Doctor Who Poll of 50,000 Fans Picks David Tennant as Top Time Lord

David Tennant is the most popular Doctor to lead Doctor Who, according to a new fan poll from Radio Times. With 50,000 votes cast, fans of Doctor Who (which is now streaming on HBO Max) chose the Scottish actor who played the Doctor from 2005 until 2010 as the best in the show's 57-year history. Tennant's victory isn't surprising as he remains the most recognizable Doctor of the "new Who" era. What may be surprising is how close the current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, came to surpassing Tennant. Both actors earned 21% of the overall fan vote, but Tennant beat Whittaker by about 100 votes in total.

Peter Capaldi, who played the Twelfth Doctor, had a strong showing and ended up in the third-place spot with 18% of the vote. His predecessor, Matt Smith, wound up in at number four with 16% of the vote. Tom Baker, the iconic Doctor of the classic Who era, rounds out the top five with 4% of the vote.

"Over a decade after he left the TARDIS behind and after nearly 50,00 votes were cast, it's clear that David Tennant is still Doctor Who fans' perfect 10!" said Huw Fullerton, RadioTimes.com's Sci-Fi and Fantasy Editor. "But with Jodie Whittaker hot on his heels and a great showing for other recent Doctors like Peter Capaldi, it looks like fans also now hold other Time Lords close to their heart(s)."

David Tennant is continuing to play his Doctor in The Tenth Doctor Adventures audio range from Big Finish, which has reunited him with Billie Piper, Catherine Tate, and Alex Kingston. Whittaker will return as the Thirteenth Doctor in the upcoming Holiday Special and again in the new season of Doctor Who.

Keep reading to see the entire ranking of Doctor Who Doctors according to this poll. Let us know what you think of the rankings in the comments.