Tins of mints in the form of Doctor Who’s TARDIS are displayed on a trade stand at the Toy Fair 2016 in west London, England on January 24, 2016. The annual fair is the largest of it’s kind in the UK, with manufacturers and importers promoting what they think will be the big sellers of the year. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL / AFP / LEON NEAL (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
The debate about which Doctor Who Doctor is best has been going on for decades. Let’s shake it up a little and talk about which one we’d rather drink with.
If you’re even remotely a Doctor Who fan, you probably have a Doctor. This happens when you watch a show that can change out its lead character at will. People get attached to certain versions. For lot of different reasons. Each “version” of the Doctor is not only played by a different actor, the character himself has slightly different traits. And fans respond to different Doctors in different ways. “Your Doctor” could be the one you grew up with. It could be the one you just like the best. It could be the one who starred in most of your favorite episodes.
With current Doctor Peter Capaldi about to leave the show after Season 10, the discussion about this place in the Doctor Who Pantheon is about to begin in earnest. (Personally: He’s really up there around Top 5 for me, but your mileage may vary.) And the fandom debate about which Doctor is the best will likely go on well past the point when TARDISes are real things we can fly around space in. There’s no right answer. Every Doctor is great in their own way. And every incarnation is special to someone. So the debate about which Doctor is technically best is one we’ll really never solve.
So how about thinking of the twelve current Doctors in more fun terms? Which of these twelve people would you rather get a drink with? Here are our picks, but you can (and probably will) feel free to argue with them.
British Actor Colin Baker Who Plays The Doctor In The Bbc Television Series Dr Who. Pictured Here With His Assistant Peri Played By Nicola Bryant And Extras From The Show, 10.04.1986. (Photo by Photoshot/Getty Images)
Sixth Doctor // Colin Baker
Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor was problematic in many ways. He was brash and overbearing and rude and generally terrible. He’s the incarnation of the Doctor that most people wouldn’t want to cross the street to say hello to, much less travel through time and space with. Let alone hit up a bar alongside. (Which, as you can probably guess, is really saying something.) Vain, arrogant and downright violent, Six is probably the absolute worst version of Doctor Who’s Doctor ever made. (Don’t forget, he legit tried to strangle one of his own companions.) And as an actor, Baker had it pretty rough. He got stuck with some terrible scripts, a hideous wardrobe and a constant battle with his own writers about the direction of the character. So, it’s no wonder that Six generally came off as a bit psychotic.
Ostensibly, this Doctor was such a jerk due to a botched regeneration, which made him lose control of his emotions. But no matter what the excuse for his wildly bizarre characterization is, it doesn’t exactly make you want to hang out with him. He’d probably be a terrible pub companion. After all, he’s as likely to get in a bar fight with a stranger or throw a drink in your face as tell you about his day. Odds are you’re definitely not going to have a very good time with this Doctor.
Booze of Choice: It depends. Like his mood, Six’s bar tab probably changes regularly. A solid guess would be some kind of dark beer, perfect for brooding over and slamming on the countertop to make a point.
, 02.03.1987. British Actor Sylvester Mccoy Who Plays The Doctor In The Bbc Television Series Dr Who. (Photo by Photoshot/Getty Images)
Seventh Doctor // Sylvester McCoy
The Seventh Doctor is definitely kind of weird. So much so that he often ranks as one of the least popular Doctors ever. (Yikes.) Some of this was not the character’s fault – Seven was in many ways let down by all of Doctor Who around him. After all, McCoy’s tenure was notable primarily for its terrible stories and the fact that the entire show got canceled at the end of it. And as a character, Seven had a lot of problems. He was a pompous, bumbling figure. He often found himself played for laughs next to his more serious and capable companion. (Though Ace was awesome in her own right, though.) He just wasn’t that interesting or entertaining.
As Seven’s time in the TARDIS went on, he did evolve rather significantly. He grew increasingly dark and manipulative. He often relied on schemes and tricks. In many ways, Seven marked a shift toward the type of Doctor we see today. McCoy’s Doctor put on a darker coat to indicate that he was becoming messier, morally speaking. Eccleston’s Nine showed up wearing one. The modern-day Doctors all carry a certain amount of internalized rage around with them, and we see the earliest signs of this here. Seven may actually be more important as a narrative way station en route to the present-day series than as a character in his own right.
