Favourite Doctor

[burrunjor]

The most boring, predictable question you can ask on a DW forum, but you know it just occurred to me I don't know many people here's answer to that question? I have no idea who Rob or Rushy or Bernard or Brian or the guy who keeps changing his name LOL's favourite Doctors are. I know Maxil's was Colin, and that changed to Sylv, but I'm not sure if it's still that, though I'm pretty sure  Rob's is not Sylvester McCoy LOL. I'm not sure you know mine either? 

Well mine is Jon Pertwee by far. I think he was the most believable at being the smartest in the room, had much more authority, his eccentricities were less forced, more just because of who he was IE his clothes, rudeness rather than a " I'M SO ZANY" which all of the others could fall into at times. His seriousness also I think gave the show a lot more gravitas in stories like the Silurians, Inferno. Also I loved the contrast of him being such an old man, but being the most physical and action packed Doctor, and finally his clothes and just general persona of a Dandy/Austin Powers/Jason King crossed with a superhero like Batman and a dusty old professorial uncle like the Doctor had always been, was a more eclectic, unusual, distinct and interesting persona for me personally. 

After Jon would be Tom who did have the largest, most insane personality and embodied the fun side of the Doctor I think better than everyone else. He really is the fun Uncle you want to travel with, though he brought just as much gravitas, albeit in a more unpredictable, intense way to the part as well, which conversly could make him the most frightening and edgy Doctor too. Really he had the most complex personality of them all, probably because of Tom's own intense persona. However I must admit at times I think Tom overdid it. Not often, but there are a few instances where the hamminess can undermine a story like "what's it FOOOOOR". Also I will say I'm not as keen when Tom always jokes to villains like the Daleks in Destiny. I think he undermined some villains menace this way, that's why Jon edges it out for me. Even though he hated the Daleks, he never made them feel like a laughing stock. Compare his reaction in Death when they come out of the ship, to Tom's BYE BYE in Destiny and tell me who ironically sold the Daleks as the Doctors archfoes more. Even little bits like his look of disgust and hatred as they lead him to the cell after he believes they've killed Jo Grant, compared to Tom joking about them having no arms I think are worlds apart.

Of the new boys it's Matt Smith. He had the best understanding of the Doctor, pitching him as an old man in a young man's body, making him more outwardly alien. Also I think Matt much like Tom had a natural, crazy, offbeat charisma. In fact I'd say Matt is the actor to fit the crazy, fun loving side of the Doctor best after Tom, and honestly much like Tom you could imagine him playing the Doctor forever his energy was just so limitless and natural for the character. Even Jon as much as I prefer him I don't think quite matched that energy because obviously he was so serious. 

However Matt was let down by the usual New Whoisms, like River Song, lusting after Jenna Coleman etc. That's why I wouldn't rate him my third favourite Doctor anymore. That instead goes to Hartnell, who I respect for creating the template the others were to follow in the original series, and he really gave such an offbeat, otherwordly performance even more so for the time, that sadly is often overlooked by modern audiences who dismiss him as being outdated. 

The rest of the classic era boys I'd rank equally, whilst out of the new boys after Matt it would go, Tennant, who was a great leading man and a one point back in the 00s I rated him very highly, but now I see he isn't really the Doctor, more an angsty Angel/Xena/90s anti hero clone. Christopher Eccelston, who to be honest the same can be said of (except I didn't rate him highly at the time as he felt too different, but now I can appreciate other aspects of his performance. That said however I think Eccelston was a bit more miscast than Tennant as he felt more uncomfortable in the role, but that might be more his hatred of RTD than anything else.) After them is Peter Capaldi who ironically was a much better fit than either Eccelston or Tennant and could have been the best, but was really wasted in drek and consequently his Doctor suffered. IE apologizing for having genitals, being in a romance with Clara, kissing Missy after she's butchered his friends, and justifying her heinous crimes by saying it's no worse than a human eating a bacon sandwhich ( that's the argument a Terileptile uses Doctor.) All of these were as bad as, if not in some cases worse than Tennant or Eccelston's mopeyness and hysteria and faux wackiness, but unlike with Tennant who the writers were at least behind, poor Peter didn't even get that. Honestly it felt like the writers and producers regretted casting him and not a woman, due to the backlash and just regarded him as a stop gap Doctor until they could cast a woman. Hence why he was pushed to the side in favour of his female companion, and why they did other things like giving him the worst Master to set up a woman Doctor, or had him shoot someone unarmed and helpless, just to trigger a gender bending regeneration etc. 

