Dr. Who advice

[Mytical]

Ok..never been a big Dr Who fan, but recently watched and enjoyed Torchwood. So I thought I would see what other Dr. Who was available on Netflix. Not sure where to start though. (Yes I know some do not consider Torchwood to be cannon, but meh..just wish they had the other Torchwood series on it ).

Ok so there is the original Dr. Who
End of time
Waters of Time
Ark of space
Pirate planet
The three Doctors
The Aztecs
Pyramids of Mars
The Ribos Operation
and the Curse of Fenric

I am looking to watch them in some sort of order..so for all you experts out there..where to begin, and the general order I should watch to make sense of it all.

[KiaKat]

Start with the 2005 series. Watch that through (don't forget the special eps in 2009, at least one is only on iTunes, not Netflix), then go back and watch the third and fourth doctors (Pertwee and Baker respectively), and continue on. A lot of them aren't up on Netflix, you just sort of have to organize it by date and Doctor. For the most part, the older series weren't year-long plots, but rather short 2-5 episode arcs, which have been gathered into the groupings you're listing. So the order doesn't matter quite as much.

[Mytical]

I will have to miss the ones on Itunes . Only have Netflix because my cousin agreed to pay for me a subscription until Oct (when I will take it over). Other then that, thanks for the suggestions

[customersruinmylife]

Waters of Time

Is this episode actually called The Waters of Mars by any chance? If so, it is an excellent episode (although it does have some spoiler-ific stuff that leads into Tennants final episodes). My personal recommendation is to watch this episode, and if you enjoy it go back to the start of the 2005 series, starting with the episode "Rose"

Watch everything from 2005-present, and then start with some classic episodes (if you enjoy it that is)

[AnaKhouri]

I think I am in the minority in that I much prefer the old series to the new one (although Christopher Eccleston was excellent). Personally, I think you should watch the originals to get a real feel for the charm of the series before you are dazzled by neat CGI effects from the new show.

Pertwee (3) is a good place to start; his Doctor his funny, a little grandfatherly but also dangerous when he needs to be. He is Husband's favorite Doctor.

Baker (4) is almost everyone's favorite. He is also funny, quirky, but also has a particular brand of ruthlessness that makes him interesting. He had the best companions as well- Sarah Jane, Romana I and II and K-9. Pyramids of Mars is a great choice for Baker.

After those two, I suggest you go back and watch Troughton's 2nd Doctor. He is goofy and kind of curmudgeonly, but you'll appreciate him more after Pertwee and Baker.

For completeness' sake you should see at least one Hartnell episode (1st Doctor).

My favorite, since I'm a girl, is Davison's quiet, careful Doctor (5), who seems hyper-aware of his own and his companions' mortality. Unfortunately he gets some annoying companions.

I would skip Doctor 6 (Colin Baker)- it's not that he was a bad Doctor, though rather abrasive, but that the writing in his season was simply terrible, and his companions were the worst.

Sylvestor McCoy gets little love (7) but I enjoyed his run. He had my favorite companion (Ace) who can really take care of herself.

This is just my opinion, of course, take it or leave it!

[csquared]

Yet another Dr. Who newbie thread. You can start a war with a question like that.

I side with AnaKhouri in preferring the old series. I particularly like Troughton, Pertwee and Davidson. Troughton and Pertwee play off each other very well in The Three Doctors. Davidson, I feel, doesn't get the credit he deserves. I think most people disliked him because he wasn't Tom Baker.

For the most part, you can start with any of the arcs. It would be better to start at the beginning of any of the doctors. With the new series, you get the story arcs with an overriding arc that follows each doctor. Plus you get a fuller character development of the Doctor and his companions.

Enjoy!

[Mytical]

Yeah, to be honest the older series I never could get into, which was why I was hesitant about Torchwood. Just watched waters of mars, it was pretty good. So probably going with the new series and arcs available to me on Netflix. Just wish that the different torchwoods would be available.

Edit : Yes, I know it is near me being a heretic to say I was never a fan of the older series..lol. Just never could get into it.

[Andara Bledin]

I only saw Baker (#4) as a kid because that's all that was available, and my dad watched it.

I have since seen all of Eccleston and most of Tennant. Tennant definitely grows on you, but I still prefer Eccleston. I hear good things about Smith, but it will take some stellar acting for me to overlook that hair. >_<

^-.-^

[KiaKat]

Every Doctor has to be taken on his own merits. They're all very different, and they've all been given very different characterizations by the various writers. I don't think any of them were "bad," per se, though some of the writing was horrid (looking at you, writer-of-the-movie...), but they all have to be treated differently.

