Board 8 > Inviso Ranks the Doctors of Doctor Who

(+) Yeah! (+)

colin baker was ill-served by much of the material in his era, though his righteous anger in revelation of the daleks was a definite highlight and a great showing of what could've been more often. eccleston strikes me as a better realization of a prickly, compromised doctor in the same vein.

on the companion front, yeah, for sure. fortunately, he got his best companion pairing through big finish with evelyn smythe.

2. 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)

Best Episode: Father's Day (Series 1, Episode 8)
Worst Episode: Aliens of London (Series 1, Episode 4)

Every time I sit down to rank Doctors, I rank Christopher Eccleston somewhat lower than this, and then as I start to think of what I'm going to say when writing the actual ranking, I realize just how much he manages to do with a role that he only held for a single season of television. Keep in mind, prior to the reboot, the show was just this goofy little sci-fi program that started as a kids' show, and while it occasional dealt with dark matters (the Daleks being allegories for Nazis, for example), at the end of the day, the Doctor himself, and his past, was largely happy, and he was able to go off and gallivant through all of space and time without a care in the world. Even the TV movie was completely cartoonish and wacky.

Then the reboot happens, and despite the fact that it wasn't really explored until the Tennant/Smith/Capaldi eras, we still know that the Doctor is the last survivor of his entire race. Everyone died to stop the Daleks, and it's all the Doctor's fault, and then it turns out there are still Daleks around, rendering the Doctor's sacrifice meaningless. Christopher Eccleston came into the role of the Doctor and had to be able to SHOW all of this without the audience really being told much of it outside of the episode "Dalek". He does an absolutely amazing job of it, too. This is a guy who starts out not taking things at ALL seriously, but then when the chips are down, it's like a switch gets flipped, and suddenly he becomes the most serious person in the room. It's amazing to watch.

Beyond that though, we just get these little character moments that sell Eccleston's portrayal. With both Adam AND Rose, we seem him angry and willing to cut someone who he thinks doesn't appreciate the gravity of the kind of power he has (which again plays into the guilt he harbors for how things worked out with the Time War). With Jack, there's some jealousy that someone else could possibly be considered superior and cooler to him. Every little touch, in another Doctor, could just build up his arrogance as a near-immortal Time Lord. But with Eccleston, everything just feels like a burdensome weight on his shoulders, as he alone has to carry the consequences of his actions.

By the time the end arrives, he almost seems to welcome death because he can't bear that guilt anymore, but then Rose saves him and he's reminded of the good in life. It's probably that sacrifice on her part that imprints her so strongly on his first season as Tennant. But yeah, it's just such a strong and nuanced performance that is all the more impressive because of how isolated it is in the overall timeline of the franchise.

I always thought Eccleston not actually being the "war doctor" was weird, and maybe the whole John Hurt thing was made up cause they couldn't get him back for the special or something.

Anyway I think he's fine, but I definitely wouldn't rank him this high (or Capaldi for that matter). Good writeups though.

Espeon posted...

He still has two seasons before that, though. The last season adds some complexity to his character.

Well yes, but I wouldn't show them the first season because it's pretty much poop outside of Paradise Towers. Season 25 could be a good shout though.

Definitely wouldn't rank Six this high. The take on the character is interesting, sure, but it doesn't change the fact that the majority of his episodes just aren't a good time, and the obnoxious arrogance just makes him...obnoxious, no matter how interesting the idea of his arc might be.

1. 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi)

Best Episode: Heaven Sent (Series 9, Episode 11)
Worst Episode: Sleep No More (Series 9, Episode 9)

With Colin, I had to dock him points because the serialized format handicapped his performance a little bit. With Eccleston, he only had one season to shine. Peter Capaldi, in three seasons, managed to combine all of the best traits of my favorites Doctors into a single persona, and although the seasons gradually decrease in quality in my opinion (I know some prefer 9 to 8, but I don't), they're all SOLID at the very worst, which is more than can be said about any other Doctor in the reboot era, with some VERY low lows (barring a single season as mentioned with Eccleston).

For starters, Peter Capaldi absolutely nails the detached weirdo aspect of the Doctor's personality, a bit on the nose at points, but largely in a fun way. It's funny that he brings a literal tank and electric guitar to a medieval fighting pit and makes a quip about having an axe battle (plus, this whole thing gave punk rock Peter the chance to showcase his guitar skills). But then, on top of the alien aspect, you get the grumpy old man aspect, and we all knew going into his tenure that Peter Capaldi swears like a sailor when given the opportunity, so bringing that kind of energy to a PG television was still a lot of fun. Plus, despite times when his zaniness was offputting, Peter Capaldi was great at commanding a scene and just taking charge as the Doctor should. Whether talking down the beginnings of a major war, or punching out a racist, he was just great at doing what needed to be done, WHEN it needed to be done.

