Who is the Average
Favourite Doctor?
A few weeks ago I had a very important question. Who is the favourite Doctor? And thus I set out to find out the mathematically correct answer so that everyone would stop arguing!
I meant to open the survey for a week. I went on holiday and got sick, so it stayed open for four weeks… oops! (original post) (update with memes!)
And 537 people responded!
I primarily posted on Reddit, but encouraged people to share the survey with as many as they could! :)
And now I have enough data to answer, once and for all, not just the favourite Doctor, but instead…
Who is the Average Favourite Doctor?
All Doctors
-18) The Timeless Child
-17) The Timeless Child Montage Doctors (any/all)
-16) The Morbius Doctors (any/all)
-10) Lenny Henry, from Doctor Who Soof (Lenny Henry Show) & Comic Relief 2023
-9) Rowan Atkinson, from The Curse of Fatal Death
-8) Richard E. Grant, from The Curse of Fatal Death
-7) Jim Broadbent, from The Curse of Fatal Death
-6) Hugh Grant, from The Curse of Fatal Death
-5) Joanna Lumley, from the Curse of Fatal Death
-4) Brendan, from the flashbacks in Ascension of the Cybermen
-3) The Doctor, from Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.
-2) The Shalka Doctor
-1.5) Jo Martin, from Fugitive of the Judoon
-1) The Fugitive Doctor
What a "The Doctor" is was be interpreted liberally and included characters taking on a clearly “The Doctor” role, questionably real Doctors and mirror images of the Doctor where appropriate. I will not need to explain how numbers are assigned, as real fans will understand.
0) The Doctor as a Child, from Listen
1) The Original, One Might say! (Hartnell)
1.25) The Abbot of Amboise, from The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve
1.5) The Original, One Might Wrongly Say! Specifically in The Five Doctors (Hurndall)
1.75) Wrong Again! Specifically in Twice Upon A Time and An Adventure in Space and Time (Bradley)
2) Patrick Troughton
2.33) Ramón Salamander, from Enemy of the World
2.66) Reece Shearsmith, in An Adventure in Space and Time
3) John Pertwee
4) Tom Baker
4.5) Sarah Jane Smith, primarily in The Sarah Jane Adventures and K9
5) Peter Davison
6) Colin Baker
7) The Real (Sylvester) McCoy
8) Paul McGann
8.5) The War Doctor
9) Christopher Eccleston
9.5) Captain Jack Harkness, primarily in Torchwood
10) David Tennant
10.2) John Smith, from Family of Blood
10.4) Timelord Victorious, specifically after 10 regenerates into the hand in Journey's End
10.5) The Metacrisis Doctor
10.6) The Doctor Donna
10.8) Jackson Lake, from The Next Doctor, the Christmas Episode
11) Matt Smith
11.2) The Dreamlord
11.4) The Flesh Doctor, from The Rebel Flesh
11.6) River Song
11.8) Mr Clever, from A Nightmare in Silver
12) Peter Capaldi
12.33) Clara, toward the end of the series
12.66) Missy, at the start of World Enough and Time
13) Jodie Whittaker
13.33) Yaz, specifically when she flies the TARDIS and when she travels the worlds with Dan and Prof Jerico as companions in Survivors of the Flux
13.66) The Master-Doctor, from The Power of the Doctor
14) Tennant 2, wait no 3! Wait, no, 4!
14.5) The Not-Doctor, from Wild Blue Yonder
15) Ncuti Gatwa
16) Bad Wolf or Whatever, Billie Piper
17) The Valeyard
18) The Curator
First The ̶B̶o̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶O̶n̶e̶ Mode
The Mode is of course the single most voted for option. AKA the normal way you’d determine the favourite.
12) Peter Capaldi
182 votes
34.3%*
Randomly Selected Comment:
“ Capaldi is the 'ultimate' Doctor - the perfect distillation of everything the character is and was. ”
* Adjusted to remove 6 NULL votes.
Mode Runners Up
None of the others even come close.
Matt Smith (11 only) - 61, 11.5%
(Combined) - 63, 11.8%
David Tennant (10 only) - 58, 10.9%
(Combined) - 67, 12.6%
Christopher Eccleston - 41, 7.7%
It’s genuinely a little sad that no classic Doctor even gets a look-in.
