start at Rose and just watch them all, the thing about the show is that it's set in all of time and space so they mostly just pull villains out of their asses with no real connection to continuity; so the mythology is a lot lighter then you would think for a show that's been on since the sixties. as a general rule there are no reoccurring villains and everything you need to know is explained in the episode it occurs in. the only exceptions are The Daeks, cybermen and the Master.
Doctor Who - where to start
- Thread starter XSin
- Start date
No, as much as I love Tom, I can't recommend you start with the Fourth Doctor, if you do that you'll miss the best Master, Delgado always plays it straight, never campy even when the script is ridiculous. Hell every Master since has just been an empty shell of Delgado's greatness.FalloutJack said:
So start with Season 8 from 1971. Get yourself a dose of Delgado and then rush through to Planet of the Spiders as fast as you can so you can experience the definitive Doctor Who himself.
Well, the tenth doctor[sup]1[/sup] is generally considered the best (or second best) of all of the doctors. However, if Doctor Who seems interesting to you, I would recommend starting from the beginning.XSin said:
If you can only watch one episode though, watch "Blink", series 3 episode 10.
Neil Gaiman summarizes 48 years of backstory said:
9th, for all the plot.
Though, as others have said, don't forget to watch some of the old stuff!
Though, as others have said, don't forget to watch some of the old stuff!
There's really two starting places for someone interested in Doctor Who: the first Eccleston (ninth Doctor) episode, and the first Smith (11th Doctor) episode. Each of them is something of a clean slate, only referring to past mythology in a way that newcomers will still be able to understand. Starting with Tennant (10th Doctor) is a bad idea, because you need to have seen Eccleston's season to understand what's going on in a lot of his stories, especially early on.
As for the classic series, whether you should seriously get into it or not honestly depends on whether you're willing to pay for it or not. They sell it as individual stories, instead of as entire seasons, so it gets very expensive very quickly. I grab classic Who DVDs every time I find one cheap, but starting from the beginning is /way/ out of my price range without resorting to piracy. The good news is that that's not really necessary to enjoy them. The show was more episodic than the new one, in the sense that you can enjoy most stories on their own merit, not needing to know much backstory beforehand. They were also more heavily serialized in that the stories all consisted of at least two episodes, usually consisted of three or four, and in one case, actually took up a full thirteen episodes to tell. That doesn't really matter for the DVD collections though, because like I said, it's sold by the story, not the season.
As for the classic series, whether you should seriously get into it or not honestly depends on whether you're willing to pay for it or not. They sell it as individual stories, instead of as entire seasons, so it gets very expensive very quickly. I grab classic Who DVDs every time I find one cheap, but starting from the beginning is /way/ out of my price range without resorting to piracy. The good news is that that's not really necessary to enjoy them. The show was more episodic than the new one, in the sense that you can enjoy most stories on their own merit, not needing to know much backstory beforehand. They were also more heavily serialized in that the stories all consisted of at least two episodes, usually consisted of three or four, and in one case, actually took up a full thirteen episodes to tell. That doesn't really matter for the DVD collections though, because like I said, it's sold by the story, not the season.
Well, as long as you watch it from the start of the doctor to the end, I'd say you get a pretty well self-contained story. I'd advise starting with either the 9th or 10th, since more companions seem to carry over there. I started at the 11th, saw a few of the 10th, and now I'm working on the 9th, and I never got too confused really. If you want to start at the 9th, that's good, but if you want to start at the 11th so you can be up to date ASAP you won't lose too much.
Haven't honestly seen much of the tenth doctor, but I know that's happened a few times with the eleventh. The most obvious by far is Victory of the Daleks where he starts hitting a Dalek with a wrench because it's acting like an ally. The first episode with him ends with a big speech about Earth being under his protection though, so that might be the one you're thinking of.XSin said:Could be, I think he was angry about aliens attacking (which happens a lot?) but there was a big speech about Earth being under his protection, very cool.The_root_of_all_evil said:Probably Family of Blood or the sequel. A good choice.XSin said:but there was a scene where one of the Doctors (10th?) just got downright scary, he was pissed at someone for something and man. . . can't wait to get to that ep, it had a very cool feel
Love Gaiman, he can do no wrong in my eyesZen Toombs said:Well, the tenth doctor[sup]1[/sup] is generally considered the best (or second best) of all of the doctors. However, if Doctor Who seems interesting to you, I would recommend starting from the beginning.XSin said:
If you can only watch one episode though, watch "Blink", series 3 episode 10.
Neil Gaiman summarizes 48 years of backstory said:
Man this Blink episode is getting really hyped, hope its everything you guys say it'll be
To be perfectly honest, it doesn't really matter. As long as you have a full series you're good. I watched it in the order of 5, 6, 2, 3, 4, 1. Not /too/ much carries over and to be honest, the first season of the new Who is pretty depressing in my opinion. My advice is start with either season 2 or 5.
