DOCTOR WHO RECENTLY CELEBRATED IT'S 60th ANNIVERSARY! NEW TO WHO? UNSURE WHERE TO START? HERE IS OUR BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO BRITAIN'S MOST SUCCESSFUL SCI-FI SERIES.
November 23rd, 1963. 5:15pm in the afternoon. Here in the United States, the country was still trying to cope with the tragedy of President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas. But across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom, many families were sitting down to watch the BBC's newest television program, Doctor Who.
Now, sixty years later, the same is happening all around the world as families prepare to watch the latest episode of the longest-running sci-fi series in the world. The upcoming episode heralds a new era for the series, one that looks very bright and successful for the years ahead. This episode, titled "The Star Beast", stars returning actors David Tennant (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Good Omens, Star Wars: Ashoka) and Catherine Tate (The Office, DuckTales) and is produced by returning executive producer Russell T. Davies for Bad Wolf Productions/Sony Entertainment and Disney+. This episode, the first of a series of four specials airing this year, promises to be an "enormously fun adventure, with an edge and a serious threat" and a return to the series roots that were first laid forth when Davies first took over production in 2005.
But with sixty years of continuity and nearly 900 episodes to watch, not to mention the thousands of episodes available on audio and hundreds of books and novel stories written, Doctor Who can be a bit daunting to the newcomer looking to just jump in and enjoy the series. And while there are many callbacks and mentions to past continuity, it really isn't difficult to find a place to begin your watch of the series if you know a few of the basics.
What exactly is Doctor Who about?
Doctor Who is the story of an alien who calls himself "The Doctor", a being from the planet Gallifrey, who centuries ago fled the boredom and humdrum existence of his life there and went out into the stars to explore. He stole a time-space machine called a TARDIS (short from Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which can travel anywhere in time and space and the interior sits in another dimension so it is bigger on the inside than it is out, and he and his granddaughter Susan left their home planet behind to see the universe and have exciting adventures. The Doctor is of a race called the Time Lords, beings who have mastered the ability to travel in time and have a unique feature - the ability to, at the time of severe injury or death, can heal themselves through the process of regeneration, which along with healing also changes their appearance and personality.
There has been fourteen different incarnations of the Doctor, each one taking over when the previous actor decides to leave the role. To date, the list consists of:
WILLIAM HARTNELL (1963-1966), an older version of the character with a short temper who travels around with his granddaughter Susan.
PATRICK TROUGHTON (1966-1969), an impish "cosmic hobo" with a more lightweight comical personality.
JON PERTWEE (1970-1974), a straight and serious version, more action oriented, and more Earth-bound with his stories.
TOM BAKER (1974-1981), the most famous, with his large grin, floppy hat, and long scarf. He is the wanderer.
PETER DAVISON (1981-1984), one of the youngest, bright faced and vulnerable, and at time flawed and volatile.
COLIN BAKER (1984-1986), big and bombastic, overbearing at times, and with the worst taste of clothes.
SYLVESTER MCCOY (1987-1996), at first clown-like and comical, but evolves into a more darker and sinister version of the character.
PAUL MCGANN (1996-2004), The shortest run on TV, only one film, but a long life on audio, he is the adventurer, and very wise.
CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON (2005), only one season on TV, but with the return of the series made the biggest impact.
DAVID TENNANT (2005-2010), charismatic and charming adventurer, which turns to fury when the universe is threatened.
MATT SMITH (2010-2013), the youngest ever to play the character, an old man trapped in a young man's body, with blood on his hands.
PETER CAPALDI (2013-2017), the most "alien" of the group who refuses to admit that he cares about anything.
JODIE WHITTAKER (2017-2022), the first female to play the part, warm, funny, and friendly but with every worry on her shoulders.
Other actors have briefly played the role when the story or circumstances needed, including PETER CUSHING (two Dalek films made in 1965 & 1966), JOHN HURT (in the 50th Anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" as well as his own Doctor Who audio series), and JO MARTIN (for the 2018 episode "Fugitive of the Judoon" and further appearances). Each have made their mark in the great story of the Doctor, and can never be counted out of the line and forgotten.