Note: NULL vote adjusted vote count = 531.
The Middle Child Median
The Median is the middle value of all values in a series. This means that the 266th result (lined up numerically from -18 to 18) is the Median Doctor!
(Closest) Median Comment:
“ Funny man in Bowtie (I am v autistic). ”
I think this result was strongly swayed by the centre of gravity that is 12.
11) Matt Smith
61 votes, 11.5%
Median “Runner-Ups” (Quartiles)
I mean they aren’t really runner-ups, but the Upper Quartile is 12 (number 399), and the lower quartile is 8 (number 133).
Paul McGann does not forgive you for calling him the c*m doctor.
And Finally, The One You’ve all been Waiting For…
The Mean!
The sum of all results, divided by the number of results. The King of Averages!�9.419265537
Closest Non-Whole Doctor: � 9.5) Captain Jack Harkness, primarily in Torchwood� 0 votes, 0%
Closest Whole Doctor:� 9) Christopher Eccleston� 41 votes, 7.7%... oddly fitting
Some Kind and Helpful Comments:
“ WHY DONT YOU JUST DIE ”�“ He’s just fantastic ”�“ “Kill Yourself.” Nine was so real for that NGL ”
The Joke Vote
Mode: -9) Rowan Atkinson - 49 votes, 13%
Median: 10.2) John Smith - 6 votes, 1.7%
This is what the Real Ones are here for.
Mean: 3.599421488
4) Tom Baker - 1 vote, 0.3%�(nearest rounding & nearest actual vote)
Final Results!
Mean
Median
Mode
ACTUAL Final Results!
Mode
Median
Mean
̶Y̶a̶p̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ Discussion
Before anything else - I want to acknowledge that this whole thing is biased by mainly being posted on Reddit. But I think that ~500 results is not bad for a representative sample of the platform. Results seemed to stablise after ~300-400 so I expect a 1000+ respondent survey to have similar results bar any changes to demographics of respondents.
Despite seeing a lot of Peter Capaldi love online, I was surprised to see him have such dominance. And, at his peak, he received around 36% of the vote! I think posting primarily on reddit probably biased the vote here alongside him currently being in the “old enough but new enough” sweet spot. But, nevertheless, Capaldi fans - you are legion. And please for the love of The Doctor, stop saying “Heaven Sent Underrated” - I got like a dozen such comments.
I was also surprised not to see Tennant come out so low. He is who I’d assume to be the fan fave. Perhaps if I could poll the entire fanbase he might be more popular - or perhaps he has an oversized place in the branding.
It’s sad to see the classic Doctors not really compete much for the top spots… not even 3 nor 4 (often cited as The Doctor by many older people in my experience). Again, I think if I could reach older people, we might have seen a different result - but I refuse to use Facebook. So this is call to action to go back and watch old Dr Who!!!
I also think that Rowan Atkinson’s strong lead in the Joke Vote shows that he was a good actor who played a decent doctor - albeit as a joke. Comments back this up and he was definitely memorable at least!
Lastly - I just wanted to say thank you to everyone - especially those who left comments in the Why? Come on coward, explain yourself! section. I read as many as I could and many were heartfelt or funny!
So I’ll be exposing all your deepest secrets on the next few slides, without context! :^)
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
(in rough order of responses)
“My joke answer would be peter capaldi, but when he was faking siding with the monks in the pyramid timeline”
“Peter capaldi and Colin baker are my faviroute two”
“Peter Capaldi is the perhaps most sophisticated incarnation of The Doctor in terms of: being in this alien that has this great care and responsibility for the human race, and carried millennia of triumph and trauma.”
“Peter Capaldi is the perhaps most sophisticated incarnation of The Doctor in terms of: being in this alien that has this great care and responsibility for the human race, and carried millennia of triumph and trauma.”
“I like the grumpy old man take on the doctor, who still loves humanity and a ton of hope. Also, his speeches are amazing, and he has the charisma the doctor needs. (this has nothing to do with heaven sent being my favorite episode.) ”
“No”
“12 just has all the qualities I want from the Doctor. Mr. Clever is funny and I like stories where a person has separate personalities or another entity living in their head”
“CAPALDIDLAPACAPALDI”
“No. No, I don't think I will.”