It annoys me when people say he is like Jon Pertwee. Can you imagine Pertwee being happy with being sidelined like he was, or apologizing for being a man LOL. Moffat would have been out the door on Pertwee's insistence if he'd tried any of the shit with him that Moffat did with Capaldi. 

After Peter well I don't even regard the others as proper Doctors. Love John Hurt, he is my one of my favourite actors and he put in a good show as the War Doctor, but in hindsight that was a mistake and a novelty, stunt casting, nothing more. Jodie and Jo meanwhile again, as soon as you cast a woman, I don't take you seriously as trying to do a proper version of the character once played by William Hartnell. You've let your own politics and ego in wanting to be the first to do something take over legitimately trying to cast the best actor in the role. 

Ncuti Gatwa meanwhile, well haven't seen him yet obviously, but I doubt he'll be replacing Jon anytime soon and I utterly despise the idea of the Doctor turning back into an old incarnation. If I still cared about New Who, that would be another show destroying idea for me. 

[Deleted]

McCoy is my favourite Doctor. I doubt that will ever change in the future though I'm very fond of Patrick Troughton as well. This guy is just magical though:

[rushy]

My favourite is William Hartnell. The First Doctor was quirky, but in a way he was also the most believable as a real person. He wasn't a hero out there to stop the monsters, but travelled around the universe to satisfy his own interests and whims. His human companions taught him the duty of staying to help whenever he could, showing that he was capable of real growth despite his advanced age.

This is why I hate retcons like "the Doctor chose his name to be a savior blah blah blah" because it ignores that the First Doctor started out as a bogstandard Time Lord, complete with a superior attitude and disinterest in other people's lives. The explanation given in "The War Games" for why he left is all you need. He was bored by his own society, and basically told them to f*ck off (probably with that snobbish huff that Hartnell could pull off so well) so he could go snoop around on other planets, convinced by his own ego that he was perfectly capable and responsible enough to manage that without changing history. But it was pure scientific curiosity at first, not any need to help others. This aspect of him had to be nurtured and grown by what he endured with his human companions.

Patrick Troughton may have popularized a lot of what we know about the Doctor today, but Hartnell's take will always be the purest to me if that makes any sense. And by far the most interesting to watch.

Oh, and his comedy far outdoes any self-aware Douglas Adams shite 

[rushy]

as for the other Doctors, I rate Troughton very highly (although I wish he had more original stories). Pertwee never puts a foot wrong, but I also don't find his take on the role terribly interesting. Tom is all over the place. If he only did season 18, he'd probably top Hartnell, because he was amazing in that season, but he's also given many performances I'm not so keen on. And you can just tell that Tom is more interested in having fun than really playing the character.

Davison was, by his own admission, too young. He doesn't figure out what he wants to do with the part until late in the game. I do love the dry sarcasm he develops, but I could probably name the good Fifth Doctor stories on one hand.

I can never take Colin seriously. If I'm in the mood for a complete campfest, I can put him on and get enjoyment out of it.

Sylvester is probably the weakest actor objectively, but he is greatly boosted by the writing in his era, which is consistently high class. Cartmel could clearly recognise his strengths as an actor, and heavily played to them. He has a fun natural eccentricity to him that also helps. I'm very fond of him.

McGann is very good (so wonderfully detached in his line delivery), but I haven't heard many of his audios so I don't have a concrete opinion on him other than I like him.

I maintain that Eccleston is superb in the part, and entirely plausible as a war veteran trying to recapture his youth as a coping mechanism. Plus, he has the most gravitas of any actor. He's the one Doctor who could scare the shit out of me, and that's why I love watching him face his enemies. He doesn't screw around with them. I thought his relationship with Rose was very sweet.

