So You Want to Watch Doctor Who: A Beginner's Guide to Time and Space

Ok, bear with me here, because this might get a bit long.

Doctor Who is a lot of things. It's an exciting sci-fi adventure, it's some of the wittiest writing on television, and it is very, very British. Another thing it is is very big. Having first been aired in 1963, it's one of the only shows that can boast being older than its current star. The fact that there's so much of it can make it really intimidating for new viewers, so here I'll try to give a basic background on the series, including a brief description of each of the eleven incarnations of The Doctor and a list of some of the best episodes to watch, and advice on where to start.

What it's about:

The show is about a mysterious humanoid alien who calls himself The Doctor, who can travel through time and space. He's a member of a race that call themselves the Time Lords, from the planet Gallifrey, who have mastered time travel better than any other species in the history of the universe. In the old series there were other Time Lords, but by the time of the 2005 reboot they have all been killed in the oft-referenced but never explained Time War, and the Doctor is, to the best of his knowledge, the only survivor. As a Time Lord, The Doctor has lived for centuries (he's currently 1103), is psychic to a certain degree, has two hearts, and is able to "regenerate" when he would otherwise die, changing his appearance and personality but retaining his memories (which originated as a way to keep the show going when the original actor playing The Doctor couldn't continue). He has a (stolen) time machine called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), which is dimensionally transcendental ("bigger on the inside", as people often observe), sentient (although it doesn't talk), and can change its appearance to fit in with any environment, but is currently stuck looking like a blue British police phone box from the 1950s due to a broken chameleon circuit. He also carries around his utility tool of choice, a "sonic screwdriver", which manipulates most relatively simple technologies through sound waves and basically acts as a plot device to make sure that The Doctor only gets stuck in a situation when the writers want him to. The last important thing to know about The Doctor is that he usually travels with a "companion", sometimes human and sometimes not, to provide someone who the audience can relate to and someone for The Doctor to have to save all the time. Sometimes he brings them along because he's lonely, sometimes they tag along against his will, and sometimes he sort of accidentally kidnaps them, but regardless of why they're with him the companions are an integral part of how the show works.

Doctor? Doctor Who?

Because The Doctor regenerates, a lot of different actors have played him (currently on #11), each with their own take on the character. Things they've always had in common are being extremely intelligent, quite witty, pacifistic (especially in the new series), and something of an intergalactic vagabond. Between different actors, different writers, and different directors, the show has been different at different times, gaining a new feel with each new Doctor. I'll go over the basics of what each one was like.

The First Doctor (William Hartnell)- A grumpy old man, somewhat resembling a professor. Starts out petty, selfish, and cowardly, but becomes nicer and more protective of his companions later on.

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton)- Almost clown-like in his dress and demeanor, the Second Doctor took himself much less seriously. His silliness and resentment of authority carried over into later Doctors. Played the recorder and carried an impossible amount of useful items in his coat pockets.

The Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)- Suave and gentlemanly, he dressed like he was going to the opera. He was the archetypal action hero Doctor, and was less opposed to using violence. He was stuck on Earth without a working TARDIS for most of his run, having been exiled from Gallifrey.

The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker)- The most long-running and well-known Doctor, he had big curly hair and a comically long scarf, and often offered people jelly babies (British candy, like gummy bears). He affected a goofy and bumbling demeanor, but was actually extremely secretive and deceptive, often pretending to be caught in an enemy's trap only to reveal that everything had gone according to his plan all along. Was elected President of Gallifrey for a while, but left. Had lots of horror and mystery stories.

The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)- Dressed like he was playing cricket, with a sprig of celery pinned to his jacket. Noble and peaceful, he struggled with the fact that people around him kept dying.

The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)- Dressed in bright colors, but was actually a much darker, more unstable version of the character. His default emotions were anger and self-satisfaction, and the show got much more violent during his run.

The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)- Famously had a straw hat, a question mark-shaped umbrella, and a vest covered in question marks. Started out bumbling and silly to tone the show down after the Sixth Doctor, but gradually grew to be ruthless, manipulative, and fiercely protective of his companion Ace. The show was cancelled after his run.

The Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann)- Only appearing in a made-for-tv movie, he had long hair and a three-piece suit. Romantic and passionate, he reveled in life and gave people hints about their futures.

The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston)- The first Doctor of the rebooted series, he dresses and acts the most like a normal human, with a buzz cut and a leather jacket, and more of an ability to fit in where he travels than his predecessors. Full of survivor's guilt from the Time War, he could be dark and moody or disturbingly manic, but generally settled down into a laid-back, joking demeanor. Grinned a lot, and liked the word "fantastic". He only had one season, as Eccleston didn't like the way the show was being run and left on bad terms.

The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)- Competing with Tom Baker in popularity, he is the iconic new-series Doctor. Fast-talking, friendly, and witty, he's beloved by fans (especially female fans), and dressed in tailored suits, a pair of converse, and occasionally glasses that he didn't actually need. Pacifistic and occasionally melancholy, he would always give his enemies one chance to change their ways, but would coldly and methodically destroy anyone who didn't repent or who he thought irredeemable. Probably the most human and relatable Doctor.

The Eleventh (and current) Doctor (Matt Smith)- Dressed in a tweed jacket, suspenders, and a bowtie, he's an eccentric old man in a young man's body. Much more distant and alien (like the early Doctors) than Tennant, but shares his friendliness and tendency to ramble. Clever but absent-minded, he tends to miss important details of situations or social norms, all the while talking circles around anyone who bothers to listen. He's very excitable, and will latch on to anything he considers "cool" (his bowtie, a fez, a space helmet, etc). He also tends to go into a cold fury reminiscent of Ten when someone manages to anger him.

Where Do I Start?

This is the question that usually plagues people who are new to the series, since there's just so much of it (49 seasons overall!). My advice to you is, if you want to watch the show, start with the new series. It's a lot easier to get into, as the episodes are shorter, it's more fast-paced, and because it's a revival so many years after the original show was cancelled, it does a good job of introducing new viewers to the show. More or less any season of the new series makes a good point of entry (I started with Tennant's last season and worked backwards, and I still understood it), but I'd recommend the beginning of a new Doctor, so either Series 1, Series 2, or Series 5. If you start with 1, keep in mind that that season has quite a bit of silly plots and bad special effects, so anything that seems dumb or off-putting will probably be something that gets better as you keep watching. Series 2 is better-produced, but with the exception of a couple good episodes (and one great one) it's rather unmemorable, and you'll miss some elements of Series 1 that served to introduce new fans to the Whoniverse quite well (particularly the episode "Dalek"). Series 5 has a high budget and is very cinematic and well-made, and has a number of good episodes. Like series 2, it does help to introduce old elements of the Whoniverse to new viewers, but you'll still probably get more out of it if you've seen series 1-4. So I suppose my advice here is to try starting from Series 1 of the newly revived show, but if you find it hard to get into it, consider giving series 2 or 5 a chance.

If you want to experience Doctor Who but don't want to watch the whole thing, there are a number of stand-alone episodes that give a good sense of the style and feel of the show. If I get a bit of time later in the week, I'll post a list of recommendations.