Best NuWho Doctor?

[Iroscato]

If this been done before, my apologies. Just want to see who people like best since Doctor Who came back.
Myself, I prefer Smith, his eccentric energy is brilliant IMO.

[mr friendly guy]

I am tempted to go with Smith. The only downside is that he is younger than I am. Thats just wrong for an actor playing the Doctor.

His eccentricity brings back memories of vintage Tom Baker and the fact that he doesn't have Tennant's emo characteristics help. While I appreciate a more mature DW, focussing on the fact that his actions do seem to coincide with people dying, I think Who (for me any way) has always been about hope. Smith's potrayal certainly seems to showcase that.

[DarkSilver]

I'm tied up with Eccelston and Smith

Ecceslston played a great Doctor, and seeing the evolution of the Doctor from wartorn and hurting survivor to the gut he turned out to be, was excellent and well done.

But Smith is a VERY close second, almost tying it up for favorite, I love the air of whimsey he puts off, while underneath, you can feel how devious and dark he really can be.

[Revy]

Voted Smith. I can barely remember anything of Eccleston's Doctor, in part because it was quite a while ago now, partly because he only did it for one season, and partly because he was pretty low key compared to the other two.

I liked Tennant a lot, but Journey's End, End of Time and all that kinda soured him for me.

So yeah, Matt Smith. He's only like a year or two older than me and half the time acts like a big kid, which I love. He manages to pull off the kooky thing without being sugar-high manic the way Tennant was, and he's just plain fun. It helped that I had very low expectations for him and then he went and started off with one of my favourite episodes. Really impressed me.

[Starglider]

Eccleston played a strong character and it would have been good to see a second season of him, but agnsty post-Gallifrey doctor was a deliberate deviation from the Doctor's normal character. Matt Smith's portrayal is more fun to watch and more in keeping with the history of the character. Tennant was crippled by excessive melodrama.

[Crazedwraith]

Eccleston. I've said it before. I''ll say it again of the new Doctors he's the only one who could have delivered the line 'Do you mind not farting while I'm saving the world?' and not totally lost credibility.

Great Actor, great performances, even in his worst episodes. The other two are much more dependant on the quality of the material there given. Well Tennant was. Smith's been already so far. I'm just wondering if Moffat's disappearing up his own backside.

[Broomstick]

I am tempted to go with Smith. The only downside is that he is younger than I am. Thats just wrong for an actor playing the Doctor.

Oh please - the only ones younger than me are Hartnell, Pertwee, and Troughton. Well, OK, Tom Baker is older than me, but at the time he played the doctor he was younger than I am now.

For me, as well, Matt Smith's youth was offputting but he's pulling it off and I've definitely come to like him. There's something about his posture and walk as The Doctor that makes me think "old man" even though he's visibly very young.

His eccentricity brings back memories of vintage Tom Baker and the fact that he doesn't have Tennant's emo characteristics help. While I appreciate a more mature DW, focussing on the fact that his actions do seem to coincide with people dying, I think Who (for me any way) has always been about hope. Smith's potrayal certainly seems to showcase that.

Thing is, Smith can portray the serious, dark, harbinger of death aspect of the doctor, but it's not the dominant note in his character.

For me, it's Matt Smith, the David Tennant, with Eccleston being last for the NuWho. Not that I find anything wrong with Eccleston's version, I thoroughly enjoyed it, still rewatch those episodes when I get the chance, it's just that I like the other two more.

Another thing I like about Smith's Doctor - and this has as much to do with the writers' as the actor, is that he is some ways more alien than Eccelston's and Tennant's versions. Maybe it's his social ineptness (as seen in "The Lodger") where he's clearly intelligent but doesn't quite get it as far as human social cues. Maybe it's his portrayal of an ancient personality in a young body. Maybe it's Amy ("Are you a little slug in a suit?" or "Cool aliens?"/"Sure - what would you call me?"/"An alien.") Not quite sure. But The Doctor isn't human and the audience should be reminded of that occassionally.

