LogFAQs > #968597560

5. 4th Doctor (Tom Baker)

Best Serial: The Ark in Space (Season 12, Serial 2)
Worst Serial: The Image of the Fendahl (Season 15, Serial 3)

Yup, that's right; I've taken out the show's two biggest fan favorites in back-to-back rankings outside of even the top four. If I'm being honest, Tom Baker almost suffers from being the longest-tenured Doctor, because when you have more content, you inevitably reach a point where you're more susceptible to negative content bringing your ranking down. This is definitely the case with Baker, who feels like by the time his run was ending, he was just about completely checked out of the show. I don't think it helped that by season eighteen, the producers decided to completely overall everything for the transition into the eighties though. Baker's classic attire got swapped to something a bit more drab and dull, and the intro became more techno. I can understand Baker being burnt out at that point.

All that being said, Tom Baker is THE quintessential Doctor. It's not even close. Everything I said about Sylvester McCoy? You can apply that to Tom Baker, only with a bit more energy and a bit more fun to it. I'll say this much: I may have ranked Hartnell higher, but Tom Baker is the first Doctor who really feels like he captured the "alien" essence of the character. He's able to be quirky and detached from humanity in a way that doesn't make him come across as a complete asshole. Don't get me wrong...I think there were moments when Baker himself became a bit of an asshole...and season 16 as a whole is one of those moments.

But overall, he just had this fun energy to him. His introductory episode has a moment where he just jumps into a military vehicle and kicks his feet up, because he's completely blase about the whole robot incursions he's faced with. But the second the shit truly hits the fan, he's more than willing to get up and get his hands dirty to save the day. That slacker aura, when combined with his general "smarter-than-thou" personality really made for a fun main character to the series as long as he was there. Plus, up until that last season, I think casting did a great job of pairing him with companions that complemented his personality in interesting ways.

The 4th Doctor is a very solid character and certainly deserves his status as face of the franchise. I just happen to prefer my top four more than him, perhaps because I'm a bit of a contrarion, or perhaps because it's easier to find nuance and intrigue in the traditionally "lower-tier" entries in a franchise. Baker and Tennant are still great thought, even if their own overall popularity might hurt them on my list.

Hint for #4: Has had at least one other actor play them on-screen.