Haven't seen a single episode of Doctor Who..

Basq

.. where do I start?

Every Summer, I decide to catch-up on a series I've been neglecting and heard great things about.

So this Summer, I've decided to go with 'Burn Notice' and 'Doctor Who' - now, I'm not a Sci-Fi fan whatsoever (outside of 'Firefly' and most of 'Battlestar Galactica'). But in saying that, I really want to give 'Doctor Who' a shot.

Should I just start with Christopher Eccleston's stint as The Doctor and start from there? Or should I go all the way back to start with William Hartnell? I presume from the multitude or new fans that there's no specific problem with starting with it's return in 2005.

Any new fans here who, just like me, started to watch it recently?

PS - haven't watched 'Torchwood' either - I presume I should go with 'Doctor Who' first!

Doctor DooM

basquille wrote: »

Or should I go all the way back to start with William Hartnell? I presume from the multitude or new fans that there's no specific problem with starting with it's return in 2005.

Christ no. Start with 2005, and then if you enjoy it or really get into it work your way back.

Even then, some of the oolder serials are much easier to watch than others.

There's a few bum episodes since 2005 but alot of crackers too. Common fan opinion is that if you don't like The Doctor dances/ Blink/ family of blood and the likes you're actually sick in the head.

Basq

Cheers Doctor DooM.

I wouldn't expect 68 episodes of gold alright.. I'd expect a couple of duds but from the few clips / scenes of 'Doctor Who' I have seen, it looks like something I'd enjoy - but never got a chance to actually sit down on a Saturday evening and watch it.

What appeals to me is I do really enjoy the different personas of the three most recent Doctors. Christopher Eccleston is one of those under-rated actors who never fails to put in a great performance (e.g his performance in 'Shallow Grave'), I always liked David Tennant in interviews and Matt Smith looks truly madcap but completely different to the two who went before him.

herobear

The thing about Doctor Who(well nu-who at least i havent watched enough old who to form an opinion yet) is that you need to be open minded with it, its not for everyone and if you go in expecting a super serious american type sci-fi show you wont last long, its first and foremost a family show, so yes at times its silly and at times complete muck, but when it gets it right, its absolutely amazing.
So do definitely give it a go just make sure you do it with an open mind.
The best thing is to start with Eccleston, because its a good introduction to Who

Basq

herobear wrote: »

The thing about Doctor Who(well nu-who at least i havent watched enough old who to form an opinion yet) is that you need to be open minded with it, its not for everyone and if you go in expecting a super serious american type sci-fi show you wont last long, its first and foremost a family show, so yes at times its silly and at times complete muck, but when it gets it right, its absolutely amazing.
So do definitely give it a go just make sure you do it with an open mind.

That's a good thing for me - as I'm not a fan of super-serious Sci-Fi (hence why Firefly appealed to me so much).

Judging by the timeslot it's in, I am aware if does appeal to more of a family audience - but that doesn't bother me as it does make me more open-minded that it won't be too drenched with heavy sci-fi elements that just don't appeal to me.

Pittens

Nice to hear how you get on. I am a convert in the last two years, or so.

Basq

Pittens wrote: »

Nice to hear how you get on. I am a convert in the last two years, or so.

Will try and update the thread as I watch..!

herobear

luckily for you if you get into it the dvd's of the first 4 series are super cheap now(they were pathetically expensive for AGES)

and i was a newbie too, the first one i watched live was the first 'special' post series 4 "the next doctor" in xmas '08(silly but i enjoyed it) and i went and bought all the dvds afterwards.

Spiritoftheseventies

Whatever you do get the Tom Baker collection. The best doctor and only Tennant came closer.
Looks a bit dated now but Tom Baker recognised as the best doctor who ever. The regenerations back then were much better.

Basq

herobear wrote: »

luckily for you if you get into it the dvd's of the first 4 series are super cheap now(they were pathetically expensive for AGES)

They are still in "bricks & mortar" stores.. the first series is still up on €50 in my local HMV.

Lucky for me.. good ol' FindDVD.co.uk has reported them available for the €15 - €20 mark each from online retailers. Best prices I can see:

Season 1 - £12.99
Season 2 - £13.89
Season 3 - £15.89
Season 4 - £17.89

herobear wrote: »

and i was a newbie too, the first one i watched live was the first 'special' post series 4 "the next doctor" in xmas '08(silly but i enjoyed it) and i went and bought all the dvds afterwards.

