 In 2005 Christopher Eccleston won " Most Popular Actor " at the National Television Awards and the TV Quick and TV Choice award for Best Actor . He was also voted Best Actor by readers of SFX magazine . Eccleston was named Best Actor with 59 @.@ 42 % of the vote in BBC.co.uk 's online " Best of Drama " poll in 2005 . In a Doctor Who Magazine poll in 2006 Eccleston was voted the third greatest Doctor behind those portrayed by Tom Baker and David Tennant . In April 2011 IGN also listed Eccleston 's Doctor as the third best Doctor , opining that he " gave us a tough @-@ as @-@ nails Doctor damaged by war and guilt , but still possessing the same spark of fun and adventure as his previous selves . " The entertainment website stated that in introducing a new generation to the show he " became an icon for a new millennium . " Gavin Fuller of The Daily Telegraph named him the ninth best Doctor , noting that Eccleston was " a serious actor " and " his attempts at a lighter style could seem a tad forced " , though this was " offset by his showdowns against the Daleks " . Fuller also was disappointed that his " time was over all too swiftly " . A 2012 poll conducted by the United States media news magazine Entertainment Weekly resulted in Eccleston being voted the fourth most popular Doctor , behind David Tennant , Matt Smith ( the Eleventh Doctor ) and Tom Baker . 
