Obviously the most obvious one is the 2nd Doctor, we never really found out much about him and kinda wished Pat had done another year on earth in colour.

Obviously I wanted to see more of the 6th Doctor too but for more recent ones Id say 11th Doctor. Id love to have seen Matt do another year or possibly even tie with Tom's record. I know alot of fans felt the show was becoming the David tennant show but I dont think we ever got that far with Matt. So many layers on his Doctor id have loved to seen.

Would have been interesting to see how Christopher Ecclestone would have grown into the part into a second and maybe third year. Was also thinking about adding my favorite doctor Patrick Troughton but I wonder if the transition to colour would have reduced his mystique in the part.

Pat was burnt out by the time he left so he couldn't possibly have continued. Gutted peter Davison left when he did however if he had got the same rubbish Colin baker got then he was right to leave. Off course the doctor we would all like to have seen more of was Paul Mcgann.

Christopher Ecclescakes.

McCoy, I guess. The brief Seasons 25-26 showed he was actually a pretty good Doctor but the show was cancelled after that. My favourite Doctors were either in the show for quite a handful of years (Pertwee and T. Baker) or at a time when the series were much lengthier (Troughton) and so I don't feel they really needed any longer.

If Capaldi leaves after Series 10, though, I would put him on top of the list.

As said, it would have been good to see how Eccleston would have developed had he stayed on longer, as he never had enough time to settle into the role. His was a much better written character than his successor's and could have spared some of the eye-rolling moments of Series 2.

Obviously for me it would be Peter Davison, think maybe one more Season with him would have felt for me he stayed a reasonable while as it seemed he was in the role for no time at all.

I think if he had got some of Colin Baker's stories, which aren't all rubbish imo, then they would have had a different feel about them as he wasn't such a violent Doctor.

Colin Baker is definitely a Doctor I would have liked to have seen more of in hindsight, rather than at the time, as I feel there was a lot of progression to be had in his Doctor. That transition from the nasty Twin Dilemma Doctor to a more agreeable one as in Season 23 and then onto what he's now become in the Big Finish Audio's, that would have been some journey and who knows, he may have become a more popular Doctor in his own right if he'd had the time to make that full transition.

McCoy I would have liked to stay one more Season, not because of any character progression(as that had already been addressed come Season 26) but because I do feel there was some improvement in that last Season and it would have been interesting to see where it would have gone from there.

The big one would be Paul McGann. Definitely would have loved at least three Seasons with him in the role. Think he would have been awesome!


Of the other Doctors, felt they all stayed long enough. I'm not a fan of Eccleston's Doctor, so one Series was enough for me. As for Troughton, I love his Doctor, but always felt that maybe the show needed a total reboot when it went into colour and even though I don't like the exile format or Pertwee's Doctor that much, I don't think that it would have worked with the same Doctor. It needed to be totally new.

Smith and Tennant could have both easily stayed another yr..and would not made a lick of difference on any future career.

Peter Davison the obvious one for me. His best performance was his last one in the Caves of Androzani, it would have been nice to see how the early promise of him and Peri would have faired for another few stories.
His performances in stories I liked and didn't like so much in his last season, were all of a level of performance where he was impressing me with the feeling he brought to it.

Eccleston. But then I don't think he would have suited the overall lighter tone of series 2.

Matt Smith. Would have liked him to stay on but with a different show runner.

Eccleston for me too, I've always thought it was a crying shame that he only did one series, as he was a brilliant Doctor IMO, and so much more could have been done with his character.
Paul McGann is a given too, as he was the best thing about the TV Movie, and I would have loved to see him do a proper series.

Eccleston easily. Superb Doctor, and for me it's taken until Series 9 to find a Doctor I think may have outdone him (bravo Capaldi). There's a certain charm to Series 1 that is the result of his departure, and The Parting of the Ways remains my favourite episode of the show - but if it meant we had another year of him then I'd happily take one!

I used to think Matt Smith deserved another year as his departure felt oddly abrupt for some reason. But I think it's down to the writing really and he was poorly served - it reached a point where no matter how much longer he stayed the damage had been done and his Doctor was too much a caricature of himself. A shame as Matt himself was superb.

Matt Smith for me. I am still pining to be honest. I actually quite liked his Moffat eps because his lightness worked well with the darker tones of Moffat's approach. It was a useful contrast. But I agree it would have been interesting to see him at work with another showrunner in a different context and Matt seems really versatile.