Yeah, I'm gonna watch the first few episodes of it while I put in an order for the first season over at Amazon as I'm buying an iPhone Development book for £13 and I need to spend another £12 to get free shipping (or delivery for the book will cost me an extra fiver). So no harm in ordering it!

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Whatever you do get the Tom Baker collection. The best doctor and only Tennant came closer.
Looks a bit dated now but Tom Baker recognised as the best doctor who ever. The regenerations back then were much better.

Cheers - will give them a look!

I'll only be able to picture him as the narrator of 'Little Britain' though!

Spiritoftheseventies

This is him (see below) in his hey day. And of course there was leyla as well and K9. The master though was my favourite character. As good as John Simms was wasnt a patch on the original. I lost interest when Peter Davidson took over but David Tennant was very good.

Basq

Big fan of John Simm so I'm looking forward to seeing him as The Master (think that's the role he played, right?) - and not just since 'Life on Mars' but even back as far as 'Human Traffic'.

Doctor DooM

There's some poor stuff in Bakers day too. Robot is not great.

Anywho, in reference to Torchwood and the like, I thought I'd give you my opinion.

Referring to the 2005 Doctor Who series as series 1, you should definitely watch seasons one and two.

There's a little children in need special in between the two which is actually quite good.

Torchwood S1 is set during the runtime of Dr Who series 3. However, Tw S1 is pretty weak, so really unless you're feeling completionist the knowledge that Captain jack is darker and more free to use violence in it is all you really need to enjoy his appearance in S3 of DW.

There's a really special CiN special between S3 and S4 of Dw called Time Clash. It's not necessary to enjoy the series but it's so good you have to.

TW S2 is set during DW S4 and is much better. It's worth it if you either like the Doctor's companion Martha Jones or if you just have some time for a pretty good series.

TW: Children of Earth is set during the gap year specials and it a highly recommended watch. It has some huge character development for Jack and is a must see to watch before the end of time.

Also, there is another series called the Sarah Jane adventures. It's all pretty good and alot of references to Who but the only must see is really the episode The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith which you should really watch before watching the last gap year special, The End of Time.

I hope thats somewhat helpful!

Spiritoftheseventies

John Simm a very good actor to be fair. The David Tennant series very good.Bernard Cribbins had a very good cameo role in the last series.
And Tennants assistants were very good as well. Not sure how much of the old stuff you can get but re Tom Baker anything with the master is very good.
IMDB very good in terms of ratings as well. You wlll get a lot of info on the various doctors from there.
Tom Baker was the longest running doctor with Tennant second.

Basq

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Anywho, in reference to Torchwood and the like, I thought I'd give you my opinion.

Referring to the 2005 Doctor Who series as series 1, you should definitely watch seasons one and two.

There's a little children in need special in between the two which is actually quite good.

Torchwood S1 is set during the runtime of Dr Who series 3. However, Tw S1 is pretty weak, so really unless you're feeling completionist the knowledge that Captain jack is darker and more free to use violence in it is all you really need to enjoy his appearance in S3 of DW.

There's a really special CiN special between S3 and S4 of Dw called Time Clash. It's not necessary to enjoy the series but it's so good you have to.

TW S2 is set during DW S4 and is much better. It's worth it if you either like the Doctor's companion Martha Jones or if you just have some time for a pretty good series.

TW: Children of Earth is set during the gap year specials and it a highly recommended watch. It has some huge character development for Jack and is a must see to watch before the end of time.

Also, there is another series called the Sarah Jane adventures. It's all pretty good and alot of references to Who but the only must see is really the episode The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith which you should really watch before watching the last gap year special, The End of Time.

I hope thats somewhat helpful!

Cheers DD.

Jaysus.. this all sounds very confusing!

"Needs 'moar' flowchart"!

Spiritoftheseventies

Character who played Captain Jack on Desperate Housewives next Tuesday. Worth a look if you have never seen him.

Doctor DooM

basquille wrote: »

Cheers DD.

Jaysus.. this all sounds very confusing!

"Needs 'moar' flowchart"!

Just re read it when you're half way through season 2 and it should make more sense.

Basq

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Character who played Captain Jack on Desperate Housewives next Tuesday. Worth a look if you have never seen him.

Am well aware of John Barrowman alright.. camp as Christmas but a very funny guy. Also comes across very well in interviews.

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Just re read it when you're half way through season 2 and it should make more sense.

Grand so.. will do!

Basq

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Character who played Captain Jack on Desperate Housewives next Tuesday. Worth a look if you have never seen him.

