Wondering how to start watching Doctor Who? Here are the best places for a newcomer to start watching the show!
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00:00If there's one thing that every Doctor Who fan must do, it's convert as many people
00:05to the fandom as possible.
00:06But where should you tell them to start from?
00:08Well, actually, don't tell them anything.
00:10Just send them this video.
00:12I'm Ellie with WhoCulture, here with 10 perfect places to start watching Doctor Who.
00:1710.
00:18The Woman Who Fell to Earth The 11th series of the revived era saw one
00:22of the biggest reboots in its history.
00:24The showrunner changed, the producers changed, the writers changed, in fact, pretty much
00:29everything changed.
00:30The biggest change of all was Jodie Whittaker as the first female Doctor.
00:34New showrunner Chris Chibnall promised that this would be a good point for non-fans to
00:38get into the series.
00:40And he wasn't wrong.
00:41Along with all the changes in personnel, series 11 featured zero returning characters and villains,
00:47and largely abandoned connections to the show's history.
00:50The series featured 10 standalone episodes and little in the way of a story arc, meaning
00:55that anyone could jump in each week and follow along with ease.
00:58This, along with the lack of returning elements, meant that viewers needn't know anything
01:02about the previous 55 years of Who.
01:05Now, while this obviously makes it a good jumping on point for newbies, the decision
01:09to disconnect from Doctor Who lore almost makes it feel like a different show at times.
01:14If you want a more quintessential Doctor Who experience, then there are better places to
01:18start.
01:199.
01:20An Unearthly Child Want to start watching Doctor Who?
01:23Well if you're feeling brave, then go right back to 1963 and start with An Unearthly Child,
01:29the very first story.
01:30To start at the beginning takes no prior knowledge at all, as was the case for those watching
01:34on the 23rd of November 1963.
01:37This allows you to be enveloped by the mystery and wonder of the Doctor and the TARDIS, and
01:42knowing how big the show would become makes it feel even more special to experience the
01:46one that started it all.
01:47The pacing is a lot slower, and it lacks the humour and high production values of the modern
01:52series, but if older television works for you, then it makes sense to just go to the
01:56beginning and watch the entire show.
01:58The major downside of doing it this way is that many of those early episodes are missing
02:02from the BBC archives, so it's impossible to get a complete picture of the first and
02:07second Doctors.
02:08As of recording, we've actually just learned that An Unearthly Child will be missing from
02:13the classic collection on BBC iPlayer, although you can still watch it on BritBox and ITVX
02:19for the time being, as well as physical media too.
02:21So, if you're a completionist, then the missing episodes are an important factor to
02:25consider.
02:268.
02:27The 60th Anniversary Slash Series 14
02:30With Doctor Who coming to Disney Plus for the 60th anniversary onwards, it's likely
02:34that many newcomers will board the show, and based on everything we know so far, it'll
02:39be a solid place to start.
02:40Though the new Doctor is played by previous Doctor Who star David Tennant, and the new
02:45showrunner Russell T. Davis has been the showrunner before, it's still a creative reset both
02:50in front of and behind the camera.
02:52And while the 60th anniversary will continue plot threads last seen in Series 4, the trailers
02:57have recapped all the key information, and the show will no doubt do the same.
03:01If Donna remembers the Doctor, she will die.
03:03That's really all you need to know.
03:05Once the three 60th anniversary specials are over, Shooty Gatwa will take the lead from
03:09the 2023 Christmas special, with his first full series airing sometime next year.
03:14This will be another ideal place to start, since you'll get to see the 15th Doctor's
03:18journey from the very beginning.
03:20Unlike The Woman Who Fell to Earth, the 60th anniversary and Series 14 are gearing up to
03:24be reboots that still incorporate past elements of the show.
03:28And with the best production values in its history and an award-winning writer at the
03:32helm, the pieces are in place for this to be Doctor Who at its very best.
03:367.
03:37Smith & Jones
03:38While Smith & Jones marked the beginning of David Tennant's second series, it's a lot
03:42more accessible than his first.
