Doctor Which

[Tonguez]

Three way tie between Pertwee, Baker, and Davison for me. Those were really the three that I grew up watching and all of them have some VERY strong serials.

which Baker?

 

[jdrakeh]

which Baker?

Sorry. Tom.

 

[Gradine]

You never forget your first, and for me that Eccleston. I get why he left, but he was absolutely phenomenal; and I agree with @Riley's assessment, to take nothing away from Tennant's run (which was also quite brilliant)

 

[ko6ux]

Baker is the definitive classic Doctor. Tennant is the definitive Doctor of the modern era.

 

[Tonguez]

Sorry. Tom.

normally I would have assumed Tom as default, but I see that two people have voted for Colin (which surprised me). So while Colin is my least favourite doctor, it is not always safe to assume others share the same sentiment

 

[GreyLord]

Lot more Capaldi fans than I would have thought.

Mine probably would be

Troughton (absolutely my favorite, and not due to him being the doctor when I started...that's what they say though, your favorite is whoever was the doctor when you first saw the show).

Peter Davison (what can I say...he looks a LOT...maybe almost exactly...like a brother-in-law of mine. Liked him ever since).

Tennant (best of the Modern Doctors...has nothing to do with his connection to Davison).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Lot more Capaldi fans than I would have thought.

Right?

It's interesting re: Capaldi for me, because I was super-hyped for him, and I thought his whole deal would translate perfectly to the Doctor, but I actually enjoyed his Doctor least of all of these (though I've seen very little Doctor 1 or 2). But I wonder if that was the writing and plotlines more than his performance. Or maybe my expectations were too high? I think every other doctor except maybe Gatwa I've come in going "Ugh miscast" and then been like "Actually this works!" whereas Capaldi was like "YES NAILED IT" re: casting and then "Huh, not feeling it" re: the actual eps (Gatwa was good but working with surprisingly weak material - I think RTD is past his prime, writing-wise).

Tennant I was not keen on the concept of, didn't like the whole Lonely God thing, or his relationship with Rose but overall he's become the #1 Doctor Who for me. Eccleston I think would have been #1 for me if he'd done more I suspect.

Also Sylvester McCoy deserves more love honestly.

 

[Elodan]

Top 3 (ish)

• Tom Baker
• David Tennant
• Patrick Troughton (who just edges out Matt Smith, who just edges out Jon Pertwee)

 

[payn]

It's interesting re: Capaldi for me, because I was super-hyped for him, and I thought his whole deal would translate perfectly to the Doctor, but I actually enjoyed his Doctor least of all of these (though I've seen very little Doctor 1 or 2). But I wonder if that was the writing and plotlines more than his performance. Or maybe my expectations were too high? I think every other doctor except maybe Gatwa I've come in going "Ugh miscast" and then been like "Actually this works!" whereas Capaldi was like "YES NAILED IT" re: casting and then "Huh, not feeling it" re: the actual eps (Gatwa was good but working with surprisingly weak material - I think RTD is past his prime, writing-wise).

The writing was not great. It felt very cynical and down the entire time for me (even when the story was upbeat or had a positive ending). So, I dont blame Capaldi, I like him as an actor, but his run on Who is one of my least favorites.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's interesting re: Capaldi for me, because I was super-hyped for him, and I thought his whole deal would translate perfectly to the Doctor, but I actually enjoyed his Doctor least of all of these (though I've seen very little Doctor 1 or 2). But I wonder if that was the writing and plotlines more than his performance.

Capaldi's first season was a muddled mess, but I thought the stuff introducing Missy (the best mystery that Doctor Who has had, IMO, although not a big mystery in terms of actual mystery shows), the Danny Pink storyline (finally doing a deep dive into the high price of being a companion that had been hinted at throughout NuWho, but never spelled out) and then the year with Missy as a companion were about the best writing the series has ever had.

It definitely all benefitted from having serious actors like Capaldi and Michelle Gomez to elevate it, but I felt these arcs achieved heights that the show rarely has been able to, and even then, usually only for a single episode. (There are a lot of great Tennant and Smith episodes, for instance, but they're usually book-ended by cringeworthy ones.)