Tennant's stories could be a little too cutesy, but I've always thought very highly of him as an actor. He's incredibly charismatic, and I liked that he showed the Doctor as a vulnerable, heavily flawed person with an unyielding desire to do good to compensate. He's the best 'heroic Doctor' in my opinion, because there's always something else lurking beneath the surface with him.

my opinion of Smith is basically the same as burrunjor, he's very good at capturing the alien eccentricity without going overboard like Tom sometimes could. I also think that in terms of raw emotion, he's the absolute best. He can make you cry at the drop of a hat, because he's such a sweet puppy dog. The writing for him is spotty, though, and I don't think he's ever very intimidating, which is a big downside for me. Amusingly, despite my fondness for RTD, I wouldn't want him writing Smith. When he showed up on the Sarah Jane Adventures, it was like he was playing Tennant's Doctor. It was so weird to watch lol.

Capaldi, jeez... where do I start with this man? Sometimes he's perfect but the writing sucks. Sometimes he sucks, but the writing's perfect. Sometimes both he and the writing suck. And sometimes he's perfect and so is the writing. He's much too inconsistent for my liking.

Whittaker never did anything for me. Most of her episodes and acting retread the old ground. I was hoping Chibnall would abandon the overplayed eccentricity with her version, and give a more mature (motherly, in a good way) take on the character to refresh the show after Capaldi's uncertain wackiness, but alas.

[burrunjor]

Aug 27, 2023 12:23:00 GMT rushy said:

My favourite is William Hartnell. The First Doctor was quirky, but in a way he was also the most believable as a real person. He wasn't a hero out there to stop the monsters, but travelled around the universe to satisfy his own interests and whims. His human companions taught him the duty of staying to help whenever he could, showing that he was capable of real growth despite his advanced age.

This is why I hate retcons like "the Doctor chose his name to be a savior blah blah blah" because it ignores that the First Doctor started out as a bogstandard Time Lord, complete with a superior attitude and disinterest in other people's lives. The explanation given in "The War Games" for why he left is all you need. He was bored by his own society, and basically told them to f*ck off (probably with that snobbish huff that Hartnell could pull off so well) so he could go snoop around on other planets, convinced by his own ego that he was perfectly capable and responsible enough to manage that without changing history. But it was pure scientific curiosity at first, not any need to help others. This aspect of him had to be nurtured and grown by what he endured with his human companions.

Patrick Troughton may have popularized a lot of what we know about the Doctor today, but Hartnell's take will always be the purest to me if that makes any sense. And by far the most interesting to watch.

Oh, and his comedy far outdoes any self-aware Douglas Adams shite 

Agreed with the development part. I actually don't think the Doctor becomes a hero so to speak until Jon Pertwee's time though. Obviously he becomes a much better person over Hartnell's three years, and is more willing to help people if he stumbles on a problem. However even then I still see the Doctor as a traveller first who is more interested in just exploring in both Hartnell and Troughton's time, and in a lot of Hartnell and Troughton stories he only interferes because his curiosity has got him into trouble like in Tomb of the Cybermen or the Daleks, rather than because he wants to help.

However he plays up to being a hero to the Time Lords in War Games to defend himself and they actually do buy it. That's why their punishment in their mind, is a fair compromise. Obviously they don't want him to go unpunished to set a bad example, but they agree that he does have his place in the battle against evil. In the Time Lord's minds, they're being fair and even handed. IE to the universe at large it looks like he is being punished, but they're giving him a chance to do what he wants, help those in need, and on his favourite world that he thinks is the most vulnerable. 

Of course he HATES that set up as he still cares more about travelling and doing what he wants than in saving people LOL. The Time Lords have kind of called his bluff, and that's why Pertwee wants to get the f*ck out of earth as often as he can. However, after 5 years of being forced to stay on earth and become involved in saving the earth so often, well he ends up becoming a hero without knowing it. (Even then however Tom still has shades of having to be asked to be a hero like in Key To Time, but overall I think the Pertwee Doctors development is crucial both in universe and certainly from a real world perspective of him becoming more heroic.) 

