Patrick Troughton as Doctor Who. Photograph: BBC/MOMI
Three episodes in, and this new season of Doctor Who is shaping up as one of the best ever (last Saturday's outing to New New York was a corker). But nevermind how the Doctor's new assistant is shaping up compared with her predecessors. I want to know: is David Tennant the best Doctor ever? It all depends on how you define "best". The question pops up because a poll of its readers by Doctor Who Magazine last December led to Tennant being dubbed best Doctor ever, knocking Tom Baker from the top of the list for the first time since 1990 (when Sylvester McCoy won) and only the second time ever. And a recent Radio Times poll named Tennant's Doctor as the coolest person on TV (ahead of 24's Jack Bauer, the Fonz from Happy Days, Colin Firth's Mr Darcy and the Cat from Red Dwarf). If this keeps up, pretty soon Tennant's head won't fit through the door of the Tardis.
Among the women I know who watch the show, Tennant is considered the best-looking actor to ever grace the part. And I know for certain that his immediate predecessor, Christopher Eccleston, is the best actor to ever enter Tardis. That was probably the biggest problem with Eccleston's season - he's such a fine, intense actor he often overpowered those around him. It's just as well for all concerned that he plays an invisible man on Heroes.
Of course, polls such as this always tend to favour the present incumbent, so Tennant had a leg up right from the word go. And keep in mind, too, that the revived Doctor Who has the benefit of a bunch of great writers, led by Russell T Davies, and a decent budget. Of course, Tom Baker still wins the "favourite" Doctor polls. And probably always will. He served the longest (seven years), was probably the most eccentric and had all those bloody teeth and curls going for him
To my mind, the best Doctor was Patrick Troughton. I reckon Troughton had the hardest job of any of the 16 actors who have portrayed the Doctor over the years (and a gold star to anyone who can name them all). Troughton was the first to take over the role, when the original, William Hartnell, decided to leave after three years. That could have been it for Doctor Who. The producers could have said: "OK, it was a great three years, I guess it's off to Blue Peter for us." But no. Instead, they came up with the idea of "regenerating" his body, which is surely one of the best get-out clauses ever created for when a leading actor wants to leave a show. So whether Doctor Who lived or died rested on Troughton's shoulders. The first thing viewers noticed was a total change of personality - out went the crotchety old granddad; in came more of an eccentric uncle, the "cosmic hobo" as he is often described. His Doctor was a lot less reserved, not quite as sure of himself, even a little clumsy at times. But the viewers adjusted easily, and the show's popularity grew. Troughton's era saw the return of some favourite enemies, such as the Daleks and the Cybermen, along with new ones such as the Macra (who reared their ugly claws again last Saturday night) and the Yeti. It was in this era that we also met Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, the head of Unit, and first saw that most famous of gadgets, the sonic screwdriver. But my biggest reason for naming Troughton the best is because he's the first Doctor I can remember watching on TV, even if I did get him confused with Moe from the Three Stooges (hey, I was six at the time).
I'm sure many of you will disagree with my choice. So go on, tell me why.