On the subject of that war though, I loved the fact that Capaldi so strongly continued the character development set forth by the prior Doctors. He's the first Doctor after Smith realized that Gallifrey WASN'T destroyed, and Hurt/Eccleston/Tennant had false memories and didn't realize that they were innocent of Gallifrey's destruction. So throughout his tenure, the central tenet of his character was one of hating war and being put off by soldiers, and I just made for an interesting throughline for his character. Yes, he was still a fighter, but for someone who had all the potential in the world to be caustic, Capaldi's Doctor was a diplomat, through and through.

From rejecting Journey Blue as a companion (which could've been really interesting if he gave her the chance), to his general antipathy towards Danny, to empathizing with the mummy soldier on Mummy on the Orient Express, to finishing out that first season by giving charge of his Cyberman army TO Danny (and finally giving the Brig the salute he'd always wanted)...that whole first season of Capaldi's run is truly something special from a character perspective. But then you get series 9 and he still has that guilt of knowing how bad things could get (even if it was never truly real), leading to that amazing speech in The Zygon Inversion. He's just such an amazing character, and it comes back to being anti-war, and pro-protecting people in a way that almost felt more personal under Capaldi (whereas other Doctors treated it like their duty or obligation).

I really and truly loved every moment of the 12th Doctor's reign, and while 2-6 on this list were tough to decide, there was never any doubt who the best Doctor is, in my opinion. He's just that good, and honestly? Given that he was under Moffat as a showrunner in the same way Smith was, and he was able to do SO much better in the role, it just stands out that much more how high-quality Capaldi's time was.

Excellent list, and I also want to seek out McCoy serials for same reason

Capaldi was a great doctor. Shame Series 8 and 9 are so wildly inconsistent.

Interesting list. I'm a first-time viewer that's just started making my way through the show with my girlfriend who's a longtime fan - just finished series 2 last night. Her favorite is Smith and she doesn't really care for Capaldi, so I'll be curious to see where my personal rankings settle.

Enjoy the ride! I think the show really hits its stride mid season 3 and doesn't really let up until the last Smith season imo. Then generally a bit hit and miss for me with Capaldi and now I'm not even sure I'm up to date with Jodie. That could certainly be due to watching Capaldi/Jodie weekly rather than binging like I did with the others though but regardless, enjoy!

I probably said this during your season rankings but I basically agree with this. I like 9 and 12 the most (and I've only seen reboot era), and I think season 8 is his best and is one of only two seasons where Moffat's writing was in peak form (all of his good traits without his many bad traits aka getting way too complicated and trying to be super clever 24/7) though i also liked 10 and think 9 was basically trash (heaven sent aside, and zygon eps were fine)

Not gonna do write-ups for these, because far too many of them are forgettable, but here's my companion ranking:

1. Donna Noble
2. Leela
3. Ace
4. Barbara Wright
5. Zoe Heriot
6. Jamie McCrimmon
7. Wilfred Mott
8. Vislor Turlough
9. Captain Jack Harkness
10. Rory Williams
11. Clara Oswald
12. Adelaide Brooke
13. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
14. River Song
15. Jo Grant
16. Sara Kingdom
17. Romana II
18. Jackson Lake
19. Harry Sullivan
20. Graham O'Brien
21. Ben Jackson
22. Mickey Smith
23. Ian Chesterton
24. Amy Pond
25. Sarah Jane Smith
26. Ryan Sinclair
27. Craig Owens
28. Victoria Waterfield
29. Peri Brown
30. Rose Tyler
31. Lady Christina de Souza
32. Susan Foreman
33. Steven Taylor
34. Bill Potts
35. K9
36. Captain Mike Yates
37. Martha Jones
38. Nardole
39. Grace Holloway
40. Vicki
41. Astrid Peth
42. Dan Lewis
43. Rosita Farisi
44. Yasmin Khan
45. Dodo Chaplet
46. Nyssa
47. Liz Shaw
48. Sergeant John Benton
49. Polly
50. Katarina
51. Kamelion
52. Adam Mitchell
53. Romana I
54. Tegan Jovanka
55. Adric
56. Mel Bush

Hell yeah Donna and Ace!

I only know of Ace from some fan comic thing where a bunch of the companions are brought together but she always seems super cool.