In last years episode "The Power of the Doctor", her battles against her greatest foe resulted in her being fatally wounded. She went off to regenerate once again, but is surprised to find that she has changed into one of his past forms. The answers to this mystery will be revealed in the upcoming 2023 Specials airing over the next month.
During his travels, the Doctor has fought against some of the most evil and ruthless forces in the universe. The most iconic of these foes would be the DALEKS, created by writer Terry Nation (Blake's 7, MacGyver) for the 1963 story "The Daleks" and immediately became the fascination of the nation. They have become as synonymous with Doctor Who as the Doctor himself and the TARDIS, and their behavior and catchphrases are now part of British popular culture, including their famous declaration of "Exterminate!". Almost as famous are the Cybermen, humanoids who have ‘upgraded’ themselves into silver cyborgs devoid of emotion. The Doctor has encountered these villains many times over the sixty years, including in the South Pole, parallel Earths and abandoned space theme parks. They are even the reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs!
The Doctor most often travels with friends he has met during his travels, some for long lengths of time. The "companions" is usually human, as they are the Doctor's favorite race. They consistently make it their mission to defend planet Earth, and make sure that the Doctor keeps his grasp on his humanity and humility, and reign in his worst instincts. Some of his most famous include Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), a young Scotsman from the 1800s, Jo Grant (Katy Manning), a young escapologist, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), a roving reporter and the most famous and loved of the companions, Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant), a feisty American botanist, and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), the first to travel with her husband Rory.
Where should I start watching?
Sixty years of television episodes can be a lot to get your head around, but where exactly would be the best place to start watching? The answer is, anywhere really! The series is divided by its eras, and each one is different. There is the "classic" series, which usually means anything produced between 1963-1989. There is the "new" series, which is commonly meant to be anything from Russell T. Davies first era starting in 2005 to the present day. There is the audio series, which has been ongoing since 1999. Really, it's up to you where you start. To help you out, and to give you a flavor of what the series has to offer, we're suggesting these choices as "Stories You Need to Watch to Get the Feel of Doctor Who":
1.) THE DALEKS (1963) - The second story and a classic, introducing the world to the menace of the Daleks. It is pure science fiction at its finest. The Doctor (William Hartnell) and his companions Ian Chesterton (William Russell), Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), and Susan (Carole Ann Ford) land on a planet devastated by nuclear war, only to find that not everyone who lived on the planet died. This story was adapted as the first feature film DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS starring Peter Cushing in 1965.
2.) THE WAR GAMES (1969) - The final second Doctor story and last black & white story to be produced, it closed off the 1960s with a bang. Starring Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor, with companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury), the travelers find themselves trapped back in World War One, or so they think. When the Doctor comes across another of his race, secrets he has been hiding are brought forward that could end his days of time travelling.
3.) THE AMBASSADORS OF DEATH (1970) - A perfect example of early 1970s Doctor Who, with all the Earth-bound mystery and large military action sequences that were the trademark of this era. Starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor and his friends Liz Shaw (Caroline John) and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), the story finds the Doctor and his friends at UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) investigating the strange disappearance of three astronauts who disappeared while returning from a manned mission to Mars.
4.) THE GENESIS OF THE DALEKS (1975) - One of the all time favorites on many fan's lists, this story has the Doctor and his companions on a mission for the Time Lords to go back to the beginning and stop the creation of the Daleks in order to stop a great war that is coming. The first true telling of the origin of the Daleks, and introducing us to one of the greatest foes the Doctor has ever faced - Davros, creator of the Daleks. Starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, with Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith and Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan.
5.) CITY OF DEATH (1979) - Voted in the top ten polls as one of the best written stories, written by Douglas Adams (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy), this finds the Doctor and fellow Time Lord companion Romana traveling to Paris on holiday, only to run afoul of the schemes of the mysterious Count Scarlioni (Julian Glover) and his plot to steal the Mona Lisa. Starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana, with a special cameo appearance by the great John Cleese.
6.) EARTHSHOCK (1982) - The Cybermen are back, and this time they've plotted a full-scale invasion of the planet Earth! While the Doctor and his companions rush to save the entire human race from their annihilation, they must face their own mortality when one of them doesn't make it out alive. Not the first time a companion has died on the series, but definitely the most dramatic and unexpected. Featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, with Janet Fielding as Tegan, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric.
