Most media franchises can only dream about possessing the longevity and worldwide popularity of Doctor Who.
For over 60 years, the United Kingdom’s premiere sci-fi series has etched a permanent place for itself in the realm of genre television, influencing countless movies, TV shows, comic books, and sci-fi literature in the process.
Of course, one massive reason behind the show’s success is the ingenious way it recasts its central actors. Rather than limiting itself to a single individual in its lead role, Doctor Who found a way to have new stars step into the larger-than-life shoes of the Doctor from one decade to the next. Through this unique “regeneration” process, Doctor Who has remained every bit as fresh and entertaining now as it did in the 1960s, earning heaps of international acclaim across each of its 40 seasons.
With how many actors have taken on the mantle of the Doctor, it’s only natural to assume some versions of the alien time traveler greatly outshine other, lesser incarnations of the character. From William Hartnell’s cantankerous First Doctor to Ncuti Gatwa’s life-loving Fifteenth, here is every iteration of the Doctor we’ve seen on Doctor Who, ranked from worst to best.
Fans continue to debate over the show’s greatest Doctor, but one thing every Whovian seems to agree on is that the Sixth Doctor is without question the series’ worst. With his eyesore of a wardrobe and narcissistic personality, Colin Baker’s jaded Sixth Doctor never connected with audiences to the same degree as any of the bubbly and sympathetic Doctors before him. As a result, most fans are quick to forget about him – and with good reason, we might add.
The best thing in an otherwise bad movie, Paul McGann’s charismatic Eighth Doctor was the sole reason to watch Doctor Who’s ill-fated 1996 TV movie in the first place. While he never received the same ample screen-time as either his successors or predecessors, McGann’s dashing Eighth Doctor stole our hearts with what limited screen-time he did have. If he had only starred in a few more Doctor Who adventures, we have no doubt he would have become one of everyone’s absolute favorite Doctors. As it is, all we have left to remember him by is a handful of audiobooks and one severely underwhelming film.
Like Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor never truly received the screen-time he truly deserved. A welcome breath of fresh air from the vain and pompous Sixth Doctor, McCoy’s Gallifreyan adventurer returned the character to his humble roots as a quirky and colorful eccentric. Unfortunately, McCoy’s stint as the Doctor was cut all too short by the series’ cancellation in 1989, leaving audiences to wonder what might have been.
At first glance, David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor bears plenty of similarities to the actor’s portrayal of the fan-favorite Tenth Doctor. However, Tennant adds enough individual characteristics to help differentiate the Fourteenth from the Tenth, including a world-weariness the far more youthful Tenth Doctor lacked. While it’s still too early to tell what the future holds for Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor, we have no doubt he’ll delight us all every time his TARDIS slowly materializes on-screen.
It’s ironic to think that William Hartnell’s First Doctor is commonly considered one of the series’ most unremarkable iterations of the character. With Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton helping set the standard archetype for all future Doctors that followed, Hartnell’s contributions to Doctor Who’s mythos are relatively limited, the First Doctor instead appearing as a curmudgeonly grouch who steered clear of helping others whenever he could. Still, it’s hard not to love Hartnell’s classier spin on the character, his entire presence exuding an air of regal refinement most Doctors sorely lacked.
One of the more controversial Doctors in the series’ history, most fans either love the Fifth Doctor or adamantly hate him. While Peter Davison did the best he could to measure up to Tom Baker, the simple fact is that anyone who followed the Fourth Doctor was bound to pale in comparison. Still, it’s easy to fall in love with Davison’s pluckish charm, boyish mannerisms, and undying appreciation for celery stalks. (“If nothing else, I’m sure it’s good for my teeth.”)
As the first female Doctor in the series’ continuity, Jodie Whittaker faced a tremendous amount of pressure ahead of her 2017 debut. Fortunately, the actor more than exceeded expectations, handing in a portrayal as memorably animated as Tennant’s Tenth Doctor or Tom Baker’s Fourth. Sadly, Whittaker’s time on the show was mired by insufficient storytelling, with too few of her episodes standing out in audiences’ collective imagination.