“Funny innit”
“Why the fave and why the joke fave separately? Or in one answer? Or just one of them? Do I specify which one I'm justifying? Because they are hilarious. There.”
“The 7th Doctor is dead sexy”
“I love my magical fairytale imaginary friend man.”
“Capaldi is arguably the only actor to really sell that even in decades apart, this is still the same Doctor that many admire from the classic series. You could genuinely believe that this character was once William Hartnell and Tom Baker at the same time. Not only that, but he’s more believable in his range compared to some of the actors, both in the classic and modern runs of the show. He can be bold, gentle, warm as a fireplace, cold as ice, authoritative, rebellious, flawed, scary, funny, you name it. Peter Capaldi, in my humble thoughts, is the Doctor character in his most complete state.”
“Serious answer - Capaldi embodies both the classic and modern elements of the Doctor with ease
Joke answer - There’s an oddly pure quality of having Peter Cushing play a streamlined version of the character that’s fascinating”
“Eccleston was the first Doctor I ever watched.”
“Smizzler is the Goat no kizzy”
“I love him so much and he's what the doctor is to me”
“The ninth doctor is the most down to earth and feels like the most complete character. He is also northern and working class yet troubled and sensitive, which meant a lot to me as a child growing up in the north 😊”
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
“The Eighth Doctor combines optimistic romanticism, a love of adventure, with dry wit and a variably hidden darkness. He is, and always will be, the best.
Mr. Clever is the result of Matt Smith being told to ham it the fuck up. It’s hilarious, even if it’s partly why “Nightmare in Silver” is garbage.”
“End the redditlords”
“Peter Capaldi because he's peak, and the Shalka Doctor's cool in his own right too”
“I owe you nothing”
“He's very good. I like him a lot. He just feels like the one that feels the most like he's a unique character, aside from just the "doctor", which from the third it felt like they switched. Feels like his own man. Also he's a lawyer. And a little goofy guy.”
“He's like a Byronic victorian hero X Oscar Wilde X Manic Pixie dream girl. Only Doctor where I feel I can really understand his irrational and deep love for humanity. Mostly referring to the books characterisation”
“Paul McGOAT, only man who can mog people without showing his face”
“I like Five’s stories where they’re too big or above his paygrade for him to handle so he just gets swept along by the plot until he can find a sneaky way to turn the situation around in his favor. Enlightenment is my jam. Also snotty companions rule. Tegan and Turlough are such shitheads I love them.”
“Who knows”
“Four is everything. Heroic, eccentric, mercurial, funny, charismatic, witty, unpredictable, and unique. Just the sort of alien we need.”
“wtf no Peter Cushing???”
“Acid drenched marmoset nipples”
“Capaldi is the 'ultimate' Doctor - the perfect distillation of everything the character is and was.”
“Perfect mix of fun and emotion. Also capaldi and clara worked soo well as a duo”
“Clara WHO is best WHO :)”
“I like the darker elements Capaldi brings to the role”
“Why is Colin my favorite? He is amazing in the role and he loves playing it. If they hadn't sacked him, he'd still be the Doctor on television today. He'd never have left on his own.”
“shalka doctor is the best doctor ever, richard e grant is a genious and has brought to the show the best acting ever since, sack russal t davys for ignoring him completely when doing the modern series.”
“Heaven Sent”
“I love Jodie”
“He's perfect.”
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
“ “Who I am is where I stand.. Where I stand is where I fall. Stand with me. These people are terrified. Maybe we can help a little. Why not, just at the end, just be kind?”
12 was the Doctor who felt like a real person growing and learning. He started out grumpy and cynical but ended up as the epitome of kindness and being the Doctor, all while wonderfully played by Peter Capaldi.”
“Thirteen got me into the show, and she'll always and forever be my Doctor. What can I say? She's brilliant!!”
“He’s just fantastic”
“Real Answer - Peter Capaldi plays the Doctor perfectly and the Twelfth Doctor is an encapsulation of everything I love from the Doctor. I like his sonic and the sunglasses and how he used them together. I liked his passion, his speeches and his quips. His relationships with his companions are always interesting if not fun. How he interacts with secondary characters is on the surface detached but Peter plays it in such a way you can tell he cares. I love how he interacts with villains and his role as a professor. His ending with River is genuinely beautiful.