Meanwhile I disagree with the assessment that most of what we think of the Doctor comes from Troughton. Honestly I think this is a bit of a lie spread by the fact that for years the only Hartnell stories people could see, before recons online, where the earliest stories where he was more ruthless. By season 3 IMO Hartnell has laid down the template that all the Doctors will follow. 

Again that's not to say other actors don't develop the character, like I said Pertwee makes him more heroic, McCoy more ruthless etc. Still the essentials are formed in season 3 of the Hartnell era. All the classic Doctors travel like him because they want to see the universe. All of them have the same air of mystery about their origins, he lays down the moral code of not killing unless he has to, but being willing to, he lays down the Doctors asexual nature, and more grandfatherly, mentor type relationship with his companions, he lays down his anti establishment streak, even little things like the Doctor being a jack of all trades, the way he looks (dressing in Victorian/Edwardian era clothing, long, big unmanagable hair, hats, capes, scarves etc.) All established with him. Hell even Pertwee and other Doctors like Tom being great fighters incredibly enough is laid down with Hartnell LOL. 

Finally he also established the type of actor who should play the role too. Apart from Davison, all of the other actors who came after Hartnell were like him, quirky character actors, who had never really been leading men, or weren't at that stage and were known for playing villains, comedy roles, or bit parts or all of the above. 

Hartnell absolutely is the core of the Doctors personality. That's not to say that Troughton wasn't just as important in that he was the one who showed that it could be played by somebody else and also really solidified which aspects of the Doctors persona were permanent and which could be changed. Still ultimately he also was building his performance on Hartnell's to some extent too which sadly I feel isn't acknowledged by modern fandom.

I partly blame Annekke Wills a bit for this as well, as I think her constant trashing of Hartnell may have hurt his reputation. It's not just as a person, she also trashed his performance, saying anyone could have played his role, but Troughton was the one that mattered. Michael Craze who also didn't like him, I think gave a more fair and nuanced account of Hartnell in the Myth Makers interview.

[Deleted]

Craze and Wills were hip, young people of the swinging sixties and probably thought Hartnell was a miserable git because he wasn't down with them. It's funny because Purvis, Carole Ann Ford and Maureen O'Brien all speak very highly of him.

[Deleted]

I actually owned a Anneke Wills picture book and there wasn't a single photograph of William Hartnell in it. It's quite sad how little she thinks of him. I think she's a sweetheart mostly, but I don't like the disrespect towards Hartnell.

[iank]

Tom Baker is and always will be my favourite Doctor. I'm sorry, there's no comparison, he's light years ahead of the others. Magnetic, commanding, brimming with gravitas yet hilarious too. It's not even a contest really.
Troughton is probably my second favourite, a wonderful quixotic character and performance, though the missing episodes damage him slightly. Sylvester is my third favourite, my first Doctor as a proper fan and I still love his era.
After that Pertwee, Hartnell and Colin. Really like Pertwee though he does get very samey and phoned-in after a while, Hartnell was the guv'nor but I do struggle with the pace of a lot of his stories. And Colin is a case of two halves, brilliant in his first brilliant season and then kind of embarassing in his second.
As for the modern interlopers, none of whom I really see as the same anyway, Matt Smith is my favourite, then Capaldi. Smithy wins by virtue of series 5 and the strength of the Amy and Rory trio. Both more fit the mould of the original character than Davies', though the silly modern nonsense of New Who are still stuck to them like mould. Hurt is a great actor but that whole thing was nonsense, McGann seems interesting but barely counts and Pisstaker is just a 100% bad joke. Given RTD's sensibilities and previous characterisations, I don't hold out much hope for Ncuti.

[Monster X]

Aug 27, 2023 12:23:00 GMT rushy said:

My favourite is William Hartnell. The First Doctor was quirky, but in a way he was also the most believable as a real person. He wasn't a hero out there to stop the monsters, but travelled around the universe to satisfy his own interests and whims. His human companions taught him the duty of staying to help whenever he could, showing that he was capable of real growth despite his advanced age.

