Once viewed by many TV lovers as a niche sci-fi program, Doctor Who and the TARDIS have been popping up with increasing regularity on television screens around the globe. In the past few years, the cult British staple has become a full-on global phenomenon. These days, being a Whovian is, as the eleventh Doctor (played by Matt Smith) would say, “Cool.”
However, with over six seasons of the Russell T. Davies 2005 series reboot plus three spin-off shows (Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and K9) available online and in stores, it can be an especially daunting task to get started – and that’s not even taking the hundreds of classic Doctor Who episodes into consideration.
Fortunately, we’ve put together the following handy guide to help viewers figure out which episodes are a good barometer for whether or not someone will enjoy the series, where to find the show online (in addition to retail shelves), as well as a complete list of Doctor Who episodes, specials, shorts, prequels and crossovers – including where the Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures, and K9 crossovers fit in (assuming you want the “complete” Doctor Who experience).
That said, our guide will only focus on the Russell T. Davies reboot series (starting in 2005) – since the copious amount of content in the classic series could be pretty daunting for most viewers who are new to Who. We recommend that interested viewers follow our guide and then, if they’re up for it, go all the way back to the beginning of the franchise with Season 1, Episode 1: “An Unearthly Child” (1963) – which featured the first, and grumpiest, iteration of The Doctor (played by William Hartnell).
Continue reading for suggestions on where best to start adventuring with The Doctor…
Most Doctor Who fans agree that the first episode of the 2005 Russell T. Davies reboot is not a prime example of Doctor Who at its best – and could be off-putting to viewers who are testing out the show for the first time. As a result, we’ve selected three Doctor Who episodes that offer a good sample of what potential viewers can expect from the series – without spoiling too many of the larger story arcs and twists.
That said, as Matt Smith recently mentioned while talking about season seven of the series, Doctor Who is about “evolution and regeneration.” Anyone even remotely familiar with the show knows that The Doctor changes form (and actors) from time to time and companions come and go every few seasons. For that reason, our featured episodes will contain mild spoilers for the timing of certain Doctor and companion exits but nothing that will undermine the moments when they actually happen.
If you want to avoid even the most basic spoilers then our best recommendation is to just start at the 2005 reboot, with Season 1, Episode 1: “Rose,” but keep in mind that the series premiere isn’t representative of the larger show’s quality. Anyone that chooses to start with the premiere should plan to stick with the series for several episodes – to get a much better sense of why Doctor Who is a worthwhile endeavor.
For viewers who aren’t overly-concerned about having a vague timeframe for when a new Doctor might be en route or when a companion might leave the series, below our top three Doctor Who indoctrination episodes. Each one will, for the most part, provide a solid standalone story experience and should help prospective Doctor Who viewers get a sense of the show - without the need for a lengthy canon rundown (or major overarching spoilers).
That said, if at any point you’re feeling like Doctor Who might be a fit – forget about our subsequent recommended episodes and jump to the 2005 premiere.
- Blink (Season 3, Episode 11) – A “Doctor-lite” episode. An entirely standalone story centered around Sally Sparrow (played by a pre-fame Carey Mulligan) and her run-in with one of The Doctor’s most feared enemies.
- Midnight (Season 4, Episode 10) – A “Companion-lite” episode. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, The Doctor must battle a terrifying enemy who turns the Doctor’s greatest weapon against him.
- Love & Monsters (Season 2, Episode 10) – A “Doctor-lite” episode. Elton Pope (played by Marc Warren) recounts The Doctor’s impact on a group of strangers as well as the love story that grew out of them all coming together to share their experiences.
It’s hard to imagine any would-be Whovian not seeing the promise in the series after “Blink.” Assuming we’re correct, save “Midnight” as well as “Love & Monsters” for in-context viewing. Like any quality piece of television drama, Doctor Who episodes are most enjoyable as part of a planned out seasonal arc.
Additionally, here are some beginner picks that Moffat and Smith gave:
Steven Moffat
1. The Ark in Space (1975) – The Doctor and his companions Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry (Ian Marter) are on a seemingly deserted space station many years in the future. Station Nerva is not as empty as it appears, though; onboard are the cryogenically preserved survivors of Earth’s destruction, as well as an insect-like alien race, the Wirrin, which are determined to use the humans–and the Doctor–as hosts to grow their monstrous larvae.
