Digital Spy is running a vote here.

The Doctor's shot up from third to first place in the past 30 minutes and that's just from a call going out on Facebook! Please vote and share the link through your own channels.

No option for Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Angel, unfortunately, so it was an easy choice of Walter White. Definitely two of the greatest TV characters of the 21st century for me (and both actually quite similar) defined by phenomenal writing.

Buffy Summers and Tyrion Lannister would be runners up for me.

I don't know why Sheldon Cooper is an option. Boo.

Well If I'm being picky, the character of The Doctor from 1963 onwards is all the same man, and one incarnation isn't a separate character from the others, so he should only be listed as The Doctor. It would mean that under the rules they gave for the poll he wouldn't actually be eligible (no characters prominent before 2000) but it would at least be accurate.

On the other hand, nice to see the good old 10th Doctor beating such other brilliant characters of the likes of Tyrion lannister, sherlock, walter white and super hans from peep show despite all being more recent than his time on the show.

To me, with such stiff competition from a range of shows, in a poll aimed at a more modern relevant audience, this says much more to me about the enduring popularity of the 10th Doctor than those 'rate the Doctor' poll's which only seem to be aimed at doctor who fans, rather than the broader mainstream of people in general, and as such seems far more representative.

Since they have done it as specifically the 10th doctor, it's interesting to note that none of the other new who incarnations have been deemed worthy of being included (said smugly by who absolutely believes the 10th to be the best ).

Well they don't seem to exactly stick to that rule.


You could argue that despite starting in 1999 The Soprano's did not get big till 2000 and later but you can't really say that Buffy didn't become prominent till after 2000 (if was half way through it's run by then).

As usual the rules on a DS poll are pretty...fluid. Buffy, for example first appeared in 1997 so wasn't even technically a C21 character. Her show just happened to last up to 2003.

Voting for the Doctor as the best character on that list would have been tough enough for me no matter which incarnation they decided to go with - characters like Buffy, Regina and Walter White are quite deserving of a top spot. And although she's not listed I would have considered a character like Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful, or indeed a handful of characters that aren't Tyrion from Game of Thrones as well. That they've decided to go with the Tenth Doctor specifically actually rules out Doctor Who getting my vote on this... not that I dislike him, but I like the Eleventh Doctor more, and I like the Ninth and Twelfth Doctors much, much more.

Perhaps the best thing to have done with this poll is to just say 'The Doctor' and then using Tennant as an example would have been a lot easier to understand. By stating it as the 'Tenth Doctor' it sort of is a bit insulting to the other three Doctors who have also played the character since 2000.

If I was being really picky I could say it was an insult to all the other Doctors since the character has been around for over 50 years!

I agree about Buffy who was also created Pre-2000 but she would still get my vote!

Well, even though I was severely tempted by Sherlock, Luther and Poldark, in the end it had to be Ten.

I think it's because its a Digital Spy US poll - and so probably just reflects how popular the 10th Doctor was (and still is) in the states.

As has already been said, the character of THE Doctor is 53 years old.

I'm afraid I do take exception to the 10th Doctor being selected, given I'm not at all certain he's the best incarnation of the Doctor, let alone the best TV character of the 21st century.

EDIT - for what it's worth, it's got to be Walter White. Brilliantly realised and developed character.

Why the 10th Doctor?

If this is 21st century characters to be fair Ecclestone or Smith should be in the running.

Not sure what era 21st century is classed at.

It's first few seasons are the most fondly remembered anyway, starting with Season 4 I think the general consensus is that it wasn't as good as it used to be (but still brilliant... maybe excluding half of Season 4). It is a bit of a rulebreaker.

Angel would be more fitting, that didn't really find its feet until halfway into its second season (in 2000, I believe) and by Season 5 was at its best.

If it was the Twelfth Doctor, he might have just got my vote. Imo, Ten just seems like a really dull and out-of-place choice against the likes of Walter White, Tyrion Lannister, Dr. House, etc. If it was on terms of acting, then Tennant would totally be up there with the best, but as a character Ten was just uninspired.

On another note, Tony Soprano and Omar Little are way too low. I haven't seen Penny Dreadful yet, but if Vanessa is the one I'm thinking she is then she definitely seems like an interesting one.

The Hound should also be an option as an exception to the "one character per show" rule because frankly his one-liners are some of my favourites on telly.

I think 10 is also helped by the fact AKA Jessica Jones was such a hit too. He is doing very well in the vote at the moment - 5000 votes ahead of second place. Guess we'll have to see how it turns out.

That's what I was getting at. Saying just 'the doctor' then using a picture of Tennant would have meant that you were voting for the entire character rather than one piece of his story.


And still in the UK also in my experience. Despite the idea that more current characters might come to mind quicker and get better recognition for being more recent, I still hear people talk wistfully of the Tennant era more than I've ever heard people pine for Matt Smith( apart from the odd person on this forum). With Capaldi it's hard to tell either way because he still has the automatic 'current Doctor' popularity.


The fact that the 10th Doctor is topping a poll of all those amazing characters (with a huge lead of 5000 votes between him and second place at the time of writing) just goes to show that a lot of people very much disagree with you.

