Where do I start?

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by sbk1234, Dec 22, 2012.

  1. sbk1234

    sbk1234 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I'll admit it, I've never seen even ONE episode of Dr. Who. I'm curious, I've heard so much good about it. I want to give it a try. However, it's been on so long, in so many different series, and there's so much of it, it's rather intimidating.
    My question is where is a good place to start? Can I just pick up with the most recent doctor?

    Thanks for your help.
    Convert me!
     
  2. Cutter John

    Cutter John Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Tough question really. The Eleventh Hour (the current Doctors first story) is a good enough point to jump in. New Doctor, new companion, new Tardis.

    Or if you want to go more in depth, I'd suggest going all the way back to Rose.
     
  3. Ar-Pharazon

    Ar-Pharazon Admiral Premium Member

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    ^ Agreed. Rose isn't so long ago that couldn't get caught up.


    Most people who never watched usually find the classic series cheesy. So much so that some say it's unwatchable.

    Myself, I wouldn't have missed classic Who for anything, even though I only saw Pertwee onward.
     
  4. Pindar

    Pindar Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    start with Matt Smith's first episode, I hated Rose so couldn't recommend it. Coach up with the current doctor then on work back.
     
  5. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I recommend starting with Rose since it really was meant to be watched by someone who had never watched Doctor Who before. Also, I'd hold off watching the classic era until after you're comfortably familiar. I didn't begin watching Classic Who until after season 5, though I provavky could have begun after season 4.
     
  6. Mr Awe

    Mr Awe Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'd start with Rose. That was designed to draw in people who were not familiar with Doctor Who at all, and it worked! Rose is Eccleston's first story. You don't need to know anything about Doctor Who to enjoy that. Just continue from there.

    You can probably safely just start watching this year's Christmas special as well. It's a new beginnings of sorts.

    Mr Awe
     
  7. Kelthaz

    Kelthaz Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    The best advice for watching Doctor Who has always been to pick the most recent Doctor and start from his first episode. The show goes through a mini-reboot with each incarnation and is the perfect point for newcomers to jump on board.

    Or you could work your way up from An Unearthly Child, but I don't recommend it.
     
  8. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    if it's on in your area, there's no reason not to start with the Christmas special that's about to go out: all you really need to know is that something's gone badly wrong for the Doctor, and he's decided to give it all up and let the universe get by without him. Anything else will be explained in context...
     
  9. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    The reason I don't recommend people start with An Unearthly Child and work their way through is simply because so much of Hartnell and Troughton's eras are missing. In fact, the earliest missing story is Hartnell's fourth.

    It's easier for someone to go back and watch the existing stories from those eras after they've been intorduced to Doctor Who and have an understanding of the show.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2012
  10. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Yea, if you want to jump in Right Away, go ahead and watch the Christmas Special, new Companion so, some of the most basic concepts of the Series are likely to be reintroduced in some way. Then go back to either Rose or The 11th Hour and watch forward.

    Or just start at Rose (or The 11th Hour) and move forward from there.

    Unless you've already become familiar with Classic Who, it's probably best not to start there, as Wormhole mentions the Missing Hartnell and Troughton stories can be an issue with you getting your bearings, and then of course there is the aversion some have towards Black and White TV putting a damper on the First two Doctors as well as a bit of The Third, plus the different story pacing in the old Series and the budget was pretty small so many folks laugh or groan at a lot of the effects. Classic Who, for new viewers of today is more to the taste of folks wanting MORE when they've consumed all of NuWho
     
  11. sbk1234

    sbk1234 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I just watched Rose and the next episode about the end of the world. I can't remember the title. It was close to midnight when I watched it. I do like it, so I'll keep watching. It's a good reason to keep Netflix.
    Another question. Is there a continuity with all the series, or is each one a reboot? How will the answer affect my watching?

    And if all of this companions are as cute as Rose, I'm definately watching more.
     
  12. Worf2DS9

    Worf2DS9 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    ^ I wouldn't say reboot in the common sense. Things that happen in a season often have some consequences in the following season(s) of Who (and even Torchwood, for that matter, but let's not complicate things for now!), so there is continuity in that regard, as well as certain plot threads and returning characters.
     
