heres the middle clip of the first ever episode, where we get to meet the dr for the first time.

 

i still rate hartnells depiction as the best, rude, aloof, superior...

 

I sat down with my kids to watch the whole of An Unearthly Child yesterday they thoroughly enjoyed it. They'd only previously seen Eccleston onwards and Tom Baker but they didn't care it was in b&w or that The Doctor is almost a supporting character to Barbara, Ian and Susan, that there were no aliens or such or that the pace is very slow. I've promised them Troughton next week.

 

As for the best Doctor, Hard to say. They all have merits I think but I'd probably go for this order (based on charatcer/performance not strength of story or production values)

 

1. Tom Baker (Aloof, rude, often seemed bored but incredibly witthy and charming. Also not afraid of a punch up)

2. William Hartnell (As above but more otherwordly)

3. Peter Davison (Charming and very personable but also often naive and too trusting.)

4. Christopher Eccleston (Dark brooding and racked with demons yet very funny and likeable)

5. Jon Pertwee (Man of action and with little tolerance for fools)

6. Patrick Troughton (hard to say as so little exists anymore, but I like the way he always played the fool as a way of keeping his enemies off guard)

7. David Tennant (If he'd had stopped pining for the annoying Rose so much he'd have been better. Got annoying towards the end)

8. Matt Smith (Far too soon to judge but I can see him growing into the role and having the best companion in decades helps)

9. Colin Baker (Abrasive, arrogant rude and barely likeable. Those are his better qualities)

10. Sylvester McCoy (started rubbish got better as he became less the clown and more devious and manipulative.)

11. Paul McGann (can't really judge on 1 story but half human and romantic element put me off an he's just so forgettable)

Edited April 25, 201015 yr by Severin

It's really interesting to see that now that the show has so much history. I don't understand why Susan is his grandchild if he's the last Timelord though? And having only seen young actors in the role, I can see now that the Doctor was always meant to be older, mysterious, indignant, rude - like a kind but firm granddad.

It's really interesting to see that now that the show has so much history. I don't understand why Susan is his grandchild if he's the last Timelord though? And having only seen young actors in the role, I can see now that the Doctor was always meant to be older, mysterious, indignant, rude - like a kind but firm granddad.

He wasn't always the last Timelord.

He wasn't always the last Timelord.

Yeah, I just did some research and realised that :lol:

I still have to actually watch every single episode - #FanFail - but from everything I've seen via shows about Who and youtube etc I must admit I wasn't a huge fan of Tom Baker which saddens me as I expected to love him :(

 

Anyway I only recently got to watch the 8th Doctor in action and it was an interesting experience lol. I do think Paul may have benefited from getting to do a series and find his find but I didnt really take to him in just the one movie. As for Eric Roberts as The Master :o Dear me. I'll never complain about John Simm again!

 

Not a fan of Christopher E either tbh. I was SO pleased he left after the one series. David, well no words for how much I love Mr T. So far, so good with Matt though. I think he is a perfect match for the role myself and look forward to seeing him become more and more comfortable and do his own thing with it.

the thing is.... both who and his 'graddaughter' were aliens... so what ever happened to susan? and if she was his grand daughter, wheres her parents?

 

 

That's a question that I hope we'll answered in the new series. It would be really nice if Susan actually came back.

After all, they've brought Jo Grant back for the Sarah Jane Adventures.

 

I think the best Doctor is the one I grew up with which was Tom Baker. Each Doctor has his own characteristics and I don't think any of them are "right". I think the first Doctor that you see has a big bearing on how you perceive the character overall.

I agree with Ryan, Tom Baker was overrated but good nonetheless. Colin Baker gets ALOT of unfair stick too, i can't say i'm a massive fan but he was victim to poor scripting and a terribly low budget despite trying his best with the role.

 

Troughton is pretty epic, and I do kind of like Hartnell and McCoy. Not seen much of the others :P

". I think the first Doctor that you see has a big bearing on how you perceive the character overall.

 

i agree, which is why i think like i do about the doctor and cant invisage a black person or woman playing the role! i watched the very first episode, twice actually as uniqely it caused so much controversy it was repeated the next saturday before ep2 was aired.

 

hartnell to me personified my childhood view of what the doctor should be like, although i did like the following 3, troughtron, pertwee and t baker.

the thing is.... both who and his 'graddaughter' were aliens... so what ever happened to susan? and if she was his grand daughter, wheres her parents?

She was left on 22nd century Earth at the end of The Dalek Invasion Of Earth and presumably died in 'the time war' if not before. As for her parents it has never been explained but The Doctor has stated before that he 'was a father once... and a grandfather'. It would take a brave writer to shatter the enigma though

i agree, which is why i think like i do about the doctor and cant invisage a black person or woman playing the role! .

 

Well, I dont see why not... And I have plenty of baggage about it, having grown up with Tom Baker and Peter Davison (who I always felt was a lightweight...). Chris Eccleston I think gave by far the most realistic portrayal of the Doctor in this era (although Tenant isn't bad at all), and is probably better than the majority of the "old school" as well (apart from Tom or Jon)... He played him as a shell-shocked soldier or like a traumatised Vietnam Veteran.. And considering what he had to do during the Time War, that would fukk anyone up....

 

I think Patterson Joseph would've lended a good deal of dramatic gravitas to the role, as well as the manic sense of comic timing he built up by being in five seasons of "Peep Show"...

She was left on 22nd century Earth at the end of The Dalek Invasion Of Earth and presumably died in 'the time war' if not before. As for her parents it has never been explained but The Doctor has stated before that he 'was a father once... and a grandfather'. It would take a brave writer to shatter the enigma though

 

ok thanks for that info :)

 

 

Well, I dont see why not... And I have plenty of baggage about it, having grown up with Tom Baker and Peter Davison (who I always felt was a lightweight...). Chris Eccleston I think gave by far the most realistic portrayal of the Doctor in this era (although Tenant isn't bad at all), and is probably better than the majority of the "old school" as well (apart from Tom or Jon)... He played him as a shell-shocked soldier or like a traumatised Vietnam Veteran.. And considering what he had to do during the Time War, that would fukk anyone up....

 

I think Patterson Joseph would've lended a good deal of dramatic gravitas to the role, as well as the manic sense of comic timing he built up by being in five seasons of "Peep Show"...

 

we have had this argument before... my view hasnt changed and neither has yours. we should just agree to disagree.

 

ps if i had my way hartnell would still be playing him! :lol:

ps if i had my way hartnell would still be playing him! :lol:

 

Well, you'd have a rotting corpse playing The Doctor then...?? :P

 

Mind you, not that this would be all that much worse than Sylvester McCoy or Colin Baker...... :lol: :lol:

i agree, which is why i think like i do about the doctor and cant invisage a black person or woman playing the role! i watched the very first episode, twice actually as uniqely it caused so much controversy it was repeated the next saturday before ep2 was aired.

 

hartnell to me personified my childhood view of what the doctor should be like, although i did like the following 3, troughtron, pertwee and t baker.

The first episode was shown the day after JFK was shot so a lot of people missed it.

The first episode was shown the day after JFK was shot so a lot of people missed it.

It was repeated the following Saturday prior to the next episode being shown because of this.

 

Shannon Sullivan's excellent "A Brief History Of Time (Travel)" website has the viewing figures for the original episode as being 4.4m with episode two as being 5.9m.

 

http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/a.html

 

http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/

i remember it caused controversy, i remember it being an article on the news, so maybe as a 6 year old thats what i remember as jfk meant nothing to me as a little kid!