Doctor Who: David Tennant voted fans’ favourite Doctor in surprise outcome, narrowly beating Jodie Whittaker
David Tennant has been named the fan-favourite Time Lord in a poll of over 50,000 Doctor Who fans
The Scottish actor came out on top with 10,518 votes, earning over a fifth of the total number of votes cast. Jodie Whittaker, the series’ current Time Lord and the first woman to hold the iconic role, followed close behind with just 95 votes less than Tennant.
The new poll, conducted by The Radio Times, is one of the most comprehensive surveys to be carried out on the subject.
It offered fans a choice between the 13 actors who have played the Doctor throughout the series’ 57-year history, beginning with William Hartnell in 1963.
While Tennant may have earned the top spot, the actor’s father-in-law Peter Davidson, fared less favourably. Davidson portrayed the franchise’s fifth Doctor from 1981 to 1984 and was revealed to be fans’ least favourite Time Lord.
Close behind Whittaker was Peter Capaldi who came third in the poll with 8,897 votes, followed by The Crown’s Matt Smith who garnered 7,367 votes, and Tom Baker with 3,977 votes.
Huw Fullerton, RadioTimes.com’s Sci-Fi and Fantasy Editor, said of the surprise win for Tennant: “Over a decade after he left the TARDIS behind and after nearly 50,000 votes were cast, it’s clear that David Tennant is still Doctor Who fans’ perfect 10!”
The 49-year-old portrayed the 10th Doctor in the beloved BBC series between 2005 and 2010.
In this five-year period, his companions included Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate).
Poll results
1. David Tennant 10,518 / 21 per cent
2. Jodie Whittaker 10,423 / 21 per cent
3. Peter Capaldi 8,897 / 18 per cent
4. Matt Smith 7,637 / 16 per cent
5. Tom Baker 3,977 / 8 per cent
6. William Hartnell 1,983 / 4 per cent
7. Paul McGann 1,427 / 3 per cent
8. Christopher Eccleston 1,144 / 2 [er cent
9. Jon Pertwee 1,038 / 2 per cent
10. Patrick Troughton 915 / 2 per cent
11. Sylvester McCoy 462 / 1 per cent
12. Colin Baker 359 / 1 per cent
13. Peter Davison 351 / 1 per cent
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