was a real spaz in the first ten or so eps and granted, he's mellowed a bit, but he's got a ways to go before I rank him higher.
Colin Baker/Sylvester McCoy - Truthfully, I can't really rank these fellows, never having seen any of their stories (McCoy, only in the brief appearance in the FOX movie before turning into McGann). I can't help but wonder if I'd find Colin as annoying as so many others have.
That's my .02 worth, folks! Let's rank the Companions next!
1. Tom Baker - First guy I saw in the role, and partly because of that, he'll always be The Doctor to me. He just simply became the character, and it's the stories from that era I look back on most fondly.
2. David Tennant - Funny, I wasn't wild about him at first after having gotten to like Eccleston's Doctor, but then he began to grow in me in the first Cybermen story. I was sorry to see David go.
3. Peter Davison - After PBS ran out of Baker eps, they started in with Davison, and I found myself liking his performance, though I know many people don't. He wasn't as entertaining as Baker, but I still bought into his version of the Doctor.
4. Christopher Eccleston - Pretty much liked him from the start, his offbeat humor reminded me a great deal of Baker's. He was a good choice to kick off the modern version of the show.
5. Jon Pertwee - Though I haven't seen all of the eps from his tenure, the guy was dapper, witty and quite believable as a Time-Lord. One of my goals is to try to watch his shows from the beginning.
6. Patrick Troughton - I've seen even less of Troughton, but I found him to be as likeable as Pertwee. Again, have to see how many DVDs the library has available in their system.
7. Willliam Hartnell - Only saw the Original Doctor once, in the pilot ep, but would like to see more. Cranky, mysterious, he was quite different from all the versions that followed, but I'm sure that for many folks who were there in the beginning, he became very closely associated with the role.
8. Paul McGann - The TV movie was horrible, but McGann himself wasn't bad. It's a shame they couldn't have gotten him to do a regeneration scene into Eccleston for the reboot.
9. Matt Smith - I know he's beloved by millions, but I still have a hard time buying him sometimes. He was a real spaz in the first ten or so eps and granted, he's mellowed a bit, but he's got a ways to go before I rank him higher.
Colin Baker/Sylvester McCoy - Truthfully, I can't really rank these fellows, never having seen any of their stories (McCoy, only in the brief appearance in the FOX movie before turning into McGann). I can't help but wonder if I'd find Colin as annoying as so many others have.
That's my .02 worth, folks! Let's rank the Companions next!
I'm very new to Doctor Who. I like the Tenth and Eleventh doctors. Have watched only a few classic episodes, because I just wasn't enjoying them very much.
Before going into my list, I have to note that I love all of the incarnations of The Doctor. When I list The Third Doctor as my least favorite (sorry, OZ ), it's not because I don't like him, it's just I love all of the other Doctors more.
Additionally, I have to note that I'm basing my placements on both the series and the Big Finish audio plays, which greatly affects my placements of The Eighth and Sixth Doctors.
1. Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor. No matter how great any present or future incarnation is, The Fourth Doctor will always be my Doctor. I grew up on him and his adventures with Leela, Romana, and Sarah Jane and had a huge impact on my childhood. My earliest childhood memories are of such moments as The Fourth Doctor and Leela wandering the brick corridors of the TARDIS in The Invasion of Time, The Nucleus slowly growing into macro size in The Invisible Enemy, the glowing Rutan climbing up the stairs in the lighthouse in Horror of Fang Rock, and The Doctor discovering a giant-size sculpture of his face on the mountainside in The Face of Evil. Whether he's zany or darkly serious or some weird medium in between, nothing brings greater joy to me than The Fourth Doctor. I'm simply thrilled that Tom Baker has finally decided to give Big Finish a shot and is recording wonderful new adventures with Leela and Romana (but sadly no Sarah Jane).
2. Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor. While I didn't see a single Second Doctor serial until I was high school, I immediately fell in love with him when I started watching his serials. The War Games remains one of my favorite Doctor Who stories despite it's incredible length. Patrick Troughton brought such incredible zeal and intelligence into the role that even when he was clowning around, you knew you could trust The Second Doctor to save the day no matter the odds. The Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe remains one of the finest TARDIS teams to date because of the wonderful rapport and friendship Troughton, Frazer Hines, and Wendy Padbury had on and off the set. Like others have already said, I'm truly saddened that Troughton is no longer he with us to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.