Wow Mickie at 22 seems high.

How is Romana I below Kamelion and Dodo (and Benton and Yates for that matter, who I wouldn't even rate as companions).

The bottom five are all characters I actively hated and made their time on the show less enjoyable as a result. Then there are a bunch of forgettable filler companions.

Maniac64 posted...

Hell yeah Donna and Ace!

I only know of Ace from some fan comic thing where a bunch of the companions are brought together but she always seems super cool.

Wow Mickie at 22 seems high.

its important to note that Mickey stands out more as a character we see grow over the course of multiple seasons. Plus, during the awful Rose/10 storyline of series 2, it was nice to have someone nothing worshipping the ground the Doctor walked on.

Ranking the companions would be hard, but I'd definitely have a very different list than that. I like Tegan a lot. I have no idea who Katerina or Sarah Kingdom are. But Kamelion would definitely be the worst companion for me. Donna would probably be at the top, though.

I can't say I cared much for Rose so I'm glad to see she's not exactly the peak companion of the show.

Wow I don't remember Tegan being that bad

Sara Kingdom and Katarina are both companions confined solely to the season 3 serial "The Daleks' Master Plan". I don't know why they're counted and not, say, Missy from series 10...but they are. Katarina's super pointless, but Sara is legitimately great during her brief stint on the show.

With Tegan, my problem with her is that her entire character seemed to be "gets captured / screams". I know a lot of companions served that role, but Tegan was especially shrill about it. Plus, she came during an era that DESPERATELY needed a stronger companion roster. She was paired up with Adric (who is terrible), Tom Baker during his worst season, and Peter Davison (who is my least favorite major Doctor).

Kamelion is completely pointless, I will admit, and he has no business being on the companion roster in the first place, that's for damn sure.

And Rose is solid during season 1. She's a great audience surrogate to understand the craziness of being able to travel through all of time and space. Plus, her father issues and upbringing with a single mom made her story interesting to watch unfold. What knocks her down in season 2, where she loses all that naivete and just fawns over the Doctor all the time, and it's supposed to be the greatest tragedy ever that they're pulled apart, to the point where it directly impacts season 3 for the worse as well.

Tegan is insufferable, as she spends every episode whining about how she doesn't want to be on the TARDIS and just wants go home. And then in her final episode she has the gall to go "It's not fun anymore, Doctor". It was never fun for you, or any of the people watching.

And yes she was not helped by being paired with Adric or Nyssa (who is not bad, just tremendously underutilized and not really well-defined.) There's a real gap of likeable/interesting companions between Romana II and Turlough.

Inviso posted...

Not gonna do write-ups for these, because far too many of them are forgettable, but here's my companion ranking:

Top five writeups at least?

FakeAccount3000 posted...

Top five writeups at least?

Alright, quick rundown of twelve:

12) Adelaide Brooke (She was a single-episode companion, but she was extremely strong-willed and devoted to protecting the Earth, to the point of being willing to give her life to maintain the timeline and somewhat save the Doctor's soul.)

11) Clara Oswald (Honestly, if not for series 7, she'd be in the top ten, because her time with 12 is amazing. We get to see her grow as a character, debating whether she wanted a normal life or life traveling with the Doctor...but then Danny died and she swings far too deep into the weeds of being a companion, to the point where she thinks she can be LIKE the Doctor, even when it costs her her life. I almost don't count series 7, because it's garbage.)

10) Rory Williams (I love Rory for a similar reason to Mickey, in that the Doctor NEEDS a character that will occasionally not treat him with complete reverence. That adversarial relationship with Rory being somewhat jealous over Amy's attention towards the Doctor made for an interesting dynamic, especially with 11, who really needed that straight man to his wackiness.)

9) Captain Jack Harkness (Jack is just fun and quirky in his own right, and the fact that he's able to go toe-to-toe with the Doctor makes for fun content on-screen. He's good for making things light-hearted at points in various seasons when things get bleak.)

8) Vislor Turlough (From the departure of Romana II to the arrival of Ace...it was a rough period in terms of companions. A lot of obnoxious brats and do-nothing personalities. Turlough is the ONE bright spot, because he feels SO unique in the pantheon of companions. He's cowardly, but also shrewd and plotting in his own right, and the fact that he ultimate does what's right makes for a great storyline, especially paired up against the straight-forward 5th Doctor.)

7) Wilfred Mott (Wilf is the most adorable old man the show has ever produced, and it's wonderful to have him alongside Tennant for 10's final main run episodes. Just having a character so awestruck by the Doctor, who winds up endangered because of how caring and just generally sweet he is, makes for a solid storyline. That scene where the Doctor seems to debate letting Wilf die, only to sacrifice himself for one man, is so heartfelt, and makes the subsequent farewell tour feel far more deserved as a result.)

