Doctor Who - Archive of the Doctors

The 23rd of August is less than a week away, and for Whovians everywhere that now means only one thing - the return of Doctor Who! Yes, Peter Capaldi's brand new 12th Doctor is about to burst onto our screens and I for one am jolly excited. However, before the regenerated Doctor takes centre stage, I thought it appropriate and important to take a look back at some of his predecessors; the Doctors that we have watched and enjoyed in years gone by. Yes I am only too aware that the classic Doctors are incredibly important to the legacy and mythology of the show, but this time I am merely going to look back as far as 2005; when the show returned after a long leave of absence under the helm of the great Russell T. Davies, and when I first became glued to the adventures of the mad man in a blue box.

CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON - THE 9TH DOCTOR

To my mind, Christopher Eccleston was a sterling choice to lead the revamped Doctor Who. Wacky and wild (and northern!) on the outside, but dark, deep and brooding on the inside. His bright eyes, wide smile and tempered but powerful energy were  just what was needed, to give us an enigmatic and formidable Doctor to grab the attention of a brand new audience, and to take the show into new and exciting directions.

In recent times, possibly due to the massive world-wide phenomenon that Who has now become, Christopher Eccleston's relatively short-lived contribution (he only stayed for one season) feels to have been a tad overlooked, but it certainly shouldn't. His Doctor was magnificent, as was his time on the show, and without him I do not beleive that where the show and the fans are now would be possible.

MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS

The Doctor's chilling reunion with a Dalek; the first after the horror of the Time War. 

The Doctor being a doctor, alongside Richard Wilson's Dr. Constantine in The Empty Child.

DAVID TENNANT - THE 10TH DOCTOR

 

For the modern generation, or at least many of them, David Tennant remains the Doctor, and I can totally see why. Charming, excitable,  powerful, charismatic; a natural successor to Eccleston yet definitely individual enough for a fitting regeneration and yet more exciting adventures for the Doctor Who universe to contend with and provide.

For me, David Tennant was an intruiging blend of a man seeming to go through his time as the Doctor at whirlwind pace, as well as being incredibly cool and relaxed in most situations. Like Eccleston, and like all good Doctors, he managed to capture the character's wondrous and light-hearted nature, as well as being able to release the dark, brooding and ferocious Lord of Time at any moment. I have no problem with people calling him "the epitome" of what the Doctor should be, for David Tennant rightly so shall be forever remembered and loved within the long annals of Whovian fandom.

MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS 

The Doctor's meeting of River Song for the first time and being introduced to "spoilers" in Silence in the Library. 

The Doctor being reunited with Captain Jack, and the sparkling interplay that followed in Utopia.

That speech aboard a sinking Titanic in Voyage of the Damned.

MATT SMITH - THE 11TH DOCTOR

If ever there was a time when words like "whirlwind" and "firecracker" were to be used to describe the Doctor, it would be during the time of Matt Smith. A great big bouncing ball of energy from day one, his Doctor was a new kind of charismatic; giving us plenty to watch and enjoy rendering Smith well and truly one of the all time greats. Occasionally his talent got a tad lost in the over-complicated plots (however I blame Steven Moffat for that!) but Matt Smith often brought an overwhelming sense of joy and wonder to the Doctor's exploits. Yes he often rushed into everything to brilliant effect, but when it was time to be still and somber, we quickly discovered Matt Smith could deliver massively in that area too.

Flamboyant, floppy haired, and fluidly awesome - his was a truly remarkable Doctor.

MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS

The Pandorica speech atop Stonehenge. 

                                                   

Double trouble as the Doctor inter-played brilliantly with a copy of himself in The Almost People.

The entire epic and heart-breaking final 11th Doctor episode - The Time of the Doctor.

JOHN HURT - THE WAR DOCTOR

Last but certainly not least, we have the Doctor who featured in only one full episode (albeit a fairly major one - the 50th anniversary episode). The superbly perfect John Hurt was simply masterful as the Doctor who wasn't; the Doctor who committed such atrocity that he did not feel himself fit to be "The Doctor" and such that his other incarnations did their best to forget him. Yet he never once felt "evil". On the contrary - John Hurt's performance was so intense and so wonderful that I for one felt nothing but warmth and appreciation for his Doctor, and truly sorry when it came time for him to go.

Though quite a unique case, John Hurt has just as much right to call himself the Doctor as any other incarnation. His involvement was integral and wonderful in the 50th anniversary show, and aside from all the hype of that, he was quite simply a great Doctor.

MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS 

The Doctor crashing through Gallifreyan walls and Daleks alike in his TARDIS.

Walking side-by-side with his 10th and 11th incarnations out of a piece of Time Lord art.

"Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame."