100 Greatest Fictional Characters #4: The Doctor
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
Previous character: #5
Check back tomorrow for #3!
October 20th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Can we have The Doctor be 4.1-4.10?
October 20th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
YES!! THE DOCTOR!! :-D
October 20th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Long live the Doctor! From Hartnell to Smith, wonderful chaps, all of them.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
I was starting to get worried that The Doctor would’t appear…..
No.4 Though, not too shabby
November 27th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
Doctor who is a lame british dude. Take him out of this list!
March 12th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
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.
August 10th, 2011 at 11:53 pm
WHERE IS THE DOCTOR HOW IS HE NOT ON HERE WHA…. oh here he is.
October 26th, 2011 at 2:19 am
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♥
February 3rd, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Hell yes, Amen to that.