03:44When Tennant took over the TARDIS at the end of Series 1, he also inherited the companion
03:49Rose.
03:50So as a starting point, new viewers may feel that they're being thrown into the middle
03:54of a story.
03:55Conversely, Smith & Jones starts with the 10th Doctor on his own, before meeting new
03:59companion Martha Jones.
04:01The stories that would follow are a perfect blend of what the show is about, with some
04:05of the best historical and future-set adventures in the modern era, as well as the introduction
04:10of the iconic Weeping Angels.
04:12There's also a taste of some great Doctor Who baddies, with a two-part Dalek story in
04:16the middle of the series and the shock return of a classic character in the epic three-part
04:20finale.
04:21But there's no spoilers here, so we won't tell you who.
04:23Neither of these stories require prior knowledge, making them an ideal way for new fans to experience
04:28some of Doctor Who's most famous villains.
04:30Tennant is a fan-favourite Doctor for a reason, so starting with him is a very good way to
04:35get hooked.
04:366.
04:37The Reboss Operation
04:38Tom Baker was the actor who served as the Doctor the longest, so in terms of starting
04:42points, he has a fair few overlapping seasons.
04:45His first three seasons saw him travelling with the iconic companion Sarah Jane Smith,
04:49but since she joined the TARDIS with Baker's predecessor, we'd recommend jumping ahead
04:53for a much cleaner fourth Doctor starting point.
04:56Kicking off with the Reboss Operation, Season 16 partners the Doctor with fellow Time Lord
05:01Romana, a brand new companion.
05:03Together they break the generic Doctor-companion relationship as the Doctor is now travelling
05:07with one of his own kind.
05:09Season 16 is also unique in that it's one of the few classic seasons to feature an ongoing
05:13arc, with the Doctor and Romana enlisted by the White Guardian to find all six segments
05:18of the powerful Key to Time and keep them out of the hands of the Black Guardian.
05:23This long-form storytelling rewards you for sticking with each serial, and with one of
05:27the greatest Doctors of all time at the helm, the Reboss Operation is one of the better
05:31classic starting points.
05:335.
05:34The Pilot
05:35The Pilot marked the beginning of the tenth series of the revived era, and the final series
05:39to feature Peter Capaldi's twelfth Doctor.
05:42Due to still travelling with the eleventh Doctor's companion Clara, Capaldi's first
05:46two series felt linked to what had come before, but for his final run, showrunner Steven Moffat
05:50announced that Doctor Who would be softly rebooted, making it a good place for new fans
05:55to start.
05:56It's arguably Capaldi's strongest series, too.
05:58The Pilot kicks off by introducing new companion Bill Potts, played delightfully by Pearl Mackey.
06:04Throughout the series, we see several characters and villains return in surprising ways, along
06:08with plenty of strong original concepts such as the emoji bots and zombie spacesuits.
06:13The twelfth Doctor is such a charming incarnation, too, and Capaldi appears to have more fun
06:18here than he did in his first two years.
06:20It's easy to watch, but also thematically rich, with the devastating two-part finale
06:25representing Doctor Who at its very best.
06:27Plus, in terms of catching up, you only have four series to watch if you start from here,
06:31so it's not a huge time investment.
06:334.
06:34Spearhead from Space
06:35Doctor Who spent its first seven years in black and white, but when John Pertwee became
06:39the Doctor in Spearhead from Space, the show switched to colour, and that wasn't the
06:43only significant change to the formula.
06:46With the Doctor exiled on Earth and lacking the ability to fly the TARDIS, he became a
06:50scientific advisor for UNIT, an organisation that protects the Earth from alien threats.
06:55This fresh approach is the perfect place for a rookie to dive into classic Doctor Who.
07:00This era saw the introduction of countless iconic characters like the Master, the Silurians,
07:05and the Sontarans, so you'll get a thorough schooling on Doctor Who lore.
07:09Sarah Jane Smith, arguably the most popular companion of all time, also debuted alongside
07:14the Third Doctor while the legendary Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart became a regular feature.
07:18And that's without even mentioning Pertwee's highly entertaining performance as the Doctor.
07:23I have two words for you.