7.) THE TWO DOCTORS (1985) - What would happen if a time traveler happens to cross paths with his earlier self? Absolute chaos and destruction! The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and his companion Peri (Nicola Bryant) travel to a space station to find its inhabitants dead, and discover that an earlier incarnation of himself (Patrick Troughton) and his companion Jamie (Frazer Hines) had been there as well, and been taken captive! Featuring a race familiar to the more recent series, the Sontarans, and shot on location in beautiful Saville, Spain.
8.) THE CURSE OF FENRIC (1989) - Landing in 1943 during the height of World War II, the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) discover that an ancient evil is lurking in the waters near an active army base, and that the experiments happening there have not only attracted the attention of the Russians, but could spell the end of all life on Earth. One of the best stories to come from the 1980s, with fantastic location filming and brilliant direction and music.
9.) THE TV MOVIE (1996) - Produced by Universal and Amblin Television for the BBC and airing first on FOX Networks here in the United States, this made-for-TV movie introduced us to the incredible character of the Eighth Doctor played by Paul McGann and brought the series into the 1990s with a complete redesign and updated style. Guest starring Daphne Ashbrook as Grace and Eric Roberts as the Doctor's arch-enemy The Master, this movie boasts some impressive visual effects, a beautiful new version of the TARDIS, and an incredible score from John Debney (Iron Man 2, Hocus Pocus).
10.) HUMAN NATURE / THE FAMILY OF BLOOD (2007) - A two-parter, this story finds the Doctor forced to change himself into a human and live the life as a schoolteacher named John Smith, unaware of his former life, in order to hide and escape a family of incredibly powerful beings known as the Family of Blood. Based on a novel written in 1995, this story was nominated for a Hugo Award that year, and is unlike any story seen before, powerful and dramatic, beautifully produced. Starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones.
11.) THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR (2013) - The 50th Anniversary episode, a story that the series had been leading up to for many years before. The Doctor reveals that he has had a dark past that has been kept hidden, a side of him that fought in the great Time War, an incarnation of him (played by the wonderful John Hurt) that instigated the annihilation of his own race and the destruction of Gallifrey. Now he is forced to face his own past, but not alone... starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara, with special appearances by David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Billie Piper as the Moment, and special cameos from all previous Doctors (and a couple of future ones as well).
12.) WORLD ENOUGH AND TIME / THE DOCTOR FALLS (2017) - Another two-parter, this time finishing off the era of the Twelfth Doctor with a bang. We've seen what happens if the Doctor meets his previous selves in the past, but this story takes a twist when the Doctor's greatest enemy, the Master, team up with themselves. It also serves as an origin story for the Cybermen, one that had surprisingly never been shown on scene (but had been done in the magnificent audio "Spare Parts" from 2002). And as the title for the second part suggests, the Doctor doesn't exactly make it out unscarred.
13.) THE POWER OF THE DOCTOR (2022) - The most recent episode to air, and one that directly connects to the upcoming specials airing this year. This one finds the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker and her companion Yasmin (Mandip Gill) forced to confront her own recent incarnation of the Master (Sacha Dhawan). But she's not alone this time, and has the help of past friends Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding), and Ace (Sophie Aldred) to defeat the Master, as well as the Daleks and the Cybermen along the way.
Where do I go from here?
The newest episodes begin their first runs with "The Star Beast" on November 25th, followed by "Wild Blue Yonder" on December 2nd, and "The Giggle" on December 9th. These episodes feature the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna Noble, played by returning actors David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and guest starring Jacqueline King, Bernard Cribbins, Jemma Redgrave, and Neil Patrick Harris. These episodes will make a great startring point for new viewers, and will introduce us to the newest incarnation of the Doctor, the Fifteenth played by Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education, Barbie the Movie). The specials will be capped off with the Christmas episode "The Church on Ruby Road" airing December 25th. You'll be able to watch these, and any future episodes on BBC1 in the United Kingdom and on Disney+ here in the United States and other countries.