Well, as my dad is a Whovian born in the 50's, he decided to raise me on the classic episodes, and with the reboot we were both excited. I love both, no doubt. I'm not grumpy to see a show take a different direction, and, having seen all the Doctor's, I have to say Tennant is my favorite, though to get to him you have to go through Eccleston (whom I have no problem with, other than not being David Tennant ) I won't say whether old or new is better, because they are different. My best suggestion? Start with season 9 and catch up with the reboot, and while doing that accumulate the originals and then watch those from the earliest episode you have.
) I won't say whether old or new is better, because they are different. My best suggestion? Start with season 9 and catch up with the reboot, and while doing that accumulate the originals and then watch those from the earliest episode you have.
That's the one. And not only are the villians great, but it's here that you get the fantastic "Wibbley Wobbley Timey Wimey" speech and lot's of cool time travel stuff.XSin said:Unsurprisingly enough I've already been told this by a friend, the one about scary angel statues right? Looking forward to itMrDeckard said:
I've recently been struggling with the same question, not for myself, mind you I started with the first episode of season one. But I've been trying get others into it.XSin said:
I started watching it last year at the suggestion of a few friends, and approached it with out any prior knowledge.
If you're just looking to get caught up, then I'd reccomend starting with season five. There'll be some things you don't understand and you'll be a bit out of the loop on some things, but if you're just looking to skim the surface that's probably the way to go. If, however, you are like me and really want to get immersed in the whoniverse then I'd reccomend starting with season one. The Tenth is my favourite Doctor and, even if you find the Ninth utterly repulsive (I actually thought he was pretty good in his own way and was a bit sad to see him go, at first atleast.), It'll be good to get through the first season so that you have some understanding of what's going on.
Oh, it's wonderful. Not the best thing ever, but a very good episode that covers most of the important stuff with one of the best original villains in the series. Hope you enjoy it!XSin said:-snippy snip-
Man this Blink episode is getting really hyped, hope its everything you guys say it'll be
Edit: Just so you know, the Doctor only appears for some of the episode.
I'd suggest you start with the 9th doctor if you want to start watching the latest doctor who seasons. However if you want to start from the beginning thats your choice. Also I suggest you stay away from the 11th doctor. He's silly. [sub]I don't get the fish custard.[/sub]
Yeah, that's one thing that I loved about the Tenth, he was able to channel that lighthearted optimism into anger. It's like "I KNOW you can be BETTER than this, so be BETTER!" It keeps that feeling of the Doctor being a bit like a parent.XSin said:I've seen scraps of it before walking through the lounge and there was one point that really stuck with me, I always found the Doctor to be whimsical and lighthearted but there was a scene where one of the Doctors (10th?) just got downright scary, he was pissed at someone for something and man. . . can't wait to get to that ep, it had a very cool feel
A bit off topic, I know, but I rarely get to talk Who. Sorry.
right, I have officially started with the 9th and I'm halfway through the first series. . . it's a lot. . . goofier (?) than I was expecting. Kind of silly in a way, not a bad thing. . . I think cheesy is the word I'm looking for here.
But I'm liking it a lot and gonna get back to it now, is there any other memorable episodes in the New series like Blink that I should look forward to?
But I'm liking it a lot and gonna get back to it now, is there any other memorable episodes in the New series like Blink that I should look forward to?
Moffat's episodes are the highlights, mostly.XSin said:
The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Human Nature, The Family of Blood, Blink, Midnight, Turn Left are all seen as the very memorable ones.
Try and avoid ALL of the specials if you don't like cheese. They get very cheesy.
The Tenth Doctor's departure is
a) A tear-jerking masterpiece
b) A prolonged kick in the teeth
Depending.
From the 11th, The Eleventh Hour, Vincent and the Doctor, The Doctor's Wife stands out.
You may also want to catch The Curse of the Fatal Death for one of the good Doctor Who spoofs. (Never wise to take it too seriously)
Personally, my favourite doctor is Tennant (10th). Especially the "Silence in the library" and sequel and "Water's of Mars" Episodes. Oh, and ANY episode with the Weeping Angels. Those guys are awesome. I just found him funny in the same sort of way I find Sheogorath funny (Though they are reasonably different), whereas 11 kind of took that to whole new levels, and weirded me out for the first few episodes until I got used to him. 9th Doctor wasn't bad either, but I just prefer 10ant.
I'd go with the advice of the people here and start from 9th Doctor episode "Rose", even though I personally started with one of 10ants episodes, though I eventually went back and watched 9. If you don't like 9s style of humour, or just don't like the doctor, move on to a few episodes into 10ant, preferably the ones I've mentioned as they're awesome. Don't like them, try 11th. Don't like any of them, its possibly not your type of show.
Anyway, have fun.
I'd go with the advice of the people here and start from 9th Doctor episode "Rose", even though I personally started with one of 10ants episodes, though I eventually went back and watched 9. If you don't like 9s style of humour, or just don't like the doctor, move on to a few episodes into 10ant, preferably the ones I've mentioned as they're awesome. Don't like them, try 11th. Don't like any of them, its possibly not your type of show.
Anyway, have fun.