I get that this is probably quite an unpopular opinion to hold, so I'll try and explain myself a bit:

- I think Smith is the funniest Doctor yet -- no doubt this is due in part to the writing (he was fortunate in that he got a lot of quirks and running gags, such as mimic kissing people on the cheek when greeting them for the first time), but a lot of the praise has to go to Smith for the way he tackled the comedic stuff, through his physicality wafting his hands about and, sometimes, just a look in his eyes conveying everything from mock vanity to embarrassment. See, 'The Vampire of Venice'.  

- And yet, when he had to be cold and abrasive he nailed that as well: the scene in the that double parter with the 'gangers' where Amy tells him he's going to die, I found particularly chilling. 

- And that bit you always get in an episode of Who, about 30 minutes in, where The Doctor realises the extent to which him and his companion/s are in danger, he was always great at that as well. He always made me feel that the threat of that particular episode was just that, a threat. To be able to make your audience fear for the safety of its main protagonist when said protagonist ALWAYS (or, at least, very nearly always) wins, is quite something. 

- Again on Smith's physicality: I think he absolutely nails the 'old man trapped in a young man's body' thing, which, is essentially the whole essence of the character.

- And with his Doctor more than any others (although Capaldi is great at this as well), I was always aware of him being an alien. They demonstrated this best, I thought, in the episode, 'The Lodger'. 

- Which leads me onto his first series... the strongest of the revamped show? It's definitely right up there.   

- His second series is also pretty good too, and contains possibly my favourite Who episode ever, 'The Doctor's Wife'. 

- 11th and the Pond's, with River dropping in every now and then is, I believe, the best "TARDIS Team" we've yet seen. Not only were they able to explore some quite dark themes and ideas that Who hasn't had much cause to shine a light on before, but it was just so entertaining to watch them all bouncing off one another. 

- They also introduced some great new characters during his tenure, such as Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax, and Kate Stewart, that still get an airing quite often even after Smith has left. 

- For me, his regeneration scene is the best one yet. By a country mile. "We're all different people all through our lives. And that's OK... so long as you remember all the people that you used to be... I will always remember when The Doctor was me." Perfect. 

- And although he got a good send off with that last ep and the 50th anniversary special before it, I still felt like his character had some way to go yet. He left me wanting more. But when I watch Tennant's lot back, I always think when I get onto the last leg of series 4, 'no, it's right that he left not long after this.' 

- And hey, I can't be wrong all wrong - just look how the show has exploded worldwide from him taking the role!

it would be fantastic but it's very rare that the Emmys would award a sci-fi cult show on a cable network.

I mean, Tatiana Maslany has been out of this world, playing 7 characters per episode on Orphan Black for the past 4 years, and she barely got a nomination last year
The Emmy Awards is full of old white dudes who watch political dramas

Well she's got that southern twang ("Doctah!") that is naturally repulsive to a northerner like me, but aside from that, I can't really put my finger on why it grates on me so. I guess I find it quite whiny. 

I know, if you're only going through it all for the first time now, it'll probably be quite difficult to pick your favourite episodes (even after going through all 9 series twice, I struggle to remember what was in some episodes - it's only the real howlers that stick out), but are there any episodes that you've watched and thought 'Oh, this is great!'? 

And on Capaldi...

Bear with him and be prepared to give his incarnation some time to warm up a bit. They were going for something very different with his Doctor, and I think at times in his first series, they got the balance between his compassionate and full of love and joy at the Universe human side, and his strange, slightly abrasive alien side a bit off. In fact, you could say Capaldi, as fabulous an actor as he is, only truly made the part his own in his second series. So that's quite weird, coming off the back of Tennant and Smith, who instantly knew what their takes on the Doctor would be like. But still, on average, the episodes in series 8 are better written than the ones in series 7, so that'll help ease you in a bit.

I thought as you did, the first time I watched their story through. I found Darvill quite a wooden actor and his character boring, so I just wanted more Doctor-companion flirting really (even if by 2010, that'd been done to death already) because Smith and Gillan were so good together*.

But watching it through again, as I have been doing over the last few months, I appreciate them having Amy and Rory be lovers and not just friends, now - if for no other reason than it was something a bit different. Sometimes it's just thorough having a different dynamic that inspires some of the most interesting episodes. 'The Girl Who Waited' being an example. And that's why I really don't care for series 3. Martha Jones was just another Rose, but a Rose the Doctor didn't fancy back. And as a result, the only interesting episodes we got from that run, were the ones that explored the character of The Doctor more (the Family of Blood double parter) and his relationship with The Master (the last three). 

And it's for that why, if you like Clara, I think you might appreciate some of her stuff with the 12th. Their dynamic becomes almost like - well, I saw it described as "a tribute to platonic love", the other day, which I thought was quite a nice way to put it. Quite unusual at times, but it grows on you. 

As good as he is, series 7 was pretty dismal. So fair play to Moffat for saying all that, and being able to acknowledge his shortcomings.

That's the most 90s thing I've ever seen. And not even in a good way. 

Sexy?! What about baldy bastard (sorry, guigsysEstring!) playing the male lead? 

Admit it, you like it because it was released in 1997. And we all know the affinity you feel for that year...

That's OK it reminded me of a lovely NME review for that song- "Once upon a time there was a Nordic band led by a hyperactive frontwoman and an annoying bald bloke- but enough about Sugarcubes, this is Aqua and Barbie Girl" 

Hoping for another political episode in the vein of the fabulous Zygon double-parter last year, for series 10. Doctor Who does politics really well, I think. Always really enjoyed the series 1 episode, The Long Game. You watch that one back now, and it almost seems to predict Twitter and the like that we have today; and that constant need for information streamed all the time into our consciousness that they've brought on. Great writing from RTD.

I wonder, if another political episode does happens though, what topic they'll take on...

That theme of mistrusting others and having too much pride to just talk matters through that those episodes set up, would of course still be relevant (sadly, probably even more so since last year), but you'd think the obvious choice would be to lampoon self-serving ruling classes who prey on ignorance and fear to get what they want - no matter how much damage they may wreak on those they rule, and who bestowed upon them their power in the first place.

Mind you, that sounds less like a political episode and more just a textbook 'supervillain-who-wants-world domination' story...

Powerful stuff. Good on Chris for supporting this cause.

I meant the BBC thing that you posted On here I voted for Smith, yep.

No I haven't yet, hopefully I'll start next week or so. Can't wait.

Edit: nevermind, that's working now too.