A Beginner's Guide - How To Introduce Yourself To Dr. Who

[Count Orlok]

This is something that I've been thinking about lately, but I'm looking for some advice.

I know Dr. Who has been around for quite some time, but where do you begin the series? Does it matter where you start? Does it follow an anthology design? Is chronologically a major factor?

With the Dr. being given a new identity every so often, does each incarnation have a complete story for each season, or can I go in blind?

Not seeing an episode makes me a bit embarrassed as I'm interested in the genre, but I just never really sat down with it before.

The only pieces I've seen are from the episode that was interrupted by the Max Headroom signal hijacking. I found it funny, especially that it happened during a sci-fi show.

If I were to order any of the BD's/DVD's right now, which should I buy? Season One? Two? Twenty?

Any tips are gladly welcome, and I thank you for what you guys have to say.

[Jezza]

To break things down; yes it is a continuing story, each new Doctor retains the memories of all the previous incarnations, because he/she is the same character all throughout. Each Doctor more or less has their own character arcs, but events from past Doctors are often followed up on many years/seasons later.

The overall series itself is generally split in two: the Classic Series (1963-1989) and the New Series (2005-Present), with a single TV movie in the middle (1996). But unlike some other TV revivals the New Series of Doctor Who is a continuation of the Classic Series.

Continuity is and isn't a major factor, unlike other sci-fi/fantasy show it plays a bit fast and loose with its own continuity, but there are key events which are pretty well-established and unmovable. So you still have to pay attention to each and every episode.
As a format, it's a mixture of standalone episodes and serialized arcs/episodes.

My advice for new viewers is always start with the New Series, the Classic Series can seem very daunting to a contemporary viewer and a sense of appreciation needs to be gained before watching it. The New Series itself was very much designed from the start as a jumping-on point for new viewers and the first episode (Rose) essentially sets everything up, even if you have no knowledge of the series at all.

The only real problem you have here is that early on the New Series was also accompanied by 2 spin-off shows (Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures), which eventually all crossover in an Avengers-style season finale for Series 4. They're not necessarily essential viewing, but they do add to the mythos of the series.
Torchwood is essentially a UK-take on the X-Files, whist The Sarah Jane Adventures is similar-ish, but with a more child-focused audience in mind, however it is still very accessible for adults.

This is my preferred viewing order for the New Series, which largely sticks to air date order. I've included the spin-offs, but you can remove them should you wish to stick to just the main series:
DW = Doctor Who
TW = Torchwood
SJA = The Sarah Jane Adventures

DW: Series One (2005) - Rose - The Parting of the Ways
DW: Series Two (2006) - The Christmas Invasion - Doomsday
TW: Series One (2006/7) - Everything Changes - End of Days
DW: Series Three (2007) - The Runaway Bride - Last of the Time Lords
SJA: Series One (2007) - Invasion of the Bane - The Lost Boy
TW: Series Two (2008) - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Exit Wounds
DW: Series Four (2008) - Voyage of the Damned - Journey's End
SJA: Series Two (2008) - The Last Sontaran - Enemy of the Bane
DW: Specials (2008/09) - The Next Doctor - Planet of the Dead
TW: Series Three (2009) - Children of Earth
SJA: Series Three (2009) - Prisoner of the Judoon - The Gift
DW: Specials (2009/10) - The Waters of Mars - The End of Time, Part Two
DW: Series Five (2010) - The Eleventh Hour - The Big Bang
SJA: Series Four (2010) - The Nightmare Man - Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith
DW: Series Six (2011) - A Christmas Carol - The Wedding of River Song
SJA: Series Five (2011) - Sky - The Man Who Never Was
DW: Series Seven (2012/13) - The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe - The Name of the Doctor
DW: 50th Anniversary Specials (2013) - The Day of the Doctor - The Time of the Doctor
DW: Series Eight (2014) - Deep Breath - Death in Heaven
DW: Series Nine (2015) - Last Christmas - The Husbands of River Song
DW: Series Ten (2017) - The return of Doctor Mysterio - The Doctor Falls
DW: 2017 Christmas Special: Twice Upon a Time
DW: Series Eleven (2018) - The Woman Who Fell to Earth - ???

As I'm sure you might be aware Series Eleven starts in October, but I've just included it in the list for the sake of completeness.

I've based my recommendations on the current Blu-ray/DVD releases, so just follow them and you should be fine.

I have actually omitted the final series of Torchwood, largely because it doesn't add anything to the canon and Children of Earth is a better send-off the the series.
There is also one other spin-off, Class (2016), but again it didn't go anywhere and only lasted on series.

