Doctor Who: Ranking All 13 Doctors From Worst To Best

After the immense popularity of the Tennant era, there was an enormous amount of pressure on young Matt Smith's shoulders. It would have been so easy to buckle under the weight of high audience expectations, but he rose to the occasion, with then-new showrunner Steven Moffat's clever, witty writing and Smith's oddball allure resulting in a grand fairytale adventure that spanned three years and countless amazing episodes.

One of the most fascinating things about the Eleventh Doctor was the way that he made everyone around him feel special. While this could potentially be a dangerous effect, causing people to want to impress him by tackling alien threats head-on (as pointed out by Rory in The Vampires Of Venice), Eleven made his companions, friends and acquaintances feel excited about adventure, discovery, and life in general.

With his quirky costume, colourful TARDIS and cheeky grin, he emanated warmth and joy, proving an effortless watch even when the storylines themselves weren't all that engaging. Even when things got dark, Eleven remained as optimistic as he could, whether he was facing the end of the universe, his impending death, or an army of villains on Trenzalore.

It's unfortunate that Smith's final season was his weakest, but he still went out with a bang thanks to The Day Of The Doctor, and a show-stopping regeneration sequence. A sense of hope and wonder permeated Eleven's years, and Smith's Doctor was a perfect mixture of weird alien, likeable friend and furious Time Lord, and it's this that makes him such a fondly remembered iteration. Geronimo indeed.

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