Joke Answer: If done right Billie Piper as The Doctor could just be a lot of good fun and I’m here for it.”
“Bow ties are cool, but I loved when the Valeyard came back as a giant CGI frog”
“he's cool innit”
“Idk why, i just like him much more the second time i watched the series”
“ "I'M DOCTOR WHO" ”
“HURNDALL SWEEP COMING THROUGH”
“Self explanatory”
“The eccentric Dr. Who (Peter Cushing) from Dr. Who and the Daleks/Invasion Earth: 2150 AD was my first Doctor, and thus I've some nostalgic attachment to him.”
“The Curse of Fatal Death is epic lol!”
“I like Donna. 14 makes the Donna memory loss stop so thus he is the ultimate Doctor!”
“C h u m b l i e s”
“Tom baker is the best. Bad wolf however is lovely and cute 😆”
I just really liked heaven sent.
“Funny man in bowtie (I am v autistic)”
“I am a coward”
“Why not?”
“His bit of acting on that comedy bit was convincing, and was the perfect blend of genius and humour. I wish it was an actual classic who incarnation, and having a Mr bean doctor sounds fun.”
“9 is my first and I have a strong attachment to him for that reason. I also just think his series is really good and his character arc is excellent”
“Heaven Sent underrated”
“I think he's funny.”
“pretty obvious i think”
“Hugh Grant is hot, and I am weak”
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
I want to take a moment to say fuck you to the one person who left a racist and homophobic comment. You are not welcome here.
“Wibbly wobbly timely wimey”
“SCOOOOTTTLAAAANDDD FOREVAAAAAA”
“ "Kill Yourself." Nine was so real for that NGL ”
“I saw a post on Reddit.”
“written the best”
“he has a very nice voice”
“Simply the best. Best speeches, best development, best management of characters traits. Best actor and simply too cool to be true (guitar, sunglasses and everything else)”
“Baker is peak”
“CLARA!!!!”
“never!”
“Peter made me realise I was bisexual- also I love Nardole, I picked jim broadbent for the greater good”
“Tom Baker got me hooked on two things: a crippling Jelly Baby addiction, and Classic Doctor Who. After starting with RTD 1 and then watching Spearhead from Space, Ark in Space and Shada, I knew I would like the classic series more. As for Salamander, one of my other first episodes was Enemy of the World, which introduced me to 60’s Doctor Who in the best way possible. I would’ve put Roman Atkinson, but that wouldn’t have been much of a joke”
“No, I don't think i will”
“modern art” thanks :), oh wait you meant-
“In the little part he played, he portrayed the doctor perfectly and had a certain formality. And the idea of a Mr Bean Doctor is just amazing.”
“I love 12 so much! His fluffy hair… his penguin with his ass on fire running… all of Heaven Sent… all his appearance insults to Clara (kind of short and roundish but with a good personality, missed a spot of makeup, face so wide she needs 3 mirrors, etc), how kind of rude he was in early s8 compared to how warm in s10, “I’ll see you when I see you - when is that? when I see you”, 12 AND RIVERRRR and Peter Capaldi is SO FINE
Flesh Doctor - I just love that they switched places in the beginning and Amy was so loyal to the Flesh Doctor… really spun everything upside-down and communicated with the audience just how much a Flesh person WAS that person. I hope he’s still out there! and I also love how weird he looked before he fully became 11”
“WHY DONT YOU JUST DIE”
“bowtie man funny”
“Capaldi is the most engaging to watch and I do like his arc s8-9. He’s a Doctor I’m always invested in and happy to have onscreen
Fourteen has the best fit though”
“hes ANGRY”
“i luv matt smith”
“Watched the most of and really feels like an immature child even when he's being all clever”
“No one could outplay McCoy's Doctor. He's already 12 steps ahead and at checkmate.”
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
“I'll explain later”
“Gay grandpa james bond who does alien karate”
“Twelve was the goat. Also, I really like Enemy of the World, so that explains my joke answer”
“Because”
“I do wish you'd given us room to rank maybe 6 personal favourites or something.
Anyway, end-of-life 10 is fascinating given this is basically what the Doctor was building up to from the very beginning.