Matt Smith with a different show runner is my "wish" as well. He could have possibly been the best Doctor of all with half decent scripts. On the other hand, Capaldi, who I was so looking forward to, has been a massive disappointment and the sooner he goes the better.

Totally agree with this, apart from the Capaldi bit!

Even though I wanted Chris to stay on longer I felt. It was nice character progression and really really sweet how he sacrificed his life to save his best friend Rose's life. At first he was so angry and filled with vengence and spite but then Rose changed him he started to laugh again and after the Time War it felt nice for him to have someone stand b him through thick and thin again, someone who didn't want to leave in the end to start a new life without him.

And in the end he repaid her back and on that Game station became Born Again, because of her, and their relationship just grew. Series 1 is definitely up there as one of my favourite Series of New Who.

Hartnell-fine as is
Troughton- could be done with another season
Pertwee- maybe a season too long as his last season was his worst for me
T. Baker- stayed 2 seasons too long imop
Davison- another season would be great
C.baker- absolutely. Thank goodness for big finish
McCoy- yes but he would have left during his fourth season so it would have been a long extension of what we got
McGann- absolutely. Big finish does him good though
War- absolutely
Eclestone- 2 more seasons at least
Tennant. Should have left after journey's end
Smith- I'm fine with what we got

Yes, agree 100%. It was such a shame how Colin was treated - first that appalling misstep with his costume and then the decision to suspend the show for 18 months right in the middle of his (very successful) first season. When the show came back, there were half as many episodes and then he was sacked. Terrible, just terrible.

I do enjoy his episodes enormously but I don't feel the quality of the writing is particularly good during this period and, in particular, how his Doctor was written for. Why on earth make a Doctor dislikeable? It's just bonkers.

The softening of his character in season 23 (and much improved relationship with Peri) was lovely. And, as you say, thank goodness for Big Finish. But I would have loved to have seen another season of him with Mel in a new costume and with some better writing.

I honestly do not get this assessment at all? A consistently written character is called a caricature? You need consistency with the Doctor. I'm no fan of this multi-layered approach to the point where things just change to suit the story (which is how I see Capaldi going - he's not consistently written). For me, the Doctor's personality is set up early on and remains that way. That's why Matt's Doctor was for me perfect. He was consistent from episode one until his last.

If anyone had become a caricature, then I'd label that at a certain Mr Tennant. The "I'm so sorry" spiel, all over the shop emotions, "Allonzy" etc point towards caricature as his character disappeared towards the end of his reign.


I agree. Matt's light against Moffat's dark is what worked so well in Series 5, 6 and 7 and what I miss now from the show. I do wish he'd stayed on longer as his Doctor definitely had more to show the viewers.

I never got the whole Clara fancying his Doctor though. I honestly never picked that up despite the fact Moffat said that was the case. I just liked Matt's Doctor having great fun.

Davison another season.
Colin Baker another season with decent writing.
Mccoy a couple more seasons considering his were incredibly short.
Mcgann obviously.
Eccleston would have been great to get more from him.

That's where we disagree then, as I prefer the Doctor's personality to change over time. Sure a regeneration can cause a rather abrupt shake up of personality, but I think it's quite natural that someone's personality develops over time. They're changed by their experiences and by the people in their lives... Eccleston's Doctor was mellowed by his time with Rose. Capaldi's Doctor has gradually lost his harsh edge and his hostility - apart from maybe The Magician's Apprentice, I think his Doctor has been gradually mellowing across Series 8 and Series 9 but that you could find nicer and more hostile behaviour at both ends of that time frame. He's just developed and changed over time.

Don't get me wrong, I love Matt Smith's Doctor (more than Tennant even). In the fifth series he very much fleshed out who his Doctor was. The problem was that after that he went absolutely nowhere. The repeated catchphrases were repeated more and more, and the scripts demanded that he played up to slapstick humour more as well. Even some of the more poignant moments like the speech in The Rings of Akhaten were tainted by awkward dialogue ("...take it all baby..."). It wasn't Smith's fault, and he did the best he could but in my opinion the scripts did him no favours by Series 7, and some of Series 6 as well.

BIB I don't disagree with that statement as such, but to me that applies more to the companion than the Doctor. They are the ones we experience the show through and I've no issue with them changing as that's only natural, but with the Doctor it's not how I see the character. To me, he could and can be affected by things changing but it shouldn't be showing outwardly. If it does change, it should only be subtle ala Eccleston as you mention (that's the only good use of it for a Doctor since I've watched the show in my opinion)

Capaldi's change has been sudden and been jarring. I don't like the angry and rude guy he was at first and don't like what he's become as it doesn't suit and it too far detached from what he began as. That's poor character development in my opinion.