Given his often inconsistent characterization, Seven could be a great drinking companion or a godawful one. You could get swindled into paying the bar tab, or have a martini dumped in your lap. Anything’s possible.
Booze of choice: Something with a lot of different kinds of liquor in it and a weird name. Let’s go with a Witch Doctor.
Jon Pertwee returns as Dr. Who when a new series of adventures begins on BBC-1 at 5.50 pm Saturday January 1st and for the first time, he faced the deadliest monsters of them all – the Daleks. Jon Pertwee first appeared as Dr. Who in January 1970. The Daleks have not been seen in the programme for nearly five years. The first four-part story in the new ‘Dr. Who’ series is called ‘The Day of the Daleks’. December 1971 71-12048 (Photo by WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
Third Doctor // Jon Pertwee
So, the Third Doctor is kind of an acquired taste. And if Three is your thing? You do you. It’s a valid Doctor Who lifestyle choice. (His character is certainly a favorite of many.) See, the Third Doctor is…a bit different from other incarnations of everyone’s favorite Time Lord. He’s by far the most campy, dramatic version. That hair! The cape! The ruffly shirt! There’s just a lot going on, stylistically speaking. And, those aren’t the only big changes that set this Doctor apart, either. Thanks to the popularity of James Bond and TV series like Secret Agent Man, the BBC decided to reimagine the Third Doctor in the vein of these superspy figures. Subsequently, Three became stranded on Earth, removing a huge element – the time travel – that made the series unique.
Instead, this Doctor ended up with a job working for UNIT. He partnered with the famous Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewar. And he got a ton of cool spy gadgets, including a nifty vintage roadster named Bessie. He is, by far, the most action-oriented incarnation of the Doctor, and one of the few – if not the only – who really knew how to fight. And since he spent most of his time fighting with the Master, his tenure is certainly never boring. And to his credit? Jon Pertwee does his best to balance out Three’s action-man character – some of his most impressive scenes are when his Doctor is at his most empathetic. And despite the fact that this Doctor is primarily an action hero, it’s his moral compass and abilities as a peacemaker that are some of his most interesting traits.
If you’re into the dashing adventure hero thing, this Doctor is probably going to be a lot higher up on your “have a pint with” list. And to be fair, it’d probably be an incredibly entertaining evening!
Booze of choice: Probably a martini of some stripe – or anything else that comes in an up glass.
British Actor Peter Davison Who Plays The Doctor In The Bbc Television Series Dr Who, 15.04.1981. (Photo by Photoshot/Getty Images)
Fifth Doctor // Peter Davison
The youngest Doctor of the classic Doctor Who era, Five is another incarnation that stands apart from his previous (and most of his latter) selves. He is charming, sensitive and vulnerable. And he’s a much quieter, more emotional Doctor than we are used to seeing. Particularly if you watch the episodes in order and see Peter Davison’s performance right after Tom Baker’s. Five feels a little bit like narrative whiplash after the (much) more manic Four. Poor, Davison, right? Having to follow the guy who is pretty much the most popular person to ever play the role had to be difficult. But he actually acquits himself well in the part, though is quiet style isn’t going to be for everyone.
But Five is a pretty interesting character in his own right. He is a gentle, rather old soul – even though at first glance he looks like he ought to be more of a dashing hero type. He’s thoughtful and deliberate in both words and actions. And he is also the first incarnation of the Doctor that openly embraces his pacifist nature. (That speech Twelve gave the Zygons that everyone loved in Season 9? It has its roots in this version of the Doctor’s character.)
Five also has the distinction of being the first Doctor who suffered through the death of a companion. And he’s the first Doctor who sacrificed himself to save one, too. In short: Five feels like a tragic hero, in a way the show doesn’t really match again until some of David Tennant’s later episodes. His final story, “The Caves of Adrozani”, is particularly gut-wrenching in this way.
Thanks to all this personal angst, it seems safe to assume that Five might be something of a maudlin drinking partner. Though a generally congenial and nice person, he definitely has the potential to be more of a downer than some of the other versions of the Doctor we’ve met. Plus, he just has one of the all-time least attractive Who signature looks. Do you really want to hang out with a guy whose idea of being interesting is to attach celery to his clothes?
