Obligatory Favorite Doctor Question

In any discussion of Doctor Who, you always have to have this question: Who is your favorite doctor?

Mine is Tom Baker.

well I'm loving David Tennant in the new series, but 11 episodes aren't enough to name him as my favourite (yet)

from the "classic series" on TV I'd go with Peter Davison

from the ongoing audio adventures featuring Doctors 5,6,7 & 8 I'd pick Colin Baker who makes a superb Doctor now that he's playing it the way he wants to.

and in books (particularly relevant to us here) I'd have to pick the Seventh Doctor as I'm currently halfway through the Virgin NAs for the first time and I'm really enjoying most of them.

I guess given my username I have to join this group!

Favourite doctor? Um... Eccleston at the moment, but I really like things about all of them. They are, after all, all The Doctor.

Least favourite is easier - Hartnell wins that "prize."

To be fair, I think it isn't so much the actor as the stories that influence my choice of favourite. Many of my favourite stories were from the Pertwee/Baker years. Re-watching a few of the Hartnell and Troughton stories recently, I found they dragged a bit (especially the Hartnell ones). By modern standards they could use a good edit. I loved them back in the day, though.

Jane

Best doctor? Tom Baker.

Worst doctor? I know it's Baker (Colin) or McCoy but I can't help saying Eccleston, his 'acting' really got on my nerves.

Tardis, it is interesting you say that about the Hartnell/Troughton stories. Since Davies relaunched DW I can't help thinking it would be better if they slowed it down a bit - there is too much running and shouting and not enough story. I know it sounds like sacrilege but I think the last two series are very over-rated.

I partially agree with Jargoneer. I haven't seen the David Tennant episodes, but the 1st new season was very...frantic. It worked best with the 2 part stories...which probably about equal the old 4 part stories you think? I also think it got better as the season went on. Did you see that The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances won an award? Personally, those were my favorite from the season. I think they were closest to Doctor Who classic. All in all, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the new Doctor Who. I didn't think I was going to like Eccleston, I didn't think I was going to like Piper and I didn't think that...well I would like anything about it. Happily, I did! I can't wait for the second series to show on sci-fi. I don't have cable, but fortunately I think I have someone lined up to tape it for me every week.

The whole second series has been shown and shown and shown in the UK - the BBC want their money's worth, so they have repeated it twice on one of their digital channels.

I think you will find it is more of the same, if anything even more frantic in some cases. However, there are a few very good episodes.

'The Empty Child' was probably the best story of the last series. I think introducing Captain Jack gave the series the kick it needed. (We are waiting on the spin-off starring CJ, "Torchwood", to start over here). The finale of the series made me fume though, any deus ex machina ending is always a bad move.
Billie Piper was the star of this series, which was a shock - she has gone from a bad teen poppet to a good actress. Allegedly, the BBC were going to make another spin-off, "Rose Tyler - Earth Defender", but they decided not to. They have given her the lead role in a series of Philip Pullman adaptations though.

I forget sometimes about actual British people who get to see Doctor Who on actual TV! Ha! Actually, I saw my first Doctor Who episode when I was studying abroad in Lancaster (Pyramids of Mars). When I came back home I told my bf, we have to watch more Doctor Who! So, we spent the next weeks driving around to all the independent video shops in the area renting their Doctor Who. Of course, now that it is back on the air it is a little easier to get...I'm rather amazed at the amount that I have been able to scrounge out one way or another. There is A LOT of Doctor Who out there to watch!

LOL - we're never going to all like the same Doctor, are we?
Tom Baker does seem to have an edge, though. Or could it be that for North American audiences, he was the first Doctor most of us saw? I am (just) old enough to have seen the Hartnell episodes in the 60's but I somehow mashed them in my memory with Lost in Space (shudder). When I finally saw the Doctor again it was on PBS and it was either Pertwee or Tom Baker I saw first, and in many ways they still epitomize the Doctor for me.

IMHO Eccleston is a very good actor and I really enjoyed his take on the Doctor. I was disappointed that he only gave it one series.
I did find the his episodes faster-moving, but I liked it that way and but I enjoyed every one (though The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances was definitely a favourite).

I have only seen David Tennant in the Christmas Special, which was on CBC on Boxing Day, and I really liked him, too. I look forward to seeing the new episodes (starting on CBC October 9 YAY!)

Hmm...

Peter Davison was 'my' Doctor, in the sense that he was the one I first watched on TV back in the 80s. After 25 years of loyalty, however, I have found myself refering to Tennant as 'my' Doctor. I am so fickle.