6) Jamie McCrimmon (Throughout the first season, the show cast a bunch of male characters to kind of serve as the muscle for Hartnell's elderly Doctor. But most of these characters were given little in terms of complexity to their characters. Jamie was a Scottish warrior, and right away, that's interesting, because it's a companion from the past experiencing travel with the Doctor. We don't have a lot of those. But beyond that, despite being NOMINALLY a badass, Jamie hilariously ends up in the "damsel in distress" role that previous went to the Doctor's female companions. It makes for a fun subversion of the character that really works for me.)

5) Zoe Heriot (Jamie and Zoe together are perhaps the best multi-character companion cast, and admittedly, they do overshadow Troughton a lot for me, which is part of why he ranks so low on my list. But Zoe is so clever and fun, and she doesn't usually wind up in the traditional "screaming damsel" role that a lot of the early female characters ended up in. I feel like Zoe is what Peter Davison THOUGH Nyssa could be when he fought for her to stay on the show. Zoe just really fits well with the Doctor, being able to bounce off him intellectually, while still deferring to his considerable wisdom.)

4) Barbara Wright (The original trio of companions had Ian in the bruiser role, and Susan in the screaming damsel role, but Barbara stands out compared to those two. She almost feels like a good friend to the Doctor, rather than a companion. Sure, he knows more than her, but she's also willing to stand up to him somewhat, and she has the historical know-how that keeps her from needing him to explain each and every thing they experience. It's a fun dynamic, especially when Hartnell's Doctor is otherwise very curmudgeonly. As with several of my other high-ranking companions, having someone who didn't immediately kowtow to the Doctor's forceful personality goes a long way, and it helps that Barbara gets a boost from being one of the originals.)

3) Ace (Two seasons with the seventh Doctor, and I love Ace. She is vulnerable, and you can tell that her punk aesthetic is meant to compensate for her personal fears, but that also means she's a lot braver than most companions. The Doctor is mostly a pacifist, so having a companion who eagerly uses explosives--and just happens to carry copious amounts of C4 with her at all times--and whacks Daleks with a baseball bat, is an amazing change of pace. 7's run as the Doctor who wackier and goofier to counter the storylines with 6, and Ace helped sell that tone extremely well.)

2) Leela (Everything I just said about Ace applies to Leela, but Leela's just a little bit funnier, because of how alien she is compared to Ace. Leela is a tribal warrior who honestly make every episode she's in better. There are some outright terrible Baker episodes that are better just because you have Leela punching people out, or stabbing people, or just generally doing judo flips. But then you also get the hilarity of scenes where the Doctor is trying to mask Leela's tribal heritage, like dressing her up like a proper lady. It all works extremely well, and Leela just serves perfectly as a counterpoint to Tom Baker's wacky quirks, what with her noble warrior tendencies.)

1) Donna Noble (Yeah, I love Donna. I've COSplayed as Donna Noble. She is a perfect companion. She is a great audience surrogate because she's your average person and isn't particularly "special", which allows her to be a secondary character to be in awe of the Doctor's magnificence. BUT, she's also extremely forceful and emotional, which means she's more willing to call the Doctor out when he's getting too big for his britches. She keeps the Doctor grounded, and Turn Left is an amazing episode in showing JUST how important Donna is, just by being there to counterbalance the Doctor. Plus, she's extremely funny in her own right, and as a professional comedian, Catherine Tate does an amazing job of bringing this character to life and making the audience love her whenever she's on-screen.)

I love the Donna love, I don't think anything will be able to top the 10th Doctor and Donna for me. Such great mates.

She really got robbed by her final episode imo

Also, just because I ranked her last.

Mel Bush is my least-favorite companion because A. she's extremely shrill and scream-y as a primary character trait; B. she's not even properly introduced, instead showing up during the back half of the "Trial of a Time Lord" storyline as a companion from the Doctor's future, and just continuing on like that's normal; C. her character is given like...all of these traits that are intense examples of telling, not showing. She's a fitness nut because reasons, and she's a tech genius because reasons, and she has a photographic memory because reasons. It's just such lazy writing, and it's no wonder Ace was such a breath of fresh air after her (and admittedly the majority of companions from 5 and 6's runs).

Just watched the Jodie finale. My God...I just...I cannot help but feel absolutely awful for her, and for the general atmosphere surroundng her tenure.

