We collected input from hundreds of visitors to the site, convention attendees, and industry professionals to compile the list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters of All Time. You can see the beginning of the project here, where you’ll also find an index of all the results to date.
We are now in the final week of revealing the winners, and today we bring you #4!
4. The Doctor
Appears In: Doctor Who
Created By: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, and Donald Wilson
Influence:
Deemed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful science fiction show in history, Doctor Who‘s cultural influence — particularly in the UK — is undeniable. It’s hard to find a person in England who hasn’t heard of the Doctor or who doesn’t know what a Dalek is, and watching the scary parts of Doctor Who from behind the couch is a cherished memory of several generations. Doctor Who also has inspired several spinoff series, including the acclaimed and popular Torchwood.
Fandom:
Premiering in 1963, the Doctor has grown and maintained a fanbase that now is bigger than ever. With the revival of Doctor Who in 2005, a whole new generation of fans learned about and grew to love the Time Lord and his adventures.
Editorial Note:
The vast majority of votes we received for this character named him only as The Doctor. Some voters, however, did specify individual incarnations. Of those, the Tenth Doctor received the most votes with 7.1% of the Doctor votes. The Fifth was next with 6.4%, followed by the Fourth with 4.2%.
Voter Comments:
“The Doctor transcends space and time. So does Mary Poppins, only her TARDIS is in her bag.” – Lauren Kalal
Can we have The Doctor be 4.1-4.10?
YES!! THE DOCTOR!! :-D
Long live the Doctor! From Hartnell to Smith, wonderful chaps, all of them.
I was starting to get worried that The Doctor would’t appear…..
No.4 Though, not too shabby
Doctor who is a lame british dude. Take him out of this list!
While I do love that you gave the guy such a high position, I’m seriously confused by the fact that more votes were for Five than Four.
WHERE IS THE DOCTOR HOW IS HE NOT ON HERE WHA…. oh here he is.
LAME can get over himself. He can’t be taken off the list because votes are votes, and these obviously outweighed yours. :) Not that you actually know anything about him, anyways, seeing as how you called him Doctor Who; NOT what he’s called. Long live the Doctor. Personally glad Tennant was the most popular. LOL♥
Hell yes, Amen to that.
The Doctor is overrated. He doesn’t have the same global impact as the other characters on this list. He’s popular in his country but few people in other countries know him.
@carl: Carl, 80 million people around the world watch most episodes in the first 48 hours, and growing–it’s the Beeb’s flagship TV show. I’m guessing you’re from the USA, where he has a fairly small influence (maybe only 8-10 million viewers for each show. Only), relatively speaking. But The Doctor is a worldwide phenomenon, and so far the new series has continued getting bigger
Many people, in MANY, MANY other countries, know him: from continental Europe to Africa to South America, to Australia, New Zealand and the reaches of Asia. And yes, even here in the US he has a large following, rather more intense and populous than Holmes…