Best to Worst Doctor's Incarnations (updated)

We start off this list with the best doctor incarnation ever, The Fourth Doctor. The Fourth Doctor was more alien, more unpredictable and more courageous than all the other incarnations before and after him. Tom baker himself was very strict to how the character was presented and did not over act the role of the doctor. He is the first Doctor to refer to his companions as his best friends especially Sarah Jane Smith, he was protective and somewhat of a fathering figure. He often contemplates his outsider status to both humanity and his Gallifreyan heritage, as he seems more inclined toward a solitary existence.

Despite his obvious moments of whimsical charm, offbeat humor, permeated by his manic grin, the Fourth Doctor is more aloof and somber than his previous incarnations. He could become intensely brooding, serious and even callous. In contrast to this "outsider existence" he emphasises that he found mankind to be his "favourite species" as if he was scientifically studying it. He could also be furious with those he saw as stupid, frivolous, misguided or just plain evil. When taking charge, he could be considered authoritative to the point of controlling and egocentric. He generally maintained his distance from the Time Lords, remarking in The Pyramids of Mars that, while being from Gallifrey, he doesn't consider himself a Time Lord. He clearly resents that even after they had lifted his exile, they continue to beckon the Doctor whenever they deemed it necessary.

Although like all his other incarnations he preferred brain over brawn, following on from the martial expertise of his immediate predecessor (The Third Doctor). He improvises non-lethal weaponry when necessary, but was also not averse to more lethal weaponry as a necessity against both sentient and non-sentient beings, like the matter-destroying DeMat Gun or contemporary firearms.

The Twelfth Doctor is darker, madder and less reliable then his then his previous incarnation. Peter Capaldi plays the Dark and unpredictable Doctor since Christmas day of 2013. Peter Capaldi is the third Scottish Actor to play the Doctor and is the only Scottish Actor to use his native born accent.

After his long fight with the Daleks, Cybermen and the Weeping Angels on the Planet Trenzalore, the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) was giving an all-new regeneration cycle by the time lords through the last remaining crack in the universe whom our currently hidden in a pocket universe. The Doctor regains his youth before retiring to the TARDIS to complete the process and delivers a eulogy to his next incarnation, before abruptly completing his transition into the Twelfth Doctor. His Companion Clara Oswald Cannot understand the Doctor's new persona even after she gets a call from the Eleventh Doctor who tells her not to be a afraid and to stay with him. Clara begins to overcome her reservations about his new personality and older physical appearance and they begin adventuring once more.The Twelfth Doctor has a tremendous ability with throwaway humour and a lot of it is around the fact that sometimes he is terribly rude without knowing sometimes, he doesn’t quite understand human beings or really care very much about their approval. Removed and slightly gloomy, the Twelfth Doctor has characteristics of the Ninth Doctor, the personality of the Fourth Doctor and the style of the Third Doctor.

My personal thoughts on the Twelfth Doctor: I think Peter Capaldi plays the Doctor very well he rivals that of Tom Baker. However I do think Peter Capaldi is slightly let down by bad writes having said that he does manage to pull through with his tumultuous acting ability. In my opinion Petr Capaldi was the best casting choice for the role of the Doctor. His Companion Clara Oswald (played by the very talented Jenna Coleman) ain't too bad either.

One of the most likeable Doctor incarnation, Patrick Troughton plays the Impish Doctor from 1966 to 1969. Even though Doctor Who started in 1963 with William Hartnell playing as the Doctor, it was Patrick Troughton that started the series that we know and love.

It was at this point that the show was getting more fascinating, and with a better Doctor mean better companions for example, in the second story we are introduce with a new scottish companion name Jamie McCrimmon. Jamie McCrimmon played by Frazer Hines was one of the most famous companion in the 60's Doctor Who, and was also the longest companion ever. his Last appearance in the 60's Doctor Who was the War Games which was also the Second Doctor Last appearance.

In the final events of that story, the Doctor is on trial for meddling with time and stealing the TARDIS, Jamie and Zoe are sent back to there own times, the Doctor tells the Time Lords about his many battles against the evils of the universe. Accepting this defence the Time Lords announce his punishment is exile to Earth in the late 20th century. The operation of the TARDIS is wiped from the Doctor's memory and his next regeneration is imposed.