3. Matt Smith as The Eleventh Doctor. It should be no surprise that The Eleventh Doctor ranks this high because he's a marvelous combination of both The Fourth and Second Doctors. Whether he's embedded with a great sense of zaniness or driven with an incredible passion to discover answers, The Eleventh Doctor often has an outward appearance of just stumbling along wherever he goes like nothing matters (when, of course, the opposite is true). Above all else, The Eleventh Doctor cares more than any of his previous incarnations have, or at least, shows it more than any of them. This is the incarnation who constantly wears his heart on his sleeve and is better for it. He's driven more than any previous incarnation to do what needs to be done for the sake of his companions, even if that might hurt them in the end.
4. Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor. It is a great and terrible tragedy that Paul McGann's sole contribution to Doctor Who onscreen is the horrific TV movie. He was by far the best part of the movie and I'm forever thankful that Big Finish was able to bring new life into the character. The Eighth Doctor has led an incredible journey in the audio plays, whether it's his solo adventures with Charley, his wanderings in the Divergent universe with Charley and C'rizz, or his wild adventures with Lucie. The Eighth Doctor is more down to earth than most of his other incarnations (with the exception of The Fifth Doctor), but he has such wonderful flightiness and hunger for adventure and exploration that its hard to not love him.
5. Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor. Like The Fourth Doctor, I grew up on The Seventh Doctor albeit not as extensively (and not just because he had far fewer stories). Nonetheless, I have wonderful fond memories of The Seventh Doctor and Ace, especially in the wonderful Remembrance of the Daleks and their final story Survival. I love the deep dark sinister nature of The Seventh Doctor but I also love his compassionate (if sometimes misguided) relationship with Ace, one which rings even stronger in the Big Finish audio plays (with or without Hex). It's a credit to Troughton, Smith, and McGann that they rank higher above McCoy in my eyes because for the longest time McCoy always had a special place in my heart.
6. Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor. Like others have already said, despite having mostly crappy scripts to work with (the exceptions, in my mind, being Vengeance on Varos, Terror of the Vervoids, and The Two Doctors), Colin Baker always gave The Sixth Doctor his absolute best and showed how much he loved the character and the show. This shines through in spades in Big Finish's audio plays where has gotten more than his fair share of wonderful scripts. The Sixth Doctor might be self-important and bombastic and snobby at times, but he's also has kinder and prouder side to him. Baker has always been on the record wanting to show that The Sixth Doctor is like an onion and slowly peel away the layers of the character over the years. While the show never gave him that opportunity, thankfully Big Finish did. But what makes The Sixth Doctor even more awesome? He has one of the best companions: Evelyn Smythe. Not only is she the oldest companion The Doctor has ever had (Romana, aside), but she is the perfect foil to The Sixth Doctor's more angrier and indignant moments as well as his kind-hearted moments. Her love for history and adventure makes her all the more suited as a companion.
7. David Tennant as The Tenth Doctor. No incarnation was quite as bonkers as The Tenth Doctor, but on the same note, no incarnation was nearly as moody. While this had some great benefits, this also hampered the character at times, especially in regards to his relationship with Rose. Whether he was acting lovey-dovey with her, angsty over her absence, or overwhelmed with both upon reunion, this was always the low point for the character. Which is a shame because Rose wasn't that bad of a companion with The Ninth Doctor and The Tenth Doctor otherwise had some of the best stories since the show's return despite this. it's probably no wonder that his season with Donna is by far my favorite of his. A combination of the best stories with a companion who was a modern version of Tegan and quite the antithesis of Rose.
8. Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor. Some might find The Fifth Doctor boring or bland, but I've always found him to be very enjoyable company. He benefited from The Second Doctor state of mind of having his enemy underestimate him and then suddenly pull the carpet from underneath them. But where The Second Doctor played the fool, The Fifth Doctor played the quiet academic. While he had no patience for the huff and puff (unless he was jousting with The Master), The Fifth Doctor would simply undermine his opponents in sometimes the simplest of manners (unless, of course, cricket was involved). Besides, he had to be quiet in nature when around the likes of the wonderful Tegan Jovanka.