Am well aware of John Barrowman alright.. camp as Christmas but a very funny guy. Also comes across very well in interviews.

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Just re read it when you're half way through season 2 and it should make more sense.

Grand so.. will do!

I noticed you mentioning The Sarah Jane Adventures. Wasn't this aimed at a very younger audience? I thought it was a CBBC show.. is it canon?

herobear

it is both a cbbc show and canon, i havent watched any of it(yet) but ive heard its definitely worth it if youre a fan.

i dunno if i should spoil how its related to Who, you'll find out in season 2 of DW.

Doctor DooM

basquille wrote: »

Am well aware of John Barrowman alright.. camp as Christmas but a very funny guy. Also comes across very well in interviews.


Grand so.. will do!

I noticed you mentioning The Sarah Jane Adventures. Wasn't this aimed at a very younger audience? I thought it was a CBBC show.. is it canon?

It's aimed at a younger audience but I wouldn't say much younger. The writing in it tends to be quite good from what I have seen.

It is completely cannon. Sarah Jane was originally a companion for a couple of the old Doctors. She appears in series two just prior to the start of the sarah Jane adventures. David Tennant appears in the series as does the Judoon and the trickster and Sarah Jane and co appear in doctor who again so it is very much canon.

That said, it doesn't have much effect on the main series save for the episode I mentioned.

Spiritoftheseventies

Doctor DooM wrote: »

There's some poor stuff in Bakers day too. Robot is not great.

Anywho, in reference to Torchwood and the like, I thought I'd give you my opinion.

Referring to the 2005 Doctor Who series as series 1, you should definitely watch seasons one and two.

There's a little children in need special in between the two which is actually quite good.

Torchwood S1 is set during the runtime of Dr Who series 3. However, Tw S1 is pretty weak, so really unless you're feeling completionist the knowledge that Captain jack is darker and more free to use violence in it is all you really need to enjoy his appearance in S3 of DW.

There's a really special CiN special between S3 and S4 of Dw called Time Clash. It's not necessary to enjoy the series but it's so good you have to.

TW S2 is set during DW S4 and is much better. It's worth it if you either like the Doctor's companion Martha Jones or if you just have some time for a pretty good series.

TW: Children of Earth is set during the gap year specials and it a highly recommended watch. It has some huge character development for Jack and is a must see to watch before the end of time.

Also, there is another series called the Sarah Jane adventures. It's all pretty good and alot of references to Who but the only must see is really the episode The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith which you should really watch before watching the last gap year special, The End of Time.

I hope thats somewhat helpful!

Some of stuff is dated alright but he is still regarded as the best doctor. Could mix the light with the serious. Fact is that none of the doctors that followed him came even close to matching him until Tennant arrived.

Doctor DooM

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

Some of stuff is dated alright but he is still regarded as the best doctor. Could mix the light with the serious. Fact is that none of the doctors that followed him came even close to matching him until Tennant arrived.

A matter of opinion, Davison's the Caves of Adrozani was voted the best Who story ever and personally I prefer his Doctor. Baker was iconic but not perfect, it could be argued that he did alot of damage in his last couple of years.

All off topic though, really

Spiritoftheseventies

Baker starred in 173 episodes from 1974 and 1981. That is some going
Keeper of Traken and Longopollis the two key stories as they both involve the master.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/keepertraken/

Aids By Google

I'd recommend getting the audio books for the older stuff. Much better than the TV. For the TV stick with the modern series.

basquille

basquille wrote: »

That's a good thing for me - as I'm not a fan of super-serious Sci-Fi (hence why Firefly appealed to me so much).

Judging by the timeslot it's in, I am aware if does appeal to more of a family audience - but that doesn't bother me as it does make me more open-minded that it won't be too drenched with heavy sci-fi elements that just don't appeal to me.

Loooove Firefly btw! My bf gets me into all the best shows

Daemos

basquille wrote: »

Cheers DD.

Jaysus.. this all sounds very confusing!

"Needs 'moar' flowchart"!

To be honest it confused me as well, and I know what he's trying to say

I definately think you should consider looking at The Sarah Jane Adventures, it's very under-rated in my opinion. One episode called Secrets of the Stars is one of the best episodes of any TV show I've seen, and lots of other stories wouldn't look out of place in it's parent show.

And some episodes are pretty dark considering the target audience. One has

an evil clown that kidnaps children

:eek:

GSPfan

I'm ashamed to say I would have made fun of Doctor Who and their fans about 3 years ago. (I love Sci-Fi, just don't like British TV much.:o) I would never have watched a Doctor Who episode unless I didn't stumble across the imagine of a Child in a Gas mask saying "Are you my mummy"? while flicking past Watch one saturday morning.

