Doctor Who: EVERY Doctor Ranked Worst To Best
4. The Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker)
Jodie Whittaker was facing an uphill battle when she took on the role in 2017, but together with Chris Chibnall she gave us the most enthusiastic, optimistic Doctor yet, bringing warmth, energy and humour in spades.
Thirteen was a beacon of hope at a time when the real world was getting more and more turbulent (particularly during a certain global event that happened in 2020!). Though let down by the writing for some of her stories, Whittaker herself was a joy to watch. It felt like this was the sort of Doctor the show needed at this time, with the revival being dominated by much angstier Doctors and darker storylines (hello Time War) up to this point.
In fact, you could argue that this Twelve-into-Thirteen shift, bridged by Twelve re-discovering his purpose in Twice Upon A Time, was a much better look at a Doctor having "undergone therapy" than what we just saw with Fourteen and Fifteen!
There was also a sense that Thirteen was the beating heart of the universe, constantly racing against time in order to keep everything together (literally, in the case of Swarm and Azure).
Due to the frustratingly long space between seasons, by the time she departed in 2022 she’d had one of the longest tenures ever. It was a fitting achievement for one of the show's more groundbreaking incarnations.