This is why I hate retcons like "the Doctor chose his name to be a savior blah blah blah" because it ignores that the First Doctor started out as a bogstandard Time Lord, complete with a superior attitude and disinterest in other people's lives. The explanation given in "The War Games" for why he left is all you need. He was bored by his own society, and basically told them to f*ck off (probably with that snobbish huff that Hartnell could pull off so well) so he could go snoop around on other planets, convinced by his own ego that he was perfectly capable and responsible enough to manage that without changing history. But it was pure scientific curiosity at first, not any need to help others. This aspect of him had to be nurtured and grown by what he endured with his human companions.

Patrick Troughton may have popularized a lot of what we know about the Doctor today, but Hartnell's take will always be the purest to me if that makes any sense. And by far the most interesting to watch.

Oh, and his comedy far outdoes any self-aware Douglas Adams shite 

"Patrick Troughton may have popularized a lot of what we know about the Doctor today, but Hartnell's take will always be the purest to me if that makes any sense. And by far the most interesting to watch."

It makes perfect sense, I agree, and nicely put.

[Spark Doll King]

Ok I've held off posting here because honestly I was not shore. I wanted to say McCoy but something was stopping me. I wanted to say Hartnell or Tom, but that's not right either.

I think my actual current favourite is actually Davison. The Doctor I used to have the least regards for.

While his era is very 50/50, when it's good it's very f*cking good, but I also really like the character. This is a Doctor who has had his confidence broken by tragic events and ix not as large and incharge as he once was. Things can go very wrong for him at times and two of his companions exist under tragic circumstances. Yet he keeps trying. No matter how dark or hopeless the situation this Doctor still tries to do the right thing even when everyone is hellbent on making the wrong choices. Even at the cost of himself.

I've also really grown to like a lot of his stories also. Enlightenment, Snakedance, Androzani, Visitation, Black Orchid etc.

Even his companions I like. Their are just too many at once most of the time but they shine brightly when the spotlights on them.

I actually can't believe I'm saying this but I am. 5 is currently my Doctor.

[RobFilth]

I don't really have a favourite Doctor.

I find Pertwee the most consistent in quality and Tom Baker reaching the some of greatest heights for a long duration. but Hartnell and Troughton also had peaks during their respective eras too.

Davison I think would have been as good as the first 4 had he stayed in the programme for another year or two, but because it took him over 2 years to find his feet and settle in the role, is quite often overlooked. At his absolute best he does compete well with the first four.

I have a particular fondness for Colin Bakers Season 22 spiky portrayal too, because it displayed a more dangerous ruthless edge not seen since early Tom Baker stories. I hate his neutered Season 23 portrayal however.

McCoy certainly had the eccentricity, but I felt lacked direction and focus. I personally consider him the weakest of the Classic Who actors too.

McGann unlike McCoy had great acting range but sadly not the chance to properly develop on screen.

However, McCoy is a collosus compared to Eccleston who is simply terrible, probably my least favourite Doctor next to Jodie.

Tennant is an improvement on Eccleston(not hard), but also can be annoying in mockney wanker mode.

Smith is great, but ruined by largely dull or rubbish stories and completely awful arcs.

Capaldi much like Smith is great until the NuWho-isms are showhorned in by his second series. He also suffers from largely dull or crap stories.

Jodie, I turned off altogether because it was just too awful. The only other times I questioned myself watching was during the start of McCoys stint and the start of Ecclestons era and that was purely because they were shoehorned in incarnations, but the difference being I did finally decide to continue watching with them both.

Not with Jodie however.

[Monster X]

Hartnell. No contest, really.

[burrunjor]

Oct 1, 2023 7:05:18 GMT RobFilth said:

I don't really have a favourite Doctor.

I find Pertwee the most consistent in quality and Tom Baker reaching the some of greatest heights for a long duration. but Hartnell and Troughton also had peaks during their respective eras too.

Davison I think would have been as good as the first 4 had he stayed in the programme for another year or two, but because it took him over 2 years to find his feet and settle in the role, is quite often overlooked. At his absolute best he does compete well with the first four.

