Well, it's another one which is a matter of personal opinion rather than a question which comes with a definitive answer. It's also one driven very much by the era you probably became first entranced by the Lord of Time.
For what it is worth here, in reverse order is how I rate them. What do you think? Leave a comment!
10 Sylvester McCoy
One of the two Doctors who played the role when I didn't watch much TV. But by this time Doctor Who had lost a lot of its magic and much of its edge. For me the programme had become too silly and surreal.
9 Peter Davison
Another one from an era when I didn't watch much TV but also another Doctor who lacked an edge and wasn't hard enough for me. The second of the two Doctors who don't really count for me.
8 William Hartnell
The original and on-screen the day after JFK was assassinated. Very dated and before my time but the original and with him the brilliant theme tune.
7 Matt Smith
The current Doctor does a decent job and is a credible Doctor. I don't think he has fully established himself yet and I don't think the stories are as strong as classic late 60s and 70s Doctor Who or the writing as strong as the often poignant Ecclestone or David Tennant era. I also think he is a little upstaged by the wonderful Amy Pond.
6 Colin Baker
A return to Baker-esque form after a weak period. Baker was a fine Doctor who didn't get enough episodes at a time when the BBC were toying with dumping the series. He also suffers with me as he is another Doctor on screen when I didn't watch much TV.
5 David Tennant
For an awful lot of people he is Doctor Who. Along with Tom Baker he is probably the most popular Doctor of the series. He made the role very much his own and has oodles of charm. For me he isn't quite dark or quite hard enough, though the stone angels are a particularly inspirational and horrifying monster. I think he also suffers for being after my era. Others will place him higher.
4 Christopher Eccleston
I thought he was an utterly inspired choice for new Doctor Who. An almost perfect mix of quirky edginess, eccentricity, unconventional rebelliousness and a passionate idealistic heart. He plays the loneliness and drive for justice almost perfectly. And it gets it just right for a new era. And yet he did it all too briefly, was perhaps too intense and came to be eclipsed by David Tennant.
3 Patrick Troughton
The first modern Doctor. He played the role just before my time but I think he is well worth a re-appraisal by many fans. With Troughton all the classic monsters are there and like Ecclestone he has a dark, eccentric edginess. He began to set the standard for the programmes charming malevolent charisma. (He is also a great priest in The Omen)
2 Jon Pertwee
The first Doctor I saw a lot of and the first to catch my imagination. He is a bit of a Dandy and a poseur and he has a very silly car. But, as I remember him, he had truly scary adventures with some truly scary monsters. His encounters with The Master are brilliant and in the Brigadier and UNIT he has excellent allies.
1 Tom Baker
For me Tom Baker is the best Doctor. he made the role his own with his long scarf and booming, almost Brian Blessed like, voice. Like Pertwee his adventures are scary and the suspense filled ending of each episode rarely disappoints. The classic stories are his like Genesis of the Daleks, The Keeper of Traken and Pyramids of Mars!
And I've not even begun to discuss Sarah Jane or K9!
PS
I'm not counting Paul McGann or Peter Cushing who respectively played the Doctor in a one off TV special and in a film.
And I'm sure the Doctor is a Liberal if he ever votes on earth or if the have them within the Council of the Time Lords.
Well that's my opinion. It probably dates me. I'm sure you disagree with me. Why not add your thoughts or memories as a comment.
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