[Iroscato]

For me, Smith is the most balanced actor to play the Doctor. He's odd and insane enough to believe he's a 900 year old alien, yet with enough emotional clout and darkness to be believable as a flawed, vulnerable being. Eccleston, while being a *ahem* fantastic actor, and an excellent Doctor, was just too normal, a little too human. You could have a conversation with him in the street, and come away thinking he was a nice bloke, just a bit strange.
Tennant, whilst being every bit as good as Ecclestone, went the opposite way, having slightly too much manic energy sometimes. Also, his later stories sucked arse, especially the exrecable The Next Doctor. No fault of his own, but he sometimes didn't seem to know what to do, or when to stop.
Smith, however, had me at the point where he nearly crashed into Big Ben in the TARDIS. As Broomstick said, the way he has that little bounce in his step, has an occasional slight stoop, and the way his elbows angle as he walks or when he's thinking. Plus, he always appears just a little out of his depth around humans.
It all adds up to what I think as the most well-rounded Doctor I've yet seen.

[TOSDOC]

Eccleston certainly delivered when a Doctor grieving for his dead race and past deeds was required, and I'll always admire him for such. I keep wondering who else could have possibly pulled it off.

Smith is certainly stepping into some huge shoes and in my opinion doing so very well--I can't wait to catch season 6.

Tennant remains my favorite for bridging the two, for making me turn on the "subtitle" feature so I could catch every delivery the first time around, and mainly because my wife thought he was the cutest, giving me an enthusiastic TV-watching partner for three glorious seasons of sci-fi. Now she thinks Smith is too young and trying to hard to be Tennant. I keep telling her he's not, but I doubt she'll get past it. It's been back to Farmville for her...(sniff)

[Lord Woodlouse]

I love Smith. His portrayal of the Doctor is pretty much exactly the sort of person I always wanted to be as a child.

[Shroom Man 777]

I've had enough seasons full of quirky madmen. And Eccelston was my first, so yeah. I'm gonna go with the U-boat captain.

He also had an air of dignity to him. And he didn't need fezzes or gags or bright red shoes or whatever. Can you imagine Dalek or The Parting of the Ways or The Empty Child with the Doctor running around and acting like an idiot and totally ruining the emotional resonance of the whole episodes?

The Doctor, Doctor Destro, didn't need forced "funny" hip zany cool weird funky eccentric stuff. He delivered a very characterful Doctor, you could feel the sorrow in him, and yet when the moments came when he was genuinely joyful, that made the happiness even more worthwhile. It's not like this silly stuff we have now, where all the ridiculousness is all so forced and artificial, and where "serious" dialogue is just Matt Smith lowering his voice and muttering "don't play games with me" while trying to sound SRS BSNSS.

Matt Smith (and Tennant) are capable actors. But their characters are just adversely affected by the over-saturation of gags in the show, IMO.

[Batman]

Eccleston, no questions asked. I admittedly had no history with the franchise before nuWho but I liked his dark Doctor. Tennant was tolerable while he had Rose but things went downhill after s2.
Smith, I can't really make up my mind about. I think his choice of garments looks patently silly (yes, Doctors looking patently silly is a staple of the series, thank you, that doesn't mean I have to like it) but I think he held his own in s5.

[Broomstick]

The Doctor, Doctor Destro, didn't need forced "funny" hip zany cool weird funky eccentric stuff. He delivered a very characterful Doctor, you could feel the sorrow in him, and yet when the moments came when he was genuinely joyful, that made the happiness even more worthwhile. It's not like this silly stuff we have now, where all the ridiculousness is all so forced and artificial, and where "serious" dialogue is just Matt Smith lowering his voice and muttering "don't play games with me" while trying to sound SRS BSNSS.

