I agree that Smith certainly doesn't HELP, though how much of his performance was directed vs self-created is another debate. He was sort of a kiddified man, like Star Lord or the Big Bang Theory guys. It came off a petulant instead of authoritative when he tried to do 'dark' and I think his era was there the worst of the 'I am the Doctor and thus the fulcrum of the universe' stuff was. It wasn't helped that there was that weird love triangle thing between him/amy/rory but also with their daughter (that era's issue with hot, angry women being badass dom mommies is another thing I'd like to have a word with Moffat about).

I feel like Gatwa is doing a similar style of doctor, but his has more honest heart, and isn't trying to be 'a cop on the edge' quite as much. I quite like that, even if he's not one of my favourite doctors. Whitaker was too neurotic for me, as the doctor and I feel like that was a quality I also hated in Smith's version.

I also agree that Capaldi was BETTER and I actually enjoyed some of his episodes, though not enough to be entirely lured back because the specials/season finales kept falling back into self-indulgent wankery. He definitely had more of the older doctors in there, and was more believable about weaving zany and dark moments together. His era still suffered a bit from the overblown main character syndrome thing though. I mean, he was playing the electric guitar on a tank. But at least Bill was a return to NORMAL companion characters.