Geek Syndicate
This Doctor hit the ground running and brought back a genuine eccentricity and alien-ness to the Doctor – something that I think had been lacking in several previous incarnations. Smith is a superb actor who manages to continue the energy introduced by Tennant in a different way. He looks like a Doctor, having a “young old” face, acts like a Doctor and … well … Acts his socks off through good and bad writing! Of course, this era of the show has been mired by the convoluted story arcs that may cause the casual viewer to scratch their head. Smith’s second year in particular was guilty of this. Personally, I think that the episodes broadcast in 2012 and 2013 (Smith’s final year) have gone some way to returning the show to one that a viewer can dip in and out of and I am very glad with the Doctor who will be running the show for the forthcoming anniversary special.
2. The Seventh Doctor – Sylvester McCoy. (1987-1996)
Sylvester McCoy was the Doctor I remember watching most. Although his first season is generally ill-regarded, once new Script Editor Andrew Cartmel really got going, new writers with new ideas crept in and the final two years of Doctor Who’s original run really have some stand out stories. McCoy brought a lot of suppressed anger to his clownlike performance and began portraying a more manipulative “chess player” style of Doctor. A Doctor who put plans in motion … then executed them - somewhat mercilessly at times. This theme continued beyond the television show’s cancellation and was taken to extremes by Virgin’s New Adventure line of books and to a more manageable extent in the Big Finish audio productions. But this Doctor’s tenure on television was as much about his companion, Ace, as it was the Doctor himself. In season twenty-six, the final season, three out of four stories focus on Ace. Actress Sophie Aldred had some stellar moments in these stories and her character was in many ways the perfect companion – and the template for Rose and company when the series re-started in 2005.
1. The Second Doctor - Patrick Troughton. (1967-1969)
For me, the Second Doctor is the Doctor. If the replacement for William Hartnell was inadequate in any way, then the show would have ended in 1966 or 1967 without question. The casting of Troughton was perfect. Not only was he a fantastic character actor, but Troughton was also a physical actor. Every movement seems perfectly in sync with the role he is playing and Troughton’s face runs through every emotion with instant believability. The TARDIS seemed complete once James Robert McCrimmon joined the crew. Together with Victorian Victoria, or futuristic Zoe, this era held possibly the most familial group of friends you could wish for. The obvious chemistry between the regulars enhances the performances and there’s a wonderful boyish charm about the Doctor and Jamie throughout.
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