'Doctor Who': A Beginner's Guide
So the “Doctor Who” 50th anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor” is coming up and you’re at a loss. You want to join in the fun, but you have no idea where to start. Fortunately, one of the reasons the show has lasted so long is that it’s easy to jump into. Here are the bare bones of what you need to know.
According to Craig Ferguson, as he sang in his musical tribute to the show, “It’s all about the triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism.” “Doctor Who” was originally intended to be a show for children, but its demographic quickly grew. It became a show for adults that appealed to the childlike sense of wonder and discovery inside all of us.
Doctor Who doesn’t carry a gun; he carries a screwdriver. He’s the original Doctor Without Borders. Come on, the guy has two hearts. The show’s about love, but it’s still as exciting as anything else you’ll see on television.
Actually, he’s just called “the Doctor.” And he’s this guy.
Really, all these guys are the Doctor (plus the one we’ll meet in the 50th anniversary special and another we’ll meet this Christmas).
Back in 1966, the first Doctor (William Hartnell) was getting too old to play the part, and the show stumbled upon the idea of “regeneration” — where the Doctor would simply get a new body using the time-honored TV writer’s excuse of “um … he’s an alien or something.” And pow! A tradition was born.
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One of the nice things about this is that the show essentially reboots every few years, so you don’t have to watch every last episode to enjoy a new one. But they often drop references in passing, so every old episode you do watch makes each new one that much more fun.
The name stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space, and it’s a time and space machine. Its “chameleon circuit” is broken, so it looks like a ’60s-style police box — a common sight in London at the time.
Of course, as the oft-heard phrase goes: It’s bigger on the inside.
Part of the rambunctious joy of the series is that the TARDIS doesn’t always take the Doctor where he wants to go, but it always takes him where he needs to go.
Do not start at the beginning. Since 1963 there have been nearly 800 episodes, and even if you’re the sort of person who is an obsessive completist, you’ll be disappointed, as almost a hundred of those episodes have been lost.
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"Doctor Who" was rebooted in 2005 after a 9-year hiatus (though some will argue 16 years, discounting the 1996 TV film), and if you’re reading this, you’ll probably want to limit yourself to the "new Who" before attempting to tackle the full 50 years of history. Also, episodes are available to stream on Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon, so you don’t have to change out of your pajamas to see them.
The best place to start is with Season 5: “The Eleventh Hour.” It introduces Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor, as well as the current showrunner, Steven Moffat.
If you’d prefer something a bit more thrilling, try the episode “Blink,” Season 3, Episode 10. It actually has very little of the Doctor but introduces some of his most popular villains: the Weeping Angels. This is one of the scariest episodes of the series, so unless you can sleep with your eyes open, you’d best not watch this before bed.
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If you are a completist, then start with Season 1. Christopher Eccleston (“Thor: The Dark World”) as the ninth Doctor establishes a wonderful rapport with his companion Rose (played by Billie Piper of Showtime’s “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”), and her arc over four seasons is enthralling. Be warned, the CGI is pretty awful, so if that’s a concern, start with Seasons 5 through 7, then work your way back.
What If I Want to Watch “The Day of the Doctor”?
Then by all means, do. Again, one of the main reasons the show is still here is that it’s easy to jump into. John Hurt appears as a heretofore unknown incarnation of the Doctor alongside the 11th Doctor, the 10th Doctor (David Tennant, who played the scene-chewing Peter Vincent in the 2011 “Fright Night” remake), and, if rumors are true, the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker. For many older American fans, Baker is “their” Doctor since most of what aired on PBS in the ’70s and ’80s were his episodes.
"The Day of the Doctor" airs Nov. 23 on BBC America. Check your local listings.