The Doctor's personality is far more childlike than his previous incarnation. Mercurial, clever, and always a few steps ahead of his enemies, at times he could be a calculating schemer who would not only manipulate people for the greater good but act like a bumbling fool in order to have others underestimate his true abilities. But despite the bluster and tendency to panic when events got out of control, the Second Doctor always acted heroically and morally in his desire to help the oppressed.

My personal thoughts on Patrick Troughton as the Doctor: I've got to admit that I enjoy watching Patrick Troughton as the Doctor.

The Third Doctor was more sophisticated and more urbane then his previous incarnation. Jon Pertwee played a Suave Doctor for four years, before leaving after Tom Baker took over the role as the Doctor. His personality was like James Bond/Sherlock Holmes type character who seems to know a lot about things, especially when it comes to knowing about gadgets. Because of his scientific knowledge and his knowledge of alien life forms, UNIT hired him as a high ranking scientist.

Since the Doctor was exile to Earth because of his crimes on Gallifrey, most of his stories were on Earth. As a special thanks from UNIT, UNIT gave him a canary-yellow vintage roadster with the Doctor nickname "Bessie," a construct which featured such modifications as a remote control, dramatically increased speed capabilities, and inertial dampeners.

My personal thoughts on Jon Pertwee as the Doctor: Jon Pertwee played a very serious and very political Doctor, his performance is so hammy at times, he rivals his predecessor Patrick Troughton. Unlike his predecessor he is more engageable and more mature, this was shown more toward the end of his tenure (1974). I always found Jon Pertwee as the Doctor very interesting to watch especially when he is talking about his past.

The Ninth Doctor was both intense and frivolous and was far more down to earth than his previous incarnation. Christopher Eccleston Played the Adventurous Doctor throughout 2005, Making him the shortest living doctor's incarnation ever.

Like his previous incarnation (the War Doctor) the Ninth Doctor showed great sorrow and anger due to his actions in the Time War. The weight of destroying the Time Lords and the Daleks preyed upon him, deeply affecting his personality and judgment. Keeping his old Jacket and somehow renewing it, he changes all of his other clothes for a more "21st Century look" shortly after he regenerated. Soon afterwards he met Rose Tyler who became his companion throughout his ninth life. There was two other companions in his life, Adam the stupid one and Jack Harkness the openly gay American who Rose made Immortal.

The reason why Christopher Eccleston left Doctor Who so early was because he didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that he, the cast and crew, had to work in. According to a London newspaper, an interview for BBC's Doctor Who website that was taken down after his departure was announced revealed that Christopher Eccleston had planned to stay for two or three more years.

My personal thoughts on Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor: It's hard to judge Christopher Eccleston due to his surprisingly short tenure as the Doctor, however I thought he was alright. As for his personality he was very different from all the other Doctors sharing a similar characteristics with the War Doctor, both were affected from the devastating Time War and even though the Ninth Doctor didn't fight in the Time War, the actions that his previous incarnation did during the war affected him deeply.

The Tenth Doctor was far more cheerful, talkative, leisurely, witty and cheeky then his previous incarnation. David Tennant Played The Human like Doctor from 2005 to 2010. David Tennant is the second scottish actor to play the Doctor, (Sylvester McCoy was the first) but Executive producer Russell T Davies had asked him to drop his natural Scottish accent, because he felt that it was inappropriate to go for another obvious regional accent like with Christopher Eccleston's Northern English accent.

Like Christopher Eccleston's Doctor, David Tennant's Doctor had that camp feel to the character, but unlike Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant suited the character better then Christopher Eccleston because he wasn't as grim or as serious, the Tenth Doctor makes the show feel more like the classic Doctor Who TV show.

He's costume also suited the character better, wearing a dark brown (with blue pinstripes) or a blue (with rust red pinstripes) four-buttoned suit, a shirt and a tie, a light brown faux-suede overcoat, and different coloured pairs of Chuck Taylors, depending on his suit. The Tenth Doctor had 11 Companions with is more than the Fourth Doctor incarnation with only has 8 Companions.