Since that episode I have been completely hooked. Season 1 (2005) episode 9+10, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances is the reason I now love this show. And without me having any knowledge of who wrote which episode I placed The Empty child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, Silence in the Library/Forrest of the Dead as my absolute favourite episodes. I only recently found out (like 6 months ago) that all those episodes were wrote by the same guy, Steven Moffat, who is now the head writer for Doctor Who.

I always thought of Doctor Who as a cheap, overly-British, hyped up, kids show. And that may be true but those episodes I mentioned were so intricate that I was stunned how much respect the writers had for its viewers. Many of which would be children or teenagers. I think thats why I have become such a big fan. I've never lost sight that this show is for family entertainment. It can't take itself too seriously or pander to idiots. It somehow manages to keep all ages happy by just trying to be FUN. As someone mentioned before.... If you go into it with an open mind you'll like it. If you start to pick it apart you'll probably hate it. I watched the first episode of the new series with my 6 year old cousin and she loved it. She doesn't understand time travel and worm holes and parallel universes but she does understand Scary Aliens, funny moments, and the sense of adventure.

I'm eager to know what episodes stand out for you when you watch them. I still regularly YouTube the last scene of David Tennant regenerating in the Tardis. Doctor Who has given me some quality tv moments that'll I'll re watch for years.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Start with Eccleston, Tennant and Smith, then if you become a huge fan go back and watch the older serials...

Spiritoftheseventies

One of the other doctors (think it was Davidson) had a pop at Ecclestone for not hanging around long enough. Said it was disrepectful to the series or character.

Hedman

Spiritoftheseventies wrote: »

One of the other doctors (think it was Davidson) had a pop at Ecclestone for not hanging around long enough. Said it was disrepectful to the series or character.

I could be wrong on this but i think Ecclestones departure was more down to RTD than Ecclestone himself.

Spiritoftheseventies

RTD?

Hedman

Russel T Davies, the previous head writer/producer.

Spiritoftheseventies

Oh I see. I only saw a bit of Ecclestone but I dont think he was really suited to role. Tried a bit too hard I thought. Lacked Tennants charm

BaconZombie

Ok, first off I did not read any of the other replys excepts Doom's.

I never got into Dr Who until the 2nd session of the reboot with David Tennant as the Doctor, and then started to watch evening episode of it and then the spinoff Torchwood.

IIRC there are a few story arcs that link the two since there are both set in the same universe.

Basq

Have watched the first three.. all were very enjoyable in their own way!

I'm not really warming to Eccleston as The Doctor to be honest... and Rose's boyfriend Mickey is quite possibly one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

But I'm currently half-way through 'Aliens of London' (with it's farting aliens) and it's a bit of a stinker (no pun intended).

Spiritoftheseventies

basquille wrote: »

Have watched the first three.. all were very enjoyable in their own way!

I'm not really warming to Eccleston as The Doctor to be honest... and Rose's boyfriend Mickey is quite possibly one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

But I'm currently half-way through 'Aliens of London' (with it's farting aliens) and it's a bit of a stinker (no pun intended).

There is so much you missed out on. Saturdays weren't the same without the doctor for me. Rose and Tennant very good together.

monkeyfudge

basquille wrote: »

Have watched the first three.. all were very enjoyable in their own way!

I'm not really warming to Eccleston as The Doctor to be honest... and Rose's boyfriend Mickey is quite possibly one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

But I'm currently half-way through 'Aliens of London' (with it's farting aliens) and it's a bit of a stinker (no pun intended).

Mickey does actually sort of improve as the series goes on, believe it or not. But yep... he was pretty woeful in the beginning.

Also you've got the episode Dalek coming up after that two parter. That's a great episode.

Basq

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Also you've got the episode Dalek coming up after that two parter. That's a great episode.

The second part 'World War III' is a bit more fun.. but yeah, I'm looking forward to 'Dalek' though that'll probably be for tomorrow night.

Doctor DooM

basquille wrote: »

The second part 'World War III' is a bit more fun.. but yeah, I'm looking forward to 'Dalek' though that'll probably be for tomorrow night.

Yeah that two parter was foreshaowing for the bad side of new who...

But Dalek foreshadows teh awesome.

Moffats 2 parter still to come, too!

