I have a theory, the current doctor when you started watching is your favorite doctor. Would this apply to you?

Excelston was my first but I feel like the show really hit its stride with Smith and Tenant and theyre sort fo tied for my favorites

Eccleston is when I started watching, but Tennant is absolutely my favourite with Smith as a second place.

Started in 2005 with the reboot, and while I love Eccleston in the role my top 3 would be: Capaldi, McCoy, Smith, in that order.

I started with Eccelston and would say Tennant is my favorite, but Smith follows very closely.

I have a weird problem. I start out not liking the new Doctor, but by the time they switch, they have become my favorite. Every time.

I absolutely hated Capaldi at first, but after the infinite loop prison episode, I couldn't imagine any other person ever being the doctor again.

Now I feel the same way about Jodie. She was such a fun Doctor that I'm actually sad to see Tennent back.

Started watching before Tom Baker's Dr. Who, but it only clicked when he became the doctor for me.

I think this applies to a lot of people, but I don't like to pick a favourite, especially after listening to Big Finish stuff, coz each Doctor has their own quirks and whenever I try and settle on a choice, I get conflicted. If you forced me to pick thought I would say 4

Nope, started with eccelston and my fav ended up being Capaldi.

Nope, started with Eccleston and my favorite is Tennant with Smith a close second.

I'm ancient and started watching during the gap between the end of McCoy/Classic Who and the beginning of Eccleston/NuWho. I wound up watching a completely random selection of the 4th through 7th Doctors because that was what got played on PBS (KQED and KTEH ftw). The 4th Doctor was definitely my favorite and still is, simply because he really feels alien moreso than any of the other Doctors, to me anyway. Not that I don't greatly appreciate the others - especially Matt Smith, who's the most "fun" of all the Doctors IMO - but when I think The Doctor I still think of Tom Baker.

Also the 3rd Doctor was surprisingly badass and I think is my #3 favorite, surprisingly.

The first Doctor I saw was Pertwee, but Tennant is my favorite. Being a life-long fan, he brought such enthusiasm to the part, and was just completely amazing. I'm hopeful that Gatwa is going to wind up a favorite too, as RTD knows how to pick a great Doctor.

Started with eccleston, but tennent is by far my favorite. It’s a matter of writing also though ~because when they brought eccleston back for that special he seemed to do much better than during his season. ~

Edit: totally hallucinated eccleston returning in a special. He specifically did not

I was introduced to Doctor Who by my brother with the Clara Intro Snowman episode. I was thoroughly confused and didn't like it. Tried getting back into it a year or so later, starting from Eccleston, and still didn't like it. Once i got to Tennant, i was hooked though.

I normally like Tennant and Smith the best, so I don't fit this pattern.

Doesn't apply to me. Pretty sure Tom Baker was my first Doctor (via PBS reruns). Of the pre-2005 series Jon Pertwee was my favorite.

When nuWho started I was there from the start with Eccleston, but Tennant is my favorite.

Mine is Sylvester McCoy, and he wasn't the first Doctor I saw, but he was the Doctor when the show sort of 'clicked' for me and I got properly into it if that makes sense.

When I was a kid, my introduction was Tom Baker. For whatever reason Doctor Who scared me. As an adult I've tried watching Tom Baker Doctor Who and while I think he's hilarious and Douglas Adams' writing is also hilarious, it's not my favorite. I'm not sure why David Tennant is so loved but I'm in that camp, yes.

No. Started watching during Eccleston's run and Tennant is my favourite. Eccleston is my second favourite, though. Shame he only got the one season.

I started out with Eccleston, but have a bit of a soft spot for Capaldi.

On the other hand, I've actually sought out other things that David Tennant has been in to watch, and I've not done that for Capaldi...

Started watching the year when Tennant was doc. But I went in starting at the beginning with literally no knowledge of what dr who was. Watched all the way through Peter Capaldi and solidly thought, "Eccleston is the best doc, but I like Capaldi the most". Then, rewatched it with my current partner, who very much liked and still likes Tennant the best, and I literally cannot decide. I now have an entirely new appreciation for Smith, and I think he did an EXCELLENT job.

They're all insanely appropriate for their state of character development of the doctor in phases of personal growth and grieving, including Whittaker.

Tl;dr: No. I think it depends on where you are in your life and if it resonates with how the doctor is, not who's playing the doctor.

The doctor when I started watching was Peter Davidson. Who was fine. But for myself I enjoyed Tom Baker and a lot of the stories he was in most. New Who Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi were all up there. Each really bringing something to the series and having a number of good arcs.

A lot do love their first Doctor. I'm old school and started watching as a tiny kid and it was Jon Pertwee. I love Tom Baker but Peter Davison became Doctor right when my teen hormones hit so he's my favourite Classic Doctor! Peter Capaldi is my favourite Nu Who Doctor.

Tom Baker was my first and remains my favorite, so much so I actually cried when he appeared as the curator. For me it was a really emotional moment, stupid I know but it was like a direct road back to my childhood which for me , luckily was a largely happy time.

