Doctor Who has been on for a long time. Next year is the 60th anniversary of the show, and while it might seem daunting to jump into a series as long as this one, with the announcement of a new Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), now is as good of a time as any to start. The show is long, wildly inconsistent, and at times unnecessarily dramatic and campy, but that’s what makes it so fun. Beginning in 1963 with William Hartnell’s First Doctor, the show has a rich history but has followed the same basic plot almost the entire time. The Doctor travels around through space and time with a companion, saving the world from monsters, aliens, and other threats. The show was rebooted in 2005 after a 16 year hiatus, and while the idea of jumping into a show that ran for 26 seasons, took an almost two decade long break and has now been back for another 13 seasons may be daunting, knowing the basics of the show makes it a lot easier to jump right in.
Who is The Doctor?
The Doctor is a Time Lord, a member of the alien race that was credited with the creation and eventual use of time travel. From the planet Gallifrey, founded by their leader Rassilon, the Time Lords have the unique ability to regenerate, essentially making them immortal. When a Time Lord is about to die, a big burst of energy blasts out of them, and their body recreates itself in full health (and with two hearts). This not only allows the show to keep switching out actors to play The Doctor, but also means that The Doctor is stronger, more powerful, and a lot less scared of death than the average person — or, in this case, alien. Regeneration is not something that allows never ending life, there are technically only 12 regenerations possible, but the show has messed around with that fact and essentially made it clear that they won’t stop at 13 Doctors. When the show came back in 2005, there had been eight previous Doctors, making the first portrayal of The Doctor in the new series actually the ninth.
The Doctor, however, is more than just a time traveling alien. The crux of the show is The Doctor’s heart(s) and the relationships between characters, especially the companions he travels with, usually humans that he meets on one of his adventures and invites to travel with him. Understanding and knowing what The Doctor believes in and cares about is as important as understanding all the “timey wimey wibbly wobbly stuff” (a direct quote from The Doctor). The Doctor is a big believer in non violence, and a constant thread throughout the show and every iteration of the character is The Doctor’s desire to save absolutely everyone with as little conflict as possible. The Doctor is incredibly smart, always funny, charismatic, and most of all, a little eccentric. A lot changes with each regeneration, and each actor puts a lot of care into making the character their own, but these things stay the same, along with The Doctor’s continuing efforts to help everyone around them.
How Does The Doctor Travel?
As the Time Lords were the race that created time travel, they’ve had lots of well, time, to perfect it. The Doctor travels in a ship called The TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. The Doctor, after taking issue with the Time Lords’ reluctance to intervene and help people all over the universe, stole a TARDIS and fled Gallifrey to travel. The TARDIS utilizes special technology that disguises the ship as something that will blend into its surroundings, but The Doctor’s TARDIS is stuck as a blue English police phone booth. Oh, and it’s bigger on the inside. Much bigger.
The Russell T. Davies Era: Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant
When Doctor Who came back in 2005, it was faced with a difficult task. The show had to draw in new audiences, and provide a fresh new perspective on a decades old program, all while anchoring the show for returning fans. Russell T. Davies, the showrunner when Doctor Who came back to air, arguably succeeded at this task, as the show drew in new viewers while keeping past fans interested. Davies fundamentally changed the way the show was formatted, shaping the seasons more like American dramas, with hour-long standalone episodes that resulted in a season arc coming together in the finale. Most of the Davies era was extremely well received, and while he’s been gone from the show for over a decade, he’ll be returning to Doctor Who in 2023.
The Ninth Doctor
The Ninth Doctor, played by Chistopher Eccleston, was around for one very important and very good season before regenerating. The Ninth Doctor was intense and sarcastic, but lovable, dealing with the aftermath of The Time Lords having all died in the then-unexplained Time War. The Doctor’s guilt and grief over the death of all the Time Lords contributed greatly to what would be a common thread of the RTD era, the fact that The Doctor truly believed he could save everyone. The first episode of the series, fittingly titled “Rose,” introduces both the viewers and The Doctor to the person that would soon become one of the show’s most important companions, 19 year old London resident Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). Throughout the entire season, we hear and see the phrase “Bad Wolf” repeated. The connection to the plot is revealed in the season finale, thus beginning the trend of Doctor Who season arcs. The Ninth Doctor faces off against many villains, none more important than The Daleks (collectively performed by Nicholas Briggs). The Daleks are a massive part of Doctor Who history, as they are one of The Doctor’s biggest enemies.