My personal thoughts on David Tennant as the Doctor: David Tennant was pretty annoying as the Doctor as his acting was so over the top and so lame that it puts you off Doctor Who. If he wasn't garish with his exaggerating performance as the Doctor, he is morbidly depressing which works in a way - since the Time war did affect the Doctor's personality - but having said that, David Tennant didn’t pull this off whilst the Ninth, Eleventh and the War Doctor manage to work with this trend.

He was more grievous and more brutal than his previous incarnations, John Hurt plays the War Doctor. Titled "The War Doctor" and not "The Doctor" he is the Ninth incarnation of the Doctor which makes his Successor (Christopher Eccleston) the Tenth incarnation. Not much is known of him, we know that in the early days of the Time War his previous incarnation (the Eight Doctor) refuse to fight in the Time War and tried to avoid it as best he could.

However this all change when he tried to attempts to rescue a pilot name Cass, who refuses his aid, ignoring his claims that he has never taken part in the devastating Time War. The ship crashes into the planet Karn killing both Cass and the Doctor, fortunately the Doctor is temporary revived by the Sisterhood of Karn led by Ohila. Ohila begs him to take the elixir as the Time War threatens all reality, the Doctor acknowledges this and ask if he can have a potion that will make him a warrior. As there is no need for a Doctor anymore, he drinks the Elixir which triggers his regeneration and becomes the War Doctor, he takes Cass's bandolier and gears up for war.

The Time War caused the War Doctor to be addled with much regret, sadness, and weighted guilt, but he also managed to be cheerful and compassionate with a few hints of witty humour and sarcasm, indicating he was not inherently evil like the other incarnations were led to believe.

Towards the end of the Time War, the War Doctor was present at the fall of Arcadia, where he used a Gallifreyan soldier's gun to inscribe the words "no more" onto a wall as a message to the Time Lords and the Daleks. He then destroyed a group of Daleks with his TARDIS, before fleeing the planet Gallifrey. He was able to enter the Omega Arsenal and stole the final weapon, "The Moment," a weapon of ultimate destruction.

The Doctor then fled to a desolate wasteland, where he intended to trigger the Moment, which would have completely wiped out the Time Lords and the Daleks. The Moment, however was sentient, and possessed a conscience, hence the reason it hadn't already been used. Its interface manifested into the form of his future companion Rose Tyler to challenge his use of the weapon.

My personal thoughts on the War Doctor: Because John Hurt was not labelled as the Doctor it would be unfair if I judge he's performance like he was the Doctor, rather I will be talking about the War Doctor instead. Likely the most controversial and to some the most confusing incarnation of the Doctor ever, (Due to the name and Regeneration cycle) the War Doctor is nothing like his other incarnations. He shares certain characteristics with the Valeyard: he is a darker version of the Doctor who rejected the name of "the Doctor" and the expectations that go with it, However, this was done out of necessity when he saw no other way and he was more than happy to embrace his old ways again when given the chance. I would love to see John Hurt as the War Doctor in Future Episodes and maybe have more of a backstory of him in the Time War.

The Eleventh Doctor is younger, more wicked and more swift than his previous incarnation. Matt Smith plays the Raggedy Doctor from 2010 to 2013. The Eleventh Doctor is a quick-tempered but compassionate man whose youthful appearance is at odds with his more discerning and world-weary temperament. The Eleventh Doctor is compassionate to a fault, though he is often more concerned with the well-being of the many over the individual. He speaks incredibly quickly, usually catching himself once or twice in a rant to point out something odd. He tends to encourage/manipulate people into doing what he wants instead of directly instructing or commanding them, sometimes through very questionable means. There is a real darkness within the Eleventh Doctor the Eleventh Doctor which I like,, something his previous incarnation only briefly dealt with, and he is prone to moments of real menace, though they are quickly ebbed. He also likes to be right and is often visibly angry when he isn’t, though he usually calms down. Nevertheless, the Eleventh Doctor’s battiness comes from a place of fun and adventure, and he enjoys showing his companions things even he has never seen before.

