There's still 83 and a bit years of the 21st century left? How can you possibly choose the best TV character of the 21st century yet?

10. Sheldon Cooper
11. Walter White

What madness is this?

Some might call it differences in opinion but on this occasion I am inclined to say it's just poor taste

I do have to ask these big life questions sometimes now...is an opinion an opinion if it is so blatantly wrong?

I've never heard of half of them, but I don't agree with 10 being singled out so I voted for Gene Hunt.

It genuinely hurts.

This is just the battle of the fangirls. You get people posting repeatedly on fan areas (twitter, tumblr etc...) to go and vote. Hence why the top three are all fangirl favourites.

The character went through such a change through his time in screen. He would get my vote.

Please do tell us characters you like, so that anytime they may get voted as popular, the rest of us can diminish that by saying it's just down to fangirls.

God forbid we should take part in a popular vote! Let's leave it to the TV critics to tell us what is and is not good TV

I've never really watched Big Bang Theory, so can't comment on Sheldon, but Walter White, if you are going for originality, great writing and a fantastically acted part *In my opinion* is right up there. I'd have put Malcolm Tucker much higher too. I wouldn't say Tennant was the greatest characterisation even of the 4 versions of the Doctor that have been written so far. I thought he was the least complex and 'alien' version. Although I do love him and hes a fantastic actor.

Pleased to see Greg House in there.

Thanks for this, it's very insightful.

The one episode which really works where the Tenth Doctor is without a companion is Midnight - my favourite episode from his era. But otherwise I'd agree with you completely. While I like the Tenth Doctor very much, he's less fascinating to me than, for example, the Twelfth Doctor. While Tennant has catchphrases and hams it up at times, there is a stillness about Capaldi's Doctor which is at the same time hugely expressive. The cold rage in his eyes during Face the Raven was chilling.

Its interesting that some fans find the 12th Doctor more nuanced and layered because I find him just the opposite. I just can't find the layers.

I think there is an intensity to his portrayal which artificially gives the impression that Peter Capaldi's doing "proper" acting compared to Eccleston, Tennant or Smith.

But for me there's no light to balance the dark. He's exhaustingly dark and without different shades to his character it all becomes terribly grey. I find it difficult to root for him because I've ended up caring less.

For me the 10th Doctor could jump from silly/funny to heartbreaking/frightening in a heartbeat. And I think that's why the 10th Doctor remains so popular with viewers more generally.

So Eccleston, Tennant and Smith weren't doing 'proper' acting?

Regarding your last paragraph, Capaldi has also done the switching from dark to comedy in two heartbeats too. You're either not seeing it or watching him with biased eyes.

I disagree (hence my post) but it's all down to personal opinion. Glad you are enjoying the 12th Doctor though.

Oh right a Digital Spy poll so it pretty much wont mean a damn. hought it was some v poll for a minute.

Imo, I just find Ten's Doctor really simplified and generic, which is quite a step backwards when the character of the Doctor is usually so interesting and layered. They took a unique and unconventional hero and made him... plain and uninspired. I just find it dull compared to someone like Tom Baker's, Patrick Troughton's or Peter Capaldi's incarnations. Perhaps if they'd started with a character totally alien and out of touch with humanity and gradually developed him into someone who became more and more human thanks to his companions, but alas, the general audience probably wouldn't have cared for that.

I simply get the feeling RTD just didn't get the character the way Moffat does.

I actually agree with you in a way. I think RTD regenerated (if you'll pardon the pun) the character of the Doctor for modern audiences whilst Moffat has undoubtedly tried to turn the clock back. I guess it depends which way you want the show to go.

But I honestly just don't see the layers with 12. He's a tune with very few notes where as 10 was a symphony.

I just think the show has always, and should continue, to mix things up as far as how the Doctor is depicted. Although to a certain degree Ten and Eleven can both be thought of as 'young and dashing', at least in appearance, they are very different takes on the character. So was Nine and so is Twelve. Casting a less immediately "user friendly" Doctor (and an older actor) was obviously a risk, but I think you've got to go for it and ensure that each incarnation is distinct. Whatever floats the individual viewers boat then.... some will like the change, others wont, obviously.

I personally don't think it's a matter of looking forward or back, just trying to keep things evolving and not falling into certain patterns that can start to feel a bit 'generic' or predictable. For myself, the show has seldom done that and I hope Mr Chibbers comes at things with his own distinct approach to the show when he takes up the reigns...