Can’t Miss Episodes
If starting with “Rose” and continuing in order seems too daunting, here are some episodes to watch.
“Father’s Day”: “Father’s Day” is an emotional episode that contextualizes Rose’s family and sees Doctor Who living up to its full potential.
“The Empty Child” / “The Doctor Dances”: The first episode from future showrunner Steven Moffat is a perfect episode to watch if you want a better sense of who the Ninth Doctor really is. The Doctor and Rose find themselves in WWII era London, as they investigate a spaceship crash and a (terrifying) group of hospital patients turned aliens with gas masks for faces. This episode also introduces Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a time traveler and con man that frequently appears on the show throughout the RTD era.
“Bad Wolf” / “Parting of the Ways”: The two part finale that introduces the concept of regeneration and says goodbye to Christopher Eccleston, and is important for understanding why and how The Doctor regenerates.
The Tenth Doctor
If you’ve ever seen one of the Doctors online, it’s probably David Tennant. He is obviously one of the most popular Doctors, and for good reason. The Tenth Doctor was younger than his predecessor, livelier, and at the end of the day, had more time in the role. He stuck around for three full seasons with three different companions, and a short set of specials where he traveled alone before eventually regenerating. The Doctor traveled with Rose for one more season, and they had a very important friendship and relationship. Rose’s departure at the end of the season is not only emotional, but important for later episodes. It’s difficult to get a sense of their relationship without watching a majority of their season together, and aside from being important contextually, it’s a season I would recommend not skipping, as it introduces some of the show’s more important villains, such as The Cybermen (collectively performed by Nicholas Briggs), a race of humans-turned-cyborgs intent on turning everyone into more Cybermen.
After Rose leaves, stuck in a parallel universe, The Doctor meets Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), a British medical student. This season contains one of the better arcs, and while it’s not so much a mystery, the payoff is worth the watch. The name “Harold Saxon” appears all throughout the season, and we eventually find out that this man is not only the new Prime Minister of London, but an incarnation of The Doctor’s arch-nemesis, The Master (John Simm). Presumed to be dead, along with the rest of the Time Lords, The Master’s return is an important moment for The Doctor, as well as the show, as he was a prominent character in the original series.
Can’t Miss Episodes
“Human Nature” / “Family of Blood”: This is a great two-parter with Martha that finds her having to work by herself to save The Doctor. They’re genuinely creepy and well acted episodes that end up being important and set up a key aspect for the three part finale of the season.
“Utopia” / “The Sound of Drums” / “The Last of the Time Lords”: The three part finale sees the return of Captain Jack Harkness as well as The Master, and knowing more about both of these characters is important for later seasons, as well as being Martha’s last episode as a companion, as she decides to stay home to protect her family after the events of these episodes.
The Tenth Doctor’s third season is spent with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who makes an appearance in an episode in the Christmas special of a previous season but doesn’t become a full time companion until after Martha’s season. Donna’s time with The Doctor is one of the more fun seasons, and once again there’s some great stand alone episodes that while not crucial for future episodes, are worth the watch in order to get a sense of Donna and The Doctor’s friendship. The season spends time setting up one of the more epic and impressive season finales, with hints to parallel universes, characters and villains returning, and an emotional conclusion to Donna’s story.
Can’t Miss Episodes
“Silence in the Library” / “Forest of the Dead”: These episodes introduce us to River Song (Alex Kingston), a time traveler moving the opposite direction in time as The Doctor (this is his first time meeting her, but her last time seeing him). It’s an amazing dynamic that only gets better and more important in the Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who.
