Doctor Who: All Doctors Ranked From Worst To Best

11. The First Doctor - William Hartnell

Best Episode: The Aztecs - Possibly the best historical Doctor Who has ever done. Worst Episode: The Web Planet - Giant ant people on a moon, this does not get better with age. The original article, there would be no Doctor now without the marvel of William Hartnell's grumpy old grandfather. Starting off as a rude, solitary figure, whose only connection was to his grand daughter Susan, he quickly became a hero to audiences, fighting Daleks, solving moral dilemmas and protecting Earth's history. Hartnell may have fluffed his lines more than once an episode, but that is part of his charm too and the actor certainly gave it all his worth to shape the hero we know today. Compared to today's Doctors - even Capaldi's - the First Doctor will come across and brash and distant. He wasn't very likable or someone audiences could relate to. But much of that is down to the Doctor being the beginning of a long journey, from a Gallifreian runaway to protector of Earth. In the early days he was the companion's - and the audience's - guide through time and space. Without William Hartnell we wouldn't have Doctor Who today. For all the vision of Verity Lambert as the show's original producer, it was Hartnell that captured the imagination of audiences for all time, making Doctor Who the success it is today.