2. City of Death (1979) – The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Lalla Ward) is pitted against a time-traveling alien (Julian Glover) whose body, fragmented by an accident, spurred evolution millions of years ago. Written by “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” author Douglas Adams.
Matt Smith
1. The Empty Child (Season 1, Episode 9) - The Doctor and Rose travel back to London in 1941, at the height of the Blitz. A mysterious cylinder is being guarded by the Army, while homeless children (living on the bombsites) are being terrorized by an unearthly child. Rose meets the dashing Captain Jack Harkness – has she found a hero even better than the Doctor?
2. The Doctor Dances (Season 1, Episode 10) - The Child’s plague is spreading throughout the wartime London, and its zombie army is on the march. The Doctor and Rose form an alliance with intergalactic con-man Captain Jack, but find themselves trapped in the abandoned hospital. The answer lies at the bombsite, but time is running out…
3. Blink (Season 3, Episode 11)
Continue reading for a list of helpful viewing tips as well as our personal favorite episodes…
Doctor Who is a complicated show full of enough wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff to make any veteran Whovian’s head spin. For that reason, we’ve also put together a list of tips for watching the series that should help newcomers make sense of certain informational bits that might be confusing at first. We’ve also compiled notes that, first and foremost, stress the importance of Christmas episodes and other specials – as well as addresses a number of frequently asked logistical questions.
The Basics:
- Doctor Who is the question, The Doctor is what he’s refered to as, Doctor is what people call him.
- Doctor Who is always written as Doctor Who, never Dr. Who.
- The Doctor has a name but will only reveal it in special circumstances, to certain people (viewers do not know it).
- The Doctor is 900+ years old, can regenerate (12 times – 13 incarnations), and is currently on the 11th iteration.
- Regeneration can occur willingly or as the result of dire circumstances. All memories stay while personality quirks and traits change. However, the Doctor can learn traits from previous incarnations (i.e. to not be so serious).
- Accept that you’re not going to like any incarnation of The Doctor at first. You will also initially hate every newly regenerated Doctor replacing the previous Doctor.
- Similarly, be aware that you will likely not be happy with each new companion at first.
The Logistics:
- Christmas Specials are part of the overall story – with lead-ins and cliffhangers to the previous and upcoming episodes/seasons.
- The “Season 2008-2012 Specials” are also essential to the overall Doctor Who story – linking the show’s fourth and fifth seasons.
- Doctor Who has a companion series called Doctor Who Confidential, which shows the making-of/behind-the-scenes of each and every episode. Doctor Who Confidential only aired in the UK but is available on the US DVD & Blu-Ray releases. The BBC canceled Doctor Who Confidential following the season 6 finale.
- Doctor Who DVDs are expensive because they also include every episode of Doctor Who Confidential for the season, plus commentaries, video diaries & more.
- Every episode of Doctor Who (seasons 1-6) is available on Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix (in the US) – with the season 4 special “Planet of the Dead” and season 5 Christmas special being Netflix exceptions.
We’ve already shared the best episodes to whet your appetite for more Doctor Who but which of the Time Lord’s adventures are the overall best? We’d never be so bold as to put together a “best” episodes list – since there are plenty of high quality installments in the series that appeal to viewers for different reasons. However, we’ve listed our personal favorites below for the sake of discussion.
- Blink
- The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
- Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
- Vincent and the Doctor
- The Girl in the Fireplace
- Human Nature/The Family of Blood
- The Girl Who Waited
- Father’s Day
- Amy’s Choice
- The Doctor’s Wife
Honorable Mention: Time Crash, Stolen Earth [Ending], The End of Time [Ending]
It was hard for us to narrow down our choices to just ten (plus a few honorable mentions) – so we again invite you to share your favorite episodes and Doctor Who memories in the comment section.