Booze of choice: Wine. Probably a white of some type.
Eighth Doctor // Paul McGann
The Eight Doctor is…kind of weird. He’s the only incarnation of the famous Time Lord that only exists for maybe an hour-and-a-half of screen time. He exists because Doctor Who wanted to try and make it big in America, so they made a standalone TV movie to serve as something of a backdoor pilot for a US series. Paul McGann played the Eighth Doctor. Unfortunately, his Who TV movie is largely awful. Bright spot? Even though the narrative aspects of his story were pretty…well, bad, Eight’s character in and of itself was an interesting one.
The Eighth Doctor is weird, brilliant and vulnerable. He’s generally meant to be the Doctor Who version of a swoony, romantic hero. This characterization doesn’t entirely work, but the concept could have been an interesting one. If only it were executed better and given a bit more time to find its feet. But despite all the badness in the TV movie, McGann’s Eight is still incredibly appealing, with lots of charisma and energy. He seems like he’d be a fun partner in crime for a night out. (Even if you get the distinct impression that he might end up crying over his ex after one beer too many.)
Happily, the Eighth Doctor got a small, but incredibly important moment of redemption in 2013’s “The Night of the Doctor”. This short prelude/mini-episode showed us Eight during the Time War before his regeneration. And though it’s only a bit over six minutes long, it’s good enough that it makes you angry that the TV movie is so bad. Because, hey, it turns out that this incarnation of the Doctor is actually kind of awesome. This little six-minute revival clip is so good that, as a viewer, you can’t help but wonder what Eight’s time in the TARDIS might have looked like if he’d had better material. Here he gets a few minutes to be dashing, dreamy, brave and sad – in ways that he wasn’t during his TV special. This Doctor is definitely a person you’d like the chance to get to know.
Booze of choice: Red wine, probably.
1965: William Hartnell (1908 – 1975), the first incarnation of TV’s Dr Who, feels the hairless pates of two ticklish co-stars. They are appearing as the Teknix, bald mutated humans employed in Space Security. (Photo by Express/Express/Getty Images)
First Doctor// William Hartnell
There’s something to be said for being the person that goes first. It’s true that these days, Doctor Who, the show, doesn’t look exactly the same as it did back during William Hartnell’s run. And the Doctor, as a character, isn’t the same person he was when all the started, either. But the First Doctor started something incredible. And, honestly, he probably deserves more credit that he gets for that. I mean – you really can’t overestimate the fact that the First Doctor was so interesting and appealing that the BBC invented the concept of regeneration solely to keep the series alive when Hartnell became too ill to continue filming.
It’s true though, that the First Doctor isn’t exactly a dashing hero. He’s gruff and cross and difficult. He’s generally hard to like, unless he’s interacting with his granddaughter, Susan. And there isn’t much in the way of humor in his stories. That’s on purpose, for the most part. Back in the 1960s Doctor Who was meant to be a children’s educational program about history, not an exciting adventure through time and space. The First Doctor’s demeanor screamed stern professor, way more than cool alien you might want to hang out with.
But the First Doctor is fascinating – and possibly even more so now, when viewed through the lens of everything that came after him. How different would Doctor Who look now if someone else had played the Doctor at the start? Would the show even exist now? Maybe not. There’s so much history in this character. It makes him worth getting to know a bit. And hearing the story of how the Doctor of came to love Earth over the years would certainly have to be worth a trip down the pub.
Booze of choice: Something old fashioned and that comes in fancy glass. Brandy in a snifter seems about right.
Ninth Doctor // Christopher Eccleston
The Ninth Doctor might be the most generally interesting Doctor to share a drink with. We only spent a single season with him, after all, so as viewers we definitely still have a lot of questions about the things he’s been through. (And that’s before you even start thinking about how the conclusion of the Time War, the loss of Gallifrey and the existence of the War Doctor impacted how Nine became who he is.) We don’t know that much about his history, merely that what happened to Gallifrey scarred him in ways that aren’t easy to talk about. Nine is clearly haunted by his past and the decisions he’s made in, and lives with a lot of regret.
So it seems safe to guess he might not be the most fun person ever at the pub – because all signs indicate that Nine would be a tremendously maudlin drunk. Likely given to rehashing some of his worst decisions over and over, he’s not going to be the most entertaining bar partner. But, if you want intense stories, he probably has hundreds of them. Especially since he seems to make a point of carrying every bad thing that’s happened around with him personally like permanent brands.