In terms of actual favourites, however, it is McCoy for season 26 and the New Adventures, with McGann coming along close behind solely for the EDAs.

I thought McGann had the making of a good doctor, he was just let down by too many compromises, it was made too American therefore losing much of what made it unique, and a poor script.

I've never heard of anyone choose McCoy before. I think some of the stories are under-rated but I'm not sure that they got the tone right. The McCoy years were definitely hampered by the BBC wanting to cancel the show, and not giving it any resources. I remember Michael Grade, director of the BBC at the time, saying how much he hated the show (and the fans). It's ironic that he's now chairman and has to support the show.

I like what was done with the character of the 7th Doctor in the New Adventure novels, and part of that had its roots in McCoy's performance. I think his first season was weak, but as his Doctor became darker and lost his "clownishness" he was very good in the part - see particularly the three McCoy-era stories currently available on DVD.

McGann has been an excellent Doctor in the Big Finish audio range, and I'm hoping for good things from the 8th Doctor in print once I get through the NAs.

It`s got to be David Tennant, but not sure how he will fare without Billie.

Am also fond of Colin Baker who I saw at the theatre in a play called Corpse. It was so good, we went to see it twice !

Well, bear in mind the question was "favourite Doctor" not "favourite actor to play the Doctor on TV"! I like the dark manipulator from the New Adventures - an element first hinted at in season 26) and the EDA Doctor's attempt to escape that.

I should have spelled the topic "Favourite!" I know one person who picks Sylvester McCoy as his favorite doctor. I think McCoy did as good a job as he could giving the resources he had. I love McGann in the radio/flash version of Shada. I did recently see the movie (hard to get on this side of the pond...). Very 90s and TOO TOO American. I guess he was in the US, but still...and I'm half human on my mother's side? Who's idea was that? Bah! Tom Baker had the advantage of having some of the best scripts to work with. Davison and Colin Baker and McCoy, I just can't get over their costumes! And John Nathan Turner even did that on purpose! Granted I am not a product of the seventies, but I just can't imagine anyone thinking that was a good idea besides JNT. Of course, if you look at how he is dressed in interviews, it gives you a good idea of what he knows about fashion! I have really tried to like the 7th doctor, but I just haven't seen any stories that I like. I like some of Hartnell--the Aztecs come to mind. I think that was a really interesting story. Troughton and Pertwee I just don't have enough experience with to have an informed opinion. I'll tell you who I did like though. Richard E. Grant in The Scream of the Shalka. That was a good story. Grant did a good job, as well as Sophie Okonedo and Derek Jacobi. There were some interesting hints dropped. All around good. I could go on and on...but I will stop here!

It is interesting to see that we seem to have accumulated a large enough group that the top shared books are now Doctor Who related. Before, they were quite random!

mine has to be peter davidson, purely a generational thing, though re-watching anything with Adric in does really not live up to the rose tinted memory!
Can i just say it is so cool to get to see a SF show first for a change! Sorry to all the North Americans but we go thru this ALL THE TIME, having to wait ages for new shows, most painfully at the moment with battlestar galactica. ITS JUST NOT FAIR!, so u can't blame us for luxuriating in the tables being turned for a change. You'll LOVE the David Tennant series and Billie is fantastic. Can't wait to see her in (the ruby in the smoke). And I know this is veering way off topic but what do people think of the new assistant? All I've seen was a dreadful 5 min interview on the One Show, and now I'm a bit scared...

I saw the interview as well and didn't like the looks of it, but I was SO SO skeptical about Billie Piper I am willing to reserve judgement!

William Hartnell, first and greatest.

In the books, it's got to be either the seventh or eighth ... with the caveat that we probably got too much of a good thing with both of them.

The ninth, I think, has huge potential for a novel character - lots of inner conflict and so on. There's a Lloyd Rose line about the ninth Doctor's leather jacket being a hard shell to bulk out a surprisingly fragile body that screams out 'Commission that woman this instant'.

My favourite Doctor is Peter Davison.
However, in th novels it has tto be the 7th in the New Adventures. I am slowly working my way through the 8th Doctor ones and am currently on The Fall of Yquatine

'William Hartnell, first and greatest'

... do you think he was well served by the books,
though?

The only First Doctor books I've read to date are The Sorcerer's Apprentice and The Eleventh Tiger and I think both books did their TARDIS crews justice.