The Complete Doctor Who Episode List
(Bolded episode titles are used to highlight exceptional, not simply good, episodes in each season)
Season 1 (2005)
1) Rose
2) The End of the World
3) The Unquiet Dead
4) Aliens of London (Part 1)
5) World War Three (Part 2)
6) Dalek
7) The Long Game
8) Father’s Day
9) The Empty Child (Part 1)
10) The Doctor Dances (Part 2)
11) Boom Town
12) Bad Wolf (Part 1)
13) The Parting of the Ways (Part 2)
Season 1 (cont’d)
Born Again [Children in Need Short] [YouTube Link]
14) The Christmas Invasion [Christmas Special]
Season 2 (2006)
(Tardisode prequel shorts were made for each episode in season 2)
1) New Earth [Tardisode YouTube Link]
2) Tooth and Claw [Tardisode YouTube Link]
3) School Reunion [Tardisode YouTube Link]
4) The Girl in the Fireplace [Tardisode YouTube Link]
5) Rise of the Cybermen (Part 1) [Tardisode YouTube Link]
6) The Age of Steel (Part 2) [Tardisode YouTube Link]
7) The Idiot’s Lantern [Tardisode YouTube Link]
8) The Impossible Planet (Part1) [Tardisode YouTube Link]
9) The Satan Pit (Part 2) [Tardisode YouTube Link]
10) Love & Monsters [Tardisode YouTube Link]
11) Fear Her [Tardisode YouTube Link]
12) Army of Ghosts (Part 1) [Tardisode YouTube Link]
13) Doomsday (Part 2) [Tardisode YouTube Link]
Torchwood Spin-off Begins (2 Seasons; 2 Miniseries)
14) The Runaway Bride [Christmas Special]
Season 3 (2007)
The Sarah Jane Adventures Spin-off Begins [Children's Show] (5 Seasons)
1) Smith and Jones
2) The Shakespeare Code
3) Gridlock
4) Daleks in Manhattan (Part 1)
5) Evolution of the Daleks (Part 2)
6) The Lazarus Experiment
7) 42
8) Human Nature (Part 1)
9) The Family of Blood (Part 2)
10) Blink [Read the original short story HERE]
11) Utopia (Part 1)
12) The Sound of Drums (Part 2)
13) Last of the Time Lords (Part 3)
The Infinite Quest [Animated Episode]
Time Crash [Children in Need Short] [YouTube Link]
14) Voyage of the Damned [Christmas Special]
Season 4 (2008)
1) Partners in Crime
2) The Fires of Pompeii
3) Planet of the Ood
4) The Sontaran Stratagem (1)
5) The Poison Sky (2)
6) The Doctor’s Daughter
7) The Unicorn and the Wasp
8) Silence in the Library (Part 1)
9) Forest of the Dead (Part 2)
10) Midnight
11) Turn Left
12) The Stolen Earth (Part 1) [Torchwood Appearance]
13) Journey’s End (Part 2) [Torchwood Appearance]
Season 4 Specials (2008-10)
(Season 4 specials are typically found solely by title, not within season 4 itself)
1) The Next Doctor [Christmas Special]
2) Planet of the Dead [Easter Special]
K-9 Spin-off Begins [Children's Show] (1 Season)
3) The Water of Mars [Autumn Special]
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (Part 1 & 2) [The Doctor on The Sarah Jane Adventures] [Dailymotion Link; Part 2]
Torchwood: Children of Earth (No Doctor. Its aftermath is visually referenced in “The End of Time Part” 2)
4) The End of Time (Part 1) [Christmas Special]
5) The End of Time (Part 2) [New Year's Special]
Season 5 (2010)
1) The Eleventh Hour
2) The Beast Below
3) Victory of the Daleks
4) The Time of Angels (Part 1)
5) Flesh and Stone (Part 2)
6) The Vampires of Venice
7) Amy’s Choice
8) The Hungry Earth (Part 1)
9) Cold Blood (Part 2)
10) Vincent and the Doctor
11) The Lodger
12) The Pandorica Opens (Part 1)
13) The Big Bang (Part 2)
Death of the Doctor (Part 1 & 2) [The Doctor on The Sarah Jane Adventures] [YouTube Link; Part 2]
14) A Christmas Carol [Christmas Special]
Space/Time [Children in Need Short] [YouTube Link; Part 2]
Season 6 (2011)
1) The Impossible Astronaut (Part 1)
2) Day of the Moon (Part 2)
3) The Curse of the Black Spot
4) The Doctor’s Wife
5) The Rebel Flesh (Part 1)
6) The Almost People (Part 2)
7) A Good Man Goes to War (Part 1)
8) Let’s Kill Hitler (Part 2) [Prequel Short YouTube Link]
9) Night Terrors
10) The Girl Who Waited
11) The God Complex
12) Closing Time
13) The Wedding of River Song [Prequel Short YouTube Link]
