I'm not even going to debate from Hartnell to McGann (although I kinda wished he'd have gotten a series- non-canon stuff aside he wasn't a bad Doctor.
Were the special effect the best? Were the sets the best? Were the aliens/foes the best? No, but that is what gave it that charm.
Each one them had their own unique spin and affectations as the Doctor. Which makes sense IF it was just a different actor playing the same role...it would get stale and fast. Giving each one of them space to make the role their own was brilliant.
Even if you include the Peter Cushing Doctor (in there somewhere) I liked his performances as well.
IF you add in the "Red Nose Day" special for "The Curse of the Fatal Death"- I think Rowan Atkinson would've made an excellent Doctor, as well as Joanna Lumley (SHE should've been the first female Doctor).
We cannot forget John Hurt as the "War Doctor". He was phenomenal in that special. Every one was, tbth.
To be fair, IF Eccleston had been given another run he probably would've killed it, but then we may not have had Tennant. Eccleston had some great stories though and I don't think he gets the recognition he deserves. He essentially rebooted the franchise. Had he not been "Fan-tastic" the series probably would've ended with him. "Are you my mom-my?"
Tennant is a fan favourite and rightly so- he really was an amazing Doctor and I think he had some of the better stories written during his run. He had an outstanding assortment of companions and each one brought something new and exciting to the series. Plus every episode with him and Prof. River Song was just incredible. They had a really great chemistry.
Smith was an incredible Doctor as well- his introductory episode would've been a make or break kind of thing for the series- he had big shoes to fill...and the glass slipper fit perfectly. Also, having Amy and Rory be his companions for almost his entire run was a smart move. The dynamic between the 3 of them was probably better than Tennant and any of his traveling mates. (And again, any episode with him and River were just bangers.) Clara was a really good replacement for Amy and Rory when the Doctor was at that low point. They worked really well together. I think his kinda goofy boy scout charm is what was most appealing about his Doctor.
(This is just Cut and Pasted from an earlier comment)
You really should give Capaldi a chance- he's a cross between Hartnell and (Tom) Baker- the "Get off my lawn, Kids"/The Smartest Man in the Room.
I don't think he had much chemistry with Clara- she learned so much from Smith that those two seem mismatched.
Plus the regeneration into Capaldi from Smith right in front of her may not have been the best idea...
Bill, was just as uninteresting as Ryan (Whittaker's run).
Love Matt Lucas' character though, Nardole.
Capaldi did have some amazing stories though- the two parter with him in the Tower was probably his best work on the show.
His Doctor just needed to left to his own devices and maybe have a companion for 2 or 3 episodes OR maybe try and find one that fit with his personality. Missy as his version of the Master was done really well- definitely traces of Delgado in her portrayal.
Then there's Whittaker. I don't want to say anything bad about her, because she was a victim of circumstance. She deserved to be so much better than she was...the first official female Doctor. She deserved better than she got- had RTD or SM been the ones in charge of her run, she would have done much better and been more accepted. Chinball just destroyed any shot she had at redemption. The whole companion dynamic was just muddy. You really had no interest in any of them AND they killed the best potential one before she could even do anything.
Her run was just tainted with bad writing, low stakes, laughable villains (EXCEPT the Master- he killed it), uninteresting stories, rehashed idea from previous series, and just nothing that held your attention. When she was Doctor'ing- she did the best she could and she really seemed to enjoy herself. (Which must have been difficult.) She could've been so much more memorable than she was, it's sad to say. (I did have a much longer rant about the problems with her run, not so much her, but couldn't find it.) Lucky you.
I've yet to see any of the Ncuti Gatwa ones yet, but he was incredible in "Sex Education", so you know he has the acting chops and comedic timing to pull off the Doctor.
I think the show is better in terms of writing, SFX, the calibre of actors for the roles, the relatively close coherence to the legacy Doctors, and the plots/stories/locations. I still think it is very much British and not just because they all have accents. Even with the blemish of Whitttaker's run- I think they've done a good job of keeping the Doctor Who franchise going.
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