The Doctor as a character has always been defined by that unrelenting optimism and insistence that there is always a way, even if that way needs to be *made* in the first place. Hence come the end of 10's life, when he's acting on his ideals to the fullest and actually doing a really good job of it (compare how many mass death incidents occurred during 9's run, compared to by the end of 10's run, very very very few people are dying anymore), we're in an unusual spot where The Doctor has almost totally played out his core drives and motives. (I think this is part of why 10 is the fan favourite)
Anyway as a result of all that, it was a really insightful choice for the showrunners to decide to really scrutinise and analyse that outcome, rather than necessarily just cutting him down to size for the sake of powerscaling bullshit or whatever. The Waters of Mars playing off the Doctor's remaining PTSD and survivor's guilt while setting him up against an insanely toxic companion who subverts everything he, Rose, Martha and Donna developed through, was an incredibly wise choice even if its impact was lost on the fans who simply missed the subtleties of this episode.
All of this allows 10 to continue rising to greater heights (Waters Of Mars, Day Of The Doctor and The End Of Time happen more or less back to back from 10's perspective, meaning his last two adventures were him pulling double duty on saving everybody and ending the Time War for good - what an absolute lad), and allows 11 to be such an interesting inversion of The Doctor's basic concepts as well, all building up towards 12 completing this journey and self-actualising, perfecting the Doctor as a concept.
Anyway this is why I think end-of-life 10 is my personal favourite. Much credit also has to go to how the show still manages to maintain his vulnerability and psychological openness throughout this segment (like setting him up against absolute menaces like Adelaide, or next to people who really brought out the best in him and cared for him on a personal level, like Jackson and Wilf), which I think helped really sell this section as not some out of left field "villain arc" or in any way unapproachable (I love Capaldi, but he filtered a lot of people for this reason), allowing the series to push the envelope harder at a crucial point in its overarching narrative, and giving The Doctor as a character and as a concept infinite room to shine.”
No… that defeats the point.
Interesting, so-
Nice, well-
“😛😛😛😛”
“Peter Capaldi is peak and no-one can convince me otherwise. If not him, probably Missy.”
“I love Tennants well thought out character arc, no other Doctor is as consistent. Also, his stories are very entertaining. If I was allowed to pick multiple favourites I would add Smith and Eccleston”
“real answer - good balance of childish whimsy and ancient, vengeful god depending on the situation.
joke answer - it's morbin time”
“As much as 10 is my favorite. 12 is just. He's so good. Where DT is sort of like a puppy. I like an angry old man.”
“Seven is just so much fun to watch but with a darker side. I love him paired with Ace, such a refreshing combination.”
“It's Morbin' time.”
“The Doctor needs mystery and darkness for depth.”
“Jenna is Clara....why else?”
“There was no option for Calaldi's eyebrows”
“I just like mat smith he is fun and energetic but also dark sometimes he is also the doctor I remember most partly because he was around from my late childhood into early teens. I also liked almost all of matt smiths episodes and seasons. For the joke answer the joke is that you only see the montage timeless children for like a few seconds each so how can you know you like them.”
“He's suave, innit?”
“its morbing time”
Okay, but you should also consid-
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
“He'a a very multifaceted character. Changes a lot over his run and feels very believable. Also just very fun”
“Because eleven hour, doctor's wife, vincent and the doctor, ring of akathen episodes. And amy and clara are the bests”
“I find other doctors more enjoyable and interesting a lot of the time but I think Tom Baker absolutely defines the role.”
“Because the idea that Mr Clever is the Doctor in any way seems humorous to me.”
Me Huffing Copium After my Fave Doc Got Low Votes
“I love his character arc <3.”
“Funny Scottish man and his wife”
“Capaldi's the GOAT”
“silly”
“he cool, better than ten”
“Best overarching story”
“Clara in season 12 demonstrates that anyone can be the doctor, not everyone should. She gets increasingly reckless after Danny Pinks death and while she acts much more like the doctor, she doesn't have the same level of knowledge as he does. This ends with her death after putting herself in a reckless situation with no way out except having someone else die. She would much rather face the raven and accept her mistakes than allow anyone else to be harmed, an action that represents The Doctor perfectly.”
