A good old fashioned Doctor Who Community
For me, I'd have to lean towards Peter Capaldi with probably Matt Smith and David Tennant a very close 2nd and 3rd.
After watching the first season though, I do wish that Eccleston would have had more time as the Doctor. My first run through that season he didn't click with me, but after the 2nd or 3rd time through, I grew to have a certain appreciation for his style.
Mine is Capaldi His arc to me is absolutely outstanding.
David Tennant will always be my favorite Doctor, but Matt Smith had my favorite storylines!
Second vote for Eleven! I'm biased since he was my first Doctor, but I feel like he did the best job balancing the goofy / lighthearted side of the Doctor with the darker / more dangerous side. Also, the fact that he totally sold he was a thousand-plus year old alien in a young man's body.
12, hands down. S10 sang, wish his entire tenure was that good.
Such a tough call to make as each brought their own magic to the role. However I lean more towards Capaldi. His journey echoed 1 and 6 starting as a harsh alien, turning towards a warm character at the end of the run.
Plus Capaldi had the banger of the episode Heaven Sent, which is such a masterpiece puzzle box.
So hard to choose but honestly I'd probably say Eccleston. I used to be a major Tennant fan but since watching some classic who and listening to big finish Tennant just feels a bit like he's constantly preaching how smart and right he is about everything compared to all the other doctors.
I love Smith and Capaldi too as they really deliver when it comes to the alien side of the doctor compared to Tennant and Eccleston who are more humanish. Sadly I'm not such a fan of season 6 onwards, not that there's nothing good there but I feel like seasons 1-5 had more episodes that interested me. I think Eccleston also has the advantage of being a 1 season doctor so you're left wanting more, plus he's such a phenomenal actor every scene he's in feels so rich and there's a lot of depth to his lines and delivery.
Capaldi is honestly the most Doctorish doctor in my opinion and I'd like to put him first especially considering how much I liked season 10, but I can't deny I enjoyed Ecclestons season more.
I used to be a major Tennant fan but since watching some classic who and listening to big finish Tennant just feels a bit like he’s constantly preaching how smart and right he is about everything compared to all the other doctors.
Yeah, I feel that. There's something I just find slightly grating about 10's attitude, and as a result he's at the bottom of my personal ranking of new series Doctors. Still, I don't hate him in any objective sense, mind you.
Ten is definitely high on his own supply, but ironically, that's one of the reasons I love him. He's easily the darkest of the nuWho Doctors, the one most in danger of letting his arrogance tip into megalomania and his pain consume him. But there's also so much good in him, too-- he is the Doctor, after all. IDK, guess I've always been a sucker for a tragically flawed hero (see also: Star Wars).
(I do agree, though, that the narrative doesn't call Ten out on his bullshit nearly often enough. And some of the more worshipful things the other characters say about him make me roll my eyes-- the whole "he's like fire and ice" speech makes me cringe so bad I can't listen to it and have to fast-forward to the end on rewatches (no hate to people who love that speech, different strokes for different folks!))
I usually rank them as follows:
I skipped 13 after her first series. I wish she had better writers and a better showrunner, because Jodie kicks *ss.
chibnall destroyed this show. I hope his work is retconned
I think a better path forward would be to just ignore his changes and never mention then again. That way, Chibnall fans can still headcannon them as being true, while the rest of us can headcannon them as never having happened at all. Everyone wins!
Eccleston, either Capaldi, either Whitaker or Tennant (I wish Jodi'd gotten better stories), and then Smith.
I don't want to choose! If I must, I'm going with Peter Capaldi. I liked the Pertwee-esqe qualities he exhibited and since Jon Pertwee is the Doctor I started with years ago, Capaldi it is.