 James Delingpole of The Spectator noted that subsequent to Fourth Doctor Tom Baker 's departure and prior to Eccleston actors who portrayed the Doctor had a tendency to play the role " too camp , knowing , lovable or twee " . He felt that the " brusque , <unk> and virile " Ninth Doctor " transports us back to the golden era of Jon Pertwee when the series still had that edge of darkness . " Marena <unk> , head of ABC programming , commented after picking up the series that Eccleston " has brought a new dynamic energy to the role " and the show would appeal to both long time viewers and new fans . She cited the high viewing figures of Eccleston 's debut episode — over 10 million — as proof that audiences were ready to welcome in a new era of the show . Looking back on David Tennant 's era and forward to Matt Smith , The Herald 's Edd McCracken comments that casting Tennant had been a risk after " the show 's reputation and ratings " had been " restored under Eccleston " . However he notes that due to the brevity of the Ninth Doctor 's era Tennant subsequently had time to make his character more established . Richard Henley Davis of The Economic Voice also notes that Tennant " had big boots to fill after Christopher Eccleston 's Doctor Who , which many believe to be the greatest incarnation of the lunatic time lord . " In a 2005 interview Tennant himself stated " there 's an awful lot to live up to " after taking on the role from Eccleston , having admired his performances as a viewer . 
