All the doctors ranked from worse to best - The Best
Finally, my favourite doctors, some were a surprise to me, some are expected.
The good
Three
I never thought he would be in my top five. The doctor working with the military should not be a doctor I like. But he is just so nice. Not fake polite nice, like Five, but genuinely kind. This doctor, same as his stories, are comfort food television, and just like everyone else in the last two months, I needed that.
Best story: It's not considered a good story, but I really liked the Green Death ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Eleven
The only NewWho doctor in the "good" category. His character is heavily based on the second doctor, which explains why I like him. He also has the alieness, sometimes reacts as detached as a 900+ year alien would to moral dilemmas which would bother a human, while still being inherently kind. While his stories lost in quality in later seasons, his persona stayed consistent. It also helped that I really like Amy and Rory as companions and Clara was less annoying paired with him than Twelve.
Best story: The Girl Who Waited (It is such a stand out that I don't want to name any others)
Six
The doctor people either love or hate. He is rude, full of unearned confidence and pompous. All of this makes him extremely entertaining to watch, I even enjoy his many bad episodes. I'm probably one of the few people in the world who liked The Twin Dilemma. Maybe I'm over-analyzing, but I always feel like there is a very kind person under all the rudeness and a scared person who dares himself to be brave under the pompousness. The delivery of "Is Perry dead?" in Trial of a Time Lord broke my heart a little.
Best story: Vengeance on Varos
Four
Best story: So many, Ark in Space to Genesis of the Daleks, most of season 13, Face of Evil, City of Death and I really liked the Pirate Planet, because of crazy Douglas Adams energy.
He is the archetype. As he said himself in his regeneration story, he is the doctor, with the definite article. He is enthusiastic, erratic, but smart and with a plan, alien and kind. His stories are some of the best stories in Who and if anyone wants to dip a toe into classic Who, he is the one I would start with. As much as I like Three, his show often feels like a different show, with his earth bound UNIT stories and One and Two often have very 60s TV pacing, which modern viewers might find glacial. Having said that, the best doctor, without a doubt is:
Two
The moment I heard him described as the "space hobo" I knew I would love him. I was right. He really is the ultimate traveller, bumming around the galaxy with his friends, never really sure where he will end up, with his pockets full of knickknacks he randomly picked up. He is also the only doctor who is not an authority. The Time Lords are not turning towards him for help, they ignore him, because he isn't important and once he brings attention to himself, they harshly punish him for breaking their laws. In all other incarnations, he is much more powerful, this doctor really is the scrappy underdog, relying on his wits to safe the day. He also has the best companion ever, with Jamie.
Best story: The Power of the Daleks, The Macra Terror, The Enemy of the World, The Mind Robber and The War Games for the ending.
The good
Three
I never thought he would be in my top five. The doctor working with the military should not be a doctor I like. But he is just so nice. Not fake polite nice, like Five, but genuinely kind. This doctor, same as his stories, are comfort food television, and just like everyone else in the last two months, I needed that.
Best story: It's not considered a good story, but I really liked the Green Death ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Eleven
The only NewWho doctor in the "good" category. His character is heavily based on the second doctor, which explains why I like him. He also has the alieness, sometimes reacts as detached as a 900+ year alien would to moral dilemmas which would bother a human, while still being inherently kind. While his stories lost in quality in later seasons, his persona stayed consistent. It also helped that I really like Amy and Rory as companions and Clara was less annoying paired with him than Twelve.
Best story: The Girl Who Waited (It is such a stand out that I don't want to name any others)
Six
The doctor people either love or hate. He is rude, full of unearned confidence and pompous. All of this makes him extremely entertaining to watch, I even enjoy his many bad episodes. I'm probably one of the few people in the world who liked The Twin Dilemma. Maybe I'm over-analyzing, but I always feel like there is a very kind person under all the rudeness and a scared person who dares himself to be brave under the pompousness. The delivery of "Is Perry dead?" in Trial of a Time Lord broke my heart a little.
Best story: Vengeance on Varos
Four
Best story: So many, Ark in Space to Genesis of the Daleks, most of season 13, Face of Evil, City of Death and I really liked the Pirate Planet, because of crazy Douglas Adams energy.
He is the archetype. As he said himself in his regeneration story, he is the doctor, with the definite article. He is enthusiastic, erratic, but smart and with a plan, alien and kind. His stories are some of the best stories in Who and if anyone wants to dip a toe into classic Who, he is the one I would start with. As much as I like Three, his show often feels like a different show, with his earth bound UNIT stories and One and Two often have very 60s TV pacing, which modern viewers might find glacial. Having said that, the best doctor, without a doubt is:
Two
The moment I heard him described as the "space hobo" I knew I would love him. I was right. He really is the ultimate traveller, bumming around the galaxy with his friends, never really sure where he will end up, with his pockets full of knickknacks he randomly picked up. He is also the only doctor who is not an authority. The Time Lords are not turning towards him for help, they ignore him, because he isn't important and once he brings attention to himself, they harshly punish him for breaking their laws. In all other incarnations, he is much more powerful, this doctor really is the scrappy underdog, relying on his wits to safe the day. He also has the best companion ever, with Jamie.
Best story: The Power of the Daleks, The Macra Terror, The Enemy of the World, The Mind Robber and The War Games for the ending.