David Tennant named 'the nation's favourite' Doctor Who

The Scottish actor won by a margin with Billie Piper taking best companion

David Tennant stars as The Doctor in the 'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary special (BBC)

David Tennant has been crowned the “nation’s favourite Doctor” in a survey to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.

Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor from 2005 to 2010, gained 56% of the RadioTimes.com vote, beating rival Time Lords Matt Smith, Tom Baker and Christopher Eccleston by a distant margin.

Over 20,000 readers took part in the commemorative survey after voting opened in October.

Billie Piper’s stint as Rose Tyler won the vote for best companion with 25%, followed by the late Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith and Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. Jenna Coleman’s most recent companion Clara Oswald finished in ninth place.

Scottish actor Tennant will appear with Piper in the 75-minute special, The Day of the Doctor, next weekend, starring alongside John Hurt, who was introduced as ‘the War Doctor’ in a short teaser episode broadcast on Thursday.

The 50th anniversary show will be shown worldwide when it airs on 23 November with simultaneous 3D cinema screenings across the UK.

A two-minute preview of The Day of the Doctor was broadcast on the BBC's Children In Need last night. The clip showed the eagerly-awaited moment when Tennant and latest Doctor Matt Smith finally meet.

It remains to be seen whether the next Doctor, Peter Capaldi from The Thick Of It, will topple Tennant’s reign.

The ‘Best Doctor’ results

1. David Tennant - 56.1%

2. Matt Smith - 15.93%

3. Tom Baker - 10.05%

4. Christopher Eccleston - 6.59%

5. Patrick Troughton - 2.86%

6. Jon Pertwee - 2.38%

7. Peter Davison - 1.59%

8. Sylvester McCoy - 1.36%

9. Paul McGann - 1.35%

10. William Hartnell - 0.9%

11. Colin Baker - 0.88%