Spiritoftheseventies

Some very good cameos as well. Alex Kingston formerly of ER makes an appearance as does Kylie Mingoue and Dearbhla Kirwan.

mewso

It should be noted if you are a completist that a lot of the old stuff is very hard to get and some of it is lost completely. There seem to be two kinds of Doctor Who fans, those who watched the old show growing up and the new series converts.

As someone who grew up with it I would of course recommend Tom Baker and Peter Davidson as I started watching towards the end of one and the beginning of the other but I think it's important to realise that they might not have the same impact to a modern audience. As has been said though worth a look if you take to the modern version.

I kind of shunned the new stuff for quite a while but last year I finally sat down and watched all of it and overall it's great entertainment. It's a materclass in crossover tv (entertaining young and old) really.

Basq

Finished the 1st season last night.

'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances' were absolutely superb.. creepy, engaging, humourous and just did I mention creepy?

In fact, the latter half of the season (from 'Father's Day' to 'The Parting Of The Ways') were all pretty damn fine episodes bar one damp squib - 'Boom Town'.

Will start season 2 this weekend.

Doctor DooM

basquille wrote: »

Finished the 1st season last night.

'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances' were absolutely superb.. creepy, engaging, humourous and just did I mention creepy?

In fact, the latter half of the season (from 'Father's Day' to 'The Parting Of The Ways') were all pretty damn fine episodes bar one damp squib - 'Boom Town'.

Will start season 2 this weekend.

The man who wrote those episodes is now in charge of Doctor Who. The latest series is quite mature and creepy as a result!

Before you watch season 2, have a look at this (the first little anomoly I suggested )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY1kERSmLXs

Basq

Cheers DD!

Was gonna go looking for this actually as I use EpGuides to get my episode listings and I did see mention of it:

• Season 1

1 1-01 101 26/Mar/05 Rose
2 1-02 102 02/Apr/05 The End of the World
3 1-03 103 09/Apr/05 The Unquiet Dead
4 1-04 104 16/Apr/05 Aliens of London (1)
5 1-05 105 23/Apr/05 World War Three (2)
6 1-06 106 30/Apr/05 Dalek
7 1-07 107 07/May/05 The Long Game
8 1-08 108 14/May/05 Father's Day
9 1-09 109 21/May/05 The Empty Child (1)
10 1-10 110 28/May/05 The Doctor Dances (2)
11 1-11 111 04/Jun/05 Boom Town
12 1-12 112 11/Jun/05 Bad Wolf (1)
13 1-13 113 18/Jun/05 The Parting of the Ways (2)
14 1-14 N/A 18/Nov/05 Born Again : Children in Need
15 1-15 114 25/Dec/05 The Christmas Invasion

Basq

Having just watched 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'New World', Tennant has already won me over.

I'm a big Christopher Eccleston fan and I enjoyed him as The Doctor - but Tennant just oozes charisma, charm, likeability, humour and unlike Eccleston, he doesn't just sit around grinning in every second shot.

Girlfriend's away this weekend, so hoping to finish the second season of both this and 'The Shield' and catch up with some 'Red Dead Redemption'

Doctor DooM

basquille wrote: »

Having just watched 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'New World', Tennant has already won me over.

I'm a big Christopher Eccleston fan and I enjoyed him as The Doctor - but Tennant just oozes charisma, charm, likeability, humour and unlike Eccleston, he doesn't just sit around grinning in every second shot.

Girlfriend's away this weekend, so hoping to finish the second season of both this and 'The Shield' and catch up with some 'Red Dead Redemption'

If your nerd level is high, the season finale of season 2 hasn't really been topped, imo. And conversely, shouldn't ever be.


Girl in the fireplace is usually considered the height of season 2. Everything about it oozes quality, typical scary little concepts here and there and I love the bad guys.

Season three the quality is highly choppy imo though, it's got huge highs and lows.

Basq

Season 2 has been pretty damn superb.. but holy christ, 'Love & Monsters' is fecking dreadful. And I say that as a massive Peter Kay fan.. even the clips of ELO's "My Blue Sky" doesn't save it!

And it's a shame that it follows the superb "The Satan Pit" - just a sheer epic episode. Stunning stuff!

monkeyfudge

Yeah. I think it's the worst episode.

Even worse than Fear Her if you ask me... Also watch out for that episode... eek...

Basq

monkeyfudge wrote: »

Yeah. I think it's the worst episode.

Even worse than Fear Her if you ask me... Also watch out for that episode... eek...

Hmmmm...

** looks at my episode guide **

Awwww.. that's the next episode.. BALLS!

monkeyfudge