General Doctor Who Discussion

Who has been your favorite doctor(s)?

Tom Baker is my absolute favourite, but closely followed by Christopher Eccleston, Patrick Troughton and Peter Davison. I think I could have really liked Paul McGann, too, had he have been able to do a series.

Tom Baker is wonderful.

Isn't he just? :-)

David Tennant :D

Ugh! Can't stand him, what with all his awful shrieking and other weird stuff he does with his voice. I suspect that has nothing to dow ith why you like him, though ;-)

Even though my initial exposure was Tom Baker (Ark in Space), I've always been really fond of Sylvester McCoy's Doctor. I've currently grown comfortable with Tennant, and will be sad to see him go at the end of the next series. On the other hand, who'll be the next Doctor?

Who says Tennant *will* be going at the end of the series? Other than the tabloids, that is.

Well, that's the scuttlebutt I've been reading, but then it is scuttlebutt. By the time the next series starts, we should know for sure.

Tennant, I'm not sure about, but I guess it's not implausible he could leave at the end of next series, as three years is abaout average for Doctors. Someone I do think is likely to leave at the end of the next series is Russell T Davies. If he does, I really hope it's Steven Moffat who replaces him.

Yep, the impression I get is that a lot of people won't be sad to see Davies go. Everyone appreciates that he resurrected Doctor Who, but for one reason or another he seems to have overstayed his welcome.

Yeah, I get that impression, too. Some of the criticisms I've heard are justified - he is, for example, rather self-indulgent, what with his referencing his entire record collection - but, generally speaking, I quite like him. I think the main problem is that he doesn't have someone to look over his work on DW, like he does with the other writers, and there's probably nobody to tell him how crap his crappest ideas are. But I think he's been a good writer, overall, and an excellent executive producer.

Jon Pertwee. And Sylvester McCoy as well as Peter Cushing

Once, a kid at a convention told Sylvester McCoy he was his 'fifth favourite Doctor'. This was before the series was cancelled in 1989, and there were, at that point, only seven Doctors (McCoy being the 7th). I feel the kid was being a little generous. McCoy would be my sixth 'favourite' Doctor, behind only Colin Baker.

Cushing is a special case. I recently watched both movies and found them both better than I had remembered. While it's fairly obvious that Cushing modeled his Doctor off the first Doctor (Hartnell), the characterization is still very much Cushing's, not a mere retread. And if we're going to discuss non-canon Doctors, I thought Rowan Atkinson & Hugh Grant were pretty cool Doctors.

I suppose Cushing was OK, but, if we're talking about non-canon Doctors, I'm going to plump for Joanna Lumley, for novelty value. Otherwise, it would be David Collings from the Big Finish 'Unbound' play Full Fathom Five.

Seriously McCoy embodied many of the traits that made the doc great. A very likeable portrayal despite some ridiculous and outlandish plotlines. He could have done with a series or two more.

How about that guy from Deadringers. That was funny stuff.

I noticed nobody said William Hartnell

I was tempted to say William Hartnell, but I had a few on my 'favourites' list already, so he didn't make it on those grounds... but, yes, he was great. Especially when he was morally dubious, and the viewer couldn't really be sure of his motives or trustworthiness. As for McCoy, I think that although he had some good ideas as to how to make the role fresh and different, he simply couldn't act. Watch his gurning in, say, The Curse of Fenric, when he's desperately trying to convince us he's angry, but actually looks as though he may well be touring with Ken Campbell's roadshow all over again, stuffing ferrets up his trousers. But this isn't as bad as Colin Baker, who couldn't act and had no idea how to play the Doctor at all*.


* True, Colin wasn't helped by shit writers, a rubbish producer or his own ego, but McCoy had at least two of those problems, and managed to fare a little better.

(And I think you mean John Culshaw, the Dead Ringers impressionist. He does a fab Fourth Doctor, doesn't he?)

Yeah he cracks me up. That's a great series

I think Colin wanted to borrow the crabiness of Troughton with a cross between Davidson and Tom in look. He just came off like an arrogant twat

I can only guess as to what Colin was trying to do - but I think at least some of what you suggest is probably near the mark - but I do know he failed miserably. Funnily enough, I'm currently writing a short story featuring both his *and* McCoy's Doctors - I must be punishing myself for watching their stories more than once.