The two fangirl heavweights came head-to-head in the final of the Radio Times Television Championship, but the Cumberbitches could not outdo Whovian support for the former Time Lord and Broadchurch star.
The three week tournament hosted by RadioTimes.com and voted for by the public saw TV stars pitted against each other in a head to head battle leaving just Tennant and Cumberbatch in the final.
Around 2.75 million votes were cast by the public in the final alone as the two popular TV actors went up against each other for the title.
The contest saw fans rally support for their favourite TV actors on Twitter and Facebook, with many of the stars joining in including Amanda Abbington, Karen Gillan, Billie Pier and Zawe Ashton.
Ricky Gervais took part in a two-fronted Twitter and Facebook social media campaign, helping him beat former The Office co-star Martin Freeman to get into the semi-final.
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Tim Glanfield, editor of RadioTimes.com, said: “It was a hard fought final as fans from across the globe got involved, and while there could be only one winner, Radio Times TV Champion has shown just how well-loved British TV and its stars are around the world.
“Congratulations to David Tennant and everyone who voted for him! See you in 2015 to see if he can defend his title!”
The 43-year-old actor is due to appear in Gracepoint, the US remake of Broadchurch, this autumn, before returning to ITV in the second series of the Bafta award-winning drama next year.
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