Which itself is quite surprising, as I always imagine Matt Smith to be the "American" Doctor - not just because some of his stories were filmed there but because the show really gained momentum there with him as the lead. Maybe I'm seeing what isn't there but Amy Pond always comes across as "the" companion in the US, in the same way Rose was here for a long time even after she left.


The Twelfth Doctor is the only one I'd have seriously considered. Apart from a slightly too rapid turnaround at the very start of Series 9, and in spite of what many say, I feel Capaldi's performance and the writing are respectively likeable and nuanced where his incarnation is concerned. It feels like there's so many layers to him that compliment eachother.

I had no real problem with the Tenth Doctor but he was relatively dull as far as I was concerned. Tennant did a decent job, at times brilliant, but his Doctor didn't feel nuanced or complex. More to the point he wasn't much else either, and his companions really are what made his era so special - he brought the best out in those around him (or rather the writers did... whether it was writing for Rose, Martha, Donna, or River, or even Tennant's own John Smith). It's why I think without even realising it a majority of people love Series 4 which is bristling with companions, and then dislike the subsequent specials which lacked one altogether. He wasn't a bad Doctor at all to me, but he was a vanilla doctor.

On an unrelated note, Vanessa in Penny Dreadful is the one played by Eva Green. Astounding actress, and the best character amongst a mostly very interesting bunch. I've not yet finished the third (and regrettably final) series but even with such a limited episode count her character resonated brilliantly.

I'm always a bit puzzled by this idea that the show "exploded" in the states after 2010. It's completely untrue. It was a hit already.

I Love Ten and his energy he showed us so much, New Earth, Midnight, The Ood Sphere, Krop Tor, Torchwood Tower, Agatha Christie, Adipose, The Space Titanic Replica and etc. We met so many characters and helped so many people.

But I think they should've just put it as "The Doctor" as Ten isn't my only favourite one Nine, Eleven and Eight are too.

It's almost as if I was giving my opinion rather than trying to speak for everyone.

There's a few on there I couldn't put on the same pedestal as the more nuanced and complex characters. Castiel? He's funny, but as a character lacks flexibility and development. Sheldon Cooper? Personally I don't see the humour in that show. But it's not my list, of course. Because no Wesley.

I really need to watch Penny Dreadful, it looks very imaginative and striking. If only I wasn't so useless at keeping up with television.

Jim Parsons is brilliant. Genuinely *exceptionally* good as an actor in a fun sitcom.

Errrmmm.....not the sort of thing I vote in, tbh, although I would veer towards Who obviously. If it was 'The Doctor'...no brainer. I very much enjoyed David in the role, but preferred Matt and wont place Peter C in my geek list until we've seen his era in full. Christopher is da man ("Who da man?!" Oh, okay I'm not saying that again.") for bringing Who back successfully but is q low on said list purely because we only had 13 episodes and he was gone. David's sort of mid-ish table, which might sound like damning with faint praise but really isn't as I like 'em all.

Still, from that list I'd go Who anyway! (I haven't seen many of the other characters nominated for a start!)

Fair enough.



To understand my viewpoint though, consider if someone were saying how dull and uninspired the 12th Doctor was in a few years. I'd guess you'd try to say that it wasn't so and wasn't the popular opinion (especially if there was evidence to back up your view), even if the person was just giving there own personal opinion. It's only natural to defend something you enjoyed so much.

I cannot stand The Big Bang Theory either. I've tried it for the sake of several friends several times and have never managed to get on board with it, or find it remotely funny.

I couldn't much get into Angel myself, though felt it was a decent show and a spin-off done mostly right (I think I struggled with the idea of bringing James Marsters into it post-Buffy) - it fleshed out some of Buffy's earlier characters nicely.

If you ever get a go at Penny Dreadful I'd say it's really worth it! Eva Green is easily the best thing about it for me, but there isn't any weak links in the main cast - Billie Piper and Timothy Dalton are very good in particular. The scripts have the odd moment of sounding too identikit fantasy-genre but are mostly brilliant too and the whole show is full of some brilliant character moments. I'm hoping what I've got left of the show pays off, I've really enjoyed it all the way through and each series has ambitiously tried something a bit different when it could have fallen back on the basic same premise if it had wanted to.

On the subject of this list, Walter White is a superb character but I think I actually enjoy the story of Saul Goodman a lot more. Better Call Saul is likely my favourite spin-off of anything I've seen and the characters are written as convincingly good-from-their-perspective. It manages to turn ordinary human interaction into a fascinating drama.

We think alike, where is Wesley.

I couldn't see Merlin on the list. Colin Morgan was quite outstanding in the role and Series 4 and 5 easily eclipsed Doctor Who.

But I still voted for David Tennant's version. All hail Doctor 10/11.

I'm not sure when the poll closes but The Doctor currently has a 10k lead over second place Castiel (Supernatural). Bit puzzled by that one - I watched Supernatural for years and loved Sam and Dean (really loved them) and Castiel was an OK supporting character. Bit surprised he's become such a favourite.