My personal thoughts on Matt Smith as the Doctor: I must admit that didn't see much Doctor Who during Matt Smith's Tenure as the Doctor as I didn't like the fifth series very much and skip series six. It wasn't Matt Smith's acting more than the story and style that irritated me somehow. I did see the end of series six and all of series seven though. As for Matt smith, I thought he was surprisingly good, I mean he over acted from time to time but unlike his predecessor (David Tennant) He did in away that was enjoyable and not annoying.

The Fifth Doctor was far more vulnerable, sensitive, and reserved than his previous incarnations and often reacted to situations rather than initiating them. Peter Davison Played the Boyish Doctor from 1981 to 1984. Peter Davison was criticized by fans for being too young to play the Doctor, even though he was 30 years old when he played the Doctor.

Unlike his more authoritative predecessors, he treated his young companions as parts of a team, and often willingly participated in situations under the leadership of someone else who had the strong command presence that he apparently lacked. However, the Fifth Doctor's young appearance, nervous energy, and charm all hid the fact that he was a Time Lord of great age, compassion, and experience.

We are also introduced with another robot companion, a shape shifting android name Kameleon. Kameleon was only in two stories, this was due to the fact that it was a true computer-controlled robot prop and it was very difficult for the production team to control it.

My personal thoughts on Peter Davison as the Doctor: Peter Davidson suffered poorly from bad scripts, weak character development, stiff acting, and sometimes poorly written dialog made his Doctor kind of boring. It wasn't really Peter's fault as he came underprepared, especially after the big impact that Tom Baker gave to Doctor Who. It was more the fault of John Nathan-Turner as he didn't really give Peter Davidson any directions on how to play the character (Other than giving him an piece of celery on his coat, which was explained in The Caves of Androzani). Peter Davison did get slightly better as time went on, but he really didn't go anywhere with me.

The Eighth Doctor was darker, smarter and far wiser than his previous incarnations. Paul McGann played the Victorian like Doctor in the 1996 film Doctor Who: The Movie (also known as Doctor Who: Enemy Within) and was also in the mini episode The Night of the Doctor in 2013. Little is known about the Eighth Doctor, We know that he avoided the Time War due to his distrust of the Timelaws and his dislike of war, and that he defeated the Master once and for all on the planet Earth in the final moments of 1999.

It is believe that the Eighth Doctor encouraged those around him to seize life instead of withdrawing from it. He also seemed to enjoy giving people hints of their own futures, probably to prod them into making the right decisions. It is unclear if this Doctor's knowledge of people's futures comes from historical expertise, psychic power or precognitive ability. In all his incarnations, the Eighth Doctor has proven extremely prone to bouts of amnesia, a tendency apparently inspired by the plot of his sole television appearance. He also demonstrates, in his first and only televised appearance, a penchant for sleight of hand. He manages to "lift" or pickpocket various items from certain people he meets during his first adventure.

My personal thoughts on Paul McGann as the Doctor: Having only two Live action stories and no real Tenure, it's hard to judge Paul McGann's performance as the Doctor, I know that there was a audio series dedicated to the Eighth Doctor but I only have heard one of them. Judging from his acting in both the Night of the Doctor and the Doctor Who Movie I say he was Good as the Doctor.

He was the first Doctor, William Hartnell who played the miserable grandfather like Doctor from 1962 to 1966. in the very first episode of Doctor Who we see him as a mysterious frail old man, even though he was young.

It's interesting to know that the first Doctor Who episodes wasn't about the Doctor, but more about his companions instead, especially Susan Foreman (the Doctor's granddaughter). Susan Foreman (or just Susan for short) was played by actress Carole Ann Ford from 1962 to 1964, she was also in The Five Doctors in 1983 and again in Dimensions in Time in 1993. Her last name of Foreman is an alias taken from the junkyard, owned by an "I. M. Foreman" at 76 Totter's Lane, where she and the Doctor lived (in the TARDIS) during their time in London in 1963.

Susan continues to travel with the Doctor and her two teachers (Barbara Wrightuntil and Ian Chesterton) untill The Dalek Invasion of Earth. During the events of that story, Susan falls in love with a young freedom fighter in the 22nd century. However, Susan feels that she has to stay with and take care of her grandfather. The Doctor, realizing that Susan is now a grown woman and deserves a future away from him, locks her out of the TARDIS and leaves after a tearful farewell. The Doctor's Character was similar to that of Albert Einstein cross with Oscar Diggs from the Wizard of Oz.