{edit}
"Touchstones" don't seem to work for me at the moment :(
{/edit}

On the whole there have been few really excellent First Doctor books. However I can heartily recommend The Plotters by Gareth Roberts and The Witch Hunters by Steve Lyons. If you (not Lance or Mark they have probably already read them) can get hold of them they are well worth reading. Oh and Kim Newman's Time And Relative is excellent too but that is really a Susan story.

The Doctor who I find least well served by the BBC PDA range was the 5th, although I will admit that there were some decent 5th Doctor stories in the Virgin MA range.

{edited in order to get the touchstones working today}

forgot about Time and Relative - I've read that one :)

I have all the MAs and PDAs ready to read, but I've been favouring the NAs since I started on Doctor Who fiction a couple of years ago.

I've only read a couple of Fifth Doctor books so far - I thought Zeta Minor was pretty good.

I think the witch hunters is excellent. A proper type hartnell historical.

I started with Tom Baker, but I have to say that watching, or, more accurately, reading, McCoy "grow up" in the Virgin series has made him my favorite. I'm a sucker for "moral depth", and his struggles throughout the series reflected my own life -- not then, oddly enough, but today.
Indeed, my favorite bit from Tennant, in many ways, is when he kills the...um...S-named thingies' ruler in the 1st Christmas Special. The sense that he has that same "killer instinct", is, indeed, just getting Too Bloody Old to have much patience with the Evils of the Universe, is something I wish they would follow up on.

Definitely McCoy. He was the first Doctor I ever saw on TV, must've made a good impression :) After that I read the Virgin Adventures and was hooked. They bring an incredible depth to the character.

My 'first' Doctor was Jon Pertwee, which means I inevitably have a softer spot for him in my heart than I do for the others.

Sylvester McCoy ranks pretty highly. In his time, the series had decisively opted for the 'comic strip approach, hence the opening title sequence. Compared to the travesty of the second Colin Baker year this was a breath of fresh air.

Curiously, though, Colin Baker is my favourite Big Finish Doctor, so I think it must be the production team and their values that are to blame for that terrible story, Trial Of A Timelord.

But if story lines and their execution are the criteria, then the first six Tom Baker years take some beating for good, solid sf. Coupled with Tom's larger than life personality even thirty years on they still make enjoyable watching.

Jon Pertwee I think, if I have to pick one.

#1 Tom Baker

#2 Sylvester MaCoy

My first Doctor was Tom Baker, and he still remains the standard by which I judge all other Doctors.

Perhaps for that reason, I really didn't care for Eccleston's version of the Doctor: I found him far too callous and even ruthless. By the same token, I'm enjoying David Tennant's take on it.

David Tennent.

Then Tom Baker.

My first Doctor was Christopher Eccleston, and he'll always have a special place in my heart for it.

However, my favorite is Paul McGann. Sexy, bubbly, and oh, that voice. And, of course, the clothes. (As I've said previously, as if cravats, waistcoats and frock coats weren't already sexy enough.) And that hair!

David Tennant is great, too, though.

My favourite Doctor is Tom Baker since he was the first one I saw years ago when I first started watching
DOCTOR WHO. My local PBS Station just jumped from
showing Tom Baker episodes to Christopher Eccleston
episodes without even finishing the 4th Doctor's episodes. I know each and every Actor tries to make the role entirely theirs.The Christopher Eccleston episodes are only 45 minutes long. Why didn't they make them longer? Usually DOCTOR WHO comes on my local PBS Station Saturday nights right after THE VICAR OF DIBLEY and last until about 1:30 AM or even
later sometimes on Sunday Mornings. I am a Nite Owl
and will usually stay up until 5 AM or even 6 AM sometimes watching some Movies after DOCTOR WHO goes off at 1:30 in the morning. And they only made the Movie for the 8rh Doctor, Paul McGann. I would've
liked to have seen some episodes with him. They also seem to remodel the TARDIS for every new DOCTOR so it looks differernt from the last Doctor's TARDIS.
Anyone ever notice that before?

Librarianwanabe

I was introduced to Doctor Who with the new series, so Eccleston has a special place in my heart as my first Doctor. David Tennant, however, is my all-time favorite. I love the manic energy he brings to the role.

Tom Baker, but as much for the overall 'feel' of mid-to-late '70s DW as TB's performance and the strength of (most of) the stories.

