I want to start watching Doctor Who and I'm not sure where to start

[gokujr1000]

So I know I'm probably starting a little late with the current Doctor quitting the role but Doctor Who has always been a show I've been interested in getting into even as a kid who used to watch repeats on ABC after the kids shows had ended, some Australians might know what I'm talking about, but anyway the point is I don't know when or where I should pick up the series because I know that the franchise of Doctor Who has been around for a long time.

So if any Doctor Who fans would like to point me in the right direction that would be very much appreciated.

 

[gifi4]

Just start from the beginning. I've been meaning to watch it as well and I recently saw a season 1-7 pack online to download. My advice with all tv series is that you should start from the beginning. Long-running jokes or important plot ideas may be implemented into the first seasons...

Edit: Looking online, it seems a little more complex than I'd assumed. Supposedly the show is from the 1960's...
The beginning of the ninth doctor is considered season 1. So, start from there, I guess.

 

[Deleted member 329676]

Definitely start at the beginning. Series 1 starts off this current generation, with the 9th Doctor. It was made for people who had never seen the original show, and if you want to understand what's going on at all, I'd say you definitely have to start there. It starts off pretty cheasy, the special fx are awful, but it's good enough that I got hooked, and subsequently got my whole family hooked.

It's an amazing show, with 7 seasons on Netflix to enjoy... I wish I still had that much to catch up on, I hate waiting for new episodes to come out!

 

[natkoden]

start with the latest doctor (eleventh doctor, matt smith, season 5, 6 and 7) and see if you like it

season/series 1 looks like it's made in the basement of my house

 

[gokujr1000]

Just start from the beginning. I've been meaning to watch it as well and I recently saw a season 1-7 pack online to download. My advice with all tv series is that you should start from the beginning. Long-running jokes or important plot ideas may be implemented into the first seasons...

Edit: Looking online, it seems a little more complex than I'd assumed. Supposedly the show is from the 1960's...
The beginning of the ninth doctor is considered season 1. So, start from there, I guess.

Yeah I saw it was from the 60's too which is why I wasn't sure where to start from.

Definitely start at the beginning. Series 1 starts off this current generation, with the 9th Doctor. It was made for people who had never seen the original show, and if you want to understand what's going on at all, I'd say you definitely have to start there. It starts off pretty cheasy, the special fx are awful, but it's good enough that I got hooked, and subsequently got my whole family hooked.

It's an amazing show, with 7 seasons on Netflix to enjoy... I wish I still had that much to catch up on, I hate waiting for new episodes to come out!

I saw that it's mostly up-to-date on Netflix and I also saw there was some Classic Doctor Who episodes up there as well.

start with the latest doctor (eleventh doctor, matt smith, season 5, 6 and 7) and see if you like it

season/series 1 looks like it's made in the basement of my house

I think I'm just going to start at the beginning of the 9th Doctor.

 

[Gahars]

Don't start at all!

Seriously though, I guess the beginning (Of the reboot, I don't think you have to go back to all the old radio plays and serials) is as good a place as any to start. I personally didn't care for what I watched, but then again, I'm a Red, White, and Blue 'murican. Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea mountain dew.

 

[EzekielRage]

Definitely start with the 2005 version. Ninth Doctor, known as Series 1. The first Series is nice, really, but then the 10th doctor comes around and owned the show. Very good. I'm not a fan of Matt Smith,r eally but I like Moffats psychology tricks so those episodes are also very good

 

[flobo]

I watched it all in order 3 years ago starting with the 1963 season, took me a whole year. It aged very well, the first few seasons are not perfect but from 1970 onward, it's easily as enjoyable as modern episodes.

 

[Gabelvampir]

If you don't have many time, start with the still current Doctor, at series 5 of the new (2005) series. If you have a bit more time, start at series 1 of the new series.
If you like what you see, watch the whole new series.
If you crave for more after that and are not afraid of much cheaper production values and old special effects, watch the old stuff.

For the old stuff I'd suggest one of the 2 modes of viewing:
1) Pick one Doctor that looks interesting and watch all his stuff in sequence. For most people first stop for this would be the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker. His 7 year run is pretty much a whole series in itself by volume. When done with that switch to another Doctor.
or
2) Pick interesting sounding stories and watch them. There isn't much story by story continuity in the old series, except the Key to Time season from Tom Baker's run and the Trial of a Time Lord season from Colin Barker's run as the 6th Doctor (no relation to Tom).
Either way you should probably stay away from the 6th Doctor for a while, they< tried stupid things with this incarnation (making him unlikeable and "dark and edgy" while dressing him like a clown) and the scripts at the time weren't all that good.

To have some kind of guide to the whole thing (especially needed for the old stuff because of sheer volume) you can look to http://tardis.wikia.com, but it can be hard to read that spoiler free for the already released stuff. As with all Wikis.

 

[Walkin]

I always tell everyone to watch "Blink". If you don't like it then don't bother. If Blink grabs you then start with the 9th (2005 reboot).

 

[Gabelvampir]

I always tell everyone to watch "Blink". If you don't like it then don't bother. If Blink grabs you then start with the 9th (2005 reboot).

The is a rather uncommon suggestion, but it should work.
In my opinion another episode to suggest in a way like that would be "Midnight".

 

[flobo]

I'd suggest "Vincent and the Doctor" as a test episode.

 

[TheCasketMan]

Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea mountain dew.

 

[Xarsah16]

Well, considering how over a hundred of the original episodes are missing, and we are in modern times, I firmly believe that the reboot is a great place to start, and 9th doctor. Not Blink, but from Rose.

A friend of mine told me "You're going to hate the 9th doctor. 10th is so much better, funnier, more personable. Watch 10th." So I did. I loved the show, but I decided to go back, for myself, and watch the 9th doctor. I didn't appreciate him as much because I had already skipped ahead. As Riversong would say, "spoilers."

It was later I had rewatched 9th, after taking some space away from the series (and after reaching over halfway into reboot season 6) that I figured, well, 9th was great and excellent in his own way. That's when I really started appreciating him.

And then, after that, My Little Pony took over, and then Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I stopped watching Who or having anything to do with it altogether. My little Dalek keychain (who I named Skaro) is still sitting on my shelf, in the very place he's been for months.

It's an excellent series, but don't burn yourself out like I did.

 

[gokujr1000]

Well, considering how over a hundred of the original episodes are missing, and we are in modern times, I firmly believe that the reboot is a great place to start, and 9th doctor. Not Blink, but from Rose.

A friend of mine told me "You're going to hate the 9th doctor. 10th is so much better, funnier, more personable. Watch 10th." So I did. I loved the show, but I decided to go back, for myself, and watch the 9th doctor. I didn't appreciate him as much because I had already skipped ahead. As Riversong would say, "spoilers."

It was later I had rewatched 9th, after taking some space away from the series (and after reaching over halfway into reboot season 6) that I figured, well, 9th was great and excellent in his own way. That's when I really started appreciating him.

And then, after that, My Little Pony took over, and then Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I stopped watching Who or having anything to do with it altogether. My little Dalek keychain (who I named Skaro) is still sitting on my shelf, in the very place he's been for months.

It's an excellent series, but don't burn yourself out like I did.

yeah I actually started the series last night because I finished Skins UK. I've started with the 9th(?) Doctor, the one with Rose, and I find the actor to be extremely likeable so far