“Alright,” you say. “I’m interested. I’ve been convinced. But if I look at Wikipedia, or Amazon, or even the official Doctor Who website, there are hundreds of episodes! Do I really need to start from the very beginning?!” No. You most certainly don’t. In fact, if you’re new to Who, I strongly advise not starting at the beginning. Who has a long and complicated relationship with the BBC and television in general. We’ll delve into that later on, but for now, let’s focus on the era of the show that is most accessible: the New Series.
Doctor Who originally ran for twenty-six seasons from 1963-1989. The show was canceled due to low ratings and a steadily decreasing viewership (among other things). It was revived in 2005, bar a single a TV movie in 1996. Since then, it has steadily grown in popularity, and currently enjoys a viewership of more than 70 million people worldwide. When fans refer to “the new series”, they’re speaking of the revival of the show that has run for the past 12 years. Many fans don’t refer to it as the new series at all and simply stick with the title of the show, but for the sake of clarity “The New Series” is the moniker I’ll be using.
You might also notice that there’s a slight discretion in the production code between New and Classic Who. Classic Who has “seasons”, while New Who has “series”. Some older fans refer to the new series as seasons anyway (therefore Series 1 would be Season 27, etc.), and many American fans call them seasons because they’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of British television. I only mention this because there is a massive difference between Season 2, which aired between 1964-1965, and Series 2, which aired in 2006.
Now that all of the technical details that could confuse you are out of the way, the best place to begin is Series 1, episode 1: “Rose”. This is a solid jumping on point for multiple reasons, but perhaps the most important one is that no knowledge of previous Who seasons or lore is required. You can know nothing about the show or its history and still enjoy this episode. In fact, you can know nothing about the show and enjoy the entire first series. Christopher Eccleston plays a mysterious, brooding, and occasionally manic version of the Doctor that serves as an excellent introduction to the character and his history. Billie Piper, as the titular Rose, is both well defined but enough of an everyman for you to easily relate to her and her reasons for joining the Doctor. While the minor characters of the story, such as Jackie and Mickey – Rose’s mother and boyfriend, respectively – don’t add much to the plot or development, they add a layer and depth to her character that many companions from the Classic series initially lacked.
Now, I’ll admit that “Rose” hasn’t aged particularly well when it comes to production values. The CGI is… camp, which is the kind way of putting it, and the monster of the episode is downright silly to watch at times. However, this episode does succeed in delivering what it needs to, and it does so in a charming, simplistic way. It introduces you to the character of the Doctor and his lifestyle, it establishes what a companion is, how they relate to the Doctor, and why they choose to travel with him. It introduces you to cornerstone elements of the series, such as the TARDIS and the sonic screwdriver. It even seeds the beginning of a story arc that still continues to this day and has had a profound impact on the character of the Doctor and the lore of the series. But here I am, getting ahead of myself again.
You may occasionally see other guides recommend various starting points for the New Series, such as “The Eleventh Hour”, which is the first episode of Series 5, or “The Pilot”, the first episode of Series 10. While these aren’t necessarily bad starting points, later stories in these seasons and those that follow rely heavily upon elements, monsters, or characters introduced in Series 1-4. The excuses often given for these later start dates range from the argument that Series 1-4 are unnecessary, which is patently false, or that Christopher Eccleston simply isn’t a good Doctor, much to my chagrin. Series 1 is straightforward and follows a simple structure, intentionally designed to guide new viewers into the mythos. There is no better starting place.
But maybe “Rose” doesn’t do it for you. Maybe you can’t look past the campiness that is 2005 BBC production values, and you want to skip on to something a little more exciting and not as basic. My advice would be to hold out; the next two episodes are trips forward and backward in time, with each one strengthing the time travel aspect of the show while broadening your understanding of the Doctor and Rose. But, if you insist on skipping forward, episode 6, “Dalek”, is often considered one of – if not the – best episode of the first series. Whatever you choose to do, stick with the show throw the end of the first series. The finale is a climactic culmination of everything Series 1 has to offer in monsters, characters, and mythos. If you’ve kept yourself pure and haven’t spoiled it by reading ahead, it has one of the best cliffhangers of any series finale, too. From there on out, it’s smooth sailing. It’s always best and often easiest to watch in release order.
A few final important notes:
Where to Watch?
As I said before, the New Series is the most accessible era of Who. It’s popular and has achieved far beyond the cult status of its predecessor. That being said, it can still be surprisingly difficult to access depending on your location and funds.
If you live in the UK or USA, Series 1-9 and their respective Christmas specials are available for free on Amazon Prime Video. If you don’t have Amazon Prime, seasons are available to purchase for streaming and cost anywhere from $6.99-$30.99. Physical copies and their prices will depend on where you live and how much you’ll need to pay for shipping and handling.
Episode Order and the Mistakes People Make
Doctor Who production is fascinating but can be difficult to follow, which leads to some confusing ordering done by streaming services. Amazon is a particularly bad offender in this regard.
Series of Who usually consist of 13 episodes (12 for Series 8-10), with a Christmas special in between the series. However, there are two exceptions to this rule: the Series 4 Specials (labeled as the David Tennant Specials on Amazon) and the Series 7 Specials (also labeled as the 5oth Specials). There is no easy to follow and simple way for me to explain the ordering of these episodes and how Amazon has royally screwed the pooch when it comes to viewing order, so my advice is to follow the order on the Wikipedia page for Who serials which can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doctor_Who_serials#Ninth_Doctor
Follow that and you should be just fine.
Wait, is the New Series a reboot of the Classic Series?
No, it’s a direct continuation of the Classic Series.
“So”, you say to me. “This is pretty neat. I like the New Series a lot! I’ve caught some references to past Doctors here and there. It’d be cool to at least sample some their stuff. How can I get into that?” Fair question, answered with a fair warning: the Classic Series bears little resemblance to the New, outside of premise and some recurring monsters and characters. Television was handled very differently back when Doctor Who first vworped onto our screen over fifty years ago, so prepare yourself. But, that’s no reason to deprive yourself of more Who. So next time, I’ll introduce you to the Classic series and some of the complicated history that has resulted in some of the more interesting aspects of Who‘s lore and history.
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