The Big Debate: Doctor Who - who is the Time Lord of Time Lords?
As Doctor Who returns to BBC One tonight, Heather Large and Matt Panter discuss who has been their favourite incarnation of The Doctor...
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Heather Large: David Tennant beats them all
Doctor Who. You have to love all that Wibbley-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey ... Stuff.
And, let's face it, no-one has embraced the character better than the Tenth Doctor – David Tennant.
He's so good, he even came back as the 14th Doctor. You can't keep a good Time Lord down after all.
As well as appearing in classic episodes like Blink and The Family of Blood, the tenth doctor has partnered with some of the most memorable TARDIS travellers.
He 'burned up the Sun just to say goodbye' to Billie Piper's Rose Tyler.
She was followed by Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.
And that's not forgetting other companions like Kylie Minogue and the late, great Bernard Cribbins.
Many seem to agree as since the show rebooted in 2005, one study has revealed Tennant as the most popular incarnation of The Doctor.
In the review, OnlineCasinos365 analysed the IMDB ratings for all Doctor Who episodes that have aired since 2005 to determine which portrayal of The Doctor achieves the highest rating on average across all their appearances.
The study also analysed which series had the highest average rating based on its individual episode ratings and Tennant was found to have the highest rated episodes on average, at 8.4 out of 10. Demonstrating further the public’s backing of Tennant, Series Four received the highest average episode rating with 8.35 out of 10, including Donna as his main companion.
He's conquered the greatest of foes such including the Daleks, The Master, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Davros and all, so surely ranks as the greatest incarnation of the Doctor.
Matt Panter: Tom Baker had character
I have to admit, I am torn in two – a bit like The Doctor’s bi-generation in the 60th anniversary special, which allowed both David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa to exist simultaneously.
For me, there are two doctors who really stand out and I am having difficulty separating them.
I love nostalgia and often dream of being transported back to my youth for a few hours – I could do with my own personal TARDIS. So, I have to give a huge nod to The Doctor of my childhood – the fourth and arguably the best, Tom Baker. A Doctor full of character, he had longevity in the role – seven years – and great companions like Sarah Jane Smith and K9.
And he had that long, multi-coloured scarf. The Doctor has to have a distinctive outfit and I have visions of people back in the late 70s knitting one of those iconic scarves as a Christmas gift for their grandchildren.
I think, though, Christopher Eccleston also deserves to be put in the mix as the leather jacket-wearing Ninth Doctor.
From the moment he told Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler to ‘Run!’ I was fascinated by his portrayal of the character. His television stint was short – just one series and 13 episodes, including The Empty Child – but the beauty of that was it left you craving more. Eccleston, in my view, laid the foundations for Tennant, Matt Smith and all to follow, ensuring a new generation of fans emerged.