Death is the Only Answer [Doctor Who Confidential Short] [YouTube Link]
14) The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe [Christmas Special] [Prequel Short YouTube Link]
Good as Gold [Blue Peter Short] [YouTube Link]
Season 7 (2012-13)
Pond Life [Mini-Webisodes] [YouTube Link; Part 2, 3, 4, 5]
1) Asylum of the Daleks [Prequel Short YouTube Link]
2) Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
3) A Town Called Mercy
4) The Power of Three
5) The Angels Take Manhattan
P.S. [Season 7 Mid-Season Finale Deleted Scene] [YouTube Link]
6) The Snowmen [Christmas Special] [Prequel Short YouTube Link]
7) The Bells of Saint John [Prequel Short YouTube Link]
8) The Rings of Akhaten (airs April 6)
9) Cold War (airs April 13)
10) Hide (airs April 20)
11) Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (airs April 27)
12) The Crimson Horror (airs May 4)
13) Nightmare in Silver (airs May 11)
14) The Death of River Song (airs May 18)
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Follow us on Twitter @benkendrick and @anthonyocasio for more Doctor Who coverage as well as future movie and TV news.
Doctor Who season 7.5 airs Saturday on BBC and BBC America.
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Oh I also meant to say your guide is great. It is very helpful. I love the part about you will hate the new companion at first—so true. It’s almost like you think they don’t appreciate him like they should or know him like WE do!! LOL
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
I know!b it’s like I hated the 11th Doctor at first then I hated Amy.
The only thing is on our tv it gives us Season 6 not 7
Satan’s Pit and it’s prequel are great for indoctrination! They show the programmes brilliant story-making!
I think we should. Have a tribute show. Of our Doctor Who family. That we have lost, over the years.
i have an episode called “Music of the Spheres” which you haven’t listed.. any idea where/when it goes?
p.s. this guide is fantastic! keep on the good work..
Music of the Spheres was a feature in the Prom(s?) which is a music performance/feature. The theme that year must’ve been Doctor Who. It was shortly after the third season (the one with Martha) or at least I’m heavily assuming because Freema, the actress who plays Martha hosts it, and Donna’s theme is never played *Shrugs* it’s not really meant to be canonical in any way, but it is entertaining
So skip the 26 years ahead and just get to nuwho.
Really? Why? There are 11 doctors, not just 3. Grr.
Beau – The guide specifically states on the first page that the sheer amount of Doctor Who episodes in the classic series could be daunting for NEW viewers.
Which is why we said: Our guide will only focus on the Russell T. Davies reboot series (starting in 2005) – we recommend that interested viewers follow the guide and then, if they’re up for it, go all the way back to the beginning of the franchise with Season 1, Episode 1: “An Unearthly Child” (1963).
The point of the guide was to help people get into the show – not dismiss classic Who adventures.
I think that if you had any experience watching Classic Doctor Who you wouldn’t say that starting from the very beginning is a good way to watch it. The show as it is now is very different to how it was back then and attempting to go back to the very beginning is more likely to put off any but the most determined even if they do enjoy the show as it is post revival.
Also as much as I am loathe to criticise what are clearly someone else’s opinions, and thus subjective, Love and Monsters? You’d really list that as something someone should try to see whether they would like Doctor Who?
We’ve explained the “Love and Monsters” choice earlier in the thread.
It was a Doctor-lite episode, so it wouldn’t spoil much, and is much more accessible – and even though it’s one of the weirder villains, the plot is more than just an adventure story.