“Turn Left” / “The Stolen Earth” / “Journey’s End”: “Turn Left” explores a parallel universe where The Doctor died and Donna had to save the world. The last two episodes find The Doctor’s past companions working to contact him to save the world from the Daleks. Without giving too much away, it’s a crucial two-parter that wraps up many arcs from this era of Doctor Who, and is Donna’s last episode as a companion. It’s been announced that Donna will return, so if you’re looking to start the show this is a non skippable episode.
After the season finale, The Doctor travels without a companion for five special episodes. These episodes are all important and lead up to “The End of Time Part 1 & 2,” David Tennant’s goodbye to the show (for now), and are emotional and impressive episodes that bring back not only The Master, but The Time Lords themselves.
The Steven Moffat Era: Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi
After Russell T. Davies’ departure in 2010, there was a lot of pressure for whoever took over. Steven Moffat had penned some of the most popular episodes of Doctor Who, and so his taking over made a lot of sense. If Steven Moffat is known for one thing from his stint as showrunner for Doctor Who, it’s his convoluted and at times overly confusing plots. Davies excelled at executing season arcs that appeared unimportant throughout the season until the finale, and while Moffat wasn’t incapable of this, it’s more often than not that season long narrative arcs took over. Things become less “monster of the week” and more “mystery of the season.”
The Eleventh Doctor
At the time of Matt Smith’s casting as The Doctor, he was the youngest actor in the role, and his portrayal of the character embraced that. He was a chaotic, funny, and energetic incarnation, and his time was marked by this fresh feeling he brought to the show. In Matt Smith’s debut episode as The Doctor, he meets Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her boyfriend Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill). Amy and Rory traveled with The Doctor, but between the first season’s crack in the universe The Doctor found in young Amy’s bedroom wall and the mystery of who River Song is, Amy and Rory became essential to the plot. River Song also becomes a big part of the series as she returns early on in The Eleventh Doctor’s first season. From that moment on, in order to understand what’s going on in the show it’s crucial to watch any episode River shows up in. She becomes intrinsically linked to Amy and Rory in a way that’s hard to explain without spoiling the biggest reveal of Matt Smith’s seasons, but just know that any time River shows up it gets messy (but good). Aside from major characters, there are some villains that play a large role in the Amy and Rory era such as The Weeping Angels, a race that look like regular stone statues that have the ability to move and kill you, but only if you blink or look away. (They made their first appearance in the Tenth Doctor’s second season in the episode “Blink,” a great standalone episode that could be useful if you want more knowledge on this iconic Doctor Who monster). The Silence also play a large part in The Eleventh Doctor’s second season, an alien race that can only be remembered when being looked at.
Can’t Miss Episodes
In general, The Amy and Rory seasons are heavily influenced by the relationship between the three of them. Not every episode is heavy on plot, but in general even the one-off episodes contribute in some way to understanding the payoff for the seasons. These episodes aren’t the only ones you should watch, but are ones you shouldn’t skip.
“The Eleventh Hour”: Matt Smith’s first episode is probably the best of the show’s Doctor introductions, and while it’s scary and appealing to new viewers, it’s also important as it introduces the 5th season’s arc with a crack in time and space The Doctor finds in young Amy’s room.
“The Pandorica Opens” / “The Big Bang”: The finale explains the season arc and is also just a really fun time. It’s a classic Doctor Who finale filled with twists and turns. Most of this season is spent getting to know Amy and Rory and while the episodes are all solid, the most important stuff happens in these episodes.
“The Impossible Astronaut” / “Day of the Moon” / “A Good Man Goes to War” / “Let’s Kill Hitler” / “The Wedding of River Song”: Like I said, the Amy/Rory/River plotline gets confusing. These episodes are being grouped together not because they’re all a massive five-part event, but rather all necessary for knowing who River is, as well as the arc about The Doctor’s “death”.
“The Angels Take Manhattan”: The seventh season of Doctor Who was split into two parts, the first being the last run of episodes with Amy and Rory, including their last episode. This episode brings back The Weeping Angels, and finds Amy and Rory reunited with River Song.