My personal thoughts on William Hartnell as the Doctor: William Hartnell definitely wasn't the best Doctorbut it wasn't because he couldn't act, Hartnell suffered from arteriosclerosis which affected his performance as the Doctor. His health got worse as time when on, eventually it got so bad that he was forced to retire from Doctor who. However, without William Hartnell the show would only have lasted 10 years or less. Without Hartnell we wouldn't have the regenerations cycle and without Hartnell, it just wouldn't be Doctor Who as we know it today.

The Sixth Doctor was more unpredictable, more outrageous and far more grandiloquent then his previous incarnation. Colin Baker Played The Peevish Doctor from 1984 to 1986. The Sixth Doctor was almost supremely confident in his abilities and did not suffer fools gladly; he sometimes seemed to endure Peri's presence far more than he actually appreciated it, and his superiority complex applied to almost everyone he encountered.

He was both portentous and eloquent, even for the Doctor - of whom he saw himself as the finest incarnation yet – and his unpredictability was made even wilder by his mood swings, manic behaviour, bombastic outbursts and glib, unflappable wit. His personality also displayed occasionally fatalistic overtones. The Sixth Doctor also had a slight split personality with shows on his multicoloured jacket.

Problems at the time: The Colin Baker era was put on an 18-month hiatus by the decision of the BBC controller Michael Grade, in short Doctor Who was lacking in ideas and interest, what the show needed was good scriptwriters. Things did pick up by 1987, with better scriptwriters, ideas and stories, but by that time Colin Baker was replaced by Sylvester McCoy. Originally Colin Baker was supposed to played the Doctor for five years, but due to his unpopularity and the 18-month hiatus in 1985, Colin Baker's time on Doctor Who was reduced from five years to two and a half years, making him the second short living Doctor's incarnation.

My personal thoughts on Colin Baker as the Doctor: People have been very negative with Colin Baker as the Doctor. If you said to someone (who has watched Doctor Who) which Doctor incarnation is the worst, they will say with out second thought the sixth Doctor is the worst of the bunch. But I disagree entirely, infact Colin Baker wanted to dress his Doctor in black, specifically black velvet, to reflect his character's darker personality. Producer John Nathan-Turner, however, opted for a deliberately tasteless costume with garish, clashing colours. Colin baker could have been the second greatest Doctor, if they had better writers, greater plots, no hiatus, a different outfit (for example a dark frock coat, a black waistcoat, dark navy trousers and black victorian shoes) then this Doctor would have lasted up to 1989.

Seventh Doctor was more farcical and more zanily than his previous incarnations. Sylvester McCoy played the Erroneous Doctor from 1987 to 1996. The Seventh Doctor would sometimes act like a buffoon, usually preferring to manipulate events from behind the scenes; much like his second incarnation, he was prepared to play the fool in order to trick his foes into underestimating him, inevitably leading to their defeat at his hands. He was an adept physical performer and deployed a repertoire of magic tricks, illusions and escape artistry to this effect as part of his plans.

Although his more obvious whimsical tendencies disappeared over time (particularly his spoons-playing), he maintained a fondness for idiosyncratic speeches that occasionally referred to literature, ordinary places and even food and drink amidst the weightier concerns on his mind.

He was empathetic to his friends (and even his enemies, such as Helen A) and somewhat melancholic at times (such as during Mel's departure and before his decision to eradicate the Daleks) but now placed greater burdens upon himself in the name of protecting the universe. This may have led him to shroud his true intentions in mystery and the use of sleight of hand as befit his fondness for performance, in effect, subverting his more lighthearted qualities to complement and enhance his heroic and darker ones.

My personal thoughts on Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor is like having George W Bush as the president, it just doesn't work. The Doctor was more like an Horatio Caine then the Doctor, with his melodramatic dealog, no ego, bland personality and stupid speeches. He nearly killed off Doctor Who making him the Worst Doctor at long with the Worst Producer (John Nathan-Turner).