Well, Shroom, there is no disputing taste, just be aware that Eccleston's Doctor was, in some ways, quite atypical of the show overall. If you think bow ties and fezzes are silly my goodness, don't look at Tom Baker's WhoScarf, the Celery Lapel of Davison's Doctor or the entire "clown suit" worn by Colin Baker:

(actually, there was more than one version and each as eye-bleeding as the last)

Don't know if you'd like most of the rest of the Doctor Whos, and if you don't there's nothing wrong with that, just giving you a heads up so if you start viewing other versions of The Doctor prior to NuWho you aren't terribly shocked at the level of silly.

[Shroom Man 777]

Hm, in that case then I guess Eccelston's damaged brooding Time War survivor thing - and I guess his eventual metamorphosis back into the old goofy Time Lord - was what made his character more interesting than the end result, namely the "healed" or "normal" Tennant and Smith entertaining fun goof-off Doctors who, unfortunately, don't have the gravitas or resonance of the injured Time Lord Doctor Destro character who is far more compelling to me.

I don't really care about the wardrobe, Broomy. It's the manic behavior of the last two Doctors that puts me off. Were they always running around being manic, even back in the day when they were played by older gentlemen? I really think they over do that part of it, the mania.

Despite the U-boat captain attire, Doctor Destro was still whimsical and could still do weird, along with his broody shtick. But I don't think he was ever manic, or not quite as manic as the later Doctors. He carried himself differently and was more low-key.

EDIT:

I mean, it's just the way it comes off to me. Ten and Eleven's jumping around like monkeys before suddenly turning around and growling "don't play games with me don't you ever" comes off as very forced.

Destro's act, on the other hand, seems to flow and the character is just so... so intense. Imagine Dalek with the Doctor being a total goof like Ten or Eleven. That would've sucked.

[Broomstick]

I don't really care about the wardrobe, Broomy. It's the manic behavior of the last two Doctors that puts me off. Were they always running around being manic, even back in the day when they were played by older gentlemen? I really think they over do that part of it, the mania.

Well, some of the old geezers just weren't athletic enough to match Tennant or Smith, being old geezers. I'm most familar with Tom Baker's version, which yes, did have a certain peculiar quirkiness/mania (I think Tom Baker broke his ankle filming one episode, but that might have involved tripping over that damn scarf). Tom Baker absolutely got silly, manic, and ridiculous though not to the extent of Matt Smith or David Tennant. Then again, I think Tom Baker's Doctor still has the longest run so they were able to swing him from silly to serious and back again a few times. I've never seen a Hartnell episode, but the man was a senior citizen at the time of filming, I just can't imagine him capering at all. I've seen few Troughton episodes and while there wasn't the physical mania there was some odd fixations of interest. Pertwee was more physical than his predecessors, possibly due to the actor's ability to be more physical, but again I haven't seen a lot of those episodes ("Venusian karate" - oh dear. Or was it Venusian judo? I forget. It did involve some ridiculousness) Peter Davison has his fans, though a lot of Tom Baker's fans weren't that thrilled with him. You, however, might prefer him out of the old Doctors as he struck me as more serious and less manic from what I've seen - which is limited. Really, here in the US Tom Baker's episodes are the most accessible and widely seen. I haven't seen any of the Doctors between Davison and Eccelston, so I can't comment on them. It may be Colin Baker's and Sylvester McCoy's Doctors would be more to your liking, or maybe not. Someone who has seen those episodes would have to take a shot at that judgement call.

As for story elements - back before the days of decent effects budgets, it was lots and lots of guys in rubber suits, some of which were clearly recycled, and actors wrestling rubber tentacles. Aside from running away from animated sinister salt and pepper shakers Daleks. Masks, and monsters/people in masks, have long been a feature of the show - Cybermen, Autons, Sontarrans..... they're all in masks (although the most recent appearance of the Autons they weren't people in masks, oddly enough...)