“9 is clearly the greatest. Ecclestone's doctor just came out of the time-war, sometimes he hides his rage and depression with humour, it can be obvious at the best of times. The 9th doctor's tardis interior is ICONIC, his sonic is also ICONIC... his outfit? simple, yet reflective.”
“Attached to Peter Capaldi because he was the doctor when I started to watch Doctor Who by myself at the date of release of episodes”
"I said no." - Ninth Doctor after being asked to explain himself
“Overrated choices are overrated”
“because”
“He just is the doctor, from the moment he was cast I was completely locked in with him as the doctor, although his time was cut short (thank you Disney, you bums) he is everything the doctor should be and more”
“I don't think I could have gotten through Clara staying way too long without Capaldi's doctor”
“Hi Jodie is my 2nd favorite doctor”
“McGann specifically for his Big Finish series with Lucie Miller, Hartnell as a joke because u funny with that original one running joke”
“11,8, fugitive”
“Tennant just nails it”
“Missy clearly has what it takes to steal the Doctor’s identity and repurpose it into a drag routine, which should be the Doctor’s final incarnation, like a fully evolved Pokémon”
Thanks :)
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
“Real fave: 11 cuz he’s a cool guy and he wears a bow tie 🥹 and he’s just awkward and alien enough yet fits in perfectly
Joke answer (but only because John smith isn’t *really* the dr): John smith from family of blood; he’s just the tennant doctor but braver (as noted in that episode)”
“Unlimited rice pudding”
“ "Want to come with me?" ”
“ "Kidneys! I've got new kidneys! I don't like the colour." ”
“I've been rewatching 11 recently, after swearing 10 was my favourite for years, and I just find myself so struck by how truly Alien Matt Smith appears. He perfectly balances silliness and fury, young and old. He is so much more alien than anyone else in new-who has been.”
“Peter Capeldi embodied the doctor in every possible aspect.
My fav is the metacrisis doctor but only when he is a hand in a jar”
“Eyebrows”
“no”
“Women”
“10 is a whiny little shit. And somehow, his fans are worse. I LOVE my man DT but hoooooo boy, his fans…………..”
Debated including this one - but decided to anyway. Why so mean? Please be kinder next time :(
“From broken to such a big heart, 12 is mysterious alien who is the Doctor. For the joke doctor, Mr. Bean the doctor, rediculous.”
“9 is the best simple as”
“Supremely clever and funny and entertaining. Quick-witted and fiery. Deserves a spinoff with Ashildr.”
“Because she would have been brilliant has she been given proper time. Otherwise it's Tom Baker.”
“9/rose lol”
“Doctor I grew up with”
“i could have a threesome with david tennant and billie piper”
“McGann's passion and love for life softens my heart. i fell in love with him during his monologue about the joys of aging and watching your body change in Seasons of Fear - as a trans person who dreams of growing old, i took so much comfort and catharsis from that monologue and the bittersweetness with which 8 delivers it. he understands how change is essential to his character and how temporary every generation and every companion is. his lilting narration is always my favourite in Big Finish, and his character strikes me as the doctor's last grasp at peace before the dark character arc of new-who, his intense emotional range and brave passion are like an outcry against everything he saw as 7 and the generations of trauma he's still processing. he also has great quips and so much chemistry with his companions.”
Why? Come on coward, explain yourself!
“His relationship with ace, the rolled rs, and the way he moves.”
“B E A N”
“Peter Capaldi was OPness made flesh. No other doctor out doctors him.”
“Honestly. I genuinely love them all. I love the tangled crazy continuity and have endless fun creating connections that don’t really exist in my head canon. Doctor Who FTW!”
“Capaldi grew on me, which I think was almost purposefully done what with his character growth over his era.”
*gulp*
“I loved his take on the character, cantankerous, scheming, grumpy and melancholy. His relationship with Ace paved the way for the rebooted series. He was my childhood hero. I loved the theme music of this era. Remembrance of the dales was my first Dr who story and still my favourite.”
“because Peter capaldi is the hottest version of the doctor and missy is the best character ever created in fiction”
“I enjoyed those stories the most, and saw an evolution in the doctor that hasn't been seen after”
“There’s this mountain of pure diamond.”
“The cum doctor”
Peter,,,, he da best
That’s All For Now Folks :)
(( ))
Bye bye!