  13. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

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    Not so much a reboot, but, the Companion is a method of explaining things to the audience (IE: If the audience is expected to need an explanation for something, the Companion will ask the Doctor about it so he can explain it). So, when the Companion changes, you have a blank slate, where you can explain the simple stuff to the audience again. When the Doctor changes, he gets a new face and new personality (And often changes to the TARDIS) so that causes changes in the Series. The first four Series of NuWHo are self contained arcs within the season, but, it's not reset, nor forgotten about and stuff is sometimes revisted later on. This formula gets a little more complicated when you get to the 5th Series where the current Doctor starts.
     
  14. trekkier

    trekkier Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    I ended up watching season 5 with matt smith, then i went back and watched season 1-4. Now im slowly working my way though some of the classic stuff
     
  15. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    I would go with "Rose" as well, because as others have already said it re-introducers the character. And as the episodes/series pass it slowly folds in aspects of the old series.
     
  16. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Oddly enough the episode about the end of the world was called "The End Of The World"

    And as other have already said it's a continuation. So the 2005-Pres, is a continuation of the 1963-1989, 1996 run of the show.

    But given the time travel nature of the show, time can be rewritten.
     
  17. Cutter John

    Cutter John Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Glad to hear you enjoyed the first two. A lot of long-time fans were luke-warm about the series at first. But everyone agrees that things start to shift into high gear by episode six. So you're in for a treat.

    The best comparison I can think is to a comic book. Companions come and go, the Doctor changes his appearance from time to time, old enemies return, and (since its 2005 return) most series have had their own mini-arc's that are resolved in a big season finale. But the overall universe has pretty much stayed the same since 1963.
     
  18. Redfern

    Redfern Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Another notable difference between the 2005 (and onward) series and the 1963-89 era is the episodic structure. Most episodes today are more or less self contained with about 45 minutes running time, a lesser number are "two parters" the first ending upon a "cliff-hanger".

    The original series stories usually spanned an average of 4 to 6 episodes each running roughly 22 minutes. There were exceptions, of course. A few stories ran just two episodes, others were 7 to 10, especially during the first two Doctors' eras. Ecah episode ended upon a cliff-hanger. Think of them as the television equivalent to the the old Republic theater serials like Commando Cody, or even the earlier ones like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers from the 30s.

    Some people, when they watch one of these in "omnibus" format (back to back in a single setting), may find the material bit repetitive, but keep in mind these segments were originally aired at weekly intervals, and at a time before the convenience of domestic video playback technology, they were scripted to recap plot elements the viewer may have forgotten from a week earlier.

    Speaking of cliff-hangers", during the earliest years, even stories led directly into the next. Example, at the end of the fourth broadcast when the Doctor and the rest have escaped the ...bleep...to the safety of the TARDIS, they materialize upon a different planet and time and decide to explore the surroundings. As they exit the craft, a radiation metter upon the console climbs into the danger zone as the scene fades to black. In later years, those last episodes of each 'story" would conclude with a bit more finality.

    Just something to keep in mind when you finally start watching the "classics". Personally, I LOVE them. I started with the fourth Doctor (as did many other US viewers when various PBS stations started airing the show in the early 80s), so that's my Who. Just remember they are a product of their time and how television in general was produced back then.

    Sincerely,

    Bill
     
  19. marillion

    marillion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^^ That's really the best way to put it... Product of it's time.. Budgets were low, even when the series was at its highest as far as ratings go. The show was serialized, much like our old movie serials of the 30's, 40's and 50's, so there was a lot of running around and filler (IMHO) that can make some of the classic shows a bit tedious... That said, there were some really good stories coming out of the classic Who era and so some of them are not to be overlooked.
     
  20. Cutter John

    Cutter John Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Otoh, that extra length meant there was more time to devote to characterization. Especially villains, so you ended up with baddies who IMO were a lot more memorable than the current crop.

    It took a lot of us classic fans awhile to get used to the shorter, more rushed story format.