And I still disagree about the issue you have about Matt. The whole point was that his Doctor was awkward, that's why his speeches jar from poignant to the silly. His mind is all over the place calculating things and trying to frame it right in that instant. It was more prevalent in Matt's Doctor than anyone else's. That was his Doctor. He was silly then serious in a split second, that was the case from minute one of his era to the last. I don't see how he changed like you're claiming he did?

And catchphrases were a part of that Doctor. A catchphrase doesn't mean caricature. That's there to keep things familiar and consistent and he wasn't using them every minute of every episode, they were used sparingly. I think you've over-egged that side of things if I'm honest.

That does just boil down to the way we view the characters then. I'm of the opinion that you're somewhat limited in what you can do in terms of 'developing' the Doctor as a character. Companions will come and go, and can go on any journey the writer wishes. The Doctor has some fundamental constants that must be kept in place through and through. But you don't want a boring or predictable character at the centre of it all either, and so I think it's important you make sure he's able to develop in other ways over time.

I also think that Capaldi's change has been mostly subtle - apart from The Magician's Apprentice which seemed to hit us around the head with it. His earlier hostility is still there by the end of Series 9 (the way he talks to Rigsy, the way he threatens the Timelords etc.), but equally his later vulnerabilities were all present earlier on as well (he admits in his first episode that it hurts that Clara was struggling to see he was still the same man, for example). His entire personality has been there since the start, it's just over time different aspects of it have come to the surface...arguably his more redeeming qualities have taken centre stage in time.

There's a difference between awkward Doctor, and frustratingly written Doctor though. There's some real touching scenes between the Doctor and Amy in Series 5 - his awkward chat with her about losing people in The Pandorica Opens was brilliant, as was his heart to heart with her in The Big Bang and A Christmas Carol struck a brilliant, fun and often hilarious balance for his Doctor ("...got my name written all over it! Well it hasn't, but give me time...and a crayon!") in particular. But then Series 6 involved a story arc that put one of the fundamental unchangeables centre-stage - arguably the biggest one. We all knew the Doctor couldn't actually die, and so the Lake Silencio story revolved around the supposedly clever way they were going to get out of this one. The Doctor's dialogue reflected that supposedly clever writing ("haven't you figured that one out yet?"), the Doctor's own death mystery took canonical precedent over the regular episodes of the show ("or we could just have some adventures...") and then when the story arc fell flat so too did the Doctor's smug, catchphrase-ridden dialogue. He insists at the end of Series 6 he's gotten too noisy and must retreat into the shadows, then the start of the following episode sees him blowing up a spaceship over WW2 earth. There's so many aspects to the writing at this stage that were frustrating, and the catchphrases at that point were among them. Only my own personal opinion, and how I felt about the show at the time (frustrated...so much potential and so much of it wasted).

Peter Davison obviously. He's "my Doctor" - as he was the first one I saw. I think he could have done at least two more seasons. By his last season, he seemed to have gotten his Doctor's character right - and the stories were better developed. Plus, I think with having a single companion(Peri in this case) was a lot better than having multiple ones in the TARDIS.

Colin Baker as well. There was a mis-step with his costume(I heard he wanted a more austere one). He was not treated well. Some of his stories are really quite good(Vengeance on Varos and Revelation of the Daleks). I think he had probably three more seasons in him. If only better stories and not getting messed around by the BBC.

Sylvestor McCoy - yep. His seasons were really short. He could have done three more seasons. By then, the Beeb seemed to have given up on Dr. Who. It got relegated to a weird timeslot - and didn't have the promotional heft that it has now from the BBC. Such a shame - as he has some of the strongest stories(Remembrance of the Daleks, The Happiness Factor, Survival, The Curse of Fenric, Ghostlight). I loved his dark quirky Doctor as well. The arch manipulator - and Chess strategist.

Sorry to go off the topic slightly but the actor (not confined to the Doctor) I would have liked to have a far longer run is Derek Jacobi as the Master. His performance in Utopia was utterly mesmerising. What a shame that one of the country's greatest ever thespians was reduced to a single performance. Nb to answer the original question and so to return to the topic at hand, Paul McGann

From what Ive seen on Dvd, Troughton in colour could have been interesting.

What about companions? Wendy Padbury as Zoe assisting 1970's Unit!