Best 80s Doctor

Which of the 80s Doctors do you guys rate the highest? I know that quite a few members will disagree here, but I’m going for McCoy- season 26 is one of my all time favourites.

I voted Colin. He's the one I believed in the most as having a dangerous alien mind and intellect, and empirical view of time.

McCoy could be great, but sometimes his characterization could be sloppy and schizophrenic from story to story, from master manipulator to headache inducing self-effacing buffoon, and there were always those moments like his turning the tables instantly on the caretakers during his own interrogation, and Dragonfire's literal cliffhanger where I just stopped believing.

Davison was a good actor and should've been a great Doctor, but sadly as written, his Doctor was, to quote Terrance Dicks "unfit for purpose".

I’d argue that McCoy’s era goes through a transitional phase from season 24 to 25, and so does his character. I agree that his season 24 self isn’t great, mind, but he certainly hit his stride later on. Mind you, I think Colin Baker’s character changes notably from season 22 to 23 as well- he’s considerably less austere and more generic in 23, though his verbose nature is still there. To be clear- I think Colin and McCoy are both very underrated Doctors, and rate both of them higher than Davison myself.

Davison. By a mile. I liked his indecisive take on the role. It provided an interesting contrast with Jon's / Tom's more decisive interpretation.

Then Colin. Although i found his interpretation to be too boisterous and brash - overbearing, noisy, too cocksure. I did like him and Twin Dilemna was an interesting, different take on the problems that coud follow from regeneraton - voltile, even to the point of nearly strangling a companion. I just wish Davison had done that to Tegan ...

stengos wrote:Davison. By a mile. I liked his indecisive take on the role. It provided an interesting contrast with Jon's / Tom's more decisive interpretation.

I just thought it was a hollow, pointless regression of the character myself, and one that became a permission slip for (almost) worse to follow (i.e. End of Time, Arachnids).

Twin Dilemna was an interesting, different take on the problems that coud follow from regeneraton - voltile, even to the point of nearly strangling a companion. I just wish Davison had done that to Tegan ...

To be honest I do think it would've been better if Tegan and Peri could've swapped tenures, as I think Tegan would've been better suited to Colin's Doctor.

Hmmm..... Probably Colin.
Many of his stories were poor, but I like his characterisation.
Davo had much better stories on the whole, but he just lacked something for me.
Sylv's grown on me a bit, but I still find it hard to take him seriously I'm afraid.

I'd probably say Colin, even though Season 25 and 26 are my favourite Doctor Who Seasons/Series. Colin is probably the best actor to play the Doctor since Troughton, and I love his cocky persona, I just enjoy thrill-seeking personas in fiction.

McCoy is great, and as I said, I adore Season 25/26, but I'm not fond of the Cartmel Masterplan and how it was used in the VNA'S. And I do kinda think that McCoy can be one of the weakest actors to play the Doctor. He can be so over-the-top and hammy when he shouts. But he's great during quieter moments.

Davison is unfortunately one of my least favourite Doctors, and I'm counting NewWho in this as well. While there are eras which I can hate, Davison's era feels so by-the-numbers and incredibly stagnant, that I feel that it's actually worse. And Davison's Doctor is so inconsistent, and his youthful spirit wasn't used to his full potential. And as a personal side note, I'm not a fan of his bright blonde hair, I don't think a Doctor really works with bright blonde hair. Still miles better than Shittiker though

SomeCallMeEnglishGiraffe wrote:I'd probably say Colin, even though Season 25 and 26 are my favourite Doctor Who Seasons/Series. Colin is probably the best actor to play the Doctor since Troughton, and I love his cocky persona, I just enjoy thrill-seeking personas in fiction.

McCoy is great, and as I said, I adore Season 25/26, but I'm not fond of the Cartmel Masterplan and how it was used in the VNA'S. And I do kinda think that McCoy can be one of the weakest actors to play the Doctor. He can be so over-the-top and hammy when he shouts. But he's great during quieter moments.

Davison is unfortunately one of my least favourite Doctors, and I'm counting NewWho in this as well. While there are eras which I can hate, Davison's era feels so by-the-numbers and incredibly stagnant, that I feel that it's actually worse. And Davison's Doctor is so inconsistent, and his youthful spirit wasn't used to his full potential. And as a personal side note, I'm not a fan of his bright blonde hair, I don't think a Doctor really works with bright blonde hair. Still miles better than Shittiker though

There is a verbose and Shakespearean quality to Colin’s Doctor that I love, and he does come across as refreshingly lively after the rather stoic nature of Davison’s Doctor. And based on what I’ve experienced on BF, he’s the best audio Doctor as well.

I’ll agree that McCoy does come across as occasionally unconvincing during his louder moments, but there is a curious otherness and sinister nature to his Doctor (and his performance for much of his era) unseen in the other 80s Doctors which puts him higher. I’ve not experienced the NA’s (though I’ve heard from certain sources that they’re crap), but what exactly transpires in them which drags down the Cartmel Masterplan? I’ve heard a line written by Cornell in ‘Love and War’ which suggests that McCoy’s Doctor deliberately killed his sixth incarnation (the line about ‘sacrificing the jester’), which doesn’t fill me with assurance.