Even though Amy and Rory left the show, the trend of companions becoming major plot elements didn’t leave with them. The Doctor meets Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), a schoolteacher, and she takes over as companion. Before this even happened, however, The Doctor ran into Clara a few times. Once as a Dalek and once in a Victorian era bar, her multiple deaths and recurring warnings to The Doctor led to him seeking her out in the modern day for answers. This story, which was somewhat convoluted like many Moffat storylines, has a great payoff.
Can’t Miss Episodes
“The Bells of Saint John”: Clara’s first episode as a companion finds her and The Doctor trying to save the world from something called “The Great Intelligence”, a classic villain that continues to show up throughout the season.
“The Name of The Doctor”: In general, the second part of the seventh season is not fantastic. Colman brings something great to the show, but the mystery of who Clara is, feels a bit cliched at this point after Rose, Donna, and River. The finale however, brings back The Great Intelligence and wraps up this specific Clara plotline.
“The Day of the Doctor:” The show’s 50th anniversary special, this episode introduces The War Doctor (John Hurt), a previous incarnation of The Doctor alive for The Time War. The war, which lasted 400 years and was fought between The Time Lords and The Daleks, led to the destruction of both races. Also bringing back The Tenth Doctor, this special is truly a culmination of the Moffat era, and adds some interesting perspective to a lot of RTD’s seasons as well.
“The Time of the Doctor”: Matt Smith’s final episode as The Doctor, this episode sees the Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, and Silence all come back, and also addresses plot threads from the previous seasons. Clara is able to save The Doctor and he regenerates after defeating the monsters.
The Twelfth Doctor
A stark difference from the previous two Doctors, Peter Capaldi was older, more serious, bitingly sarcastic, and all around a much more stoic incarnation of the character. His relationship with his companions led to most of the show’s humor, as the contrast between him and his (mostly) younger, female friends was always funny, and more than the past Doctors, highlighted just how alien the character is.
While Clara had been around for a while with The Eleventh Doctor, the transition period after the regeneration led to a lot of problems. A lot of Twelve’s first season was spent in conflict with Clara, due to a clashing of personalities as well as her desire to keep their travels a secret from her boyfriend. The season introduces a mysterious new character, Missy (Michelle Gomez), and we discover her true identity in the season finale, a question this season sets up. All the episodes in this season are essential for character development, but most have moments that involve Missy, which is important. In their second season together, Clara and The Twelfth Doctor continue traveling and the plot becomes more connected to the Missy storyline. Another important character, Ashildr (Maisie Williams), is introduced as a girl that The Doctor makes immortal, and continues to appear in the show. This season embraces an interesting format, with multiple two part stories, as well as bringing back Gallifrey, the Time Lords, and Davros, the leader and creator of The Daleks.
Can’t Miss Episodes
“Deep Breath” The Twelfth Doctor’s first full episode, as well as the first time we see him and Clara as a duo. It sets up the conflict between the two of them, especially Clara’s hesitation about continuing their travels, and also introduces Missy.
“Dark Water” / “Death in Heaven”: After Danny (Samuel Anderson), Clara’s boyfriend’s death, Clara and The Doctor run into Missy, who explains her plan that we’ve been seeing buildup all season long. Clara decides that she doesn’t want to travel with The Doctor anymore, but soon changes her mind.
“The Magician’s Apprentice” / “The Witch’ Familiar”: An absolutely amazing season opener, we revisit Missy and see Davros, who’s dying, as he tries to convince The Doctor to save The Daleks.
“The Girl Who Died” / “The Woman Who Lived”: The episode that introduces Ashildr and sees The Doctor making her immortal, as well as her promise to protect the people he leaves behind, an important part of this season.
“Face the Raven” / “Heaven Sent” / “Hell Bent”: While Face the Raven isn’t a third part to these two episodes, it’s crucial for understanding them, as The Doctor getting teleported in “Heaven Sent” is set up in this previous episode, and ends with The Doctor on Gallifrey once again. “Hell Bent” is also Clara’s final episode as a companion, who after being saved from death, is erased from The Doctor’s memory, and goes off to travel with Ashildr.