9. Christopher Eccleston as The Ninth Doctor. The greatest shame about The Ninth Doctor is his short tenure. And unlike The Eighth (or Sixth) Doctor, he hasn't made up for this in the Big Finish audio plays. Instead, all we have for now is 10 stories over 13 episodes, ranging from fantastic ("Dalek," "The Empty Child'/"The Doctor Dances") to waste of space and time ("Aliens in London"/"World War Three"). But for his short tenure, Christopher Eccleston shined in every moment he was in. The Ninth Doctor was unlike any Doctor we've seen before or since. This was a man who was still recovering from terrible losses left behind by the Time War. Yet, deep down, he still had a grand sense of adventure, and no matter what happened in the Time War, he managed to keep going because of his love for adventure.
10. William Hartnell as The First Doctor. The one who started it all, set the standard for all those who would follow, and set the bar high. His no nonsense demeanor in the face of danger was always heartwarming as was his grandfatherly nature to his companions (whether it was to his actual granddaughter, Susan, or to Vicki or Dodo), but his true strength was his turbulent relationship with Ian Chesterfield (I mean, Chatterhouse, er, Chesterton). I initially didn't like Ian because I thought he was arrogant and presumptuous (much like The First Doctor), but over time I came to love his character and that's largely due to William Russell's great rapport with William Hartnell. While Hartnell sometimes fumbled his lines (more so in the later serials), he managed to bring great charm in these mistakes as if they were planned in the first place (and sometimes they actually were). In the end, if it wasn't for Hartnell's grumpy but lovable performance, we wouldn't be where we are today.
11. Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor. As I said before, just because I rank him at the very bottom, doesn't mean I don't love him. There is a quality about him that is a lot of fun, something of a James Bond as a Time Lord stuck on Earth aspect. While I might not like his brusquer side to the character, I will always love his rapport with certain characters, especially Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, The Master, Sarah-Jane Smith, Liz Shaw, and yes, even Jo Grant. That being said, Jo Grant remains my least favorite companion (along with lovey-dovey Rose) due to her simple-minded nature to always get in trouble at exactly the wrong time every single time possible. And she does this for three whole seasons. Unfortunately, her nature takes away a lot from the charm of The Third Doctor for me and might be partially why I love him the least.
*whew*
In summary:
1. Fourth
2. Second
3. Eleventh
4. Eighth
5. Seventh
6. Sixth
7. Tenth
8. Fifth
9. Ninth
10. First
11. Third
Additionally, I have to note that I'm basing my placements on both the series and the Big Finish audio plays, which greatly affects my placements of The Eighth and Sixth Doctors.
1. Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor. No matter how great any present or future incarnation is, The Fourth Doctor will always be my Doctor. I grew up on him and his adventures with Leela, Romana, and Sarah Jane and had a huge impact on my childhood. My earliest childhood memories are of such moments as The Fourth Doctor and Leela wandering the brick corridors of the TARDIS in The Invasion of Time, The Nucleus slowly growing into macro size in The Invisible Enemy, the glowing Rutan climbing up the stairs in the lighthouse in Horror of Fang Rock, and The Doctor discovering a giant-size sculpture of his face on the mountainside in The Face of Evil. Whether he's zany or darkly serious or some weird medium in between, nothing brings greater joy to me than The Fourth Doctor. I'm simply thrilled that Tom Baker has finally decided to give Big Finish a shot and is recording wonderful new adventures with Leela and Romana (but sadly no Sarah Jane).
2. Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor. While I didn't see a single Second Doctor serial until I was high school, I immediately fell in love with him when I started watching his serials. The War Games remains one of my favorite Doctor Who stories despite it's incredible length. Patrick Troughton brought such incredible zeal and intelligence into the role that even when he was clowning around, you knew you could trust The Second Doctor to save the day no matter the odds. The Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe remains one of the finest TARDIS teams to date because of the wonderful rapport and friendship Troughton, Frazer Hines, and Wendy Padbury had on and off the set. Like others have already said, I'm truly saddened that Troughton is no longer he with us to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.
