To the OP: it's probably better to ask people who aren't ardent fans of the show because you'll always get polarised opinions from them. I'm not an ardent fan so I frequently miss episodes and don't find it the end of the world. All 3 modern Doctors are excellent and very different, which is what it's all about really. Just go where your fancy takes you and you'll be entertained is my advice.
Yes! Absolutely. If you have a good attention span and an appreciation for old television (and can look past the low budget and often poor - but sometimes brilliant - special effects) then definitely start at the beginning with 1963's An Unearthly Child, which is available on a DVD box set called "Doctor Who - The Beginning", containing the first three stories. That'll give you a grounding before skipping ahead (many early sixties stories are incomplete or missing entirely as the BBC used to routinely wipe its archives in the days before home video and widespread repeats). I'd also personally recommend; The Tomb of the Cybermen (Patrick Troughton, 1967) Spearhead From Space (Jon Pertwee, 1970) Genesis of the Daleks (Tom Baker, 1975) The Deadly Assassin (Tom Baker, 1976) The Talons of Weng Chiang (Tom Baker, 1977) City of Death (Tom Baker, 1979) The Caves of Androzani (Peter Davison, 1984) The Curse of Fenric (Sylvester McCoy, 1989) Those are just off the top of my head, but there are many more.
It seems to me that nuWho has three "jumping-on" points where you could start watching the show without major problems/references to prior episodes. 1. "Rose," Episode 1 of Series One of nuWho. Introduces Rose Tyler and her lot, and sets up her relationship with the Doctor. Sets up the entire show, really, since it's the first episode of nuWho ever. 2. "Smith and Jones," Episode 1 of Series Three. Introduces Martha Jones in what is probably the most perfect "first episode" of Doctor Who ever. Sets up the post-Rose format of the series. 3. "The Eleventh Hour," Episode 1 of Series Five. The Doctor has just regenerated and said goodbye to everyone he was linked to over the course of Series One through Four. Almost all connections to the prior seasons are severed. This might as well be the first episode of nuWho all over again. Introduces the current cast and sets up the post-RTD era.
I'm one of those that says go with NuWho, starting with "Rose" and just going forward. Everything important gets explained as you go, and things like regeneration are brilliantly introduced for somebody that has no idea about it. I've watched bits of the show's first run but it's never really worked for me (although the Fifth Doctor's death I think is well done, and I saw most of some episode in a lighthouse with a Rutan which I mostly liked). However, I don't care that much for old tv that's not nostalgic to me; if you do, then I'd say find a "best of" list and track down what you can. But especially in the US, I think NuWho is much easier to find/readily available and IMO is of a general higher quality relative to its time. Aside from the lack of Rose (and co.) and introducing Martha (and co.) there's really nothing different that "Smith and Jones" brings to the table. Certainly nothing that "Partners in Crime" doesn't bring.
"Partners in Crime" relies upon a prior familiarity with "The Runaway Bride." "Smith and Jones," on the other hand, relies on no prior familiarity with the show whatsoever -- it introduces Martha, it introduces the Doctor, and it explains who the Doctor is and what he does. That's basically what I'm looking for -- episodes that introduce the Doctor and explain the show's premise in a single episode. "Rose," "Smith and Jones," and "The Eleventh Hour" all do that.
I really don't think Partners in Crime relies on you having seen Runaway Bride. But you have a point that Smith and Jones explains the premise better; it just doesn't do anything different which is what you seemed to be indicating.
Ah, then, I did not adequately explain myself, because explaining the premise is the different thing I was looking for which episodes did.
Done with Series 5! Fell too much in love with Smith's Doctor to leave him. Think I'll go on to Series 6 next, then go back to Rose and watch 1-4. Seems like Eccleston's Doctor is among the least favorites from fans, at least the reading I've come across so far, but I've seen Father's Day and his Dalek ep and I actually really like him. I'm nervous about Tennant. I've seen some clips and I'm not sold on him yet, and that's gonna be the bulk of the watching I have to do. Oh well. I'll find out soon enough! Oh, and the first "Angels" episode... just... DAMN! In a cool way, it's like I got the best episode of X-Files 15 years after the show peaked! I had to leave after watching part 1, and all I could think about for the 5 hours before I got back home was watching part 2. EDIT: Post-RTD?
R.T. Davies is the Producer who brought the show back with Eccelston's Doctor in 2005. He continued on with David Tennant's Doctor and left when Tennant Left. S5 - enter Smith as the Doctor and Moffat as Producer.
So why did Eccleston only stay for one season? Did he decide to do something else or did the producers/BBC want to go in a different direction? Oh, one more thing, I guess there was some kind of a failed relaunch in 1996 in the form of a special? Any way to get my hands on that?
Glad you liked it! I totally love Smith's Doctor too, and Amy and Rory are really great also - Rory surprisingly so. "Vincent and the Doctor" is, I think, my favorite episode of Doctor Who that I've seen. Keep in mind of course that Series 6 is only half over and won't be back till the Fall. Personally I really like Eccleston's Doctor - he's far more brooding and low-key than Tennant or Smith, and a lot more wounded. I think one reason he often gets ranked last of the relaunch Doctors is because he had the shortest tenure and more episodes that were average. "Father's Day" and "Dalek" are two very good episodes though, for sure. As the Doctor though, I find I can't actually pick a favorite between Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith. Tennant's the first I saw though and he's the one that got me hooked Tennant tends to be a lot more.. animated as the Doctor, which usually works out really well (especially in Season 4 with comic actress Catherine Tate as his companion), but can put some people off. On the other hand, he can do dramatic really well too. I'm glad you really liked the Angels two-parter. I think it sometimes gets unfairly maligned for some reason I don't understand. But if you like the Time of Angels two-parter, then you'll probably love Series 3's "Blink."
We don't know. There have been many, many rumors and pieces of speculation, but the bottom line is that we don't know.
Yeah, the 1996 TV movie is available. Basically, it was an attempt to make a US/BBC co-production of WHO with Paul Mcgann (Alien 3, Withnail and I) as the lead, Daphne Ashbrook (JAG) as the companion and Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight) as the Master. It's in continuity with both series, since Sylvestor McCoy makes an appearence to regenerate into Mcgann (The Daleks are likewise given a mention) and it's Doctor and events (Such as the Master's death) have also been referenced a few times in the new series. Unfortunately, the ratings in the US left something to be desired and no series was made. Mcgann's Doctor might be the George Lazenby of Doctors but he's reprised the role for audio/radio dramas, and there are quite a lot of books featuring his Doctor as well. There hasn't been any regeneration into Eccleston though, although Mcgann would be willing to do it. It's also influenced some bits of the new series, although some elements have been ignored, most notably a misguided attempt to turn him half-human ala Spock.
Why didn't any of you people tell me about this damn show earlier? Just caught up with Series 6. Skipped the pirate one.