Doctor Who Poll Crowns David Tennant Best Doctor, Jodie Whittaker A Close Second

A new Doctor Who poll that set to find out who the most popular Doctor ever is has returned both some expected and unexpected results. RadioTimes.com ran the poll, which reportedly brought in around 50,000 votes, and now the final figures are back and Whovians everywhere have declared that David Tennant is the greatest incarnation of the Time Lord.

This isn’t much of a surprise, as the Scottish actor has managed to hold on to his widely popular status over the last ten years since he bowed out of the role on New Year’s Day 2010, nearly always coming out on top in polls of this type. Second place, however, is much more of a shock. Current Doctor Jodie Whittaker – whose era has been hugely divisive – was hot on Tennant’s heels, as he gained 10,518 votes while Whittaker brought in 10,423.

The Doctors who came in between Tennant and Whittaker occupy the third and fourth spots. Peter Capaldi won 8,876 votes to get the bronze, while his predecessor Matt Smith earned fourth with 7,637. Tom Baker then closed out the top five with 3,977. Similar to Tennant’s status in the modern era, Baker has long been seen as the best classic Doctor.

Here are the full results:

1) David Tennant 10,518 / 21%

2) Jodie Whittaker 10,423 / 21%

3) Peter Capaldi 8,897 / 18%

4) Matt Smith 7,637 / 16%

5) Tom Baker 3,977 / 8%

6) William Hartnell 1,983 / 4%

7) Paul McGann 1,427 / 3%

8) Christopher Eccleston 1,144 / 2%

9) Jon Pertwee 1,038 / 2%

10) Patrick Troughton 915 / 2%

11) Sylvester McCoy 462 / 1%

12) Colin Baker 359 / 1%

13) Peter Davison 351 / 1%

Given the amount of backlash – some of it sadly sexist in nature – that the Thirteenth Doctor’s era has received, it’s heartening to see the actress’ incarnation of the hero do so well here. Of course, in polls like these, it’s probably not unusual for the current Doctor to get a lot of votes, seeing as they’re the one with the most exposure, and it’ll be very interesting in a few years’ time, once Whittaker has left the show, to see how she fares.

Of course, Tennant continues to voice the Doctor in official audio dramas for Big Finish Productions, while Jodie returns to TV for the next Doctor Who winter special, titled “Revolution of the Daleks,” sometime over the 2020/2021 festive season.