Dr. Who for the Uninitiated
- Thread starter Gojira
- Start date
I would start at "Rose." If you're still interested, there's decades worth of older shows to go back and enjoy.
I would actually like to start with the original and then after a while check out the new stuff.
Just keep in mind with the original-the effects/sets/filming techniques are extremely low-budget, even compared with Star Trek. It also is very different from the new series, which has a 45 minute duration with the ocassional 2 or 3 parter, whereas the original was serialized into usually 4-6 parts (A typical story usually goes for an hour and a half or longer)
Also, a lot of the black and white years are unfortunately lost
although some have been found, a good chunk of Hartnell and especially Troughton's serials are gone (Although elements of them have been preserved such as screen captures, scripts and novelizations). So one can never be a completist when it comes to Doctor Who . All of color Doctor Who-with the exception of some Pertwees missing their original color-is complete, however.
Also, a lot of the black and white years are unfortunately lost
although some have been found, a good chunk of Hartnell and especially Troughton's serials are gone (Although elements of them have been preserved such as screen captures, scripts and novelizations). So one can never be a completist when it comes to Doctor Who . All of color Doctor Who-with the exception of some Pertwees missing their original color-is complete, however.Hmm, well, there is "The Beginning" box set. Good a place to start as any. The quality of some of those early stories is questionable though.
Do yourself a favor and watch the new show starting with "Rose"! The original really hasn't aged well, it's incredibly slow paced and looks like it was filmed on a budget of 50 bucks per episode. Fans of the original will probably want to lynch me for saying that, but old Doctor Who (until the mid to late seventies) is really not very good.
While there are some which haven't aged as well as other, there are some amazing stories out there. An Unearthly Child (episode 1) and Tomb of the Cybermen are two examples of shows earlier than the "mid to late seventies" which are both great.
Well, if special effects is all you care about, the above statement is perfectly true. But as Doctor Who usually placed story and characters in front of bells and whistles, the fact it looked at times as if it was shot on $1.98 (because back in the day it WAS as were MOST SF series that didn't have Star Trek in the title) is irrelevant. Classic era stories like Talons of Weng-Chiang and Inferno had much stronger stories than, say, Avatar did.
There seem to be few concrete answers other than personal opinion statements.
The Tom Baker Doctor is generally considered the most popular of the "classic series" Doctors. For that reason I would recommend starting with The Ark in Space, which is often cited as one of the best stories. It also serves as a good introduction to Sarah Jane Smith who is featured often in the current series (same actress, too).
The Five Doctors, an anniversary special from 1983, features major appearances by the Troughton, Pertwee and Davison Doctors, a cameo by Tom Baker, and a new actor playing the First Doctor. This is a good "cook's tour" introduction to the early incarnations. And as Takeru I'm sure I happy to note, there's up updated version with new CGI special effects for people who care about those sorts of things.
William Hartnell was the very first Doctor, and it is highly recommended that you check out the very first episode, An Unearthly Child, which helped establish the character early on, followed by "The Daleks" which introduced the Daleks and started a cultural icon in the UK. Both are in the "The Beginning" box set.
Later Doctors had a number of hit-and-miss stories, and also after awhile a number of stories required knowledge of backstory. Among the best later-era Whos: Caves of Androzani (Peter Davison), the rather prophetic Vengeance on Varos (Colin Baker) and the recently-reissued Remembrance of the Daleks for Sylvester McCoy (though try to watch it after the first episode of An Unearthly Child).
If the idea of watching a serial that runs 4, 6, even 10 episodes doesn't appeal to you -- so many of today's viewers have such short attention spans they can barely sit through 50 minutes sometimes -- then start with the new series. But you might as well wait a few weeks and watch the show starting with Matt Smith's arrival, since the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras were so intertwined and backwards-referencing and crossover-ish that, while great, you pretty much need to start from the beginning.
One exception is the episode "Blink" which is an idea introduction to the concepts of Doctor Who in general. Plus it has Carey Mulligan in a pre-Oscar nomination appearance.
As far as familiarizing yourself with concepts such as "why are there different actors playing the Doctor?" your best bet is to actually to go a website such a Wikipedia or tardia.wikia.com and reading up about the character (same also for understanding the concept of the Doctor's name, etc). That's a more efficient way of getting familiar, since many of the familiar concepts used in the current version of the series have evolved slowly over more than 45 years.
Alex
Sitting through 4 hours of story isn't so much the problem, as sitting through 1 hour of story stretched out over 4 hours. The classic series tended to do that a bit too often.
*cough*Terry*cough*Nation*cough*
I wouldn't call watching Rose doing yourself a favour. Starting with series 1 of new Who, I wouldn't recommend more than Unquiet Dead, Dalek, Father's Day, and Empty Child/Doctor Dances. And you're being far too unkind to the old show. Give me the best of that over the best of new Who any day.
I could say some very nasty things in response to this. Instead I'll just emote with a great big
Rose, by it's very nature, was written to be an introduction to the show for those who may not have seen it before. It's also, IMHO (and I know others may disagree) a good story in it's own right.
Start with Rose, watch the Eccleston series, then if you fancy trying some Classic Series go for Talons Of Weng Chiang (cos it's standalone, from the most popular era, and is the story that Eccles watched to prepare for the role).
I'd say start at the beginning.
However, I'm not so sure whether that's really a good idea. I'm watching my way through the old series (will start with the 5th season soon), and while I like it and while there are great stories, it is very much a show of the earlier 60s. It's in black-and-white, the pacing is very slow compared to today's shows (though the stories take up some speed along the way), the special effects sometimes look ridiculous today. I, personally, don't mind and even like it or think it's part of the charm at least but I also love silent films, so it depends on what you're accustomed to visually. I somehow got a friend of mine interested in watching the old stuff and she was quite impressed (but she's also a big fan of 'The Avengers'), so it's not unwatchable or anything.
But it'll take a long time before you even get to the episodes in colour, so I'd still consider the new series a better starting point.
If you want to sample the early series you should watch 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'. It's one of the best stories of the First Doctor.
However, I'm not so sure whether that's really a good idea. I'm watching my way through the old series (will start with the 5th season soon), and while I like it and while there are great stories, it is very much a show of the earlier 60s. It's in black-and-white, the pacing is very slow compared to today's shows (though the stories take up some speed along the way), the special effects sometimes look ridiculous today. I, personally, don't mind and even like it or think it's part of the charm at least but I also love silent films, so it depends on what you're accustomed to visually. I somehow got a friend of mine interested in watching the old stuff and she was quite impressed (but she's also a big fan of 'The Avengers'), so it's not unwatchable or anything.
But it'll take a long time before you even get to the episodes in colour, so I'd still consider the new series a better starting point.
If you want to sample the early series you should watch 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'. It's one of the best stories of the First Doctor.
You want to talk about "slow pacing", absolutely do not watch Dr Who on BBC America or Sy Fy Channel; most dramatic sequences are smashed into oblivion by numerous five-minute-long commercial breaks and content edits that eliminate character development. It's best to discover the show--whether classic or current version--via DVD.
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I love Classic Who, but frankly for a newcomer I would recommend starting with the New Series. It's a lot faster paced, and more what people are used to today.
And besides, I found that watching the new series gave me an even GREATER love and appreciation for the old one. It was fun, after getting hooked on the new show, to revisit (or in some cases discover) the previous Doctors.
And besides, I found that watching the new series gave me an even GREATER love and appreciation for the old one. It was fun, after getting hooked on the new show, to revisit (or in some cases discover) the previous Doctors.