3. Matt Smith as The Eleventh Doctor. It should be no surprise that The Eleventh Doctor ranks this high because he's a marvelous combination of both The Fourth and Second Doctors. Whether he's embedded with a great sense of zaniness or driven with an incredible passion to discover answers, The Eleventh Doctor often has an outward appearance of just stumbling along wherever he goes like nothing matters (when, of course, the opposite is true). Above all else, The Eleventh Doctor cares more than any of his previous incarnations have, or at least, shows it more than any of them. This is the incarnation who constantly wears his heart on his sleeve and is better for it. He's driven more than any previous incarnation to do what needs to be done for the sake of his companions, even if that might hurt them in the end.
4. Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor. It is a great and terrible tragedy that Paul McGann's sole contribution to Doctor Who onscreen is the horrific TV movie. He was by far the best part of the movie and I'm forever thankful that Big Finish was able to bring new life into the character. The Eighth Doctor has led an incredible journey in the audio plays, whether it's his solo adventures with Charley, his wanderings in the Divergent universe with Charley and C'rizz, or his wild adventures with Lucie. The Eighth Doctor is more down to earth than most of his other incarnations (with the exception of The Fifth Doctor), but he has such wonderful flightiness and hunger for adventure and exploration that its hard to not love him.
5. Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor. Like The Fourth Doctor, I grew up on The Seventh Doctor albeit not as extensively (and not just because he had far fewer stories). Nonetheless, I have wonderful fond memories of The Seventh Doctor and Ace, especially in the wonderful Remembrance of the Daleks and their final story Survival. I love the deep dark sinister nature of The Seventh Doctor but I also love his compassionate (if sometimes misguided) relationship with Ace, one which rings even stronger in the Big Finish audio plays (with or without Hex). It's a credit to Troughton, Smith, and McGann that they rank higher above McCoy in my eyes because for the longest time McCoy always had a special place in my heart.
6. Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor. Like others have already said, despite having mostly crappy scripts to work with (the exceptions, in my mind, being Vengeance on Varos, Terror of the Vervoids, and The Two Doctors), Colin Baker always gave The Sixth Doctor his absolute best and showed how much he loved the character and the show. This shines through in spades in Big Finish's audio plays where has gotten more than his fair share of wonderful scripts. The Sixth Doctor might be self-important and bombastic and snobby at times, but he's also has kinder and prouder side to him. Baker has always been on the record wanting to show that The Sixth Doctor is like an onion and slowly peel away the layers of the character over the years. While the show never gave him that opportunity, thankfully Big Finish did. But what makes The Sixth Doctor even more awesome? He has one of the best companions: Evelyn Smythe. Not only is she the oldest companion The Doctor has ever had (Romana, aside), but she is the perfect foil to The Sixth Doctor's more angrier and indignant moments as well as his kind-hearted moments. Her love for history and adventure makes her all the more suited as a companion.
7. David Tennant as The Tenth Doctor. No incarnation was quite as bonkers as The Tenth Doctor, but on the same note, no incarnation was nearly as moody. While this had some great benefits, this also hampered the character at times, especially in regards to his relationship with Rose. Whether he was acting lovey-dovey with her, angsty over her absence, or overwhelmed with both upon reunion, this was always the low point for the character. Which is a shame because Rose wasn't that bad of a companion with The Ninth Doctor and The Tenth Doctor otherwise had some of the best stories since the show's return despite this. it's probably no wonder that his season with Donna is by far my favorite of his. A combination of the best stories with a companion who was a modern version of Tegan and quite the antithesis of Rose.
8. Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor. Some might find The Fifth Doctor boring or bland, but I've always found him to be very enjoyable company. He benefited from The Second Doctor state of mind of having his enemy underestimate him and then suddenly pull the carpet from underneath them. But where The Second Doctor played the fool, The Fifth Doctor played the quiet academic. While he had no patience for the huff and puff (unless he was jousting with The Master), The Fifth Doctor would simply undermine his opponents in sometimes the simplest of manners (unless, of course, cricket was involved). Besides, he had to be quiet in nature when around the likes of the wonderful Tegan Jovanka.
