slightly unrelated but, Capaldi played John Frobisher in Torchwood, before that Frobisher was also the name of a companion that was typically in the form of a penguin, and Capaldi’s doctor was described as running
Bill: Like a penguin with it’s arse on fire.
coincidence? I think not! Moffat is clearly hinting at Frobisher’s TV debut in the Christmas special!!!
Not only that, he’s hinting at Frobisher’s TV debut as played by Peter Capaldi, from what you’ve said…
DOCTOR: I know where I got this face, and I know what it’s for.
For me the first Doctor comes first in the rankings too, after that pick any multiple of three. If I had to choose an order today it would start 1, 9, 6, 12, 3, 15, 8, though that’s likely to change on a whim. Anyway, I must be in @sircarolyn’s “3 8 12” camp, since they’re all in my top half and none of “2 5 10” are!
Disclaimer: there are no Doctors I dislike, and favourite Doctor is not the same as favourite era.
Well I actually somewhat don’t remember writing this and while it has been only a while, my top three has actually changed from the last time.
I’d love 12 a lot, and he remains my favorite out of the revival Doctors.
But now 1 has taken over the Spot, I am not quite sure how, but I always warmed up when it comes to the first Doctor, shame that many times he was portrayed rather one note in his multi doctor returns.
Both 2 and 8 still remained in the top spots, I haven’t explained why, and I am probably very bad at articulating why but let me put it this way: 8 while one of the Doctors who basically got it pretty much bad with his televised tenure only really having the TV Movie (which is a love it or hate it thing from what I can tell) but thanks to that all the EU Material had a lot to do, and it worked out like wonders. While I still have a long way to go with the EDAs (and I am still working through his Audios) but I will say I really enjoy it. All the different characteristic are wonderful to read or listen to.
Meanwhile, the second Doctor is pretty much so high thanks to Throughtons amazing physical acting, shame so much of his Episodes got the shorter stick of the end.
Honorable Mentions to 7 and 3 (and I guess 12 too, but he got already the fourth spot) both are making their ways quickly and who knows maybe they will overthrow one day someone from my current top 3!
It’s weird how forgotten Troughton is sometimes but, for my money, he’s far more the Doctor than Capaldi, Tom or Eccleston. The ‘clown’ hiding a dangerous steel is so well performed by Troughton and it is criminal that his Doctor is the one worst affected by the missing episodes because I think he would rate a lot higher with fandom if we could see more of his amazing performance.
Just watching him recently in Underwater Menace 2, I was struck by how astonishingly good he is in every scene - even when he’s just standing reacting to the other characters. We should treasure every single second of actual footage we have with him.
You put into words exactly how I feel about Pat and the 2nd Doctor. This is why he is my favourite: he can be a clown but so serious and convincing all the same.
I see a lot of Two in Eleven & Seven.
I think Two is always good, even in the lesser parts of the Two TV cannon.
Matt Smith is on record as basing some of his Doctor on Troughton (didn’t he watch Tomb of the Cybermen) and it’s probably why I like 11 so much (favourite modern series Doctor by far).
Says you. I can get hold of the novels by walking upstairs. To get hold of the audios, I’d have to drive 20 minutes to my friend’s house.
Kidding aside, McGann’s performance is lovely, and for that alone it’s worth checking out some audios.
Well I live in the US and the audios are still available for purchase whereas the books are 19-27 years out of print. 
Yeah, I was just funning with you.
I’ve collected the vast majority of Who fiction books, and while I also have hundreds of audios, that collection is much more scattershot, like I have a full 8 series of Companion Chronicles, but I have about 4-5 stories from the whole Monthly Range.
I don’t think I have anything from the 8th Doctor range, but I’ve listened to a bunch of them.
Please don’t tempt me to go out and buy more stuff, though. I’d need to build an addition on the house, and the property isn’t that big.
7, 8 and 10, with 1 not far behind.
I feel like these are quite different Doctors really.
When I’m asked my favourite Doctor I always try to go for the cop out “they’re all brilliant”, which mind you I absolutely believe to be true, but it’s dodging the question nonetheless. I just feel too guilty when ranking them because to lift one up I feel like I’m putting another down injustly, the best I can typically do is name two from classic and two from the revival.
But really, something I’ve grown to accept in the last couple of years is that yeah, it’s clearly Peter Davison. Hartnell, Pertwee, Eccleston and Whittaker are the main contenders beyond that, if you ask most of the time I’ll include Hartnell but really it does depend on the day which other two I’d narrow it down to.
4, 11, 13 based on the doctors not always the stories.
The Tenth, Eleventh and Thirteenth Doctors for me. David Tennant will always be my favourite, but I also really like Matt Smith’s quirkiness, and I love the childlike quality that Jodie Whittaker brought to the part.
I still don’t understand why some fans were upset that she said she drew inspiration from Back To The Future’s Doc Brown in her performance. Doc isn’t even a million miles away from the Doctor anyway!
That’s true. A scene that comes to mind is when Graham relays his fears about his cancer returning to her in Can You Hear Me. 13 kind of just blurts out that she’s socially awkward and is going to the console whilst she thinks of something, and that seemed like something I would totally say myself as an autistic person.
I’m a 4/8/12 person so I’m almost there…
Reminded me of how Christopher Lloyd was considered to play the Master in the TV movie and how fun that would have been!
One of those rare American actors who would be great as either the Doctor or the Master.