The 'warmth' of the studio video adds a unique feel to the series for me -- ditto 'Blake's 7', which (if this isn't blasphemy) I marginally prefer overall to DW. Most of the DVDs I've seen look a little clinical, and lose something in the transition from analogue to digital media. I'm thinking of copying my VHS tapes on to DVD rather than re-purchasing all the stories. They're outrageously expensive too, in view of the fact that (for example) you can currently pick up many cult series in their entirety or by season for a song.

As far as the books go, the Virgin NAs/MAs were wonderful, if of wildly different calibre and characterisation, and I still return to them from time to time. The BBC's EDAs/MDAs were less of a thrill for me, but there were some drop-dead classics tucked away in both series.

7th Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
For both the TV stories and the NAs.

Second would be 3rd Doctor - Jon Pertwee

Though there is something to be said for William Hartnell who brought a very different sort of alienness to the role. Also I've come to reappreciate the original team of the Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian after recently reading The Sorcerer's Apprentice which has been sitting on my shelf for a while waiting to be read and found it really enjoyable.

My third favourite would be 8th Doctor - Paul McGann, once the writers got to grip with his character in the EDAs he became a great Doctor, Vampire Science and Alien Bodies very early on building up his character.

Eccleston, Pertwee, McCoy, Hartnell, McGann, Davison, Tenant, T.Baker, Troughton are my favorites in order. Yes, that's only nine.

Didn't like Cushing either.

I never understood why they didn't include Peter Cushing as one of the Regenerations of The Doctor. Is there some reasoning behind this? Was it because people mainly associated him with the Hamer Films?

Was his Doctor Who portrayal unpopular in England? Why was he chosen to be The Doctor by the BBC in the Movies? Does anyone know the full story behind this?

beatles1964

Has to be Eccleston, followed closely by Tom Baker, if (aside from their brilliance) solely for the baby duck imprinting pattern.. I watched Tom Baker when I was little in reruns, and then CE was my first proper Doctor.

That said I also quite like Sylvester McCoy and DT is.. The Doctor. So, nothing to say there (he's a beautiful man). I have yet to watch the movie with Paul McGann and I would quite like to soon.

The Peter Cushing portrayal of the Doctor isn't included as part of the regenerations of the Doctor because *he isn't*.
The story of the two Dalek films is about a *human* man named Dr. Who. It's set in a different 'universe' from the TV stories.

I have to admit that Tennant is working his way up to closely rivaling Tom Baker. The more I watch him, the more I like him. I also like that he himself is a fan.

I'm a Jon Pertwee guy. It may be the contrarian in me, though - and if I could only watch one Doctor's run ever again, I may choose Tom Baker's.
Tennant is awfully good - and I especially dig the way he throws himself into all aspects of fandom as well (the video extras, etc.).
Tom Baker would sooner die than do that.

OOoh, I love questions like this.

Tom Baker was my "first" and his episodes hold up well; I like rewatching them. I had a serious crush on Davison, being just the right age in the early 80's for puppy love, but I don't think his shows have aged as well. Colin Baker I disliked on screen, but he and Paul McGann are now my favorite Big Finsh audio Doctors. I like Sylvester in both the show and the radio plays, but haven't read any of his New Adventure novels except Human Nature and Lungbarrow. Jon Pertwee I enjoyed because of the UNIT stories and I haven't seen enough of Troughton or Hartnell for an honest opinion.

As for the newbies.....I was really attached to Eccleston and to (ahem) Eccleston fanfic. But how can you not enjoy David Tennant, he seems to relish the role so much and the fact that he loves the part is obvious in everything he does.

And then of course, there's the other Doctor.... As I've said in my 50 Book Challenge Blog, I hope they publish some books about the alternate universe, but of course they won't. If I were writing for him, the first thing I'd do is grow him a Tardis.

I've gone back and have been watching all the surviving episodes in order, so I just had to join this group! and I'm going to go with Troughton as the best doctor ever. What a voice! Best Doctor Who team is Patrick Troughton with Jamie and Zoe as companions!

@49 Wow - kudos to you. That's a lot of TV.

Do you find yourself compelled to stand up in pubs and shout out 'When I say run, RUN!' :)

I still haven't got round to watching the Invasion DVD with the animated missing episodes. One to rent.

The answers to this question will rely very heavily on which Doctor you started with, I think. :) It's also hard for younger fans to really get in to the really old episodes, as they no longer meet our TV watching expectations. Complete lack of soundtrack, completely different pacing, things like that.