07:24Venutian Aikido.
07:25With a new Doctor in a new scenario, Spearhead from Space is a very accessible start.
07:30Plus, all the episodes after this point are present in the BBC archives, unlike many in
07:35the black and white era.
07:36Number 3.
07:37The Wibbly Wobbly Method.
07:38Ooh, I like the sound of that one.
07:40Let's say you want to start watching Doctor Who, but you don't want to commit to a full
07:44series.
07:45Maybe you want to watch a few different episodes first to see if the show's for you.
07:49This is a great way for hardcore fans to get their casual friends on board, as it allows
07:53you to pick and choose the greatest the show has to offer.
07:57We're dubbing this the Wibbly Wobbly Method, because you'll be jumping around between
08:00different Doctors and eras.
08:02What does Wibbly Wobbly mean?
08:04Well, you'll find out if you start with our first recommendation here, Blink, a phenomenal
08:09standalone story featuring the Weeping Angels, along with some of the most fascinating use
08:14of time travel in the whole show.
08:16Other stories we'd recommend trying out include The Girl in the Fireplace, City of Death,
08:20Vincent and the Doctor, and Mummy on the Orient Express.
08:24None of which are heavy on series arc material or require prior knowledge, but all of which
08:28are fantastic.
08:292.
08:30Rose
08:31There's almost no better place to get into Doctor Who than the first episode of the 2005
08:36revival.
08:37Doctor Who adapts for the 21st century with a new style and a new Doctor.
08:41With most classic stories comprising four 25 minute episodes, the revival went with
08:47the much more digestible option of standalone 45 minute episodes, or two of them for a two
08:52part story.
08:53This made the show tighter and more fast paced than ever before.
08:57The Ninth Doctor explodes onto the screen, almost literally, as a man of mystery, and
09:01the genius decision to kick things off from Companion Rose's point of view allows you
09:06to see the magic of the Doctor as she does, and by the end of that first episode, you'll
09:10be as desperate for more adventures as she is.
09:13Despite getting into some truly bonkers sci-fi, the series also feels incredibly grounded.
09:18There are a lot of stories set on contemporary Earth, with romance, modern humour and relatable
09:24characters galore.
09:25Have you ever got emotional over a tree lady?
09:27Well, you're about to.
09:28Rose was a massive success for a reason.
09:30It reinvigorated Doctor Who and generated legions of new fans in the process.
09:35It works just as well as a starting point today as it did back in 2005.
09:391.
09:40The Eleventh Hour
09:41The Eleventh Hour saw the dawn of a new era in the revived show.
09:45With David Tennant departing as the Doctor, relative unknown Matt Smith took the reins,
09:50bringing a new companion, a new TARDIS and some new series arcs with him.
09:54Now, as with many selections on this list, the fact that The Eleventh Hour is a soft
09:58reboot makes it an ideal first episode for newbies, but what earns it the number one
10:03slot is that it's the greatest debut story in the show's history.
10:07Smith is instantly winning as the Eleventh Doctor, and the way his connection with Amy
10:11Pond unfolds does a remarkable job of investing you in this new Doctor Who leading duo.
10:17There's a magical quality about this episode, and the series as a whole, that feels universal
10:22but still retains the core qualities that make Doctor Who so special.
10:26As a bonus, The Eleventh Hour still feels modern by today's standards, so those accustomed
10:31to the latest TV won't find it jarring to start with.
10:34The production design, writing and special effects all hold up very well 13 years later.
10:40This episode also marks the beginning of certain plot threads that would stretch all the way
10:45to The Eleventh Doctor's final story, so it's a good one for hooking people long term.
10:50All in all, there's no better place to start watching Doctor Who.
10:54And there you have it.
10:55Now, if you are going to start watching at the 60th anniversary, or you've just forgotten
10:59things, then make sure that you check out our recap of everything you need to know before
11:04the 60th anniversary, which will be on the channel very, very soon, so keep your eyes
11:08peeled.
11:09Until next time, I've been Ellie with WhoCulture, and in the words of River Song herself, goodbye
11:14sweeties.