Doctor Who: EVERY Doctor Ranked Worst To Best
As we wait for answers about the Sixteenth Doctor it’s time to decide: who’s the best from One to Fifteen?
Once upon a time, life was simple and there was just one Doctor: William Hartnell.
Then, in 1965, Peter Cushing played the Doctor in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks. And then, in 1966, the Doctor was recast on television, with Hartnell replaced with Patrick Troughton.
Since then, twelve other actors have played the part full time, and fans have been endlessly debating who did it best.
And now, for the first time in Doctor Who history, we technically don’t have incumbent Doctor (due to the BBC’s refusal to confirm whether Billie Piper really is Sixteen or not). So there’s never been a better time to do a Doctor ranking.
For the purposes of this list we’ll only be counting numbered Doctors, with each incarnation, rather than actor, counted separately (so two David Tennants, but no John Hurt or Jo Martin). And we’ll specifically be assessing each Doctor’s personality rather than the quality of their episodes or era.
Of course, it’s worth saying that every Doctor is brilliant and every Doctor is someone’s favourite. So don’t take this too seriously!
With that out the way, let’s begin…
16. Honourable Mentions
It wouldn’t be fair to compare the War and Fugitive Doctors to their full-time counterparts, but it also wouldn’t be fair to leave them out entirely.
The War Doctor is the embodiment of necessity being the mother of invention. When Christopher Eccleston refused to return for the 50th anniversary special in 2013, Steven Moffat opted to introduce a whole other incarnation between Eight and Nine.
It was an audacious move – but John Hurt was so good as an older, gruffer Doctor that no one batted an eyelid! And casting an actor who could theoretically have played the part during the Wildness Years was inspired.
Fast-forward seven years and Chris Chibnall introduced another additional incarnation, whose placement has never been officially confirmed (though it’s heavily implied that she comes before Hartnell).
She might only have had a handful of appearances but Jo Martin instantly won fans over as the Fugitive Doctor, giving us a glimpse of a sterner and more serious incarnation opposite the joyful Jodie Whittaker.
And while we're here, shoutout to the endless one-off Doctors (Morbius Doctors, the Metacrisis Doctor, the Master-Doctor), not to mention the ones that have appeared outside the main canon (Richard E. Grant, Rowan Atkinson, Joanna Lumley, and the rest!).
But that’s a rabbit hole for another time.