#50, not yet, but give me time :-) I'm still only on the third doctor (and am getting a bit bored of Pertwee). I'm looking forward to the Tom Baker ones.
It is alot of TV, but I have to work alot on my computer, so its always nice to have something on in the background.

>51 Wosret:: Not to mention the complete lack of production values, all aliens either looking very human or nearly so, or being large, clumsy, obvious rubber costumes. One of my favorite parts, actually.

>52 jenknox:: I'm sorry to hear, jenknox, that you're getting tired of Pertwee. Back in the middle 80s, my husband and I got to spend a few days in his company, off and on, along with his wife. They'd come to a local con and we were delegated to "wrangle" them. He was an amazing man, with an amazing facility to mimic, and a great storyteller. He was also probably at least as smart as his Doctor and almost as smart as he thought he was. (Which would be very smart indeed!) The first day of the con, when my husband drove him over to the event in my car, he was wearing one of his costumes, and even though I'd spent several days with him, it suddenly hit me that The Doctor was in my car! One of the highlights of my life, actually.

You might be interested to know that the actor playing the Master to his Doctor was one of his best friends in the world, and he gave up the part when the man died.

Tom Baker, my first Doctor, (and Sarah Jane to this day as companion), is still my favourite, but I have really enjoyed David Tennant. I also liked Jon Pertwee, both as the Doctor and in person.

David Tennant

I ♥ David Tennant!!

Can I be the first one to say Matt Smith? I love, love, love his portrayal of the Doctor.

For as young as Matt Smith is, when necessary he manages to portray the age and knowledge of a 900+ year-old time lord very well.

I'm still quite fond of Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, and I've enjoyed Eccleston, Tennant and Smith very much.

#58: Besides Matt Smith, I've only watched Tom Baker, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, and I'm always convinced that whoever I'm watching is the best Doctor. So maybe I'm biased. (Although the TV movie was terrible.)

#59

I haven't seen the TV movie since it aired so my impressions are dulled by the passage of time. I think it was so misguided in what (I assume) the "suits" wanted. It had a core story that wasn't too different from a normal Dr. Who story, but they tried to cram it into an action movie genre that didn't fit.

I would have liked to have seen more of that Doctor, and perhaps when I have time I'll explore the other media where his adventures are expanded.

#60: I agree, I never had anything against Paul McGann as the Doctor, I thought he did a great job. I've always wanted to check out the Eighth Doctor Adventures, too.

I also sort of assume that the Eighth Doctor was the "Time War Doctor", so I think it would be pretty cool if they made a side series about the Time War with him, but I don't think they ever will :(.

I like all the Doctors. BUT, if I were to rank them, I suppose it'd be something like this:

1) Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)
2) Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)
3) Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)
4) Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)
5) Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)
6) Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith)
7) Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)
8) Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann)
9) Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)
10) First Doctor (William Hartnell)
11) Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)

All of them are my favorites, but my most favorite favorite is Christopher Eccleston.

Is there any question that both unites and divides Whovians more

Tenth(David Tennant)
Seventh(Sylvester McCoy)
Second(Patrick Troughton)
Eleventh(Matt Smith)
Fourth(Tom Baker)
Fifth(Peter Davison)
First(William Hartnell)
Eight(Paul McGann)
Nine(Christopher Eccleston)
Sixth(Colin Baker)
Third(Jon Pertwee)

I'm very new to doctor who so I've only seen Matt smith. So he is my favorite.

1. Tenth (David Tennant) - because I liked Doctor Who, but loved it after watching him.
2. Eleventh (Matt Smith) - I think I'll always like the current Doctor.
3. Fourth (Tom Baker) - he defines classic Who to me.
4. Ninth (Christopher Eccleston) - all planets have a North!
5. Third (Jon Pertwee)
6. Seventh (Sylvester McCoy)
7. Fifth (Peter Davison)
8. Eighth (Paul McGann) - I think he'd be higher on the list if there was more of him.
9. First (William Hartnell)
10. Second (Patrick Troughton)
11. Sixth (Colin Baker) - I've never actually seen a full episode with him, so I really can't form an opinion.

I started with Tom Baker but over time I came to appreciate Peter Davison as my favorite. The one I hated the most was John Pertwee. Then again what do I know Shemp was my favorite of the Three Stooges

I've grown to like all the Doctors--or maybe "appreciate" is the word. Hartnell, Davison and Tennant are my least-liked, but I still manage to enjoy many of their stories.

My favourites, in no particular order, are 13, 12, 7, 4. Second rank for 6, 3, 2.

McGann (on audio) belongs among the favourites too.