The Doctor is hot. No doubt about that: He may have started out as a cranky old man, a mad scientist, traveling the universe with his granddaughter – but at least since Tom Baker, the potential for Doctor hotness has definitely been on the agenda.
The 21st century revival of Doctor Who deliberately went for male eye candy in their casting choices: along with an emphasis on the potential for romance between the Doctor and his companions. And the physiological age of the Doctor has been on a steady overall decrease since his early grandfather days, until it hit an all time low with boyish Number 11.
It is interesting to compare fan art centering on The Doctor – or male characters in general – with the ubiquitous curves of the large chested, midriff baring chain mail chicks and, for that matter, the bulging muscles of male hero types, which have for so long been defining eroticism in fantasy art. What becomes immediately evident, is that the Doctor’s hotness does not rest on bulges and curves, nor on a perfectly chiseled body. Plus, he is generally allowed to keep his clothes on. I’d even say, he is is generally buttoned up pretty tight – the Doctor’s outfits are not known for tight fit, or exposing a lot of skin.
So what, them, makes the Doctor hot?
Number Nine is lagging somewhat behind in the hotness race. He does have a staunch group of supporters within the fandom, but as a pin up boy, his image is not nearly as ubiquitous as that of his successors, 10 and 11. Even despite the cool leather jacket, and tragic blue eyes.
Is it because he is the oldest of the trio? Is it because Christopher Eccleston’s interpretation of the character emphasized the tragic and conflicted, with a proneness to outbursts of anger – rather than the glib charm and huggableness of his two successors? Or is it because his features are the most, well, male – whereas 10 verges toward the androgynous, and 11’s appeal is that of a rebellious boy, rather than a “manly” authority figure?
Between 10 and 11, the race is tight – at least judging from the amount of fan art each of them scores on DeviantArt. I have to admit that I stopped following the series after season five – which didn’t have anything to do with Matt Smith’s performance, let alone his hotness factor: I thought he made an excellent Doctor, particularly given that David Tennant was such a hard act to follow.
I certainly would have enjoyed watching more of Matt Smith’s performance, but I disliked the direction the scriptwriting was taking, and the plot convolutions were beginning to give me a headache. Not to mention the increased emphasis on bigger sonic screwdrivers, and more brightly colored Daleks. I don’t know about you, but I watched the show for the stories it told, not for the coolness of the gadgets and special effects. Rant over.
For this reason, I myself am most certainly biased toward the David Tennant camp: the Doctor with, far and out, the greatest geek appeal. Besides, it appears that I have a pronounced reading glass fetish: bow ties don’t even come close.
… not to mention that no one, but NO ONE can look as hotly sad and lonely as David Tennant’s 10th Doctor does.
Not even Tom Baker with his tragic blue eyes.
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