After an intense season with multiple plot threads, the 10th season takes a different approach, with a story that can somewhat stand on its own. Introducing new companions Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas), the season begins by showing a vault, guarded by The Doctor and Nardole, that we discover is holding Missy, who ends up traveling in The TARDIS. The biggest part of this season is not only Peter Capaldi’s regeneration, but the return of John Simm as The Master.
Can’t Miss Episodes
“The Pilot”: Bill’s first episode as companion, and also a fun fresh start after the Clara seasons. This episode also introduces the vault, an important part of the season.
“Extremis”: The episode that explains what is in the vault, and sets up a thread that pays off in the finale.
“World Enough and Time” / “The Doctor Falls”: The two-part finale of season 10 and Bill’s last episode as companion is an adventurous story that has Missy, The Master (John Simm’s version), Nardole, and Bill in one place, as well as sharing the origin story of The Cybermen.
“Twice Upon a Time”: The Twelfth Doctor’s final episode, as well as Steven Moffat’s, the Christmas special episode finds The Twelfth Doctor struggling to accept his impending regeneration. An important episode for a few reasons, this is a must watch mainly for The Doctor’s regeneration.
The Chris Chibnall Era: Jodie Whitaker
Steven Moffat’s departure from Doctor Who marked the end of an era in many ways. Moffat had been showrunner for almost seven years, and had a distinct style that was not only hard to replicate, but possibly not necessary to. When Chris Chibnall took over as showrunner, it was obvious things were going to change. He had written for Doctor Who before, but announced that his run would be less focused on lore and mythology, and would be more singular and episodic.
The Thirteenth Doctor
The first female Doctor in Doctor Who history, Jodie Whitaker took on the role in a fresh new way that hoped to reinvigorate the show with fun and passion. Her performance is a highlight, but due to some poor writing and weak plots her seasons are not the strongest. It’s unclear as of now what plots will be important for future seasons, but there are some important arcs that seem like they can’t be ignored in future episodes. Jodie’s first season is necessary for getting to know her and her companions, but other than a few stand out episodes it’s mostly forgettable, as fun as some episodes are.
Can’t Miss Episodes
“The Woman Who Fell To Earth”: The first episode of a new era with a new Doctor, this story is essential. We meet Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh), Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), and Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill), The Doctor’s new companions, and the episode sets the tone for the rest of the season.
“Skyfall Part 1 & 2”: In these first episodes, the show takes a different path and begins to introduce a season arc. A spy themed two-parter, these episodes are a big improvement from the previous season, and introduces Sacha Dhawan as a surprising character, in a well executed reveal.
“Fugitive of the Judoon”: An important episode for a few reasons, this episode has the surprise return of Captain Jack, a rare inclusion of past Doctor Who characters, and the introduction of Ruth Clayton (Jo Martin), a character we find out to be a previous incarnation of The Doctor.
“Ascension of the Cybermen” / “The Timeless Child”: Possibly the most important episodes of all of Chris Chibnall’s Doctor Who era, this two parter introduces the “Timeless Child,” the true identity of The Doctor, in a reveal that expands on the history of The Doctor’s regenerations.
Season 13, which is both Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall’s final season, as well as new companion Dan Lewis’ (John Bishop) debut, explores the “Flux,” which threatens to destroy the universe. Six episodes and three specials make up this final run of episodes, and finds The Doctor battling multiple returning monsters, in one continuous story. Because of the format of this season, it’s hard to pick specific episodes to watch, and while this season isn’t perfect, it comes together in a rewarding way. After the conclusion of the Flux season, the specials somewhat follow those episodes, and while we haven’t seen the final special yet, the episode will see Jodie Whittaker regenerate. This will be the final episode that Chris Chibnall works on, and will lead to new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa taking over before the 14th season.
Loved tue article…. definitely a great read for someone looking to get into the Doctor. Really wish there was a closing statement though. Seems like the article just kinda ends.