Doctor Who?

Yet that great man William Hartnell never got his wish, cast instead in the role of the Doctor :p

I can understand the old timers, like myself, favoring then older doctors. It's only
natural. You tend to favor what you "grew up" with.

But as an old timer, outside of Tom Baker (the longest running doctor) and
maybe Peter Davison (who David Tennant modeled his portrayal after) the
other doctors were really quite so-so. Granted, the memory fades after 40
plus years, and maybe I do need to go pick up the old DVDs for some
perspective (if I can even find them) but from my fading perspective, old
can't compare to new.

And as far as production quality goes, you can't even compare the old
incarnations to the latest series.

Granted, Chris Eccleston was "relatively" horrible as the Doctor, which I am sure
he himself probably realized and why he left after one year (all speculation of
course) but Tennant and Smith were and are absolutely amazing as the Doctor.
I honestly didn't think they'd be able to replace Tennant when he left. But
Smith has done more than a good job.

My 3 favorite doctors in no special order because I just can't choose.

Tom Baker
David Tennant
Matt Smith

Peter Davison gets an honorable mention.

My favorite episodes isn't really fair for me to even list because I hardly
remember any of the old incarnation let alone specific episodes. And even
with the new series, at my age, I sometimes forget that I even WATCHED a
specific episode.

The plus side to that is when I see an episode again, it's like it's ALMOST
brand new. I recall bits and pieces but not enough to make it a true "rerun".

However, a few episodes from the latest incarnation have stood out and will
always be etched in my brain.

My 3 favorite Doctor Who episodes counting backwards and why.

Number 3 - Vincent and the Doctor

This was the episode with Van Gogh. At the end where Matt Smith brought
him to the museum to see his works hanging there...not a dry eye in our
house.

Number 2 - The Wedding of River Song

It ties up the River Song story in one neat little bow. A bittersweet goodbye
to a great character, at least at that point in time. Word is, she's going to
be in an episode this season which is supposed to be the last one with Amy.

Number 1 - The End of Time

David Tennant's farewell. Again, not a dry eye in the house. Aside from his
last scene, the one where Wilfred is trapped in the isolation chamber, was
one of the most moving in the whole series. The Doctor realizes that he has
to give up his own life to save Wilfred's. And of course Wilfred expects
nothing from him. You'd really have to be as dead as a stump not to get all
choked up over this one.

And of course there are other classic moments such as when we get a hint
of what happens to Jack Harkness (the Face of Boe) in just an amazing
scene between Boe and Matt Smith.

In short, the latest incarnation of the Doctor is just so well done that it's
hard to pick it apart. But yes, I would love to get some old DVDs (if I can
find them) and properly compare the old to the new.

Because like I said, the memory ain't what it used to be.