This Is The Best Actor Ever To Play Doctor Who’s Doctor
A recent poll concluded that this Doctor Who actor is the fan favorite, but it was a close race.
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Doctor Who has had an incredible run in its 57 years. The science-fiction franchise has flourished and continued to bring in new fans over its tenure in pop culture. As the title role as changed numerous times, fans have often debated which Doctor is the best. Well, a recent poll with nearly 50,000 votes looks to have answered that question once and for all.
Radio Times has closed their poll for the “Who is Doctor Who‘s best Doctor?” question and the winner is none other than the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. Tennant took on the part in 2005 after Christopher Eccleston’s tenure helped revitalize the series for a modern audience. Tennant played the role for five years, ending his regularly appearing tenure in 2010.
It is not the biggest surprise in the world to see David Tennant top a poll for the best Doctor in the history of Doctor Who. For many modern fans, Tennant’s tenure as the Docotr is how they were introduced to the property. Plus, his run included some of the most memorable episodes in the new era of the series. His particular take on the character felt like a definitive one, and it looks like this online poll echoes that sentiment.
What is surprising and somewhat delightful is that the Radio Times poll was not a landslide. Tennant won the title by less than 100 votes. The second place winner was actually the current incarnation of the character, the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker. Considering the unnecessary and silly uproar that occurred when Whittaker became the first woman to play the role, it is encouraging to see her be embraced through this online poll.
Some other interesting tidbits from this Doctor Who online poll include seeing Christopher Eccleston in the lower half of the rankings. Most people would assume that the responses would favor all of the more recent incarnations of the Doctor, but Eccleston was pretty easily beaten out by Tom Baker, William Hartnell, and Paul McGann. It would seem that these are actors that left a more indelible impression on the role than Eccleston did during his very short time.
The poll also left out John Hurt’s War Doctor, a character that was only seen in two episodes and was considered the ninth known incarnation of the character. It is likely because Hurt was only there to play a very specific version of the Doctor and did not ever intend to return in any regular capacity. Still, it would be interesting to see exactly where he placed on this ranking. Would he have beat out Christopher Eccleston as well?
Regardless, Doctor Who fans will assuredly have a lot to say about this new democratically chosen ranking. Fans love to rank and compare different figures from their favorite franchises and this is no exception. It will be amusing to see if this ranking causes any dissent among the Doctor Who faithful. Do you agree that David Tennant is the best Doctor in the history of the series?
