That’s right, Doctor Who fans. We’re going there.
It’s the impossible question, but one that every Whovian has thought about. How do you rank the incarnations of Doctor Who‘s illustrious 50 year history? It’s a tough choice, mainly because every single fan has their own personal favorites, and personality traits they like and dislike. So, it’s a little hesitantly that we approach the subject. Still, at the risk of suffering the wrath of the more opinionated among you, it’s a job that needs to be done.
Before we start, you should know that we’re not including The War Doctor, because we never really got to see how he’d tick as the Timelord outside of the Time War. Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor is also exempt from the list, as we feel it would be a bit premature to rank him before we’ve seen his complete story arc.
But that’s enough from us, here they are!
11. The Sixth Doctor
Poor Colin Baker never really stood a chance. Following on from all-round-nice-guy Peter Davison, Doctor Who tried taking a darker turn with the sixth incarnation. The ridiculously rainbow-clad Timelord nearly went into a self-imposed quarantine after almost strangling his companion. The actor isn’t at all to blame, and he’s proven in several Big Finish audio adventures that he does have the chops to pull the role off, but lackluster scripts and a troubled production meant his TV run fell horribly flat.
10. The Seventh Doctor
There’s a lot of different factions to Sylvester McCoy’s seventh incarnation. Bumbling and awkward at times, manipulative and authoritative at others. There were a lot of ingredients for a successful Doctor in this interpretation. In fact, perhaps there were too many. Bar a few gems, the Seventh Doctor suffered from weak stories and inconsistent characterization which meant the incarnation never reached his full potential.
9. The Third Doctor
Jon Pertwee’s dapper and debonair Third Doctor brought a touch of James Bond to the Tardis. Largely constrained to Earth due to budget cuts, this incarnation gave the role a more action hero edge. As the first Timelord to work with the Brigadier and iconic companion Sarah Jane Smith, Pertwee’s Doctor gave us a lot of firsts. But unfortunately, his adventures and style haven’t really stood the test of time.
8. The Ninth Doctor
When Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, fans were nervous that esteemed actor Christopher Eccleston wouldn’t take the role seriously. But once we saw the tortured soul on screen, there was no denying the gravitas he brought to this new, modern man. There was a softer side to Nine as well, but his short Tardis tenure meant we never got to know him as well as we’d liked.
7. The Eighth Doctor
Paul McGann’s Doctor is another who suffered from a short run – with him originally only holding the keys to the Tardis for the duration of the TV movie. And, let’s face it, the movie wasn’t really very good. But Paul McGann stood out as a passionate and quirky gentleman, and audio adventures allowed the actor to give a full and measured performance. After years of waiting, McGann fans finally got the return they’d been hoping for during the 50th Anniversary – and once again, audiences were impressed.
6. The Second Doctor
In many ways, Patrick Troughton had the toughest job of all the Doctors. Before him, there had only been one Doctor, and the actor was left with a tough dilemma. Instead of imitating the grandfather-like First Doctor, he took Two in a completely new direction: quirky, slapstick, but also very intelligent. He showed us that the regeneration format could work for Doctor Who, and solidified the show’s future.
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