There have also been several so-called 'mini-episodes', which were often little shorts scenes that were released on YouTube or as part of the Blu-ray/DVD box sets. They're just more of an extension of the series, but the only one a first time viewers really needs to see is The Night of the Doctor (2013). Watch it just before the 50th anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor for a bit of extra context, it's readily available on YouTube.

As far as Blu-ray releases go, Series 1-4 were actually shot in SD, but in the UK at least they are available in on Blu-rays. I think in the US Series One was released, but Two, Three and Four weren't. The UK Blu-rays are region free though. From the Specials onward they started shooting in HD.

I hope all that helps.

[Dragon Ranger]

Doctor Who can be intimidating for many people to get into and the best jumping on point is usually when a new Doctor takes over as this (especially in the modern era of 2005 onwards) usually signals a change in showrunner.

The modern era tends to have an arc running through each series but also plenty of standalone episodes too.

If you want to jump in I would recommend you start with series 1 starring Christopher Eccleston. It has an arc running in the background which makes for a satisfying payoff but also plenty of episodes that can be enjoyed on their own, it also has the key ingredient of a companion who is grounded and can be related to (something which the series has struggled with in the last few years). It's not buried in series lore or overly beholden to the past.

If you enjoy it then head straight into series 2 which after a slighty rocky start really hits its stride.

[Galactus]

Originally Posted by Jezza

To break things down; yes it is a continuing story, each new Doctor retains the memories of all the previous incarnations, because he/she is the same character all throughout. Each Doctor more or less has their own character arcs, but events from past Doctors are often followed up on many years/seasons later.

The overall series itself is generally split in two: the Classic Series (1963-1989) and the New Series (2005-Present), with a single TV movie in the middle (1996). But unlike some other TV revivals the New Series of Doctor Who is a continuation of the Classic Series.

Continuity is and isn't a major factor, unlike other sci-fi/fantasy show it plays a bit fast and loose with its own continuity, but there are key events which are pretty well-established and unmovable. So you still have to pay attention to each and every episode.
As a format, it's a mixture of standalone episodes and serialized arcs/episodes.

My advice for new viewers is always start with the New Series, the Classic Series can seem very daunting to a contemporary viewer and a sense of appreciation needs to be gained before watching it. The New Series itself was very much designed from the start as a jumping-on point for new viewers and the first episode (Rose) essentially sets everything up, even if you have no knowledge of the series at all.

The only real problem you have here is that early on the New Series was also accompanied by 2 spin-off shows (Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures), which eventually all crossover in an Avengers-style season finale for Series 4. They're not necessarily essential viewing, but they do add to the mythos of the series.
Torchwood is essentially a UK-take on the X-Files, whist The Sarah Jane Adventures is similar-ish, but with a more child-focused audience in mind, however it is still very accessible for adults.

This is my preferred viewing order for the New Series, which largely sticks to air date order. I've included the spin-offs, but you can remove them should you wish to stick to just the main series:
DW = Doctor Who
TW = Torchwood
SJA = The Sarah Jane Adventures

DW: Series One (2005) - Rose - The Parting of the Ways
DW: Series Two (2006) - The Christmas Invasion - Doomsday
TW: Series One (2006/7) - Everything Changes - End of Days
DW: Series Three (2007) - The Runaway Bride - Last of the Time Lords
SJA: Series One (2007) - Invasion of the Bane - The Lost Boy
TW: Series Two (2008) - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Exit Wounds
DW: Series Four (2008) - Voyage of the Damned - Journey's End
SJA: Series Two (2008) - The Last Sontaran - Enemy of the Bane
DW: Specials (2008/09) - The Next Doctor - Planet of the Dead
TW: Series Three (2009) - Children of Earth
SJA: Series Three (2009) - Prisoner of the Judoon - The Gift
DW: Specials (2009/10) - The Waters of Mars - The End of Time, Part Two
DW: Series Five (2010) - The Eleventh Hour - The Big Bang
SJA: Series Four (2010) - The Nightmare Man - Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith
DW: Series Six (2011) - A Christmas Carol - The Wedding of River Song
SJA: Series Five (2011) - Sky - The Man Who Never Was
DW: Series Seven (2012/13) - The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe - The Name of the Doctor
DW: 50th Anniversary Specials (2013) - The Day of the Doctor - The Time of the Doctor
DW: Series Eight (2014) - Deep Breath - Death in Heaven
DW: Series Nine (2015) - Last Christmas - The Husbands of River Song
DW: Series Ten (2017) - The return of Doctor Mysterio - The Doctor Falls
DW: 2017 Christmas Special: Twice Upon a Time
DW: Series Eleven (2018) - The Woman Who Fell to Earth - ???