Started with Nine but his one season felt like an intro to Doctor Who. Ten became way too over the top and exhausting for me. Eleven came in and immediately I knew, this was My Doctor. He was fun, zany and had that thrill of adventure and optimism. But also could be terrifying, quiet and sadly understanding of reality.

The others after that just never clicked in the same way for me. For me, the sense of fun and wonder was what drew me to Doctor Who.

I've only watched a few seasons starting with Smith and yeah, he is definitely who the doctor is in my mind.

Nope, Smith is my favorite and I started with Tennant (although Tennant is still very much my second favorite)

Capaldi was my first and favourite doctor for a while, but recently it has been a tie between him and Eccleston. I love Colin Baker's performance too, but I haven't managed to watch all his episodes.

Nope. While I'm OK with excelston I prefer tenant, Capaldi, Smith, jodi over him. And really my first doctor was from the movie and well that was a bad introduction to dr.who... they all needed getting used to though as they all looked kinda goofy lol.

I started with C. Eccleston and honestly he's definitely up there even if I'm more into PCaps and C. Baker lately

The pattern does not hold for me.

When I started watching it was on PBS in the United States in the 1980s, and they showed the Doctors in mixed-up order. The Doctor who first caught my eye was Tom Baker, the most popular by far among US viewers and also the one most likely to turn up in the reruns simply because they were rebroadcasting (mostly) stuff from the color era; I loved the grinning madman with jellybabies and scarf with the blasts of Douglas Adams humor. However, when I grew to have a truly favorite Doctor I realized I was a Colin Baker fan and still am.

Nope. Started with Eccelston but Capaldi is my favourite.

Neither me nor my son. I started with the reboot and didn't like the first doctor, and loved matt Smith. My son adores Christopher and got into it the same order.

I started with Eccelston and Matt Smith is my favorite, but I do think Tennant had better stories for the most part. But Tennant is definitely my least favorite of the ones I've seen (up through most of Capaldi's run). He's just too human and whiney, especially later in his run.

This wouldn't apply at all, sorry.

It's hard to pick a favorite. Technically the first Doctor I watched was Eccelston, but I don't really count him as first since I was catching bits and pieces of an episode while sick with the flu or something. Tennant was my first, proper introduction to Doctor Who and I worked back from there. I still enjoy Tennant's Doctor a lot, but I wouldn't necessarily say he's my favorite. If I had to pick one I'd have to go with Capaldi. Maybe I just liked the novelty of an "older" Doctor after Tennant and Smith, but he did have some great moments during his run.

No, but I'm in a somewhat unusual situation. I'm an American fan who was introduced to the show right at the tail end of the classic era. I'd seen one or two serials that my aunt had taped off of our local PBS affiliate (IIRC, The Five Doctors and Revelation of the Daleks were among them), but the first serial I saw as someone with an active interest in the show was the regional premiere of Battlefield, followed that same night by the premiere of Ghost Light (the PBS station in question showed omnibus movie format versions and had doubled up the season 26 stories to get through them in two weeks). So, by that metric, my "first" Doctor was Seven.

But it's not that simple, because I was technically within broadcast range of two PBS stations, one that aired the show late night on Saturdays, and the other that aired them late night on Sundays. And the very next day after seeing that Seven double feature, the other station was airing a One story, and jumped around semi-randomly after that. And, after the first station got through season 26 in those two weeks, they cycled back around and started showing the extant complete One stories, starting with An Unearthly Child. So I have a fair bit of association with the first Doctor, as well.

Initially, I guess I was a fan of both One and Seven, and they were at least near the top of my list. But being a fan in the wilderness years wasn't really as straightforward as all that. The closest I had to a "current" Doctor was Seven, especially since I avidly followed the New Adventures novels when they started releasing a year or two after that, but there was never a time when I wasn't also flitting around and watching other Doctors as they aired on PBS, or as the VHS releases came out, or (eventually) as the Missing/Past Doctor Adventures novels were published. If pushed, I might have named either One or Seven as my favorite, but I might have also named Five or Six, and I never considered them my firsts.

In any case, that was a long time ago, and even if I had felt that way at the time the revived show has given me additional options, and I'm pretty confident in saying that Twelve is my favorite nowadays, with Eleven ranking pretty highly (on par with One, Five, Six, and Seven, at least) as well. 🤷

I mean, I love Tom Baker, but Sylvester McCoy will always have a very soft spot in my heart, as he was my first.

doesn't apply for me! I started watching with the 9th and my favourite is the 11th

Started with Tennant, love Tennant.

Oooh that's a tough one. I just never got into the original Doctor Who series, but happened to catch the new run while I was laid up. Tennant's episodes were playing at the time, and it got me completely hooked. I ended up going back and working through all the new episodes and by the time I finished that, Smith was just wrapping up. But Capaldi... damn I loved his acting, he was just so dramatic and I was really sad to see him leave the show. For me it would be a tough choice to select between Tennant and Capaldi.