Blaziken posted...

Just watched the Jodie finale. My God...I just...I cannot help but feel absolutely awful for her, and for the general atmosphere surroundng her tenure.

Was the episode itself that bad?

hombad46 posted...

Was the episode itself that bad?

The episode was fine. Just very nostalgia-driven. And not nostalgia for Jodie's era of the Doctor, either.

It was the best episode in her run... which isn't saying much.

She was a good Doctor, but holy hell does Chibnall not know how to write this show. I can't wait for a new era to begin and we can put this behind us.

Grand_Kirby posted...

It was the best episode in her run... which isn't saying much.

She was a good Doctor, but holy hell does Chibnall not know how to write this show. I can't wait for a new era to begin and we can put this behind us.

Eve of the Daleks is the best episode, and it's not all that close.

I thought the Dalek special after her first season was the best episode of her run

but that one was also not bad, better than probably all of her regular season episodes

If I were to rank the Masters, since they're separate...

8. Peter Pratt/Geoffrey Beavers (The Master is just old and decrepit and barely feels like the kind of foe the Doctor needs against him)
7. Eric Roberts (Goofy, but not in a fun way)
6. Roger Delgado (I know he's considered by many to be the quintessential Master, but my problem with Delgado is twofold. One, he's just a bit too serious, while most other Masters are at least kinda manic in their actions. And two, he was WAY too oversaturated in his role during Pertwee's tenure. He winds up being the big bad of EVERY store in season 8, and that really makes it hard to take him seriously when he does the same thing again and again and again)
5. John Simm (I get that he's kinda meant to be the evil equivalent of David Tennant, but he's just a little TOO wacky during his appearances, and it gets to be a bit too much sometimes)
4. Sacha Dhawan (He's bitter as hell, and I can appreciate that. Plus, the idea of him being Rasputin is INSPIRED. But I guess his biggest flaw is just how much his story ties into the already overbearing "Jodie Whittaker's Doctor is the most important person in the universe" plot in a way that I know is commonplace throughout the reboot, but it's just a bit much in 13's run.)
3. Derek Jacobi (He only portrayed the role for about ten minutes, but it's still one of the better episodes of series three. Playing kindly, old Professor Yana, only to fobwatch it up and then turn into a bitter, evil mastermind, is pretty solid. At a time when the Doctor really needed an intelligent foe, Jacobi was perfect, and it's just unfortunate that he regenerated into such a chaotic form in John Simm.)
2. Anthony Ainsley (Anthony Ainsley is quirky and fun (opposite a group of Doctors that are intended to be quirky and fun in their own rights, to varying extents), and he only shows up every so often. It's like how the reboot Masters tend to be more exciting because they're not around all the time and messing with the Doctor constantly. But yeah, Ainsley is perfect in the role for the classic series, and he elevates just about every story he's a part of.)
1. Michelle Gomez (The only Master I have met in person and I have a picture with her and Peter that I completely botched by being so nervous about meeting them. But yeah, Missy is amazing. She's chaotic, but no SO chaotic that it ruins plotlines. She has a hint of humanity beneath her insanity, and you can genuinely feel a change in how her rengeration works compared to her aggressive, spiteful predecessors. Even in her initial appearance, she's still trying (in her own, twisted way) to do something to earn the Doctor's friendship back. She is the STAR of series ten as well, and her sendoff is so heartbreaking in the end. Her and Donna...they had some of the saddest departures in the franchise.)

Seems like a decent enough place to ask; is there an easy way to watch Eight's movie besides sailing the high seas? I know BritBox has most of 1-7 (barring the lost episodes) and HBO has 9-13, but I haven't found that last piece.

If anyone here is interested in the audio adventures Spotify and Apple Music have a bunch of them available; I was just listening to Blood of the Daleks this morning.

JonThePenguin posted...

Seems like a decent enough place to ask; is there an easy way to watch Eight's movie besides sailing the high seas? I know BritBox has most of 1-7 (barring the lost episodes) and HBO has 9-13, but I haven't found that last piece.

Do you live in the US? Then no. If you live in the UK you can find ones that work with UK DVD players. Britbox is also missing an episode that never aired, but it very much worth watching imo. But Amazon has that one.

Dancedreamer posted...

Do you live in the US? Then no. If you live in the UK you can find ones that work with UK DVD players. Britbox is also missing an episode that never aired, but it very much worth watching imo. But Amazon has that one.

US, yeah. High seas it is! What's the missing one?

JonThePenguin posted...

US, yeah. High seas it is! What's the missing one?

Shada.