Top Five Doctors

Three or fourth months until new Doctor Who, when we get our first good look at Twelve.  In the meantime, I thought I’d look back over my favorite titular Time Lords.  Because I reach a point where I just can’t pick absolute favorites, I’ll give you the Doctors in chronological order.

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) 

I have just massive amounts of love for Two.  My attention tends to wander a little during long classic Who serials, but Two’s episodes always hold my interest.  He’s the first to really incorporate the now-trademark quirky Doctor-ness, making wisecracks when he’s captured and bickering affectionately with his companions.  The team of Two, Jamie, and Zoe is one of my favorite TARDIS crews ever – it’s clear how much Two loves them both, and they’re as heartwarming as they are silly.  I can’t believe that the BBC culled so many of his episodes.

The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) 

I was prepared to dislike Three on principle, out of loyalty to Two, but he won me over almost immediately.  His era is a different kind of Who, an earthbound Doctor with a broken TARDIS and a supervisor.  Though some of his storylines have a bad habit of dragging, Three himself is always excellent to watch.  He’s not as amusing as Two, but he’s interesting in other ways.  I like his strong scientific bent and his love of gadgets, and despite his occasional vanity, he’s ultimately a very loving Doctor.  His relationship with Jo is especially sweet.

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) 

Hey, it’s a cliché for a reason!  Four is delightfully madcap and bohemian, an intriguing mix of childlike glee and alien detachment.  His is a time of scarves, jelly babies, and robot dogs.  He has companions to suit all tastes (my personal favorites are Sarah Jane and Leela,) and it’s clear he cares for all of them – even Adric!  Just seeing that Tom Baker grin makes me smile a little.

 

The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) 

Everyone has a special love for their first Doctor, and for me, that was Nine.  He’s endearingly silly and heart-wrenchingly broken, an exposed heart trying to mend after the horrors of the Time War.  It’s obvious that he sometimes uses his smile and goofiness to hide his grief, but it’s not all an act; he’s still in genuine wonder at the universe, and hearing him shout “Fantastic!” makes me grin from ear to ear.  He and Rose are so sweet together, and I like the way he warms up to Jack.

 

The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) 

I find Eleven to be such a fascinating Doctor.  He’s an odd fusion of a child’s energy/enthusiasm and an old man’s wisdom/heartache.  He may be the most alien of them all, brimming with racing thoughts and completely oblivious to the finer points of human interaction (though he, Amy, and Rory really are like family.)  Some of the writing for his era leaves a lot to be desired, but Eleven always anchors them stories and makes them worthwhile for me.