I have a particular fondness for Colin Bakers Season 22 spiky portrayal too, because it displayed a more dangerous ruthless edge not seen since early Tom Baker stories. I hate his neutered Season 23 portrayal however.

McCoy certainly had the eccentricity, but I felt lacked direction and focus. I personally consider him the weakest of the Classic Who actors too.

McGann unlike McCoy had great acting range but sadly not the chance to properly develop on screen.

However, McCoy is a collosus compared to Eccleston who is simply terrible, probably my least favourite Doctor next to Jodie.

Tennant is an improvement on Eccleston(not hard), but also can be annoying in mockney wanker mode.

Smith is great, but ruined by largely dull or rubbish stories and completely awful arcs.

Capaldi much like Smith is great until the NuWho-isms are showhorned in by his second series. He also suffers from largely dull or crap stories.

Jodie, I turned off altogether because it was just too awful. The only other times I questioned myself watching was during the start of McCoys stint and the start of Ecclestons era and that was purely because they were shoehorned in incarnations, but the difference being I did finally decide to continue watching with them both.

Not with Jodie however.

Similar tastes to mine, great minds do think alike. It's a shame about Eccelston as he is a good actor. I thought he was hilarious in Brian Pern (a completely overlooked comedy gem.) Sadly he just wasn't a good fit for the Doctor. 

That said though he may very well have been better were it not for RTD and remember he hated the scripts RTD gave him to the point where it is believed they may have had a fist fight LOL.

[burrunjor]

Oct 1, 2023 9:37:49 GMT Monster X said:

Hartnell. No contest, really.


View Attachment

LOL I have a soft spot for that song. Even though it is f*cking awful, and her voice is completely off key, it does reflect a time of innocence for DW, when he was seen as a cuddly, if grump old grandfather by the nation. Before fandom clique's and elites, BBC smear tactics to undermine it as a thing only saddos like, that led to such self loathing we tried to reimagine him as a sex god etc. It along with that other naff song Frazer Hines did reflect the innocence of the 60s portrayals so well. 

[Spark Doll King]

Oct 1, 2023 11:37:51 GMT burrunjor said:

Oct 1, 2023 7:05:18 GMT RobFilth said:

I don't really have a favourite Doctor.

I find Pertwee the most consistent in quality and Tom Baker reaching the some of greatest heights for a long duration. but Hartnell and Troughton also had peaks during their respective eras too.

Davison I think would have been as good as the first 4 had he stayed in the programme for another year or two, but because it took him over 2 years to find his feet and settle in the role, is quite often overlooked. At his absolute best he does compete well with the first four.

I have a particular fondness for Colin Bakers Season 22 spiky portrayal too, because it displayed a more dangerous ruthless edge not seen since early Tom Baker stories. I hate his neutered Season 23 portrayal however.

McCoy certainly had the eccentricity, but I felt lacked direction and focus. I personally consider him the weakest of the Classic Who actors too.

McGann unlike McCoy had great acting range but sadly not the chance to properly develop on screen.

However, McCoy is a collosus compared to Eccleston who is simply terrible, probably my least favourite Doctor next to Jodie.

Tennant is an improvement on Eccleston(not hard), but also can be annoying in mockney wanker mode.

Smith is great, but ruined by largely dull or rubbish stories and completely awful arcs.

Capaldi much like Smith is great until the NuWho-isms are showhorned in by his second series. He also suffers from largely dull or crap stories.

Jodie, I turned off altogether because it was just too awful. The only other times I questioned myself watching was during the start of McCoys stint and the start of Ecclestons era and that was purely because they were shoehorned in incarnations, but the difference being I did finally decide to continue watching with them both.

Not with Jodie however.

Similar tastes to mine, great minds do think alike. It's a shame about Eccelston as he is a good actor. I thought he was hilarious in Brian Pern (a completely overlooked comedy gem.) Sadly he just wasn't a good fit for the Doctor. 

That said though he may very well have been better were it not for RTD and remember he hated the scripts RTD gave him to the point where it is believed they may have had a fist fight LOL.

I'll put a fiver on Eccels