9. Christopher Eccleston as The Ninth Doctor. The greatest shame about The Ninth Doctor is his short tenure. And unlike The Eighth (or Sixth) Doctor, he hasn't made up for this in the Big Finish audio plays. Instead, all we have for now is 10 stories over 13 episodes, ranging from fantastic ("Dalek," "The Empty Child'/"The Doctor Dances") to waste of space and time ("Aliens in London"/"World War Three"). But for his short tenure, Christopher Eccleston shined in every moment he was in. The Ninth Doctor was unlike any Doctor we've seen before or since. This was a man who was still recovering from terrible losses left behind by the Time War. Yet, deep down, he still had a grand sense of adventure, and no matter what happened in the Time War, he managed to keep going because of his love for adventure.
10. William Hartnell as The First Doctor. The one who started it all, set the standard for all those who would follow, and set the bar high. His no nonsense demeanor in the face of danger was always heartwarming as was his grandfatherly nature to his companions (whether it was to his actual granddaughter, Susan, or to Vicki or Dodo), but his true strength was his turbulent relationship with Ian Chesterfield (I mean, Chatterhouse, er, Chesterton). I initially didn't like Ian because I thought he was arrogant and presumptuous (much like The First Doctor), but over time I came to love his character and that's largely due to William Russell's great rapport with William Hartnell. While Hartnell sometimes fumbled his lines (more so in the later serials), he managed to bring great charm in these mistakes as if they were planned in the first place (and sometimes they actually were). In the end, if it wasn't for Hartnell's grumpy but lovable performance, we wouldn't be where we are today.
11. Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor. As I said before, just because I rank him at the very bottom, doesn't mean I don't love him. There is a quality about him that is a lot of fun, something of a James Bond as a Time Lord stuck on Earth aspect. While I might not like his brusquer side to the character, I will always love his rapport with certain characters, especially Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, The Master, Sarah-Jane Smith, Liz Shaw, and yes, even Jo Grant. That being said, Jo Grant remains my least favorite companion (along with lovey-dovey Rose) due to her simple-minded nature to always get in trouble at exactly the wrong time every single time possible. And she does this for three whole seasons. Unfortunately, her nature takes away a lot from the charm of The Third Doctor for me and might be partially why I love him the least.
*whew*
In summary:
1. Fourth
2. Second
3. Eleventh
4. Eighth
5. Seventh
6. Sixth
7. Tenth
8. Fifth
9. Ninth
10. First
11. Third
Ten, Nine, and then, uh, the rest of them. Yeah.
"Never less than excellent"? He was terrific in several episodes had a very commanding presence and his performance had a certain elegance about it but let's be honest, he wasn't a very skilled actor and had a limited range. I remember several instances where he sees gurning as his only option to portray the Doctor getting knocked out.
Acting often seems to be one of those things that's very much in the eye of the beholder. I, for example, am always astonished whenever someone claims that Tennant can act - I think he's dreadful, with all that bug-eyed, manic flapping about. But to each their own.
11
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10
5
2
3
8
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1
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It's true that acting is very much a matter of taste, but it's also a skill that can be learned, which means that there are some objective standards according to which you can judge a performer.
Acting often seems to be one of those things that's very much in the eye of the beholder. I, for example, am always astonished whenever someone claims that Tennant can act - I think he's dreadful, with all that bug-eyed, manic flapping about. But to each their own.
Tennant isn't a very good actor and gets by a lot on his looks to be sure, but a lot of the blame for the OTT-ness lies with Russell T. Davies.
RTD pretty much assassinated Tennant's reputation and legacy in fandom with the 2009 specials.
Acting often seems to be one of those things that's very much in the eye of the beholder. I, for example, am always astonished whenever someone claims that Tennant can act - I think he's dreadful, with all that bug-eyed, manic flapping about. But to each their own.
Tennant isn't a very good actor and gets by a lot on his looks to be sure, but a lot of the blame for the OTT-ness lies with Russell T. Davies.
RTD pretty much assassinated Tennant's reputation and legacy in fandom with the 2009 specials.
In 2007, the Doctor Who community had pretty much universally embraced David Tennant the way Matt Smith has been embraced now with many "Best Doctor ever!" and certainly while there were people who didn't like him (always gonna happen), the general fan opinion was positive. By the 2009 specials, despite the general liking of Waters of Mars, pretty much soured Ten for a laaarge portion of the fanbase by twisting his attributes into an over-the-top parody of the RTD/Tennant Doctor with the absolute catrastrophe named The End of Time finishing it off. The fact that the immediate next story had both a) an intelligent, well-written story, and b) a new Doctor who emphasized more old-fashioned attributes than "ooh, sexy cry" didn't help. A lot of people completely abandoned that era in a way they wouldn't have if Series 3 had ended RTD/Tennant's run. It became too bloated by the end.
