Best 60s Doctor

The 60s are an often overlooked era of the programme (at least when compared to the 70s), but which of the 60s Doctors was the superior incarnation or had the better era?

Difficult but on balance I would opt for Hartnell. He's yer cantankerous, moody grandad not giving a shit what other people think.

Not to downplay Troughton' contribution though. He is excellent in Power of the Daleks, Web of Fear, Moonbase and Tomb.

I adore both Doctors, and think that Hartnell is brilliant for the reasons you mention, but I personally gravitate more towards Troughton’s Doctor and era primarily for subjective reasons, and so voted for Troughton.

Bernard Marx wrote:I adore both Doctors, and think that Hartnell is brilliant for the reasons you mention, but I personally gravitate more towards Troughton’s Doctor and era primarily for subjective reasons, and so voted for Troughton.

My only problem with Troughton is that so many of his stories are missing and of the surviving episodes a fair few of them i don't like - e.g., Krotons, Dominators. But as i say there are the brilliat ones that have survived.

Troughton, but I grant that's down to the fact the format of the show had become more tried and tested for its best successes by then, whereas with Hartnell it was still all largely a shot in the dark.

Hartnell for me.
I tend to prefer the Troughton era stories, but I prefer Hartnell's Doctor.
Hard to put a finger on exactly why, except that I'm not so keen on Troughton's whimsical side. I like both Hartnell's earlier cantankerous approach, whilst his later grandfatherly moments are heartwarming.

BOTH TEH WORST SO CALED DOCTOERS OF ALLTIME BUT WILIEM HEARTHNEL LITRALLY THREATENED TO SEXUALLY ASSAULT LGBTQQIAAP WOMAN OF COLOR IN TIWCE UPON A TIME !!!¬!!!!!!!!111 SO IS OBVIUSLY FUCKING WORSE IM GLAD HES DAED

I find it very difficult to choose now. Would have been Hartnell a few years back, but the 2013 finds and new animations have really started to shoot Troughton further up my list now.

iank wrote:I find it very difficult to choose now. Would have been Hartnell a few years back, but the 2013 finds and new animations have really started to shoot Troughton further up my list now.

For me, it’s esssntially the reverse. I used to prefer Troughton by a certain distance, but have come to appreciate how bloody good Hartnell’s era is recently, especially after commiting myself a year back to experiencing his entire era in order (including the missing stories). I found it hard to choose myself, but basically opted for Troughton based on instinct.

I reckon Troughton was best - I might be biased because thanks to The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors, Patrick enjoyed rather more exposure so to speak than William ever got to. It's purely personal preference anyway since it's so hard to choose between them because they were both bloody brilliant. It's so hard to pick one in fact that I'll select Cushing instead.

I love the seventh doctor wink there

I would say troughton by a hair William hartnell was bloody amazing too though!

Sylvester and Matt both emulated the second doctor too.

I really, really like both. I've gone for Hartnell but it's very close.

My favourite 60s Doctor is Hartnell. His character is just so three dimensional. He can be magnetic at times – for example when he confronts Bennett, or the way he toys with the Meddling Monk. His portrayal defies stereotyping – every time he is pigeonholed, you can find examples of him being something else. For example, “grumpy” and “bad tempered” are the boring adjectives used by viewers who have not really immersed themselves in his stories. There are many times when he laughs and is very tolerant. And a lot of his companions understand him in a way he does not even understand himself (especially the wonderful Vicky).
There is also an element of danger about him, which I think only Tom Baker could convey as well. Verity Lambert commented on that. Hartnell was an exceptionally gifted actor, and it is not quite as recognised as much as Troughton’s acting ability. The original Doctor almost seems the template for Nathan-Turner’s idea about the Sixth Doctor. Like an onion constantly being peeled to reveal more subtle details and fascinating depths. His magical portrayal has stood the test of time. Troughton’s Doctor is loved by almost everyone. Hartnell’s is a bit more ignored, but it’s waiting for the discerning viewers who can, to their delight, suddenly discover a multifaceted gem that never ceases to fascinate and entertain in a very memorable way. Wonderful.

I do hate it when people refer to Hartnell’s Doctor as ‘cold’- if you look at Hartnell in season 2, and how he treats and interacts with Vicki and the rest of the Tardis crew, he’s as far from cold as one can get. He was just a naturally complex character, which I suppose is too much to contemplate to those who dismiss his multi-faceted Doctor and praise New Who (a prime example being Steven Moffat). I think Hartnell is superb, and is certainly in my top 3 Doctors, though I regard Troughton to a marginally higher extent.