As I'm sure you might be aware Series Eleven starts in October, but I've just included it in the list for the sake of completeness.

I've based my recommendations on the current Blu-ray/DVD releases, so just follow them and you should be fine.

I have actually omitted the final series of Torchwood, largely because it doesn't add anything to the canon and Children of Earth is a better send-off the the series.
There is also one other spin-off, Class (2016), but again it didn't go anywhere and only lasted one series.

There have also been several so-called 'mini-episodes', which were often little shorts scenes that were released on YouTube or as part of the Blu-ray/DVD box sets. They're just more of an extension of the series, but the only one a first time viewers really needs to see is The Night of the Doctor (2013). Watch it just before the 50th-anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor for a bit of extra context, it's readily available on YouTube.

As far as Blu-ray releases go, Series 1-4 were actually shot in SD, but in the UK at least they are available in on Blu-rays. I think in the US Series One was released, but Two, Three and Four weren't. The UK Blu-rays are region free though. From the Specials onward they started shooting in HD.

I hope all that helps.

This should be interesting. A UK show like X-Files? Hell yeah!

Thanks

It's on Amazon Prime well I know what I'm doing today.

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by Galactus

This should be interesting. A UK show like X-Files? Hell yeah!

Thanks

It's on Amazon Prime well I know what I'm doing today.

No problem.

The first few episodes are a bit iffy and questionable, but once it gets going it's a lot if fun.

The Children of Earth mini-series though truly is incredible, if a bit dark and disturbing.

[biglou114]

You can easily skip the spin offs. It won’t affect your understanding of the main show one bit.

[scifisuperfan]

You should probably be safe to ditch The Sarah Jane Adventures. Stick with Doctor Who (2005) and Torchwood if you must.

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by biglou114

You can easily skip the spin offs. It won’t affect your understanding of the main show one bit.

Eh, I would argue there are some plot points that cross over all three shows and ate more fulfilling if you watch them all.

Captain Jack's character arc was only a quarter fulfilled in DW. I remember I was watching with someone else who had never seen Torchwood when Jack

[Show spoiler]came back in DW Series 3, so he didn't understand why he was in the present day, how he was immortal and why he knew the TARDIS has arrived in Cardiff.

Afterwards I told him to go back a watch TW and afterwards he wished he had watched it beforehand.
You really need to see TW to see Jack's arc all the way through, especially as it comes to a climax in Children of Earth.

They're not essential, but IMO if a spin-off adds to the overall universe the series has created then it's worth a go.

[ElectricPeterTork]

First things first:

Always remember to type out "Doctor" in full. You'll avoid a lot of nitpicking that way.

Anyway, we really are close enough to the new season that it's probably best to start with that. It's free, and a decent gauge as to whether you'll want to watch the show going forward.

After that, if you're still interested, double back to season 1 of the current show and go from there. After that is when you go back to the classic stuff.

[Rayjaymay]

In preparation for the new Doctor, BBCAmerica is running all of the “new” episodes (starting with the 10th Doctor to present) if you want to get a taste before you invest in discs.

[kevin87]

Originally Posted by biglou114

You can easily skip the spin offs. It won’t affect your understanding of the main show one bit.

Originally Posted by Jezza

Eh, I would argue there are some plot points that cross over all three shows and ate more fulfilling if you watch them all.

Captain Jack's character arc was only a quarter fulfilled in DW. I remember I was watching with someone else who had never seen Torchwood when Jack

[Show spoiler]came back in DW Series 3, so he didn't understand why he was in the present day, how he was immortal and why he knew the TARDIS has arrived in Cardiff.

Afterwards I told him to go back a watch TW and afterwards he wished he had watched it beforehand.
You really need to see TW to see Jack's arc all the way through, especially as it comes to a climax in Children of Earth.

They're not essential, but IMO if a spin-off adds to the overall universe the series has created then it's worth a go.

I actually watched Torchwood years before I started watching Doctor Who (started the new series when Matt Smith was taking over, was going to start there but then realized I needed to see the others lol) and having seen Jack's story first gave a much deeper impact to how he was actually

[Show spoiler]the Face of Boe that we'd seen for so long prior

. I feel like that reveal wouldn't have been as big if I hadn't spent 3 seasons with Torchwood before having watched Doctor Who. Though even without watching Torchwood, I don't think it'd be hard to understand why Jack's in the present day, he was time traveler when we first meet him anyway.

