Culturess’ Official Ranking of Doctors in Doctor Who
By Ani Bundel
Image via BBC
3. Twelfth Doctor: Peter Capaldi
And now for the man who bumped poor Peter Davison out of the Top Five. But you know what? To me, he’s earned it. Capaldi is the oldest actor to take the role of the Doctor, as old as Hartnell back fifty years ago. In some ways, the difference between the two actors at this age shows how much our society has changed. Hartnell played the Doctor as an old man, and looked like an old man. Capaldi looks like an old school punk rocker turned serious in his graying years, but still as spry and energetic, and could easily knock your ass out in a mosh pit.
But it’s not just the look. It’s the performance. Even when Moffat’s writing has not been up to par, Capaldi’s seasoned years and deep nuanced performance has taken the material far higher than it has any right to go. His ability has challenged Moffat to write better, to be less sloppy, and give the man material he’s worthy of. The result was that the rebooted Season 9 (or Series 35 is you prefer) has been, in my opinion, the best overall season of Doctor Who since the reboot and perhaps since the show began all the way back in 1963.
Yeah, I said that. Fight me.