Well folks, “Day of the Doctor” was excellent. And now we eagerly await the start of Peter Capaldi’s era. So, now that the 50th anniversary’s episode has aired, I’ve decided to reveal my rankings of all eleven Doctors. I await your flames. (note: This list excludes the War Doctor, because I don’t think one episode and a 7-minute short is enough to base an opinion on. But for the record, John Hurt was excellent in his portrayal.
11. Paul McGann (#8)–I’ve only seen the one movie. I haven’t listened to the audio dramas. But I am going to buy at least one or get it as a gift.
10. Patrick Troughton (#2)–I’ve only seen a handful of Troughton’s run, because that’s all that’s available. But what I’ve seen, I’ve enjoyed and I respect his contribution immensely.
9. William Hartnell (#1)–The grandpa you always wanted. That’s the first Doctor in a nutshell. I have seen quite a lot of his run and I admit Hartnell has charm. I just wish all his episodes were available.
8. Christopher Eccleston (#9)–I love the way Eccleston portrays the Doctor’s pain at all the destruction he caused and how he’s asking himself if he should even continue his mission. And then he meets Rose.
7. Colin Baker (#6)–Colin Baker’s run should’ve been so much better than it turned out. I feel so sorry for Colin. He got the dream job he always wanted, and then Michael Grade turned it into Hell. And the bad scripts brought it further down.
6. Peter Davison (#5)–Davison’s Doctor was the gentlest of the Doctors and that makes his run all the more heart-wrenching because it’s the most tragic. It contains the first on-screen death of a companion since Hartnell’s era. This era is middle of the road for me. I do enjoy Davison’s performance, but Tegan kind of ruins it for me.
5. Matt Smith (#11)–I love the energy and child-like wonder the Doctor brings to the role and he makes the show so much fun. He’s basically the Peter Pan Doctor.
4. Jon Pertwee (#3)–Pertwee’s run is so much fun! The Master, The Autons, Bessie–what’s not to like?
3. Sylvester McCoy (#7)–McCoy’s run is probably, in my opinion, the most underrated run of the entire series. It was right after the “Trial of a Time Lord” saga and got off to a bad start, but when Ace comes into the picture, it really picks up and continues on to a great end. McCoy did his best to save the show from the brink of death and in my opinion, he succeeded, even though the show was cancelled.
2. David Tennant (#10)–Tennant is just awesome! He plays the role so well and I like the fact that he’s so popular, because he clearly deserves it. He brings in so much fun to the role and the funny moments really work, and so do the tender moments. He is a Doctor who has finally broken free of his inner prison caused by the Time War and is just perfect. He’s also almost as crafty as McCoy’s Doctor.
1. Tom Baker (#1)–Tom Baker is still my Doctor. He had the longest run of all the Doctors. He brought such joy to the role. The best part is that you were never sure exactly what the Doctor was going to do. His plans were so much fun to watch and he gleefully exploited all his enemies’ weaknesses. This is a Doctor who loves to cause his enemies to underestimate him, leading to their inevitable downfall.
And there you have it. I’m not sure where Capaldi will go, but not one of the Doctor’s runs were bad, so I can’t wait!
Aspie Catholic 