There was also a K-9 spinoff in Australia, but it wasn't made by BBC so it was not canon at all and can be skipped even more so than Sarah Jane, which I felt had no more real connection to Doctor Who than Class did. Just a few cameos from The Doctor. They were mostly just oh, and here are some other things happening right now while The Doctor is off in his box.

Originally Posted by ElectricPeterTork

First things first:

Always remember to type out "Doctor" in full. You'll avoid a lot of nitpicking that way.

And never call him/her Doctor Who. Only "The Doctor."

I hope there's real doctor out there with the last name Hu or something :P

[sandman slim]

Start with "Blink". Blink is like the gateway drug into Doctor Who, imo. Then maybe "The Eleventh Hour", possibly the best Doctor introduction episode ever. Next, something epic like "The End of Time". Then the 50th anniversary extravaganza, "The Day of the Doctor". Then... Oh, hell, watch 'em all.

[kevin87]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Start with "Blink". Blink is like the gateway drug into Doctor Who, imo. Then maybe "The Eleventh Hour", possibly the best Doctor introduction episode ever. Next, something epic like "The End of Time". Then the 50th anniversary extravaganza, "The Day of the Doctor". Then... Oh, hell, watch 'em all.

Blink and Midnight are two of my most favorite episodes...

When Matt Smith was going to take over, I was going to just start watching then. I knew the basics of Doctor Who but I for some reason thought it'd be a new starting point, then realized that was wrong. So I started on season 1 of the revival. I wish WB had kept going with the US releases, they only had three more...

[Dragon Ranger]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Start with "Blink". Blink is like the gateway drug into Doctor Who, imo. Then maybe "The Eleventh Hour", possibly the best Doctor introduction episode ever. Next, something epic like "The End of Time". Then the 50th anniversary extravaganza, "The Day of the Doctor". Then... Oh, hell, watch 'em all.

End of Time and The Day of the Doctor are two of my absolute favourites but really not good entry points for new fans as they will be utterly perplexed by what is happening in both and the emotion at the heart of both will not have the same impact for people not already deeply invested in the characters in my opinion.

[Dragon Ranger]

Should you ever feel like dipping your toe into the classic series I would recommend this story (the debut of Jon Pertwee's Doctor), just remember with classic era stories that it was made on a shoestring budget (less than the BBC would allocate to soap operas) and serialised over several weeks so stories are paced a bit more sedately. Neither of these factors have ever hindered my enjoyment though but I did start watching in 1987.

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Start with "Blink". Blink is like the gateway drug into Doctor Who, imo. Then maybe "The Eleventh Hour", possibly the best Doctor introduction episode ever. Next, something epic like "The End of Time". Then the 50th anniversary extravaganza, "The Day of the Doctor". Then... Oh, hell, watch 'em all.

Other than The Eleventh Hour, all of those are awful starting points for a new viewer.

The End of Time and The Day of the Doctor rely on a lot of prior knowledge and are huge spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen anything prior to them.

Blink may be a classic, but it's also not very representative of the show. The Doctor is only in it for about 2-3 minutes, so any new viewer doesn't actually get a good sense of what the show or its main character are about.

The Eleventh Hour is a good jumping on point, but if you start there then you might as well start right at the start of the New Series and get the full backstory, especially as later episodes rely on pre-Eleventh Hour plot points.

[Rayjaymay]

Maybe go with The Girl in the Fireplace and The Waters of Mars. Those episodes don’t really require much prior knowledge.

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by Rayjaymay

Maybe go with The Girl in the Fireplace and The Waters of Mars. Those episodes don’t really require much prior knowledge.

Really? You mean David Tennant's penultimate episode that leads directly into his final one, whilst also following on from story/character arcs set up in previous ones? It may not be as instructive as The End of Time, but it's still essentially a spoiler for a new viewer.

The Girl in the Fireplace? Sure, that can work.

This is part of the problem with DW, so many episodes rely on knowledge of previous ones to fully enjoy them. It's the very reason why it's best just to start with the beginning of the New Series, because then you don't feel like you've missed anything out.

[ElectricPeterTork]

Originally Posted by Jezza

Other than The Eleventh Hour, all of those are awful starting points for a new viewer.



Blink may be a classic, but it's also not very representative of the show. The Doctor is only in it for about 2-3 minutes, so any new viewer doesn't actually get a good sense of what the show or its main character are about.

Thank You.

I've always found Blink to be a stupid choice as an introduction to Doctor Who for that reason. It's like saying "Hey, you wanna get into Star Trek? Well, here's that episode of Webster where he dreamed he was on the TNG set. Have fun!"

[drush9999]

Find a Doctor you like most (read about each one, watch clips etc), watch some of their well respected stories. Move onto another as required and don't worry about continuity.