My first was technically Tenant, the Pompei episode. Just felt weird to me. Didn't try the show again until Moffat & Smith's Eleventh Hour, and fell in love instantly.

Yes... and no. We started with 9 and while 9 is my favorite, my wife totally adores 10

I started watching while Matt Smith was the current Doctor. However, I watched starting with the 9th Doctor and watched the seasons in order. Tenant’s 10th Doctor is and forever will be my favorite though.

That all said, it’s been a while since I actually watched any of Doctor Who. Watched into early Capaldi and then kinda fell off.

Holds for me. Started with 9, still stan 9.

Nah, started with Eccleston, Jodie Whittaker is my favourite by far.

Started with Tom Baker and yeah, he's my favorite. Tennant is a close second though.

I'm worse: Whichever Doctor I watched most recently is likely to be my current favorite, if asked.

I love all the Nu-Who Doctors for different reasons. The fact that there are so many takes on the same character is just fun.

Stated while Smith was in his last season, I'm a tenant girly through and through.

He did an interview show where he got up and told everyone that everything was gonna be okay, and even with his natural brogue it felt like the doctor saying it. The man was born to play the doctor

Started with Tennant, dropped the show at the end of Smith's run from the burnout, then came back ten years later only to realize Capaldi's my favourite.

I think the break had a lot to do with me reevaluating the show in general though, my tastes have changed.

Whenever I use a cordless electric screwdriver I hum 11's tune.

This is like choosing a favorite child, I love them all. I did start with Eccleston and followed the new series from there. For me 10 is still my favorite, with 12 close behind. Haven't watched 13 yet but starting on Jodies series now to catch up for the 60th anniversary.

No. Although I love the Fourth Doctor, it's the Eighth Doctor that I've enjoyed the most (in books and audios of course).

I wonder if there's a difference between younger and older fans? Younger fans, who've only seen the rebooted show, seem to have an affection for "their" first Doctor.

If I'm honest, these days I find myself thinking about the Doctor as THE Doctor rather than get caught up with any one incarnation. I tend to like particular adventures rather than particular personalities. Some adventures have been great, others less so. I tend to prefer classic Who to the reboot and like stories told over a number of episodes rather than "done-in-ones".

I started watching with 11, but my favourite is 12. 7 and 3 come closely behind. And Big Finish 6. You know what? I love nearly all of them with a few exceptions.

As a child that was the case for me, Tennant was what really captivated 12 year-old me back in the day. But now I have kinda gravitated toward a few.

2, 6 (in Big Finish), 7, 8 and 10 are my favourites out of all of them.

Nah, started with Eccleston, but Tennant is the best Doctor.

Nope. 4 was my first, faves are 12, 2 & 5. Hubs first was 9, but 10 is his Doctor.

This does apply to me. Eccleston was my first and always will be my fav, can't beat the leather jacket. I should give the newer docs a chance, didn't make it through smiths run. And watch classic who too at some point!

Started with Tennant and I like them all and so my SO share the same sentiment. We both think that Eccelston was a good choice for first rebooted series and he could roll into at least 1 more season. We both think that Tennant took the lead perfectly and bring show to the masses. We also agree that Smith was a good follow up paired with Moffat crazy ideas, and that Capaldi had his tenure most of the time hijacked by Clara due to trends that started to appear in the media. We both weren't that much interested Chibnall series because show changed too much, while Whittaker's 13th tried to be like Tennnant's 10th. That completely didn't fit this more dark and down to earth theatrical-big screen-streaming style of DW. We had nothing against female Doctor - we didn't liked the producer who clearly works better around drama series.

I started from the beginning when they ran reruns prior to New Who. My favourite is Pertwee, then Tennant. Does not apply.

Started with classic Who as a kid -- but that was a long time ago, so I can't really be certain which Doctor was my first. Tom Baker will always be my favorite classic Dr, but honestly, Matt Smith has probably replaced him as my all-time favorite. I particularly enjoyed the dynamics between Smith, Karen Gillian (as Amy) and Arthur Darvill (as Rory) and the various long-running plots that came from their seasons.

I also greatly enjoy stumbling upon a former Dr Who actor/actress in a non-Dr Who role, like Tennent showing up as Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter or Gillian as Nebula in Guardians. That kind of thing always makes me smile broadly.

I think my main initial intro was Baker as a kid, but overall Peter Davidson, especially from old Who.

New Who centric, Capaldi 1000% it's a damn shame he got jerked around through all the transitioning and couldn't get good writing to save his life. Same with Jodie, I think she'd make a killer doctor actually but the writing's just been total garbo. Even the most extreme lib "we should all be loud all the time" type people I know were just like "JFC we get it SHUT UP ALREADY AND BE A TV SHOW" lmao

Your theory kiiiiinda works for me. I started watching Classic Who, and the actor I started with is my favourite - Tom Baker.

I've been watching Nu Who from the beginning, and my favourite out of those actors is Peter Capaldi.