I can see what you mean here. Capaldi is clearly a fine actor, evidenced both by his efforts in who, and other things he has been in, and he's obviously doing the best with what he's given, but the problem is, in my opinion at least, the writing of it makes everything seem an effort. When he's dark and broody as in series 8, it's like you can feel the writers straining to say 'oooh, look how different and dark he is' rather than it feeling natural or him being particularly prompted by the details of the story to act that way, then, after presumably at least some bad feedback on going to much that way, rather than a gradual change, it again seems obvious that they are straining to get the point across that they have softened him, and as such that dark and broody character, in the space of one story, has become a party loving, guitar playing, sonic sunglasses wearing laid back character, quipping through the episode, riding davros's chair for laugh's and basically being very far removed from the incarnation we were following in series 8.

Rather than having 'layers', it's more that he has different facets but only at different times rather than an effortless switch.

The 10th doctor in contrast was the same recognisable character throughout, and one who could go from a joke and a laugh one minute, to heartbroken, angry or distressed just a few minutes later, in a way that felt completely natural and believable.



I want the one which saw the ratings on high, and mainstream popularity for the show and the character, and the version in which I saw the show as absolutely the best thing on the RTD style of course. And that was the case during the era of both his Doctors. In comparison since, the difference is, it's currently just another show I watch, rather than the pride and excitement I used to feel in watching it pre 2010. It's gone from an amazing show to just a good one, and the clunkiness with which they have tried to shift and change the 12 Doctor hasn't helped.


What a brilliantly articulate way to describe the many facets and layers of the 10th Doctor.

I just saw it as a lack of characterisation focus. One moment he's goofing it up to the point where it's hard to take the story seriously, the next he's pouting and getting his angst out because now it's time for the show to get "emotional". He just seemed to be whatever he was wanted to be for each moment. Constantly shifting between personalities without any real method to the madness.

"Turning back the clock" depends on how you see it. I prefer the classic sort of Doctor because he was far more fascinating to me, so the route they took with Ten wasn't so much an evolution as a step backwards. Going back to the more classic tone of character with Capaldi and bringing back a lot of elements I feel are crucial to the character, while still bringing Capaldi's own feel to the role, feels the right way to go in my opinion.

Wow - there's no need to get stroppy about it! It's pretty well known that as soon as poll like this appears then the fans on tumblr starting reposting links to it over and over encouraging people to vote. It happens with great frequency.

Hence why Castiel (a huge fandom favourite) is up there along with the 10th Doctor and Sherlock. All three have huge internet fanbases that like to mobilise. It doesn't mean they are bad characters simply that the results in votes like these is skewed by such organisation.

I will say, Lord Smexy, that I would have been quite put out if the Digital Spy poll had put forward the 11th Doctor or 12th Doctor for the "greatest TV character of the 21st century" vote, so I do appreciate why some forum members are cross they chose 10.


I agree entirely and I would never suggest Capaldi isn't a superb actor or a thoroughly nice bloke. I just wish they hadn't gone down the path of "let's make the Doctor less user friendly". Because the moment you have a Doctor who questions whether or not he's a good man (and cracks jokes when an innocent person has just died) for me it just stops being the Doctor.

All you seem to be saying here is that those at the top have huge fanbases, which is what the poll is to find out of course. That says nothing to suggest that it's all 'fangirls',.

It seems the easiest excuse when people who don't like the 10th Doctor, or not as much as some others find that he (quite frequently) gets voted top or high up in poll's, to just ignore his amazing acting, his face of a thousand emotional looks, or RTD's fine writing, and just say 'nah' it's just down to the fangirls. Apart from anything, that completely ignore's the fact that those 'fangirls' who only like a character for looks tend to move on to the next hunk, not still support one who hasn't been regularly in their role for some time.

All I can say to that is for the frequency that the 10th Doctor is voted as popular in polls, there must be way, way more 'fangirls' making up the population than anyone ever imagined. That, or, you know, the 10th Doctor is actually very popular.

All I know is that this poll in particular speaks volumes moreso than any 'rate the Doctor' poll to me. Here we have a poll that is not just a niche Doctor who one, but one that ranges across many area's of popular shows in the 21st century. As such only the most popular characters have chosen to be included, so the fact that not only the 10th Doctor was the only one deemed as popular as other 21st century popular characters, but that also he is actually winning by some margin, against a host of other amazing characters, really shows to me the still enduring popularity of the 10th Doctor after all these years, and reflects my real life experience that the 10th Doctor is still immensely popular.


Like I said, if a character you thought was amazing based on the characterisation, and I diminished any popularity that character might have by saying only 'fangirls' account for the popularity they have, then you might well be saying the same to me.

I think the fact the 10th Doctor is number 1 by a considerable margin out of all those amazing characters sort of proves their point. Do you honestly believe he is the best written character, best acted character, had the best writing any show has seen in the 21st century?