On his own, Jon Pertwee made for a fantastic addition to Doctor Who, portraying the character more as a man of action than a passive observer a la William Hartnell. In an ironic twist of fate, however, Pertwee’s time on the show was overshadowed by Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker’s iconic Second and Fourth Doctors, respectively. In spite of that, he’s still a marvelous sci-fi hero with a satisfying flair for the theatrics, as seen from his daring stunts, swashbuckling bravado, and blood-red wardrobe alone.
As with David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor, it’s still a bit too early to tell what Ncuti Gatwa’s tenure on Doctor Who might look like. But what we’ve seen so far seems to offer a hopeful glimpse into a warm-hearted, vividly-dressed Doctor fans can easily connect with. Again, time will reveal how Gatwa’s time on the show might pan out, but so far, it’s been nothing short of a fast-paced, comedy-laden sci-fi adventure series reminiscent of Doctor Who’s golden era.
After David Tennant and Matt Smith’s far more youthful preceding Doctors, Peter Capaldi’s famously irritable Twelfth Doctor marked a bold new direction for Doctor Who. Avoiding the pitfalls of William Hartnell’s similarly straight-faced First Doctor, Capaldi illustrated a natural growth his character experienced throughout his time on the show. Transforming from short-tempered and dry-witted, the Twelfth Doctor slowly took on a more affectionate and soft-hearted personality, embracing the childlike enthusiasm displayed by Tennant and Smith before him.
The first Doctor since Paul MGann’s short-lived Eighth Doctor in 1996, Christopher Eccleston faced the insurmountable task of establishing a Doctor audiences could relate to on a deeper level with 2005’s Doctor Who revival. In contrast to the outlandish outfits of the Doctors before him, Eccleston’s subdued wardrobe illustrated the morose attitude the Ninth Doctor occasionally slipped into. In spite of these sporadic tirades, Eccleston balanced out his iteration of the Doctor with plenty of humor and warmth, handing in a performance that (in the words of the Ninth Doctor himself) could only be described as “absolutely fantastic.”
We can’t imagine the pressure Matt Smith felt taking over the starring role in Doctor Who after David Tennant exited the series in 2010. Even as he faced high expectations from longtime viewers of the show, Smith somehow handed in a gifted performance as the Eleventh Doctor, reaffirming the idea that Doctor Who could survive without Tennant’s Converse-clad Doctor as the lead performer. Possessing a pragmatic old soul that betrayed his outwardly youthful appearance, the Eleventh Doctor’s profound wisdom and entertaining spontaneity helped carry Doctor Who forward into the 2010s, ushering in a performance that remains synonymous with Smith’s name over a decade later.
In many ways, Patrick Troughton established the basic characteristics viewers came to associate with the Doctor, from his affable nature and memorable costumes to his benevolent desire to help those in desperate need of assistance. Whereas the First Doctor seemed content to watch the universe unfold in front of him, the Second Doctor made it his mission to insert himself in the galaxy’s happenings with the slightest provocation. In this sense, almost every Doctor that followed owes a serious debt of gratitude to Troughton’s ‘60s-era Beatles lookalike.
For almost a full decade, Doctor Who could have essentially been described as Tom Baker’s show. Commanding the screen as the genial Fourth Doctor, Baker stood in stark contrast to the older iterations of the character played by Hartnell, Troughton, and Pertwee. But of course, it was Baker’s willingness to blend the Doctor’s obvious eccentricities with a fascinating inner sadness that made him such a wonderful addition to the show. Whether conversing with his lovable companion Sarah Jane or gushing about his favorite food (Jelly Babies), every moment the Fourth Doctor appeared in Doctor Who was pure sci-fi wackiness at its finest.
With the notable exception of Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor, who else could it have possibly been? While Christopher Eccleston introduced Doctor Who to a new generation of viewers, David Tennant was the reason they stuck around, handing in a career-defining performance as magnetic and fun to watch as Tom Baker before him and Matt Smith after him. Possessing a layered, three-dimensional personality, Tennant helped create a fully fleshed-out character with his Tenth Doctor. Alternating between childlike humor and existential seriousness, cracking jokes one moment and delivering weighty threats in the next, the Tenth Doctor remains the high watermark in Doctor Who, with every subsequent Doctor inevitably compared to Tennant’s portrayal of the character.