The thing is, you're talking about a show that started in 1963 and has had multiple complete turn overs in cast, writers, directors, etc. No one is going to like all The Doctors equally, and the show has slammed from silly to serious multiple times. Likely you'll have preferred Doctors out of the OldWho, and episodes you can enjoy if you want to seek them out, but given what you've said you may wind up not liking large swathes of the past series. Which, as I said, is perfectly OK. You don't have to like everything. Just know that Eccleston's Doctor is the most serious, least capering, and most "darker and edgier" of the lot so far. They did that deliberately, as part of the reboot of the program.

[Shroom Man 777]

I didn't mean by masks as in they're wearing costumes. But masks in, well, the sense that the creature/character's face is being obscured or something. You know what I mean, gas masks, future library card space suits, masquerade masks for clockwork bots, and more (authentic NASA) space suits.

I dunno, I just really dug how they explored Doctor Destro's vulnerability and how he was pretty low-key. I liked the characterization, far more than I do Tennant or Smith's running around like silly people. Smith is pretty good, and actually that episode with the Dream Lord was very good IMO. And I do enjoy the eccentricities of the Doctors, that's a big part of the character. But I really think they overdo the silliness and manic behavior sometimes.

In a way, their making the Doctor too silly or too manic is kind of like how RTD became self-indulgent. Doctor Destro was all about being low key, about being subtle and nuanced. But it seems like they've forgotten to do low key or subtle or nuanced. They still do it, sometimes, and when they do it is actually pretty damn awesome.

I just want them to do subtle and low key and nuanced some more. Too much mania detracts from it.

[mr friendly guy]

Well, some of the old geezers just weren't athletic enough to match Tennant or Smith, being old geezers. I'm most familar with Tom Baker's version, which yes, did have a certain peculiar quirkiness/mania (I think Tom Baker broke his ankle filming one episode, but that might have involved tripping over that damn scarf). Tom Baker absolutely got silly, manic, and ridiculous though not to the extent of Matt Smith or David Tennant. Then again, I think Tom Baker's Doctor still has the longest run so they were able to swing him from silly to serious and back again a few times.

Baker's character was quite involved in action sequences, although part of that may be Terry Walsh the stunt double. See his fight scenes in the Masque of Mandragora, Androids of Tara, Android Invasion (where he fights his android double), Seeds of Doom (that awesome dive through the window to rescue Sarah Jane Smith) etc.

I've never seen a Hartnell episode, but the man was a senior citizen at the time of filming, I just can't imagine him capering at all.

Generally he doesn't. The best I can think of is when he fights his android double in The Chase.

I've seen few Troughton episodes and while there wasn't the physical mania there was some odd fixations of interest. Pertwee was more physical than his predecessors, possibly due to the actor's ability to be more physical, but again I haven't seen a lot of those episodes ("Venusian karate" - oh dear. Or was it Venusian judo? I forget. It did involve some ridiculousness)

Venusian Aikido, although sometimes he would say Venusian karate. Obviously the terms for earth martial arts were borrowed. Or it could be that a human learnt the martial arts and modified it and came up with earth sounding terms. I mean we have martial arts like Brazillian Jujitsu, so the same principle could be at work here. I do agree it was all a bit silly, but entertaining and fun.

[Ahriman238]

Tennant, Eccleston was fantastic and he really impressed me with his acting. Especially that episode with the Slitheen woman in Cardiff.

What has been said here is true enough, the Doctor could always be a bit manic, and there's this odd quirky absent-minded professor air that has carried through every version I've seen save the horrific movie and Eccleston. What I love Tennant for is that he took some of Eccleston's traumatized and dark Doctor and combined it with some of the old Doctors and some of his own touches. It really created the feeling that the Doctor was recovering from the Time War, but was still a very different man then before. Normalcy has returned part-ways, but it can never really go all the way back.