On the bright side, however, Nine seems to love humor – particularly terrible puns and physical gags. So, if you bring a banana to the pub with you, well. Anything could probably happen. Though sometimes the puns are so groan-worthy you might end up hoping for the sob stories instead.
Booze of Choice: Something strong and simple. If it’s beer, it’s probably Guiness. If it’s liquor, it’s probably some form of rather expensive Scotch whisky. (Nine is from the North, after all).
Twelfth Doctor // Peter Capaldi
After the more light-hearted eras of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, Peter Capaldi’s time in the TARDIS feels distinctly different. The current Twelfth Doctor feels a bit more like some of his earlier predecessors – specifically William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton – than any of the more recent incarnations. Because Twelve is pretty dark, as Doctors go.
He’s curmudgeonly and snarky. He’s irascible and abrupt. And he doesn’t feel much like someone you’d necessarily want to be casual friends with, let alone travel through time next to. But Twelve’s rude old man demeanor masks a multitude of intriguing personality quirks. This is Doctor rejects hugs and is openly rude to his first companion, Clara. But he also gave himself the same face as a man he rescued in Pompeii so he’d remember to always try and save people. He spends four billion years literally punching a wall to work through grief. He’s incredibly complicated and super interesting.
And that’s before we even get to his obsession with playing the guitar. (Though I suppose I did always think David Bowie was a Time Lord. This kind of make sense in a way.)
Since Twelve is the oldest incarnation of the Doctor – clocking in at somewhere around 2,000 years old at this point – that he often seems ancient is natural. Capaldi himself is the oldest person to play the role since Hartnell, and he wears the antiquity of the character like a badge of honor. His Doctor has certainly had adventures and surely seen horrors. It’s a fact that’s basically woven into his DNA at this point. Just imagine the stories Twelve could tell by now. It’d definitely be enough to close down a bar on open mic night.
Booze of choice: Whisky. Neat.
Second Doctor // Patrick Troughton
As Doctors go, Troughton’s Two is pretty amazing. Virtually every lead performance on Doctor Who that has come after him has incorporated some degree of his interpretation of the character in there. And that’s because Two perfectly encapsulates what we expect the Doctor to be. He’s simultaneously weird and warm, alien and messy, irritating and empathic. He’s fascinating, precisely because he contains multitudes. And fans of modern day Who may not recognize precisely how incredibly Trougton’s performance was here – he doesn’t necessarily get enough credit for being the first to come next, so to speak. As the first regenerated Doctor, he set the bar for what the show could be.
So what would Two be like to have a drink with? Impossible to predict, which is probably why he’d be so much fun. You never know which version of this particular Doctor you might get – the one that’s kind of mean and snarky? Or the one that lives to help people and solve problems? The brilliant eccentric? Anything could happen. It would also be an incredible opportunity to ask about some of those missing episodes. A big chunk of Two’s run is lost to history, since back in the 1960s no one at the BBC thought it could ever be worth it to archive the episodes of this silly little show about a time-traveling alien. Wouldn’t it be great to hear about what happened in those stories? That’s worth a happy hour date, right there.
Booze of Choice: Probably something unexpected or maybe a little-old fashioned, but still delicious. Something like a Sazerac or a vodka gimlet springs to mind.
English actor Tom Baker, as the Doctor from the BBC science fiction TV series ‘Doctor Who’, poses with the Doctor’s arch enemies, the Daleks, at BBC TV Centre, London, March 1975. Baker plays the fourth incarnation of the character. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Fourth Doctor // Tom Baker
Everyone has a Doctor whose mere existence gives them warm fuzzies. Tom Baker’s Four is that for most people. Basically: He’s iconic. Four is by far the most recognizable of all incarnations of the Doctor, thanks to his insane hair, floppy hat, and that amazing scarf. Baker played the Doctor from 1974 to 1981, starring in 172 episodes, a total that no subsequent performer has equaled. (Or likely ever will.) The reason that so many fans feel they know the Doctor is because of this incarnation, which felt like family, in the end. Baker embodied the Doctor, in a way that’s hard to explain, let alone put a value on.
