BBC Studios
Last week , Doctor Whopremiered its first young season since 2021 . Picking up where its sixtieth - anniversary special leave off at the end of last year , the show ’s time of year premier episode ( titledSpace BabiesandThe Devil ’s Chord ) took viewer on separate trips to a largely abandon spaceship in the future and back in time to Britain in the early sixties . The episode , in other Word of God , kicked offDoctor Who‘s latest seasonin suitably quirky fashion .
The prospect of jump into a show as long - running and apparently complex asDoctor Whomay seem too daunting for many people . However , while it might not inevitably seem like it , now is in reality as good a fourth dimension as any to start watching the beloved BBC sci - fi series . Not only is its newest epoch just start , but it ’s also been age since the show ’s future has seemed as bright as it does right now .
BBC Studios
Here ’s what non - fan and first - time viewers should know before diving intoDoctor Who .
What is Doctor Who?
Doctor Whoisa British sci - fi seriesthat originally premiered all the way back in 1963 and has aired nearly 900 episode since then . The show has been a TV staple in the U.K. for tenner , but it is largely fork into two eras : The classicWhorun , which lasted from1963 to 1989 , and the NuWho era , which begin when the series was revived follow a 16 - year reprieve in 2005 .
There have been a few multiyear disruption between sequence since then , butWhohas consistently remain on the melodic line and in production for the past 19 years .
What is Doctor Who about?
Created by Sydney Newman , C. E. Webber , and Donald Wilson , Doctor Whofollows the Doctor , an alien of unnamed ancestry who — according to a divisive retcon introduced a few year ago — was found and adopt by a member of what would eventually become a species known as the Time Lords . The Doctor is a humanoid being with two hearts who has the ability to travel throughout the macrocosm and into the past , present , and future on his starship , the TARDIS , which looks from the outside like a midcentury British police phone box , but is much bigger on the inside .
The Doctor always travel with at least one human familiar , andDoctor Whofollows them as they embark on unlike adventures throughout time and space and struggle various threats . Most importantly , the Doctor is capable of regenerate into a new incarnation whenever they ’re on the sceptre of death . It ’s for that reason thatDoctor Whohas been able to stay put on the melodic phrase for so long . Every clock time one of its lead doer settle to ill-use aside from the role , the Doctor plainly regenerates into a new avatar — thereby give up an entirely novel doer to take over the character and show .
How many actors have played the Doctor?
A total of 16 actors have portray the Doctor at one time or another . Throughout the show ’s NuWho running game , the character has been played by Christopher Eccleston ( The Leftovers),David Tennant(Good Omens ) , Matt Smith ( House of the Dragon ) , Peter Capaldi ( Criminal Record ) , and Jodie Whittaker ( Broadchurch ) . Jo Martin ( The Marlow Murder Club ) also briefly played a version of the character during Whittaker ’s run jazz as “ the Fugitive Doctor , ” while fabled actor John Hurt ( The Elephant Man ) briefly appeared as “ the War Doctor ” during Matt Smith ’s run as the character .
In October 2022 , Whittaker ’s Thirteenth Doctor regenerated into the Fourteenth Doctor , who was limn by returningDoctor Whostar David Tennant across three special that aired at the end of 2023 . In the third of those specials , Sex EducationandBarbiestar Ncuti Gatwa made his unveiling as the show ’s former and current lead story , the Fifteenth Doctor .
Where should I start with the show?
If you desire to watchDoctor Whoin tangible time mightily now with the repose of the show ’s new and returning fan , then we ’d commend starting with the first episode of Gatwa ’s current run as the case , which officially commence withThe Church on Ruby Road , a Christmas special that aired at the death of 2023 . That extra is available to stream on Disney+ , as areSpace BabiesandThe Devil ’s Chord .
You could , of course , also go back and dive into any of the authoritative or NuWho era . That ’s what a lot of the show ’s fan have done over the past 15 days , including this author , who started with the series ’ 2005 return season and eventually caught up to it in the middle of Matt Smith ’s run . That said , Gatwa ’s era does seem like a particularly promising one for first - timeWhofans to come out with .
Not only has Gatwa already made a magnetic mark on the long - running serial , but his run as the Doctor is also being led by showrunner Russell T Davies , the author who broughtWhoback in 2005 and help it reach newfangled altitude throughout its Eccleston and Tennant time of year . Davies’Whosuccessor , Steven Moffat , has also penned an instalment of Gatwa ’s firstDoctor Whoseason , which means that this era of the show feature work from two of the men most creditworthy for its modernistic - day popularity .
Do I have to watch previous Doctor Who seasons?
No ! As unusual as this may seem , you do n’t actually have to recognize a quite a little aboutDoctor Whoto start watch it . Every time a new histrion takes over the show , it more or less reboots itself , reexplains the basics of its assumption , and open up the door for unexampled rooter to join the company . ( subject in point : Space sister , the first ofWho‘s recent pair of time of year premiere episode , turn in all the information that one needs to start watching the long - running sci - fi series . )
If you wanted to develop a deep understanding of the show ’s past , you could always go back and see some of its past seasons , nearly all of which are moderately gentle to find and pour nowadays . You do n’t have to in purchase order to watch its newest episodes , though .
What are some must-see Doctor Who episodes?
One of the ripe thing aboutDoctor Whois that , as dependent on longform storytelling and multi - episode arc as it is , the show is also exceptionally effective at delivering feeding bottle episodes that can be enjoyed entirely on their own . With that in judgement , here are some memorable NuWho episodes that we ’d recommend to any newDoctor Whofans who desire to get a signified of what the show is capable of have when it ’s at its very best . ( As noted below , they ’re all available to pour on Max . )
Where can I watch Doctor Who?
The first 13 seasons ofDoctor Who‘s NuWho era ( i.e. , 2005 - present ) are available to stream flop now onMax . Those season embrace all of Eccleston , Tennant , Smith , Capaldi , and Jodie Whittaker’sDoctor Whoepisodes .
The series ’ more recent Tennant- and Gatwa - top episodes , meanwhile , are stream now onDisney+ . Those who are interested in revisiting the show ’s classical 1960s , ’ 70s , and ’ 80s episodes can rain buckets those onTubias well .
New episodes ofDoctor Whopremiere Fridays at 7 p.m. ET on Disney+ .