I still enjoy Davison’s era on the whole, and find that he does convey the rather aged nature of the character quite well in spite of his age, though his era is my least favourite of the original run partly for the reasons you mention. It is by far the least pronounced and distinguished era of the original series, and doesn’t have too much of an identity. Although The Caves Of Androzani is an undeniably superlative piece of TV.

Sylvester for me.

i mean evereone on GB says dr who was shit in the 80s so i never saw it but Coln Bacer supports my girl Jodie so he gets my voat LOL even tho he = a straight white male who never should of bin cast as the docter    



PETER DAVIDSON IS FUCKIGN DISCUSTING          

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-peter-davison-colin-baker-casting-fight-criticism-a7853351.html

IN THE NAME OF TOLORENCE I HOPE THIS BIGOTED PEIVE OF SHIT FUKCING DIES A SLOW PAINFULL DEATH !!!!!!!111          

and like who even cares about solvestor mack-koy ??? only man baby NERDS lol !

SomeCallMeEnglishGiraffe wrote:Davison's Doctor is so inconsistent, and his youthful spirit wasn't used to his full potential. And as a personal side note, I'm not a fan of his bright blonde hair, I don't think a Doctor really works with bright blonde hair. Still miles better than Shittiker though

I dunno. Judging by both Doctor's worst nadirs, I still think Warriors of the Deep as a story and a character definer for the Doctor was, and remains, miles worse than anything featuring Jodie's Doctor.

#BeKind wrote:i mean evereone on GB says dr who was shit in the 80s so i never saw it but Coln Bacer supports my girl Jodie so he gets my voat LOL even tho he = a straight white male who never should of bin cast as the docter    



PETER DAVIDSON IS FUCKIGN DISCUSTING          

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-peter-davison-colin-baker-casting-fight-criticism-a7853351.html

IN THE NAME OF TOLORENCE I HOPE THIS BIGOTED PEIVE OF SHIT FUKCING DIES A SLOW PAINFULL DEATH !!!!!!!111          

and like who even cares about solvestor mack-koy ??? only man baby NERDS lol !

Solvester Mack-koy was against a female Doctor too.

I generally tend to avoid picking faves out of the 80s Docs as I feel they were all great, but sometimes let down by JNT's more barmy decisions. (Like the question mark outfits.)

Still if I had to it would probably be Sylvester. His stories were the best, and he had the best companion of the entire 80s with Ace. In terms of his performance meanwhile, McCoy had more authority and was more naturally eccentric than Davison, but had a more whimsical side than Colin.

His darker side was more subtle. He did ruthless things, but they had a purpose. He wasn't needlessly rude like Colin sometimes could be.

The only area McCoy suffered acting wise was anger. It was like Jon Pertwee with pain. (Even though he is my fave Doctor, Pertwee can NOT do pain acting to safe his life. He always pulls the most ridiculous expressions. Look at the bit where the Silurians shoot him for instance.)

burrunjor wrote:I generally tend to avoid picking faves out of the 80s Docs as I feel they were all great, but sometimes let down by JNT's more barmy decisions. (Like the question mark outfits.)

Still if I had to it would probably be Sylvester. His stories were the best, his companion Ace was the best, and he had more authority and more naturally eccentric than Davison, but a more whimsical side than Colin.

The only area McCoy suffered acting wise was anger. It was like Jon Pertwee with pain. Even though he is my fave actor, Pertwee can NOT do pain acting to safe his life. He always pulls the most ridiculous expressions. Look at the bit where the Silurians shoot him for instance.

Or the scene in Terror of the Autons when the installed cable strangles him. It’s strange, because Pertwee’s Doctor is by far the most conventionally serious, yet he resorts to the most comical facial expressions when being tortured.

In all seriousness, I love Pertwee as well, so this is no indictment. McCoy’s attempts at anger are rather dodgy, especially in Battlefield, though I think people don’t give him enough credit and recognise the sheer otherness and distanced nature of his Doctor and performance for much of his era. I like all of the 80s Doctor as well, and enjoy every era of Classic Who to varying degrees, so there’s something else we agree with.

To divert the subject a little, might I ask (given that I’m not as familiar here with all the members) if anyone knows who ‘#BeKind’ actually is?

Bernard Marx wrote:To divert the subject a little, might I ask (given that I’m not as familiar here with all the members) if anyone knows who ‘#BeKind’ actually is?

Full mods' disclosure: We don't know.

Their IP links them to a few other parody accounts, past and present, but not to any actual full-time members.

Either they're a peripheral lurker member, or one of the main members here has a very good VPN installed.

Ah- thanks for the clarification!

It isn't me. I don't even know how to work a VBM or whatever you call it.

Sylv, easily.