Four was charismatic, adventurous, and warm. He was alien and strange, sure, but he also embodied a kind of wonder that was incredibly magnetic to watch. It’s hard – if not impossible – to dislike this character, to not want to hang out with him. He leaves us all hoping that that maybe the TARDIS might really show up to whisk us off an adventure one day.
Going to the pub with Four would doubtless be an amazing experience. Honestly – just imagine all the stories he must have! This incarnation of the Doctor traveled alongside some of the most incredible, interesting companions (Sarah Jane! Romana!) of all time. He had an adorable robot dog along for the ride. And he starred in some of the most iconic Doctor Who adventures ever written. (“The Genesis of the Daleks”! “The Ark in Space”! “Pyramids of Mars”!) Four’s stories are just as relevant and moving today as they were in the 1970s, so there’s plenty there to unpack over drinks.
Booze of choice: Probably several flavors of daiquiris.
Tenth Doctor // David Tennant
Ten isn’t the most fun of the Doctor’s previous incarnations, but he’s pretty up there as such things go. He embraces adventure, after all, so he’ll probably be up for anything, whether it’s telling the story of the most recent new alien species he encountered or trying the new craft brewery downtown. Ten is incredibly charming and likeable, so it’s easy to imagine that he’d be a delight to talk to, about virtually any subject. He probably also has a lot of good stories – and much more of the silly, fun variety than, say, a more dour incarnation like Nine or Two.
And let’s face it – he’s also pretty dreamy looking. So it’s not going to be a serious hardship for anybody to sit next to David Tennant for a couple of hours. And his outgoing personality probably means you’ end up making more than one new friend while out and about. You may also accidentally discover some sort of secret alien artifact and end up having to run for your life.
Be warned, though, Ten is a Doctor that is somewhat given to fast-talking, full-throated monologue-ing and many extensive speeches. You might not get a word in edge-wise for a while at the pub, but watching him talk has to be fascinating. The stories this Doctor must have! He married Queen Elizabeth I, after all. And that’s only one of the stories that we know.
Booze of Choice: Something that has an umbrella in it, for sure. Something to match his look at the start of “The End of Time”, I think – as that seems like Ten as his most aggressively himself. (Even if the “carefree” attitude is a bit forced.)
Eleventh Doctor // Matt Smith
The Eleventh Doctor is a fairly complicated man that’s full of contradictions. He generally has the most carefree demeanor of any of the “New Who” Time Lord incarnations, but he also carries the weight of his own history more obviously than most. He’s old – Eleven has spent literally hundreds of years in this body – and it shows. His age has made him both kinder and stranger than some previous versions of himself. Eleven possesses a distinctly “alien” vibe. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all, but it means that occasionally your friends are going to think he’s really weird.
However, Eleven has a huge heart and is a loyal friend. His seemingly boundless empathy means that he’s always going to be there for you. And if you’re having some kind of personal crisis? Odds are, he will be completely able to relate to it whatever you’re feeling. He’s great at fixing your problems, even if he has to rewrite the history of your entire life to do so. (Just ask Kazran Sardick from Christmas special “A Christmas Carol”.)
And if you’re looking for some fun? There’s no better Doctor to have around. Eleven is willing to throw himself into ANY situation whole-heartedly. And it’s possible that he’s the only Doctor ever really embrace having a good time. Remember all that hilarious dancing at Amy and Rory’s wedding? Yeah. Eleven is definitely a fun drunk. Best guess? He’s that guy that’s going to talk everybody into doing a shot they really didn’t want, and then singing karaoke after.
Booze of Choice: Definitely something that comes in an obnoxiously bright color, and probably has some sort of straw decoration attached. It might even come in a cup shaped like some kind of silly animal. Daiquiris, mai tais or rum runners are safe bets. As far as beers go, he’s definitely a fan of some new craft blend – probably something that comes with a lot of fruit flavors built in
Next: Peter Capaldi discusses why he’s leaving Doctor Who
We don’t know yet who will play the Thirteenth Doctor when Peter Capaldi departs the TARDIS later this year. Nor do we know what Thirteen will be like, in general. But, there’s certainly a long tradition of compelling, interesting and sometimes downright bizarre Doctors before them, so pretty much anything is possible.
The new season of Doctor Who – and the final one for the Twelfth Doctor – airs Saturday nights on BBC America.