I am aware that in the UK, Tennant pretty much still reigns supreme, but that's because he's a front page celebrity there in a way he isn't in the US. Here in the States among people I know, the Tennant era is mainly thought of in regards to being the "old" series that introduced the Weeping Angels in Blink and River Song in Silence in the Library for the much preferred Matt Smith here.
I've had a much different experience with general audience fans I know. Very few of them have warmed up to Smith totally, because they "mourn" the loss of Tennant so much. They're still watching, but, they still miss Tennant a great deal and are very slow to warm up to Smith. Typically, it seems this feeling only lasts through the first Series of a new Doctor, but, it's still pretty prevalent in my circle 2 1/2 Series in.
Acting often seems to be one of those things that's very much in the eye of the beholder. I, for example, am always astonished whenever someone claims that Tennant can act - I think he's dreadful, with all that bug-eyed, manic flapping about. But to each their own.
Tennant isn't a very good actor and gets by a lot on his looks to be sure, but a lot of the blame for the OTT-ness lies with Russell T. Davies.
RTD pretty much assassinated Tennant's reputation and legacy in fandom with the 2009 specials.
In 2007, the Doctor Who community had pretty much universally embraced David Tennant the way Matt Smith has been embraced now with many "Best Doctor ever!" and certainly while there were people who didn't like him (always gonna happen), the general fan opinion was positive. By the 2009 specials, despite the general liking of Waters of Mars, pretty much soured Ten for a laaarge portion of the fanbase by twisting his attributes into an over-the-top parody of the RTD/Tennant Doctor with the absolute catrastrophe named The End of Time finishing it off. The fact that the immediate next story had both a) an intelligent, well-written story, and b) a new Doctor who emphasized more old-fashioned attributes than "ooh, sexy cry" didn't help. A lot of people completely abandoned that era in a way they wouldn't have if Series 3 had ended RTD/Tennant's run. It became too bloated by the end.
I am aware that in the UK, Tennant pretty much still reigns supreme, but that's because he's a front page celebrity there in a way he isn't in the US. Here in the States among people I know, the Tennant era is mainly thought of in regards to being the "old" series that introduced the Weeping Angels in Blink and River Song in Silence in the Library for the much preferred Matt Smith here.
Acting often seems to be one of those things that's very much in the eye of the beholder. I, for example, am always astonished whenever someone claims that Tennant can act - I think he's dreadful, with all that bug-eyed, manic flapping about. But to each their own.
Tennant isn't a very good actor and gets by a lot on his looks to be sure, but a lot of the blame for the OTT-ness lies with Russell T. Davies.
RTD pretty much assassinated Tennant's reputation and legacy in fandom with the 2009 specials.
In 2007, the Doctor Who community had pretty much universally embraced David Tennant the way Matt Smith has been embraced now with many "Best Doctor ever!" and certainly while there were people who didn't like him (always gonna happen), the general fan opinion was positive. By the 2009 specials, despite the general liking of Waters of Mars, pretty much soured Ten for a laaarge portion of the fanbase by twisting his attributes into an over-the-top parody of the RTD/Tennant Doctor with the absolute catrastrophe named The End of Time finishing it off. The fact that the immediate next story had both a) an intelligent, well-written story, and b) a new Doctor who emphasized more old-fashioned attributes than "ooh, sexy cry" didn't help. A lot of people completely abandoned that era in a way they wouldn't have if Series 3 had ended RTD/Tennant's run. It became too bloated by the end.
I am aware that in the UK, Tennant pretty much still reigns supreme, but that's because he's a front page celebrity there in a way he isn't in the US. Here in the States among people I know, the Tennant era is mainly thought of in regards to being the "old" series that introduced the Weeping Angels in Blink and River Song in Silence in the Library for the much preferred Matt Smith here.
Hahahaha, all this is so 100% true. Most my my friends feel sick if I even mention the Tennant era. I'm not exactly nostalgic for the days of Age of Steel and Fear Her.
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