Bernard Marx wrote:I do hate it when people refer to Hartnell’s Doctor as ‘cold’- if you look at Hartnell in season 2, and how he treats and interacts with Vicki and the rest of the Tardis crew, he’s as far from cold as one can get. He was just a naturally complex character, which I suppose is too much to contemplate to those who dismiss his multi-faceted Doctor and praise New Who (a prime example being Steven Moffat). I think Hartnell is superb, and is certainly in my top 3 Doctors, though I regard Troughton to a marginally higher extent.

I have to ask, and apologies if you have said elsewhere on this forum countless times before ...

Who else is in your top 3? I am guessing either Jodie or Tenant but one never knows ...



I felt especially annoyed when i read the NZ fanclub interviews with Moffat in which he criticised Hartnell for forgetting his lines during filming. I don't work in the tv industry so i could be talking out of my arse but it seems to me forgetting lines isn't that uncommon. Hartnell's misfortune was that he worked in an age when film editing techniques were not as sophisticated as they are today and so he had to recover on screen. Today actors can rely on the director to cut and refilm the mistake until the actor gets his line right (within reason).

The other thing is I have always felt Hartnell recovered really well in these instances and when it happened it never really impaired my enjoyment of a story. Unlike trying to follow one of Moffat's ludicrous plots.

#BeKind wrote:BOTH TEH WORST SO CALED DOCTOERS OF ALLTIME BUT WILIEM HEARTHNEL LITRALLY THREATENED TO SEXUALLY ASSAULT LGBTQQIAAP WOMAN OF COLOR IN TIWCE UPON A TIME !!!¬!!!!!!!!111[/b] :evil:SO IS OBVIUSLY FUCKING WORSE IM GLAD HES DAED

I know its a parody account but isnt that going a bit far?

Ah- here’s how I’d rank the Doctors:
1) Tom Baker
2) Patrick Troughton
3) William Hartnell
4) Jon Pertwee
5) Sylvester McCoy (Maxil will not be pleased with where I’ve put him)
6) Colin Baker
7) Matt Smith/Peter Davison (yeah- I assume it’ll be seen as sacrilege for me to place a New Who Doctor in the same light as a classic one, but at the best of times, I’d rate Smith as highly as quite a few of the classic ones- he’s just undermined by the New Who-isms and series 7).
9) Paul McGann (he’d probably be higher if he actually had a longer run on TV)
10) Peter Capaldi (his era’s shit, but I like his Doctor more than the RTD ones)
11) John Hurt
12) Christopher Eccleston
13) David Tennant




14) Jodie Pisstaker

I'd pretty much agree with that, except I'd rank Sylv higher.

It is ok you ranked sylv in fifth place still not a bad placement He is my favorite so I rank him number 1.

Bernard Marx wrote:Ah- here’s how I’d rank the Doctors:
1) Tom Baker
2) Patrick Troughton
3) William Hartnell
4) Jon Pertwee
5) Sylvester McCoy (Maxil will not be pleased with where I’ve put him)
6) Colin Baker
7) Matt Smith/Peter Davison (yeah- I assume it’ll be seen as sacrilege for me to place a New Who Doctor in the same light as a classic one, but at the best of times, I’d rate Smith as highly as quite a few of the classic ones- he’s just undermined by the New Who-isms and series 7).
9) Paul McGann (he’d probably be higher if he actually had a longer run on TV)
10) Peter Capaldi (his era’s shit, but I like his Doctor more than the RTD ones)
11) John Hurt
12) Christopher Eccleston
13) David Tennant




14) Jodie Pisstaker

Cool ranking, I'd generally agree with this, my ranking is this:

1) Paul McGann
2) Jon Pertwee
3) William Hartnell
4) Patrick Troughton
5) Colin Baker
6) David Tennant (on a subjective point of view)
7) Sylvester McCoy
Matt Smith
9) Tom Baker
10) Christopher Eccleston
11) Peter Capaldi
12) Peter Davison
13) John Hurt


14) Jodie Shittiker

David tennant is a pretty good actor just watched him in the escape artist playing a barrister who's wife is murdered.

Doctor7 wrote:David tennant is a pretty good actor just watched him in the escape artist playing a barrister who's wife is murdered.

I enjoyed that too. And Tennant was excellent in it.

I think with the right showrunner he could be a good doctor.