I can understand not liking the older episodes if you didn't grow up watching them. They're a very different style of television, more focused on character development and philosophy rather than delving into plots and bolstering with action and flashy costumes/sets/effects. At times they get a bit heavy-handed when it comes to "oh look at society" pontification. That's where an actor like Baker really shines - he tends to offset that with some great humour.

Personally, I love Baker. He was my first Doctor, and was incredible, especially with Sarah Jane Smith and Romana I. I see a lot of his portrayal in Smith, actually. The slight clownishness (used as a diversion frequently), the fiddling, the subtle ruthlessness, all of them seem to come directly from Baker. Pertwee and Davidson are definitely up there for me, but I had trouble seeing the progression from Pertwee to Baker to Davidson, because the personalities were so different. I feel like the modern Doctors are a bit more willing to integrate their predecessors into their portrayals.

Andara, definitely give Smith a try. Especially once he gets towards the end of his first series, he starts to really fit the role. By the second episode of his second series, he's slotted perfectly into it, and barring a few moments where I *see* how young he is, he pulls off the "ancient alien" thing very well. If you're having trouble getting into his rendition, check out The Doctor's Wife for probably the best episode of that particular series (and the fact that it's written by Neil Gaiman doesn't hurt...). I know a lot of people are frustrated by his companions, but they're really great foils for him. It's a wonderful trio of actors; I wish we could keep them on for just a bit longer, though it's definitely understandable that they're leaving while at the top of their game.

[Draper Mel]

I grew up with the old series, starting in junior high. I started with Tom Baker, then back to Jon Pertwee (because of how that tv station ran them) then Peter Davison. By the time we got to Colin "No Relation" Baker, I got turned off. I just hated him and his companions. I saw a bit of Sylvester McCoy, but didn't keep up with it.

I almost got turned off again by the first couple episodes of Christopher Eccleston's one series, but I tried again and changed my opinion. He was fantastic. Then of course David Tennant was in a class by himself. I think it helped that he was an old DW fanboy from childhood. (And now Peter Davison is his father-in-law. Is that crazy or what??) I think Matt Smith has settled into the role brilliantly. He was channeling Tennant for a few episodes, but he found his stride. He does play "old" very well.

As far as getting into DW, I'd say start with Eccleston. The effects in the new series are light years beyond the old series. People won't put up with men in monster costumes and styrofoam rocks any more.

[Merriweather]

I LOVE Torchwood - it's awesome, and I get the added pleasure of listening to Gwen's Welsh accent (I SO miss Welsh accents).

I love Doctor Who as well, the newer ones from - when did they start them up, late 90's, I think? I did not grow up watching the old ones, so I began on the newer ones and fell in love with them. Ok, I don't recall episode names, but you can check IMDB to see what episode is what doctor. If you've not watched before, I would suggest starting the newer ones - best if you can just watch season by season in order, cause there is a bit of back-reference to things. Begin with 1st (newer) season, the ones with Rose, and just keep going in order, if you can. Then eventually go to the old ones.

As I said, I didn't grow up with Doctor Who, and have only seen a tiny bit of the older ones. Hubby grew up watching the Tom Baker ones, but hasn't seen the other doctors.
But I must crow, we are about to begin a whole new chance to watch old episodes, because a while back we bought a box of VHS tapes on Craigs List for an amazing price (at least, we think so). Actually, it was more than 1 box when we picked them up, and contained about a dozen mundane movies, another dozen or so British TV series (which I love), and (drum roll please) - old Doctor Who tapes. A wide assortment of doctors - a grand total of 111 Doctor Who video tapes! I'm trying to be patient til hubby stops working out of town, finds a local job, and we can curl up together (once we bring the old VHS from my craft room to the living room). Might be winter, sigh, before then. Not sure if I can hold out that long....

[Mytical]

Despite finding the acting somewhat cheesy, and the story arcs somewhat funny..I am beginning to get into Doctor Who..after the new ones (2005-on) are over I might just check out the older ones.

[MoonCat]

Tom Baker. You NEED to watch Tom Baker.

OK, so he was my favorite, what can I say?

[dawnfire]

Sylvestor McCoy gets little love (7) but I enjoyed his run. He had my favorite companion (Ace) who can really take care of herself.

She was cool with her nitro-9. Nothing like homemade explosives

[dawnfire]

Tom Baker. You NEED to watch Tom Baker.

OK, so he was my favorite, what can I say?

Tom Baker is my favourate doctor. I grew up watching him peeking around the doorway.