Commenters are split on that one for sure but the goal of the guide was to try to give people a taste of ‘Doctor Who’ – and, like it or not, plenty of the Russell T. Davies episodes are pretty campy.
Still, like you said, it’s subjective.
I love this show SO much!!!! I only got into Doctor Who about a year and a half ago because of my roommate who grew up loving it. This has got me so excited for season 7.5, I’m going on netflix right now and watching Blink!
I remember this guide from some time back. If I’d add anything, it would be to warn viewers not to let the weaker production values of the early seasons discourage them. While it didn’t bother me much, new viewers may find that stuff like the CGI and costumes were a little lower quality than what they may be used to on TV. It got a lot better with the Matt Smith episodes though.
Yeah, we bumped it back to the front page for the mid-season 7 premiere as well as updated the episode guide list with new prequel videos, etc.
Great article for the New Whovians out there…. which I’m not. But I still read and enjoyed every word.
My personal fave episode is The Satan Pit, purely for the shot of the beast, blew me away and I still remember it years later.
7 months later and Netflix STILL doesn’t have the episode “A Christmas Carol”. Seriously what happened there?
Is that the one with David Morrisey?
If so, I think that was the last Christmas special I saw, didn’t think it was very good.
No, A Christmas Carol was the one with Michael Gambon, and IMO was one of the better Christmas specials overall.
Fear Her was terrible doesn’t deserve bold and get Doomsday was Brilliant although it was horrifically sad but had hilarious banter between two doctor who classics. How could you bold Fear Her but not Doomsday???
Yeah I totally agree. Also Love and Monsters is, in my opinion, the worst episode of the revival and I believe that a lot of Whovians would agree with me.
I would say Rory Williams is also the Doctors companion.
Agreed. Rory is probably one of my absolute favorites. Not sure why he doesn’t seem to get more credit in some of the other sites I’ve looked at.
I wanted to say that this site has been very helpful as an introduction to Doctor Who. I went ahead and started with the 2005 reboot and am just about to finish up Season 6. Viewing on Netflix and missed the Holiday Special A Christmas Carol as they don’t have it, and obviously they don’t have Season 7 available yet, but I think I’ll just have to jump on board Amazon Prime (and also order BBC for cable).
I just ADORE this show. I knew before I started that I was going to love it, and it certainly hasn’t disappointed, but it is so much different that I expected.
I must say, in my opinion I think you’re missing the mark about not highlighting The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit story arc in Season 2 as that has been one of my favorites of all I have seen. I also don’t have the hate for Love & Monsters that others seem to have, I quite enjoyed it.
I easily was able to accept the new characters that came into the show although I thought it would be difficult. Martha might be a small exception, but she really came out on her own after “leaving” the Doctor as a full time companion.
Anywho, just wanted to say thanks for the help in getting started in this amazing journey!
Thanks Lucy! Glad the guide has been helpful.
I like the Impossible Planet/Satan Pit story arc too. I think we were just trying to be find a happy medium – based on input from several Doctor Who fans at the site.
Its certainly hard to choose!
I must congratulate you on this excellent guide. Honestly, it has everything I could have hoped to understand and need to get started with Doctor Who. I checked out maybe a dozen links, and this is definitely the mist comprehensive one out there.
On another note, I’ve enjoyed all the Doctor’s performances. The 9th Doctor doesn’t seem to have been given much credit, but I think he was very good and suited the role well. The writing though, was quite rubbish. Which is probably why people aren’t very fond of the first reboot season.
Again, thanks!
Cheers Kritika! Glad it was helpful – and that you’re enjoying the show!
I love this site. I admin a Doctor Who page, and this is my go-to episode guide.
However, the name of the last episode of series/season 7 is called The Name of the Doctor, not The Death of River Song. I’m not sure where you got that from. Once you fix that, this page will once again be perfect.
Death of River Song? I thought it was called The Name of The Doctor. Well, looks like that is spoiled for me. Still a great guide. Nice job.
Season 7 episode list says “Death of River Song” but the current confirmed title is “The Name of the Doctor”.
I love your guide! I use it a lot so I know which episodes are two-parts. like one episode is the first half, the next ep is the second. but I thought the episode after the nightmare in silver is called The Name of the Doctor…?