Doctor Who: EVERY Doctor Ranked Worst To Best

Once upon a time life was simple and there was just one Doctor: William Hartnell.

Then, in 1965, Peter Cushing played the Doctor (or, at least, a character very much like him) in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks. And then, in 1966, the Doctor was recast on television, with Hartnell replaced by 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…

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 proof that necessity is the mother of invention. When Christopher Eccleston refused to return for the 50th, Steven Moffat had no choice but 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 what a sterner, more serious female Doctor might look like.

Both actors have reprised the role for Big Finish, with Jonathon Carley stepping in as a younger War Doctor following Hurt’s passing.

There are also the endless one-off Doctors (e.g. the 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 and Joanna Lumley, to name but a few!).

But that’s a rabbit hole for another time.