It made it seem that the Doctor has really grown and changed, first through the Time War, then through the adventures since. In a continuity spanning over thirty years with eleven different actors to date playing the same man, it's been hard to feel that the Doctor has gotten real character development and really learned and grown from his experiences. Especially since the show focuses so much on the idea that the Doctor knows (almost) everything and is (nearly) always right. They pulled it off with Tennant, and that really impressed me.

[The Yosemite Bear]

none of the above

Tom Baker will always be the doctor, and than Sarah Jane Smith will be the only proper companion.

[Iroscato]

[quote="Ahriman238"]Tennant, Eccleston was fantastic and he really impressed me with his acting. Especially that episode with the Slitheen woman in Cardiff.[quote]

True, that was probably my favourite piece of acting in the entire series 1. His reaction to the line 'Only a killer would know that' is perfectly done. Having just re-watched the entire Ecclestone series, I would say he's level with Smith now. He is as good, but for different reasons.
His funniest moment is probably the way he weighs up whether to answer the ringing phone on the TARDIS door or not (The Empty Child). Watch it, his face is hilarious.

[Shroom Man 777]

Eccelston's funniness works better because, the way they're writing how Tennant and Smith's doctors are "funny", it just comes off as trying hard. With Eccelston, I dunno, it just kinds of flow more naturally to me.

And the dynamic with Rose, Mickey, and Rose's totally super-chav trashy mom. Man, that was brilliant. I mean, shit, Mickey and Rose's mom are total losers but they're so... lovable. It totally worked. Amy and Rory are OK. But man, Mickey and Rose's mom were hilarious. And yet, strangely touching. They're more "real" in a way. And yet they're total shmucks.

[Big Orange]

The Doctor and James Bond share a similarity in that they're the same essentially character depicted by many faces with their own persona. Christopher Eccleston is often compared to Danial Craig (and in fact they co-starred in a mid 1990s TV show, Our Friends From the North).

And the more I think about it, the more Matt Smith seems like a equivalent to Roger Moore, in that he seems the most disarmingly nice and quirky so-far, quite foppish, but that makes his flashes of total ruthlessness all the more shocking.

[Iroscato]

The Doctor and James Bond share a similarity in that they're the same essentially character depicted by many faces with their own persona. Christopher Eccleston is often compared to Danial Craig (and in fact they co-starred in a mid 1990s TV show, Our Friends From the North).

And the more I think about it, the more Matt Smith seems like a equivalent to Roger Moore, in that he seems the most disarmingly nice and quirky so-far, quite foppish, but that makes his flashes of total ruthlessness all the more shocking.

Craig and Ecclestone also co-starred in Elizabeth. Seeing them both on screen was wierd for me, especially as they were both playing villains. The horror!

[jollyreaper]

The Fourth Doctor was always my favorite being the only one I ever saw growing up. With nuWho, I'm a fan of the Ninth. I really liked the human angle with Rose, Mickey, and her mum. There was more room for heart in those episodes. A lot of ink was spilled about RDM's love of the Buffy series and I'd say that the episodes were constructed similarly to early Buffy -- the monster of the week was only part of the fun, most of the fun was watching the characters interact. Part of that was lost with the switch to the Tenth and the rest of that was lost with the departure of Rose.

The Tenth was a little too goofy for my taste, lacking the ability to really draw on heavy gravitas. The Fourth was able to do that funny switch between thundering arrogance, righteous indignation and total silliness and make you believe every one. The Ninth had that quirkiness mixed with the somber PTSD and also made you believe it all. The Tenth often times felt forced, especially with lackluster scripts. And that bovine Tate was a horror. What they ever saw in her I don't know. The Eleventh seems too much of a retread of the most manic parts of the Tenth. Each Doctor needs to be a significantly different take.

Personally, I wish they would try and avoid universe-ending drama each and every episode and let things breathe a little more.

[Shroom Man 777]

Finally, someone who agrees! And surmises the point in a coherent non-rambling fashion that I am incapable of!